Dear Mr. McPherson’s 7th grade class

It makes me feel happy to know that my blog is actually sharing a small piece of the world with those who may never get the chance to experience it firsthand.  The Peace Corps encourages us to keep blogs for precisely that reason.  I started it as a way to let my family and friends know what I’ve been doing since it is difficult to individually write each person, but I’m watching as it expands to those I’ve never met.  The pressure is on to express things accurately.

When I was in grade 7, I knew what the Peace Corps was but I don’t think I ever considered myself to be the right kind of candidate.   I didn’t have much confidence in myself and couldn’t see my own potential.  I think many of us feel that way as we navigate through our teenage years.  I had never traveled outside of the United States, though I wanted to.  Africa was never a continent I planned to visit, except for maybe the pyramids of Egypt, something I learned about at a young age.  It was a scary place.  I actually felt that way until the day I received an email from the Peace Corps telling me I was being considered for service in Namibia.  I had to Google search it because I was so ignorant about this place and what they were looking for in me.

I am a person who feels that the Universe or God gives us experiences to expand our knowledge; broaden our horizons.  What an amazing opportunity to learn about our world and break the stereotypes which so naturally attach themselves to the things we know little about.  I would have learned in any country, but this seems like the place I was meant to be; the place that has the most to teach me right now.  I never stop seeking knowledge, even when I teach for a living.

Probably the most important lesson I’m learning is the universality of the human experience.  Sure, we are all different, culturally, but we also all experience joy, heartache, love, rejection, insecurity, and ambition.  When we fear others for their differences, we miss the opportunity to connect on our similarities.  When you move away from everyone and everything you’ve ever known, it is very important to search for the similarities so that you can begin to create a home away from home.  In all honesty, this has been a very difficult piece of my journey.  It is a daily struggle with highs and lows at every turn. 

It’s easy to fall into an “us versus them” mentality since we naturally gravitate towards that which is familiar.  In my case, this is the other Americans living in my region.  In the United States, this can be the community you grew up in and the culture of those people.  New Kent, Virginia is quite different from Downtown Richmond, and even further from Compton, Los Angeles.  Here, the Americans are from every background, yet, we are united by our 1 commonality.  If I traveled in a spaceship to an alien world, I’d gravitate towards other earthlings (whether they were Namibian or American) since we’d both identify with humanity.  As I try to step out of my comfort zone, I hope you do the same.  No matter where someone comes from or what they look like, you have more in common than you imagine. 

People often tell us (myself and other Peace Corps Volunteers) that we are brave.  It is a flattering thing to hear but almost always makes me chuckle because I am afraid.  I am only human, after all, and most of us would not be able to do this without fear.  Here is what I learned that led me to apply for service and what I still feel is true today:

Change is terrifying. 

Sometimes it is exciting and fun and sometimes you are met with failure and heartache.  You never know which path you are about to travel.

Do you know what I believe to be even more terrifying than this?

Staying in a place that does not bring you joy because the alternative “might” be worse. 

It also might be better.  One thing is for sure though: change, no matter how difficult, always builds a better you.  We cannot grow or learn new things without experiencing the new.  I always try to remember this on my darkest days.  Something may be painful but I’m going to be stronger at the end of it.  In this sense, we can say thank you to all experiences, good and bad, because we can know it will shape us into who we are meant to be.

We must stretch to our furthest limits of joy and sorrow to know the truth of life.

I certainly still have a long way to go and my growth won’t end with the Peace Corps, though I’m curious to see the woman I am as I touch down in the United States next year.

I think of this experience as a shortcut to growth that the world had intended for me anyways.  You don’t have to move to Africa as a volunteer to expand, you just need to find your own ways of challenging yourself and the beliefs that you hold.

I will share your letters with my learners and I'm sure they will be so happy to receive them.  I will have them respond as soon as we have the class time.

Good luck with all the learning you will encounter this year!