I decided to move to Africa for many reasons. My family is from Liberia, West Africa, which happens to be next door to Guinea. My passion is African politics and economic development. My undergraduate degree is in African Studies with a focus in Economics. I wanted to get hands on experience working on the ground in my field. Peace Corps also pays for grad school after I return and provides a sizable bonus as well. Those are the practical reasons why I joined.
However, many deeper reasons goaded me into moving to another part of the world. After a crazy year (see my first blog post) of much change and whirlwind adventures, yes, hardships are adventures, I knew that Peace Corps was the right opportunity for me because it would take me away from my comfort zone, away from the normal worries of this life, away from day to day hustle and place me in a completely new environment where I could grow, change, and develop to greater depths, while learning to live in community with people different from myself. I'm excited for the lessons that await, the challenges I will face, and the lives that will touch me. This is more than a career move. It is a reckoning. Allowing what I've gained over the years to face an unknown challenge. This, this is the chasm I must jump to reach the next level in my life. And I'm diving head first :-)
