My Aspiration

I submitted my aspiration statement and resume to the Peace Corps office in South Africa today. I copied and pasted the whole document in my previous post if you want to read it, but I'll give a short summary if you don't have the time.

Short Aspiration Statement
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. To know the present, one must learn about the past, and my goal before my departure in January will be to become rich in knowledge of South African history so I can understand the cultural differences that will affect my daily life. Understanding the culture and language 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. This can only be accomplished through intent listening and finding ways to bridge social divides to establish mutual trust. 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 and open vessel for communication with those around me, I will be able to achieve my goal of cultural integration and understanding.


The full version, that answers each question in the Peace Corps template is posted below. Feel free to read it, and I hope this answers some questions about why I am going to South Africa with the community development program. This is going to be the "hardest job I will ever love," it felt good to put my goals and dreams into words.