What skills do I have or lack that prepare me for service in the Peace Corps?
Interest. I want to serve and I want to do it abroad. I want to have a cross-cultural exchange with a community. I want to feel a part of a community.
Technical knowledge. I understand systems inherent in the deductive approach basic to most western science. I can recognize patterns quickly and apply them to other contexts. I have had and excelled at science and engineering classes... not counting physics (I'd blame boredom for that one. Laziness, too).
Experience teaching. I worked as a supplemental instructor for a conceptually difficult and technically demanding course. I worked together with another student-instructor successfully. I designed activities for students to check their lecture-based learning via practice. I know the Confucius saying on this one: Tell me and I forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I understand.
Language. I don't speak any languages common to Africa. French would be the most useful, but that's not part of my repertoire. Even so, I am open to and would very much like to learn a new language. I have picked up phrases and languages while traveling previously. And I'm not afraid to use them.
Anecdotes and Regional Culture. Learning from the experiences of others is second only to learning something yourself. I intend to collect all the stories I can muster from those around me. The same goes for learning about culture: history, politics, sociology and religion.
This blog will explore more in depth my quest for a preparedness stemming from knowledge. Though it can be educational to enter new situations without expectations, I find that concerns about security and so many unknowns make it worthwhile for me to establish some reality-based expectations (so I can rebuild them anew once I'm officially volunteering!)
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