My Next Chapter

Remember apartment or house hunting? Those months you spent looking at several options: some great, some with potential, and some definitely falling short. And just when you're about to give up, you stumble into "The One." It may not be perfect, it may not have every feature you're looking for, but as you stand in the empty, echoing unit, if feels like home. It fits. You envision where your bed will go and how to arrange the sofa. You hear the music you will play during your housewarming and the laughs of your guests. You realize the challenges of not enough parking, lack of a fridge and loud neighbors, but you're willing to endure. This is your new home, your new sanctuary and where the next chapter of your life will take place.

Whenever someone asks me why I want to join the Peace Corps I always stumble through a response. Why is it so difficult for me to formulate into words? Even on the application, how do I explain this dream of mine in 500 compelling words or less? Every time I think of the Peace Corps, I smile. The mission, the people, the experience, it just fits. Although the actual Peace Corps experience is thus far foreign to me, the idea of it feels like home. I can see myself in that type of environment, stretching and testing my limits. Do I believe I can save an entire community? A country? The world? Definitely not. Am I scared? Hell yes. But this is where I see my next chapter. I want to venture to the opposite end of the world. I want to learn, teach, and share with another culture completely unlike my own. I want these challenges and I want to make an impact. Seemingly naive? Perhaps. But I'm stoked to be home again.