June 28, 2012
Dear Family
Members,
I am writing to let
you know of an exciting new adventure I will begin in less than one month. I am moving to Africa, specifically the
country of Namibia! I have accepted a
position as a Secondary Science teacher with the Peace Corps. I am committed to 27 months of service. I will depart from Detroit Metro at 9:30 am
on Monday, July 23, 2012.
This is a letter I
would have much preferred to write at least two months ago, however,
unpredictable circumstances always seem to make life decisions more
complicated. In other words, I could not
officially depart as a Peace Corps Volunteer until all of my financial
obligations were fulfilled; for me, this was my mortgage. Finding a lessee was more difficult than I
originally anticipated, but luckily I signed a lease with a very nice woman
this past Wednesday, and let out a huge sigh of relief! Now, I will officially be able to depart for
Namibia! I believe that the worry and
stress I felt over the struggles to find a renter truly signify my deep desire
and anticipation to begin this new journey to Africa.
The process leading
up to this point began in April of 2011.
I officially applied to the Peace Corps and was interviewed in May of
that year. I had to complete a lengthy
medical evaluation and then I had to wait.
I got notice from the Peace Corps that I would be receiving an
invitation the beginning of February, and on my birthday, I received a packet
in the mail inviting me to teach in Namibia.
I took a few weeks to think and then accepted the invitation. At the same time, I was teaching at a new
school and coaching JV Softball, so life was moving quickly with very little
free time. All the while I had the tug
of this new endeavor in the back of my mind.
It was difficult to juggle all of the balls I had in the air this past
spring. But, finally, summer vacation
arrived! And I have spent the last few
weeks relaxing, packing, and mentally preparing to leave my family and friends
for two years.
Many have asked, Lindsay,
why in the world would you want to go into the Peace Corps and live in
Africa? I have no eloquent reply. Choosing to be a Peace Corps volunteer is a
path I envisioned for myself when I graduated from college. Although, I suppose I needed a few more life
lessons and some maturing to do before I would actually venture down that
road. I am proud that I have acquired
some useful skills since college days; I now know how to teach. I am thrilled to be able to use those skills
in a new way and in a new place. I want
to challenge myself as an individual and as a teacher. I want to live in a place with minimal
Western influence. I want to have the
experience of a lifetime. That is the
simplest answer I can express. I am not
naïve enough to think that there are no risks to this path. I already know that I will feel scared and
lonely at times. I already know that I
will be living way outside of my comfort zone.
But, I anticipate that I will do some good while seeing the world in a
new way. In the end, I feel the rewards
outweigh the risks.
I willing be
heading to Michigan just after the 4th of July and would love to see
as many family members as I can. My time
is limited and I know I will not feasibly be able to visit with all of
you. Mom and I have talked about having
a “going away” party in a few weeks. We
are hoping to schedule an evening the week of July 16th in Port
Huron. I would love to give as many hugs
goodbye as I possibly can. We will let
you know as soon as definite plans are arranged. In the meantime, google Namibia, it’s a
pretty neat country! Dry and hot, yet,
there are some cool tourist attractions(hint, hint)!!
Love,
Lindsay
