First off, I want to say CONGRATS to all my Penn State graduates. I come from the greatest school alive and get to be a part of the greatest and largest alumni network to exist. There is no one like a Nittany Lion! I wish all of you the best in your future endeavors.
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| Graduation in December 2010. "May no act of ours bring shame, to one heart that loves thy name, may our lives but swell thy fame. Dear old State, dear old State." - Penn State Alma Mater Photo Credit: Andy Colwell |
Question of the day: How do you pack when you have no idea where your final destination may be? I don’t even know how to answer this yet. Everyone I have asked about packing for Peru has come up with one answer: PACK LIGHT. That is a hard concept to wrap your head around when you know you’re going to be living in another country for 2 years, and have zero clue what climate you’ll be in and what you’ll be able to get.
I’ve finally started to cross off items on my “to pack” list. Every time I cross off something on the list a little bit of my nerves calm (key word: little). I’m allowed 2 checked bags, not exceeding 107’ inches (height, width, length) combined and the biggest bag can be no MORE than 50 lbs. I’m allowed one carry-on bag. So, as I write this I’m staring at my hiking backpack wondering how much of my life I can shove into it (thank goodness I have a mother who is an expert at packing).
For future Peace Corps Volunteers seeking some solace with the packing situation, all I can say is…I’m hopeful it will all work out & if it doesn’t you can always have things shipped. Once I’m finally done with packing I’ll post a list of what I packed because other Volunteer’s blogs have helped tremendously when it comes to this issue.
I have 25 days till I take my flight from LaGuardia at 9am to our nations capital. By this time the worry of packing will be the last thing on my mind (well at least after it’s weighed at check in). After a day full of meetings I will be spending my last night in America at The Holiday Inn Georgetown (where I plan on taking the longest and hottest shower imaginable).
Then it’s time to start the journey from DC->Miami->Peru. The main question I’m getting now is: Are you nervous? Of course I’m nervous, but I’m also anxious, excited and a slew of other emotions. I’m more importantly extremely grateful… because I get to LIVE my dream, not just talk about it anymore. I get the chance to finally integrate myself into another community, make a difference in someone else’s life and have someone else make a difference in mine.
I’ve always considered Peace Corps to be a selfless and selfish decision. The feeling you get when you can give back to someone who can’t give you back anything in return is unlike anything I've experienced (even jumping out of a plan at 14,000 ft… and I can attest to this).
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| Me getting ready to jump out of an airplane at 14, 000 ft. Thanks for the Christmas gift Mark! |
I know, right now, that I will not only be teaching the youth of Peru, but they are going to teach me lessons I never thought existed.
I’ll leave you with something a very dear professor at Penn State told me....
“Your time in the Peace Corps will certainly be a life-changing experience. I'm reminded of a message I once read on a church bulletin board. ‘You haven't lived a perfect day until you've done something for someone who could never repay you’. During your time in Peru you'll have many "perfect days." Some days may not be easy but you can rest assured that you're making a difference in the lives of the people you meet.”
I am truly blessed.
Hasta la próxima vez
-Brielle
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