Good friends mean good things..

July 17, 2012




The days leading up to today have been rather surreal. From the going away parties, to the finally encounters with friends, and the emotional good byes with loved ones. So far, this experience has had a 'going-away-to-college' feel that I recall back in 2005 when I ventured to Hawaii. Yet this 2 years stint won't included a trip back home for the holidays, or a nice summer vacation. Once I begin this long journey, there really is no going back until my assignment is fulfilled. A 15 hour plane flight is not something I can sit through easily or willingly. In essence, Its the point of no return.




Philly has been wonderful. I've met some great new people, enjoyed some new and authentic meals (Philly cheese steak!), and slept in a comfortable hotel bed. It seems more or less like a relaxing vacation away from it all. Yet what's to come is going to be a complete 180 from my norm.




A friend told me while saying good bye at a party recently that I was an amazing person for doing this, a 'stand out' guy among others. And while I do appreciate the flattery, I couldn't help but think about what qualifies me as this 'stand out' guy compared to my other friends? I came to the conclusion that I couldn't disagree with his kind words more.




Without people like him, I wouldn't be doing any of this. In my eyes, he has always been the amazing person. I'm certain that anyone of my friends, being in a similar situation as mine, would do the same thing. Help others less privileged, travel to another part of the world, participate in meaningful work, give back. Those are the types of friends I naturally like being around, and they have shaped and molded me into the type of person I am today. Friends are more influential then we sometimes realize and without them, I would probably be some low self-esteemed bum hiding in the hills, living under a rock. We need friends, among other relationships to thrive and succeed.




There really is nothing that sets me apart from my friends, and I really want to stress that. They are me. I am them. We get along because we can build upon each others thoughts and ideas and further or insight on what we want to do in life to help us accomplish our goals. The interactions that we share breed the initiative and actions that bring us closer to our passions and desires. Without which, we would be nothing except oxygen breathing consumers. And I'm sure that everyone of the PCV's are here for similar reasons. Because of great friends.




To all those at home, and whom I've left behind, know that because of you, I am here today and I thank you for the inspirational spoken words that you've bestowed on me at some point or another in time. I will seek out Africa with the knowledge and wisdom that we all shared and venture there with your spirit in my heart.




Today marks the real beginning of my journey. A different life. A different culture. A new adventure. At 2am (tomorrow technically), I leave behind showers for buckets, I leave behind Mexican food for corn meal. I leave behind cars for bikes. A new challenging world awaits and my motivation derives from all the wonderful people in my life. I'm very excited to be apart of this and look forward to sharing more experiences on the next post. Until next time, stay classy..

Prologue

July 8 2012 – Prologue

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." -Maria Robinson


There are few things sadder then faded memories. I suppose something worse would be not experiencing any altogether. Though no matter who you are, everyone has a version of a good memory. We often forget memories over time or they fade. Sometimes we’re fortunate to be reminded by others or sometimes on our own account. We remember certain memories whimsically, through pictures and memorabilia or through accounts, such as this one.


As a society, we’re bread to always be busy and multi-task to the limit. Accomplish goals. Commence. Move on to higher ones. This repetitive pattern has a tendency to scatter our thoughts and slowly push old memories out to make room for new ones. We move in a linear fashion further and further from our past until eventually memories go beyond our scope of recollection. And we forget.


I never thought that I’d be the kind of person to start a blog, but as I sit here in front of the computer beginning the appropriate setting and style for a blog that I’m going to be actively adding to for the next year or so, I have a feeling that I’m doing something that I won’t regret. Something I've never done on any adventure, yet when this experience is all said and done, I will finally have a hard account and a reminder of the experience I went through. I have forgotten many good times, and now I feel responsible for taking an active role and recording this next big adventure through writing...Oh Mr. Gordon would be so proud.


For the record I will quickly discuss the express version of my background before I dive into what I will be doing for the next 27 months...
 

I am 28 years old and a Southern Californian local. After finishing college at the University of Hawaii and taking on a series of miscellaneous jobs that never quite challenged me, I applied for the Peace Corps and made it in (hence the reason behind this blog). I finally felt that I had struck a challenge…a real BIG challenge.


