Aspiration Statement

Sorry for the long entry, but I wanted to post the Peace Corps aspiration statement that I was required to send in to the PC staff in Botswana. This was more difficult to write than I thought it would be, and I have no idea if these are the responses the office is looking for, but it does sum up my intentions and feelings about joining the Peace Corps. I promise to post more exciting and interesting things next time!

A. What are the professional attributes you plans to use, and what aspirations do you hope to fulfill during your Peace Corps service?
Although I may not have the years of professional experience that some other volunteers may have, I believe that I have a lot to offer as a volunteer in the HIV/AIDS Capacity Building Project. Along with my enthusiasm, I bring years of working within the medical field, some clinical experience, and a lifetime of experience in working with children. Even in the United States there is frustration in finding and obtaining resources and care within the health care system. I have experience and training in connecting people with these resources, and I hope to continue to do so in Botswana. After working in a pediatrician’s office, my special field of interest concerns mothers and children, so I am especially pleased to be placed in a project that is based around their care. I have also loved working with children and teens in youth groups and camps, and I hope to have the opportunity to use these experiences in Botswana, perhaps in the areas of support for PWLHA’s, stigma eradication, or girls’ empowerment.

B. What are your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs?
In reading my Peace Corps materials and the writings of returned and current volunteers, I have come to see that that working effectively within the Peace Corps requires patience, flexibility, persistence, understanding, and a sense of humor. I know that I will not get anywhere by pushing too much too quickly. I plan to spend a lot of time getting to know the local ways of doing business, and listening to the concerns and opinions of the local people. I’m sure that much of the work and concepts of HIV/AIDS education and care will be challenging for the community, but it is much easier to tackle a challenge with a neighbor or friend who respects you than an authoritative stranger.

C. What are your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background?
I am excited to begin learning about the people and culture of Botswana, and I believe that the best way to adapt is to dive right in with as much respect and enthusiasm as possible. I did not grow up in a very diverse community, but I have had the opportunity to explore other cultures through travel. In these adventures, I learned quickly that one of the best ways to make a friend in new culture is to attempt to speak with them in their own language. An American asking for directions in French, or ordering a drink in German, or bartering in Turkish at the bazaar is not only a novelty, but a sign of respect. Therefore, I intend to make the most of my Setswana lessons at training. As a further sign of my interest and willingness to live as part of the community, I intend to eat whatever food I am offered, and to take great care to learn and follow the cultural norms of Botswana. I have found that while people are at times suspicious of outsiders, most people are very excited and willing to share their way of life with someone who is genuinely interested. I hope that in proving myself to be that sort of person, I will be accepted and welcomed.


D. What are the skills and knowledge that you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and project?
As I have already discussed in the previous section, I am very interested in learning as much Setswana as possible at training. Beyond language, I hope to learn how to live and work effectively in Botswana, from the chores of everyday life to the best way to introduce new programs and new ideas in a new culture. I am interested in learning about the healthcare system of Botswana, as well as the structure of governmental and NGO outreach programs. I hope that training will show me how to find and use the resources I will need to be an effective worker, and the skills to survive and be accepted in my community when I begin service.

E. How do you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends?
This is both the easiest and the most difficult question asked. I would not have joined the Peace Corps if I didn’t have a clear vision of how it would fit into my career plans and personal goals, but as I have not yet lived these experiences, I cannot know how they will actually affect my life. My interest has always been in the field of public health, and I expect that my work in the Peace Corps will help me choose which sector of the field to specialize in, whether it be epidemiology, global health, or maternal/child health. After my service, I plan to pursue a Master’s degree in public health, perhaps through the Peace Corps fellows program. I hope that my experience in Botswana will not only help get me into my educational program, but also give me a starting point for a lifelong career in helping people.
Beyond my personal goals and career aspirations, I know that being a Peace Corps volunteer will almost certainly change the way I view life. Despite family and financial hardships, I know that I have led a relatively comfortable life. In Botswana, I will be working with people who experience disease and loss on a daily basis, but manage to go on living every day. If I aspire to become part of their community, then I also aspire to share in their heartaches. I would not be human if I did not allow this to change me. I will be living more simply than I am used to. From what I have read, I will learn to deal with frustration and lower expectations, but I will also experience joy and pride even in small successes. I expect that this, too, will change the way I live long after I leave Botswana. I have joined the Peace Corps to help others during service and to gain experience to continue helping others throughout my life, but I have the feeling that living as a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana will also help me become a more mature, socially and globally conscious version of myself.

And so it begins...

As of yesterday, I have officially accepted my invitation to serve in Botswana! The application process was a long one, almost a year long, but it's finally over. Now begins two and a half months of preparation. Being the list fanatic that I am, I already have tentative packing lists and to-do lists. Some of the major things to do currently are applying for a special no-fee passport (different than a personal passport, as it can only be used for government travel), updating my resume, and writing an aspiration statement to send to the country office in Botswana- all to be done and submitted in the next ten days. I'm actually excited to begin all the paperwork and packing because it means that it's really happening. These last couple of months of waiting and wondering and putting life on hold have been terrible, and it's nice to finally have answers and constructive things to do!
For those who are unsure of what the Peace Corps does, or where Botswana is, or what I'll be doing for 27 months, I'll try to do a little explaining. For information about Botswana, I added a map and a link the CIA World Factbook page. After reading that and perhaps doing a bit of googling, you'll know about as much as I do about it. From what I've seen online, it looks every bit like the Africa I imagined. Botswana is considered a middle income, stable country, so much so that the Peace Corps actually withdrew in 1997. However, AIDS has ravaged much of the country (its HIV/AIDS infection rate is the 2nd highest in the world), and Peace Corps returned in 2003 to help the government build up its capacity to deal with the epidemic. My specific job title will be 'Community Capacity Builder',which means that I will be working at the community level in community health education, mother to child transmission prevention, and providing assistance to home-based and orphan care programs. For more information about the Peace Corps in Botswana, check out their site: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.wherepc.africa.botswana.
For the first 3 months in Botswana, I will be in training with the rest of my group and staying with a host family. After that, I have no idea where I will be placed or what my home will be like. Peace Corps volunteers are stationed throughout the country, and live in many different ways. Some have nice houses with electricity and running water, and some live much more simply. I really have no preference- I will be excited just to be there!
I probably won't post again on this blog until much closer to my departure date, and I'm not sure what kind of internet access I'll have in country. I will, however, make sure to add some contact information once I'm there- keep an eye out for it!