A year has passed since I returned to the US. This time has been very challenging. Adjusting after living in a completely different culture has been very difficult. I came to the realization that I would never be able to completely readjust to former life in America. I’ve realized that the past is just that, the past. I’m a different person than I was in 2008 when I began my journey as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Many of you may be wondering what I’ve been up to. For the past year I have been working with a US non-profit dedicated to helping those in need. I’ve learned a lot about the bureaucracy of American organizations but also how they really are crucial in aiding lower income Americans. They are like Americas security blanket. Other countries aren’t so fortunate.
After all this experience I wondered what my next step would be. My answer came in an email. I have been accepted to the Master of Arts program at the Heller school for social policy and management at Brandeis University. Even though I will miss my life here in Vermont, I am looking forward to this new challenge and to starting a new phase of my life. It is said that the great aim of education is not knowledge but action. My goal is to use my acquired knowledge to work with an international humanitarian organization dedicated to human development.
So it seems as though my goals in life are taking shape. The goals of this blog have been met. I will say that I am in the process writing a book about my Peace Corps experience. For this reason I will be starting a new blog. This project is 6 months past due.
My new blog doesn’t have a specific subject as this one does. It will be about any and everything I wish to post. I appreciate all of you who followed this blog, commented and shared in one the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I look forward to your possible accompaniment with the new blog.
My Peace Corps experience culminated in a life long desire to share knowledge and understanding with another culture. My time in PC resonates with the essence of my being and I found my life transformed. More than a year later, I’m looking for other opportunities to be of service to others. The international arena apeals to me, although there’s a great need in our country.
You are fortunate to have found your path in life early and the future is bright. I wish you all the best and you are making a difference! Love, Tarja
By: Tarja Wiest on August 21, 2011
at 2:26 pm