It was July 2011 when my sister and I were nominated for Peace Corps Volunteer service after a successful interview at the national headquarters in Los Angeles. And yes, I said it.. my sister and I. Turns out she was in the same boat as me as far as the lacking challenge aspect went.


I recall driving homeward down the southern Californian coast after being told the news by our interviewer (on the spot by the way) with a thrilling feeling of accomplishment that we were about to embark on something major, beyond anything we’ve done before. It was the start of a new chapter in both our lives and we couldn't be more excited that we had meaningful career direction going for us for a change.


On a warm April day the following year, I was at a sushi restaurant awaiting a freshly prepared entree when I received a call from an unknown number. It was a placement officer who was reviewing a file of paperwork that I had submitted a month or so prior. The paper work’s thickness was hardly shy of a yellowbook from all the vaccination and medical waivers that were required of all PCV’s. I was expecting that there were errors that needed correcting. Instead, she was calling to place me in an assignment! After a brief and friendly interrogation she deemed me qualified to serve in an Aquaculture program in Africa based on my experience and skill set. And just like that, I was being deployed to Africa. All my hard work and effort that I had been putting in for an entire year was paying off and materializing.


A few weeks later, details arrived via email regarding my assignment, which was to grow food and integrate aquaculture with agriculture as a RAP (rural aquaculture promotion) agent stationed in Zambia. From the information gained from the introduction packet it seemed in many ways very related to my line of work the last three years. Without hesitation, I accepted the assignment..


There are now eight days remaining until I depart for my trip; first stop is in Philly for basic orientation, then from New York to Johannesburg (a nice quick 14.5 hour flight) and finally Johannesburg to Zambia (2 hour flight). Right now, despite all the blogs I read from previous PCV members about how I should not fret about what to bring and what not to bring, I am fretting.. Fretting and stressing about all those little details and knick-knacks that could mean so much in a place that lacks so much that I'm accustomed to. I suppose I should get use to it though. Uncertainty and vagueness is a feeling I’ve been told to get use to. On the bright side, uncertainty and vagueness do offer excitement, variety and adventure depending on how you look at it. One sure thing though is that variety and adventure are usually rather scarce during the everyday 9-5 grind you find in America.


I’m anxious to finish collecting all my gear, download all my music and tie up any, and all, lose ends before I get in the celebratory/farewell mood that so many of my family and friends want before I depart. It’s not a simple task to dissolve your life and see everyone you know one last time. Your schedule gets stretched quickly and there’s much more stress about forgetting things then relief from the fact that I'm beginning a new. Unlike my college experience, I have nowhere to leave my possessions as the place I’m currently residing will most likely not be present when I return two years from now. Everything I own must fit comfortably into 2 bags with strict length limitations and weight restrictions.


Even as I sit here and conclude the final paragraphs for this first blog entry I can’t help but have a feeling that I should really be directing my time towards other, more pressing and productive tasks that would better my preparation situation. Yet I guarantee that once I do change modes into other tasks, I’ll still feel a sense of failure in my time management. It hardly matters what I do at this point, it’s difficult to feel any sort of peace and assurance when I’m attempting to gather everything I will need for two years in a place I’ve never been. Despite the uncertainty and the inconsistency of my emotions, I will follow through. I will continue to participate in this blog through the best and worst of times that arise and document everything. If nothing else, it will be entertaining to read this upon my completion of service and see how far I've come. Or as a reference for others who start this trip in a few years time..


I don't want to repeat the same mistake of forgetting the precious memories that lie ahead as I have done with opportunities in the past. Of all the experiences and encounters throughout the years, I’d wager this one as having the most potential and it will likely define who I am, and will be, years after I return.


I will devote everything I have into these next two years: my focus, energy, passion, and treat it as a self-fulfilling career rather than a work-to-live job and that's because it offers me something that few other jobs in my work experience have ever been able to offer me..Meaning..


So..
one week to go..
…this will take some steady poise.