A: The United States, with my parents to thank, has bestowed upon me a world class education at a top business school in the nation, and given me the opportunity to have a job and volunteer to help others from a very young age. From my time spent at the Leeds School of Business of the University of Colorado, I have learned valuable professional attributes that will help me work well within an organization and assist others in the growth and development of these organizations. During my time in school, I was given the chance to participate in numerous small group assignments and projects that helped me grow into the leadership qualities I posses, which I hope to pass on to others during my service. My degree is rich in operational management, which I can use to strategically implement new programs to get the best results possible. I have carried over this training in to my volunteer work as well, and understand how communication is vital to any organization. I will work hard to become familiar with the language of the region I am in, and use this as a tool to further my work. I have the continued belief that children are the key to the future success of South Africa, and the HIV/AIDS disease must be educated and talked about openly, or it will decimate an already dying population. I hope to do this by being a positive role-model to South African boys as well as men. A role model is to be a positive influencer at all times, and I have learned that young children, especially young boys, learn through observation. I hope that I can be a positive role-model to South African youth by presenting myself with professionalism and confidence, while also making efforts to relate and find common bonds in our different cultures. This can only be accomplished through intent listening and finding ways to bridge social divides to establish mutual trust. I hope to show South Africans the compassionate side of America, and use this as a tool to empower children. With open communication, and listening to the people of South Africa, I hope to inspire change, and bring about new ideas that I expect can bring progress. I believe in peace, and for peace to be realized, I must show it to the world, I hope to give this to South Africa.
B: If my four years of college have built up to one steadfast truth, it would be that communication is vital to success. No team, or organization, or business is ever successful if they do not communicate well, or find the right means to communicate well. My primary goal, upon my entrance to South Africa, will be to immerse myself in the language and culture. I know that I will never be successful in my goals as a volunteer if I am not familiar with the cultural and language elements of everyday life. My primary reason for choosing the Peace Corps to volunteer in Africa was for the two years of service and the language and cultural training. To achieve my goal, and follow through with my aspirations, I will have to become familiar with the local language, and not be hesitant to speak up. My opinions cannot be suppressed by timidity because I do not fully grasp the language or cultural norms. I will work hard to build trust and foster growth through frequent and open communication with all those around me, in the native tongue as much as possible. I will also do my best to learn about South African culture, and learn about the history that has led South Africa to become the nation it is today. To know the present, one must learn about the past, and my goal before my departure in January is to become rich in knowledge of South African history so I can understand the cultural differences that will affect my daily life. Understanding these two very important aspects of every day life will help me adapt and better appreciate my future host country partners. With open communication and mutual respect, cultural differences disappear, trust develops and real work can be accomplished.
C: I have never had complete cultural integration when I traveled abroad in Europe or Asia. My cultural exchanges were brief, and marked by colloquial greetings and short encounters at the most. From these experiences, I learned that I have always yearned for complete integration within a culture. I want to make a difference in the world, and I hope to do this by becoming fully immersed in South African culture. Like I have previously stated, this cannot be accomplished without communication. I know that I will be somewhat of a spectacle in a nation that sees white skin as privilege, and I will have to overcome these stereotypes through open dialogue, and a shared experience between myself, and those South African’s who wish to learn about me, the Peace Corps, and the United States. This cannot be achieved through a one sided discussion, and I must not preach or indoctrinate my own views without hearing the views of others. A culture cannot be experienced or learned without cultural exchanges, and exchanges are not one sided. I will make positive steps to understand the culture, and understand the people, so that I can be trusted and respected within my community. This could not be accomplished without hard work, perseverance, and most of all patience. I know that the process of cultural exchanges are slow, and often do not seem to fully happen, but If I put in the work with the language and become an open vessel for communication with those around me, I will be able to achieve my goal of cultural integration and understanding.
D: During pre-service training, I hope to gain valuable knowledge that I can use to develop my own involvement in the Peace Corps, and learn how to be a contributing member of a South African community. I have previously stressed the importance of language training, and I believe this will be the most valuable tool that I must focus on during training. I must put in the full effort to bridge the communication barrier, so that understanding can be accomplished and goals can be achieved. I also recognize that my training of the HIV/AIDS disease is limited. I hope that pre-service training can give me a better understanding of the disease, and give me the tools necessary to confront the challenges of everyday life in a country that is ravaged by the disease. I hope to learn strategies in presenting the topic to children, and activities that can help develop my understanding of the disease, and my ability to stress the importance to my future community and project. I will use the rich community based training, to learn from those around me, and develop the skills necessary to enrich my future site. Furthermore, I must learn from my co-trainees and become adapted to the environment. Knowledge of my support group in the country, as well as an understanding of the language, culture, and environment will help me grow as a Peace Corps Trainee and into a successful Peace Corps Volunteer.
