One day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls you to stand up for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause.
And you refuse to do it because you are afraid. You refuse to do it because you want to live longer...you are afraid that you will be criticized, or that you will lose your popularity, or you're afraid that someone will stab you, or shoot at you, or bomb your house; so you refuse to take the stand.
Well, you may go on and live until you are 90, but you're just as dead [as you are now], as you would be at 90. And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death in spirit.
-Martin Luther King Jr.
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So, today's the day folks, the day I finally embark on my biggest adventure to date. Over the past couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to spend quality time with the people I love the most, the ones I'm blessed to call my biggest supports and dreamers. Being surrounded by these beautiful people, has lead me to reflect on my life thus far and remember all which I've accomplished. In doing so, what I have come to realise is this: the memories which stand out the most in my mind are the happy ones. I mean don't get me wrong, there have been plenty (and I mean plenty) of hard times, but in retrospect the good far outweighs the bad. If you asked me 5 years ago, where I would be or what I would be doing at the ripe old age of 24, I can bet you all the Cedis in Ghana, that I wouldn't have answered: 'Well I would have just finished my Masters at the University of Edinburgh, so logically my next move would be to board a plane to Ghana, Africa, where I will live there for about 27 months while fulfilling my duties as a Peace Corps Volunteer.' But rather I would have said something along the lines of: 'Well I’ll be graduated from RWU for 2 years by then, so I'll have a cushiony job, a nice apartment somewhere in the city-centre & a dog who loves me.’ While both are amazingly perfect answers, the latter would have meant that, conventionally, I had begun fulfilling the 'American Dream' and life would therefore be ‘on track.’ But for those of you who know me, that is far from my intended path. I mean don't get me wrong, sometimes I wish I had those things--if I'm being honest, the school loans are adding up and a nice fluffy & steady income would be super clutch right now. But, then this would mean that I would not have done all the things I have done, met all the amazing and beautiful people I have met, and travelled to some of the most breath-taking places on the planet. But mostly, this would mean I could not be looking to the future for the next big adventure-- this adventure of a lifetime with the Peace Corps in Ghana.
As cliché as it may sound, on this 'journey of reflection', I came across my first mission statement, which I submitted to the Peace Corps during my application process some months ago. When re-reading the words on the page, a flood of recognisable emotions came over me. I began to remember how I spilled my heart and soul into these 500-words, because I knew that these words held the power to change my future forever. Because these words still reign true so many months later, I decided to share them with you today. I think these 500 words will show why I decided to join the Peace Corps, and what these next two years will mean to me:
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“Choose the Joy”, my mother has always said. While it may seem like a simple phrase, it’s so much more than a trivial family motto; it’s a way of life. For as long as I can remember these three words have motivated me to seek out the positive in life’s toughest situations, keep an open mind, and apply humour when laughter proves to be the most effective medicine. These words have shaped me into the person I am today: not a mere bystander or someone who only discusses the insecurities that plague the world, but someone who goes out and takes steps towards putting an end to them. In saying this though, I realize it takes a special kind of person to be the front-line man. Being able to adapt to certain situations can be challenging at times, but as Abraham Lincoln once said “…the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just”. The challenges I will face during service will not deter me from reaching my final goal: to make a positive difference in someone’s world.
Even with my mother’s support and words of wisdom, growing up in a single parent, welfare household had its challenges. Even though she had to work three dead end jobs, my mother never strayed from the promise she made to me on the day I was born--a better future and something she didn’t have: a higher education. With no strong female role model in her life, she set out to make all her dreams my reality. A long 23 years later, I am a product of something she never thought a female in her family could achieve. Not only have I graduated from a 4-year college with a Bachelor of Science Degree, I am also well on my way to obtaining a Master of Science Degree at the University of Edinburgh. I am a true testament of how important education is, for any girl, from any background, in any country. Nelson Mandela said it best: “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” and if we want the world to become a safer and more prosperous place, isn’t it our duty to provide people with this one quintessential tool?
I am a 23-year-old grad student who just wants to make a difference in the world-- easier said than done--or so they continuously tell me. With my background in Human Rights and many countless years volunteering and supporting various disadvantaged populations all over the world, a curiosity to learn more about different cultures and traditions that span the globe, a willingness to see things from others perspectives, and the tools provided by the Peace Corps, I believe I can empower many individuals to not only transform themselves but the world around them as well. And when this transformation occurs I will have proved everyone wrong, because with this, I will have changed the world.
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Reflecting on this essay and my life thus-far, reminds me that this free-spirited lifestyle can be lonely at times, it's an uphill battle most of the time, it's full of uncertainty and fear but I have a gypsy soul and I am addicted to new experiences and moments that take my breath away. Thank you to all the people that I have crossed paths with on this wild and crazy journey so far, whether it's been just for a moment or many years, you have all shaped me into the person I am today and for that I am eternally grateful & indebted to you. Cheers to all the beautiful souls that I have met & to all the ones I have yet to meet.
Life is a journey, it goes by quickly, so remember that the bad times don't last and the happy ones will stay with you always. But if you take away one thing from this post, let it be this: Remember to always fill your life with love, laughter, and happiness. Go out and chase your dreams no matter how insane they may seem. If you put your mind to it, sweetheart, I believe you can conquer the world.
**Mah Krow (goodbye) for now--Africa awaits**