Welkam

Welcome to my blog. This is my very first blog entry EVER, but I'll try to make it interesting. This is mostly for family and friends, so I wont do the whole introductory sort of thing, because hopefully you guys already know all that stuff :)

Before, I was just emailing my Peace Corps updates to my family, then posting them on Facebook, but I'd like to just have one space that everybody can access both my updates and pictures. Thus, my blog spot.

I'm going to add all of my old updates first. The computers here are notoriously slow, so I have no idea how long all that will take, especially with the pictures and everything. Hopefully I'll get it all done before I leave Port Vila, just bare with me.

One thing I don't think I wrote about in my Facebook updates is the reasoning behind my joining Peace Corps. There were really a multitude of reasons, and I had to write about them in excess while applying. My sophomore year of college, I was sitting in a chemistry lecture when a PC recruiter came in and talked about serving. I had heard about PC before, but never given it much thought. Around that time, I was becoming more interested in international development and sustainable agriculture, but that's pretty general and I needed to find a path that would help me define my interests. I had never traveled outside of the country before; I had barely even been away from home for more than a couple of weeks at a time. I saw the PC as a stepping stone between undergraduate life and a possible career.

That was the main reason. Of course I wanted to share whatever useful skills I had in order to help whatever place I'd be sent to. I wanted to immerse myself in another culture, travel, learn more about development, and take a break from the hectic pace of things in the States.

It took me two years from the time I first opened the PC online application until the time I left for my service. It was a long, frustrating process that I felt like giving up on many, many times. When the recruiter called and offered me a spot in Vanuatu, I accepted. In hindsight, I might've waited for a more suitable option, but after two years of waiting, I was ready for just about anything, or so I thought. As a person interested in sustainable agriculture, a fertile volcanic island where almost anything can grow with relative ease and no fertilizer, I find that much of my knowledge and skills are unecessary. Still, Vanuatu is absolutely gorgeous and the people are generally very friendly. I've been "broadening my horizons" by working with a women's group. Just interacting with the people has been an incredible experience. In short, I don't regret my decision to come to Vanuatu, and currently am trying to make the best of my remaining 18 months. Hope you enjoy my blog!