E: My future professional goals and dreams were modified when I was nominated to join the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps presents professional goals that I did not think existed and were made available through the immense cultural and professional training that the Peace Corps provide. While I thought I would work at a job within my business degree before I returned to graduate school, the Peace Corps provided me with the opportunity to pursue my life dreams. I hope to transfer the knowledge that I learn abroad back home when I return to continue my graduate degree. The Peace Corps will give me the necessary resources to be a representative of South Africa when I return back to the United States, and use this knowledge for my further study of international development. By fostering grassroots development in youth organizations in South Africa through the Peace Corps, I will retain critical skills that will aid in my professional aspirations of worldwide peace, and show the youth of the world that compassion can achieve great things.
B: If my four years of college have built up to one steadfast truth, it would be that communication is vital to success. No team, or organization, or business is ever successful if they do not communicate well, or find the right means to communicate well. My primary goal, upon my entrance to South Africa, will be to immerse myself in the language and culture. I know that I will never be successful in my goals as a volunteer if I am not familiar with the cultural and language elements of everyday life. My primary reason for choosing the Peace Corps to volunteer in Africa was for the two years of service and the language and cultural training. To achieve my goal, and follow through with my aspirations, I will have to become familiar with the local language, and not be hesitant to speak up. My opinions cannot be suppressed by timidity because I do not fully grasp the language or cultural norms. I will work hard to build trust and foster growth through frequent and open communication with all those around me, in the native tongue as much as possible. I will also do my best to learn about South African culture, and learn about the history that has led South Africa to become the nation it is today. To know the present, one must learn about the past, and my goal before my departure in January is to become rich in knowledge of South African history so I can understand the cultural differences that will affect my daily life. Understanding these two very important aspects of every day life will help me adapt and better appreciate my future host country partners. With open communication and mutual respect, cultural differences disappear, trust develops and real work can be accomplished.
C: I have never had complete cultural integration when I traveled abroad in Europe or Asia. My cultural exchanges were brief, and marked by colloquial greetings and short encounters at the most. From these experiences, I learned that I have always yearned for complete integration within a culture. I want to make a difference in the world, and I hope to do this by becoming fully immersed in South African culture. Like I have previously stated, this cannot be accomplished without communication. I know that I will be somewhat of a spectacle in a nation that sees white skin as privilege, and I will have to overcome these stereotypes through open dialogue, and a shared experience between myself, and those South African’s who wish to learn about me, the Peace Corps, and the United States. This cannot be achieved through a one sided discussion, and I must not preach or indoctrinate my own views without hearing the views of others. A culture cannot be experienced or learned without cultural exchanges, and exchanges are not one sided. I will make positive steps to understand the culture, and understand the people, so that I can be trusted and respected within my community. This could not be accomplished without hard work, perseverance, and most of all patience. I know that the process of cultural exchanges are slow, and often do not seem to fully happen, but If I put in the work with the language and become an open vessel for communication with those around me, I will be able to achieve my goal of cultural integration and understanding.
D: During pre-service training, I hope to gain valuable knowledge that I can use to develop my own involvement in the Peace Corps, and learn how to be a contributing member of a South African community. I have previously stressed the importance of language training, and I believe this will be the most valuable tool that I must focus on during training. I must put in the full effort to bridge the communication barrier, so that understanding can be accomplished and goals can be achieved. I also recognize that my training of the HIV/AIDS disease is limited. I hope that pre-service training can give me a better understanding of the disease, and give me the tools necessary to confront the challenges of everyday life in a country that is ravaged by the disease. I hope to learn strategies in presenting the topic to children, and activities that can help develop my understanding of the disease, and my ability to stress the importance to my future community and project. I will use the rich community based training, to learn from those around me, and develop the skills necessary to enrich my future site. Furthermore, I must learn from my co-trainees and become adapted to the environment. Knowledge of my support group in the country, as well as an understanding of the language, culture, and environment will help me grow as a Peace Corps Trainee and into a successful Peace Corps Volunteer.
E: My future professional goals and dreams were modified when I was nominated to join the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps presents professional goals that I did not think existed and were made available through the immense cultural and professional training that the Peace Corps provide. While I thought I would work at a job within my business degree before I returned to graduate school, the Peace Corps provided me with the opportunity to pursue my life dreams. I hope to transfer the knowledge that I learn abroad back home when I return to continue my graduate degree. The Peace Corps will give me the necessary resources to be a representative of South Africa when I return back to the United States, and use this knowledge for my further study of international development. By fostering grassroots development in youth organizations in South Africa through the Peace Corps, I will retain critical skills that will aid in my professional aspirations of worldwide peace, and show the youth of the world that compassion can achieve great things.
