Lately I’ve been feeling a bit lost. I even started a blog based on my “not so sure what the heck I’m doing”-ness but recently I’ve been given a push in the right direction. A shove I think would actually be more accurate. My prayers have been answered and the Lord told me, not so subtly, what He has planned.
Growing up, I always wanted to move somewhere that was far away and extremely different from what I knew and loved. I was excited by the adventure, by the opportunity to grow, and I wanted to fall in love with something, whether it be the new places I would visit, the people I would meet, or my old home that I was given the opportunity to fully appreciate through my travels. New York was at the top of my list in my late teens. Italy is the country I tried desperately to gain access to in my early twenties. And when I recently finished college and received my teaching credential, I considered something far more extreme.
In early December of this crazy year, I started my Peace Corps application. I thought, “what a great opportunity to experience all of the things I’ve been craving while at the same time helping others and making a much needed difference in this world.” The more I learned about the program the more I wanted to join. After completing the surprisingly lengthy application process, I was almost immediately contacted by my recruiter to come to LA for an interview and informative seminar. I started to get excited…and a little nervous. OK. A lot nervous.
Before my interview, I told my dad about my plans. I expected him to point out all of the cons but what I was not expecting was for him to ignore all of the pros I tossed into the conversation. Basically, he was adamant about me not going. This was a bit of a let down and I started to quickly doubt myself and my choice. Don’t get me wrong, my dad has my best interests at heart and I know that the thought of my leaving for 27 months wasn’t too thrilling. Luckily, I have amazing friends.
I use words like amazing and spectacular and awesome far too often so when the time comes for those words to actually mean something, they fall flat. I cannot express in words the depth of my friend’s love for me and my love for them. I am literally awed by them, surprisingly touched by their compassion, forever bonded to them and there’s pretty much nothing they can do about it.
They quickly rallied behind me: picking me up, dusting me off, and filling me with so much encouragement I could have burst. They would miss me but that was a small price to pay for the ultimate benefit of such an amazing experience. The Lord has truly blessed me with a balance of friends and family that I sometimes feel I don’t deserve, though I’ll try to.
Anyway, it usually takes 9-12 months from the time you turn in your application to the time you get on a plane and depart for your destination. That’s if you get accepted. I was so sure I would be waiting months to hear anything after my interview if I did get accepted. What I was not expecting was for my recruiter, Lindsay, to whip a piece of paper off her desk and inform me that a spot was available and she wanted me to take it. I would be leaving in 5 months. Uhhhhhhh…….
I may have started hyperventilating after the meeting. She basically told me all that I needed to do, as quickly as possible, in order to receive my golden ticket and fly to…wait for it…EASTERN EUROPE in a few months.
I quickly found my Peace Corps map and looked up the countries we serve in that area of the world. I’d never even heard of some. Did you know there was a country called Moldova? Azerbaijan? Me either. But I could be potentially spending more than two years living there!
The next few months will be a whirlwind but I plan to keep updating this constantly changing blog of mine to keep those interested well informed. Your encouragement and support, opinions and advice through this blog will make my day! Will make my 27 months actually! Love you all, big and small. (I wasn’t calling any of you fat, I just got carried away)
