First Blog: Some Random Thoughts...

March 11, 2010

Fist Blog: Some Random Thoughts…

Hey everyone! This is my first entry for a blog ever so not sure any of this will end up alright. Honestly, I don’t know what tone to take while writing this blog; I feel as though it should be serious because this is Peace Corps service and the first majorly important thing I’ve done since graduating college but I also want it to be entertaining for you. I realize you can’t force humor and, truthfully, I’m probably not that funny via blog. But hopefully I can write well enough so that my “peppy-ness” and “vivacity” (we had to think up adjectives today to describe ourselves to the other volunteers) can show through. So I’ll give it my best shot.

OK. So, I guess I’ll start by reflecting upon some of the thoughts and emotions that were going through my mind in the weeks leading up to my departure. WARNING: If you are not schmaltzy or if you just don’t care and are secretly waiting to find out how I poop with no toilet paper, skip this entry – I promise I’ll get to that sooner than I would like – I if you choose not to read further I understand and I swear I won’t take it personally…I am assuming that at this point, only my parents and a few board friends are left reading this sentence. So, hi mom and dad! Let’s continue…

If I got a chance to talk to you before I left, you probably know that I actually got a little tired of talking about the Peace Corps and my assignment. It wasn’t that I lacked enthusiasm or didn’t appreciate your support; rather, I really had no idea what I was going to be doing (side note: it’s day 3 and I still have no idea; glad I’m making progress). As a result, I felt pretty useless as an information source and was frustrated that I couldn’t tell you more. Also, it’s tough to keep your smile and vigor when you’re not sure what to be excited about. Consequently, I had some pretty mixed emotions in the weeks leading up to arriving in Senegal (oh ya, I guess I never mentioned where I was placed but I am currently in Thies – pronounced Chez/Chess – in Senegal which is in West Africa and is not, in fact, Saigon, Vietnam, which someone confused and proceeded to tell me all motorbikes and street crossing etiquette). But the one thing I was certain and pleasantly surprised about was that I was not nervous.

If you know me or my family, you probably know how well we conduct ourselves prior to a big event like going off to college or preparing for a big basketball game☺ Us Honick’s are known to be a little high maintenance when we’re facing something huge and I assumed my leaving for the Peace Corps would be no different. But for whatever reason, even when I said goodbye to my family, even when I got to DC, even when I boarded the plane to Senegal, I was not neurotically nervous – this is a good sign that maybe I will end up like my mother after all. Of course I did have butterflies in my tummy but they were more like “yey I’m finally doing something with my life” butterflies rather than I’m scared sh*%tless butterflies. In any regard, I believe that I have never been more ready to tackle uncertainty and the unknown and now that I’ve arrived, I’m ready to start.

The aspect of my Peace Corps experience I am most eager for is learning: learning a new language, learning a new culture, learning how to react in different and difficult situations. I know every volunteer is jumping out of his or her skin to impress everyone else how excited and unselfish they are to help others, and I must admit I am looking forward to that as well. But if I am completely honest with myself and with you, I would have to say that while this was a strong component to my joining the PC, I am actually more excited to grow and change. And I can’t wait to see what kind of person I become after 27 months of continued humbling experiences.

Before we met in DC, all of us trainees (that’s what were called until we pass a bunch of tests and officially swear in as volunteers) had to write an aspiration statement basically outlining our goals and what we wanted to get most out of our service. Not knowing much about my assignment, I had a hard time formulating, let alone articulating, my aspirations. But a couple objectives became infinitely clear the more I dug into myself: I hope my Peace Corps service will provide me with a stronger sense of self and a broader perspective. I hope to gain the confidence needed to handle difficult situations and the determination to solve them. I also hope to have a better understanding of people. Most importantly, I hope to gain a new outlook of the world and be able to understand my place in it.

Hopefully I’m not setting my expectations too high and I hope I also am not underestimating what the next 2 years of my life will be like. Either way, I am excited to get started and to get pushed out of my comfort zone and have an experience that will change me for a lifetime.

Well it’s getting late here, I’m still a bit jet-lagged and there is some sort of loud Senegalese chant-singing at 12:30 am so I need to go to sleep. I will fill you in a little later with a more detailed discussion of what my past two/three days have been like. I hope you enjoy what I share and please, please write and let me know how you are. Just because I don’t respond right away or at all doesn’t mean I’m not thinking of you or do not want to know. Trust me when I say that after 6 months of mosquito nets, chaffing, heat rash, and pooping in a teeny, tiny hole, I can honestly say that it will be soooooo refreshing to hear about someone else’s life in the States!

Good night! Miss you all! And thank you for sharing this experience with me. Lots and lots of love!

Rachael
03-11-2010