During the Spring 2000 semester, I was a student at San Diego State University, pursuing a Bachelor of Liberal Arts & Sciences in Psychology. I was a busy student, working full-time, taking a full academic load, and participating actively in Kappa Delta Sorority. At that time, I was considering running in the fall elections for the position of VP Standards for my organization, a position that would keep me even busier.
However, I was aware that with only three semesters left to go before graduation, the days of strolling to class amongst the palm trees on the beautiful SDSU campus would be coming to a close soon enough. I needed a post-undergraduate plan... which I did not have. Friends and family asked me often what I wanted to do, and my answers were whimsical and varied.
I knew what I didn't want. I didn't want to go immediately to graduate school, nor did I want to settle down into a long-term career. As I excitedly rejoiced with friends over their own impending weddings or career offers, I realized I was meant to go in a different direction.
Every challenge in my life I had triumphed over, and I had to see what would happen if I turned everything completely upside-down; anything else would not have been enough for me.
I yearned to travel, to live amongst people different than myself. I spent hours, sometimes days exploring local rivers, forests, and desert areas. My friends poked fun at me for my "Wilderness Wednesdays", when life as I knew it stopped and I hopped into my Mustang and set out to nearby Cleveland National Forest to go backpacking alone. I started a recycling project for my sorority, I bought a Forest Adventure pass for my dashboard.
The more I thought about spending the rest of my life in one place, the more scared I became. I had to keep moving; in my life, change had always been my luckiest charm, never betraying me.
So, in July 2000, I requested an application online from the United States Peace Corps. The values and objectives of the organization were congruent with my own. The more I thought about it, the more sure I became that it was the right decision. The application came several days later in the mail, and I set it on my desk, where it stayed for exactly one year.
I wasn't ignoring it, or even procrastinating. I knew that I was not ready yet. I had academic obligations to meet before they would even consider me. So, in August 2001, the week before beginning my final undergraduate semester, I sat down and put some serious thought into my lengthy application.
I completed the application and mailed it September 10, 2001. The next day, as I was leaving for my morning martial arts class, tragedy struck our great nation. Friends and family members asked me, "Will you still join the Peace Corps?" My response required no thought at all: "Now more than ever."
In November 2001 I had an interview with my recruiter, and was nominated to the Environmental Education & Management Sector in December 2001. I began the process for clearances, and finally, in August 2002, received my final invitation to be a PCV.
And so began the journey to Macedonia. I invite you all, friends, family and strangers alike to share with me what is continuing to be the most amazing experience of my life. When you open your heart and your mind, anything is possible. I hope that you find this website interesting, informative, and entertaining! Wherever you are in the world, feel free to sign my guestbook and send me an e-mail.
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