It is approximately 11:13pm PST on January 3rd, 2018 and I have finally packed the next two years of my life into a suitcase, a traveling backpack, a duffle bag and a backpack. I have so many emotions rushing through my mind that it is honestly difficult to put into words because joining the Peace Corps was something that I had set my mind on since November of 2016. I guess that throws everyone off since that is only about a year ago so let me rewind and let you know why I decided to join the Peace Corps in the first place.
Fall of 2016. I am a Fourth year at Cal Poly SLO (San Luis Obispo) and I am graduating June of 2017 as a political science major. Now you're probably thinking he should have his life figured out by then, and by the looks of what he majored in he's most likely going back to school for either Grad school or Law school. Well that was the plan, Law School. Though, if you know me at all, plans can fall through and change dramatically. I had planned to take the LSAT the summer before school had started in the fall, but when I tried studying I put it off. I told myself I needed to sign up to take the test early so that I would be able to have a score by the time I wanted to apply to Law school, and I didn't do it. I subconsciously (or consciously, depends on how you wanna see it) was physically and mentally apprehensive about devoting the next three or four years of my life to school and more debt. Fall quarter starts and I begin to question everything in life and I was positive I hit my mid-life crisis at the age of 20 (cue the shocked faces and the public deniers). All jokes aside, I was stressed beyond belief because I knew I didn't want to go back to school after graduation and taking a year off sounded terrifying. It was not until I met one of my professors that I had realized that by avoiding the impending stress that is Law School I had allowed myself to explore many options that I never knew I had. This professor was probably one of the most inspiring and genuine individuals that I have ever met. Why do I give this professor such high regards? Because she put the world into a perspective for me that I may not have been able to realize without her guidance. There is a longer story behind what the professor had told me and the rest of the class, but in short I interpreted what the professor said as this (added a lot of my own words as well): Why would you push yourself into a job, more school, more debt and more stress only to get stuck and be unhappy with yourself. Our world is full of ideas, experiences and life, which we all take for granted, and those that are unhappy are the ones that also regret not experiencing their life to the fullest. School and work will always be there, but you only have one life, so why not take what life has to offer. I took that to heart and my mind was racing with all the possibilities you could think of. For an assignment in the same class we were told to explore routes one could take after graduation through different programs, either more schooling or take time for service in another country or domestically. That was when I discovered the Peace Corps. The three goals behind the Peace Corps were ones that I highly resonated with, which are: 1)To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. 2)To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served. 3)To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. Empathy and kindness. These are the words that come to mind when I read each of those goals, and they have been something that I admire in everyone that I look up to. Showing empathy for those around you and different from you allows you to see the world from a different perspective and to understand it better. Showing kindness allows you to humble yourself and have a greater appreciation for the life you are given. So I had made up my mind to join the Peace Corps. Fast forward over a year and here I am all packed up and ready to begin this next chapter in my life. I have been wanting a change in pace in my life for a long time now and it is finally happening. Some things I am asking myself before I take on the journey: Has everything that brought me to this moment prepared me for what is about to come? Will the people in my thai community like me? Do Thai people enjoy Karaoke as much as I do? Will everything change back in the U.S. while I am gone? Does winter ever come??? The only thing I know for sure is that I will know the answer to all of these questions soon enough. Before I end the post, I already know some questions that might be on your mind and the answers as well: Where will you be staying for the two years of your service? A: I do not know yet, but I will know close to the end of my three months of training and I will inform you all when I know. How will we be able to contact you? Will you have Wifi? Facebook? A: I will have all my contact information on my contact page of my blog (check the top tabs), but I will have a phone that I can call from and maybe txt (have to confirm), also regular mailing is available and you don't have to but getting mail sounds exciting (I will put the address for mail and packages on the contact page as well). I will have Wifi intermittently due to it only being available to me in certain parts of my community, but it is available. I will try to update my Facebook every once in a while (if I have time) to put pictures and videos up, but definitely check my blog because that is what I will primarily update you all with! How often will you update your blog? A: I do not want to set a specific time frame of how often I will update the blog, but I will try to post at least every month so that you all can be in the know about what I'm doing with my life. What is the food you will miss the most? A: Well I ate Thai food almost every week these past couple months and it is my favorite, but I will have an abundance of that in THAILAND. But I would have to say either street tacos or pizza (specifically Costco because that is the best). Also, Milkshakes. And any persian food that my mom makes. I have a lot of food I will miss. Thank you for reading! The next time I update this I will be in Thailand!
1 Comment
Cindy Ebadat
1/10/2018 09:48:47 pm
I'm so proud of you Cyrus! Hope you have fun and enjoy this adventure and exciting time with your decision to be a part of the peace corps in Thailand. We love you and are here for you if you need anything. Love mom
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2019
Categories |