curious, isn't it?

For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

-Benjamin Button

akwaaba!

So I am getting more and more excited to go to Ghana!  I just practiced a few language lessons that the Peace Corps website provided, and I cannot wait to fully learn it!!!  As I said before, I went to Ghana my junior year of college, and while there, I learned a few phrases.  Naturally, when I heard these same phrases during the language lessons, I got a little pumped  :-)

http://users.elite.net/runner/
jennifers/welcome1.htm

I am just so infatuated with languages.  I took Spanish in high school, but unfortunately never took another language course (in high school or in college).  I feel as though a spoken or written language connects two strangers.  As it turns out, two people who (as far as they know) have nothing in common, do in fact have at least one level of connection:  conversation.  I want to converse and teach and laugh in a new language.  I want to be able to connect as much as I can with the people around me.  Since communication will be the first thing I have in common with Ghanaians, it makes me want to learn the language a million times more and a billion times faster.  And before I know it, I will (bittersweet-ly) be saying to my new friends and family Yεbεhyia bi.  Which translated in English is not "goodbye", but simply "we shall meet again."

aspiration statement

I know it has been forever since I last posted, but I have been kept rather busy until now.  So, one of the first things they told me to do was write an aspiration statement.  This is what they wanted me to tell them more about: 


A:  The professional attributes that you plan to use, and what aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps service.

B:  Your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs.

C:  Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background.

D:  The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and project.

E:  How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends.

http://traceycaponephotography.com
/2011/10/13/photo-of-the-day-what-lies
-ahead/

Okay, so I thought long and hard and answered those questions.  I've considered putting my responses up here, but I think for now I'll wait.  Those responses are kind of my babies, if you will.  It is me spilling my heart out saying what it is I want to get out of the Peace Corps and how I think it will change my life.  And I'm sure my responses are just way too cheesy to post just yet.  But I will post my ending sentence (as cheesy as it may be) because a huge part of me hopes other people think this way too.  And if not, I hope people will begin to think this way:

"It is very difficult to determine what my future holds, but the one thing I hope stays the same is my openness and curiosity to what lies ahead."