Elucidations

“Why?”

This is the question that I have been asked most frequently since we have revealed our plans to join the Peace Corps.

Considering the circumstances it is a legitimate question too:

We are essentially sacrificing over two years’ worth of income and all of the associated benefits.

We have had to sell our home and find new homes for pets.

We will be living in a foreign country where the living conditions and the government are significantly different from our own.

I am not sure that I have had an answer that is good enough for my inquisitors. So I will try to put something down here that helps explain it.

I believe in volunteerism. I grew up in a family where it wasn’t stressed as much, yet I had always wanted to try it. Once an opportunity was presented I found that I loved it. Since then I have had the chance to volunteer for many different projects and I have picked up some skills and friends because of it too. LCHS requires that students volunteer a certain number of hours for graduation. I feel that is one of the strengths of our school because it takes away some of the reticence that comes with trying something new. One of the reasons that I chose to join the Peace Corps is because it sort of represents a pinnacle of volunteerism for me.

Education is important. For others as well as myself. Most Peace Corps volunteers claim that they come away from the experience helped more by the experience than they contributed. While that is not my goal, I will not pass up the opportunity to become a more informed person. More importantly, I’ll have the chance to teach others about the U.S. and about American English. This is a unique opportunity to be a representative of our country in a foreign land. Many people will form opinions of our country based on their interactions with me. My work as a teacher is important because, not only am I teaching classes, I am helping people decide about our country.

Have you ever just wanted more? I guess the thing that I am looking for is a future where I can look back and not have regret for something that I wanted, yet never tried to attain. I also want to become a better person and I think it starts here, by experiencing a new way of life and seeing the world from a different perspective. You just can’t get this knowledge from a two-week vacation looking out over the city from the 15^th floor of Radisson. You have to climb down from the tower and get your hands dirty. You must become involved.

So, I’ll answer the question again in a more concise manner:

Why am I leaving?

Because time spent wishing is time wasted.