Let's go on an adventure...

"Let's go on an adventure" happens to be one of the most common strings of words in my vocabulary. Usually, my adventures of choice end up being something to the extent of driving to Crozet for pizza or maybe meandering around a new part of New York City. Lame really as adventures go. So the fact that I'm about to hop a plane to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar probably seems a bit shocking to most of you. I must say I've definitely been second guessing my decision as my date of departure has drawn nearer. However, in an attempt to answer the inevitable question of 'Why Peace Corps?' I will say that this is something I've wanted to do for a very long time. Volunteering in general is something that has always been very important to me. When you couple that with my major in foreign affairs and my interests in international human rights and development the whole idea of Peace Corps begins to sound a little less out there (at least I think so). I also seem to have a tough time really settling in to one place for very long so the thought of being able to pick up and move to a completely new and different part of the world is incredibly enticing. I love the idea of being able to learn about a new culture and experience a way of life so different from that of Americans. And when you think about it, this whole thing is a pretty good deal. I mean you get to live and work in a place you most likely never would ever go to otherwise and it's essentially free of charge. So leaving friends and family for two years of a hopefully long life starts to sound a little less daunting when compared to all the things everyone involved can get out of the experience.

That's not to say the decision has been an easy one. Leaving friends and family for two years is pretty daunting, especially when you're moving to a place where it is all but impossible to stay in touch. And then there's the inevitable doubts that arise when pondering moving to a place where you don't know the language, don't know any people, and aren't told exactly what your job is going to be until you get there. Needless to say, the last couple of months of my life have been quite the roller coaster going from excitement at the thought of finally having the chance to live in a rainforest to utter terror at the thought of all the things that could go wrong and all the people I could let down. After being told repeatedly that as a volunteer, I am the Peace Corps, I have officially had the weight of responsibility that I have been dodging so well lately placed firmly down on my soldiers.

For better or worse, tomorrow I will be getting on a plane heading for Madagascar. And I must say that at this point, after all the anxiety, packing and repacking, goodbyes and the last two days of staging I am really just excited to get there and finally witness for myself what this island is like. Then maybe I'll be able to develop some more concrete thoughts about all this. Not to mention that after over a year of being in the application process, it will nice to finally step foot on the country and meet my new friends and neighbors.

They say that getting placed in Madagascar is like winning the Peace Corps lottery. And from what I've heard about the program there and the country in general I do feel pretty lucky. So, Madagascar, I hope you live up to all the hype.