It's been a little while since the last update. I think my life has gotten less exciting and blog-worthy since leaving the African continent. Many memories from Niger and Mali are in my head, some of which may form future blog posts, but those pieces float and dance in this mind, wispy elusive fairies, as yet uncaptured. I decided to update what I'm doing these post-Peace Corps days, where my head and heart are at, and where I'm headed. Won't be too long an entry, promise.
So after getting back to the U.S. I shortly dove head first into the job market. I had heard Peace Corps volunteers have a high employability, possibly from being adventuresome and self-assured and passionate. Well, many of my fellow PC friends have obtained respectable employment, so I guess it's probably true. As for me, I wasn't getting too many leads or calls back. I did however get a job offer to teach English in China, which I declined. As the days passed and my despair grew I decided to return to an old possibility I had once considered: Americorps. Like Peace Corps, but in America! And so I applied.
And I got the interview, and saw the place, and was offered the job, and I ACCEPTED! Technically it's not a "job" but full-time volunteer work with some benefits including a small amount of money to keep this boat afloat. I am working as a "Youth Tutor" at a Seattle non-profit organization called "Neighborhood House." The possibility of one day working at a non-profit interests me so I am happy for the opportunity to volunteer for one. And I hope I can help some of the low-income kids at the public housing project where I will be located. I've done some social work in Africa and I am now doing some in America, which will be a different but hopefully also rewarding (spiritually, not monetarily!) endeavor. I will keep you posted.
So again I find myself trying to do good, not getting paid much for it, and wondering where this path is leading me. Sometimes I feel bad or guility for not making bathtubs full of dollars but I think that's just my culture's pounded-in message conflicting with my own values. Right now I am fine with living cheaply, doing something interesting and meaningful, "building the soul" (in a metaphorical sense, my more literal-minded readers!). Feel free to judge me or criticize me for my actions or beliefs and believe me I often scrutinize endleslly my own decisions and actions. We all wear our blinders, no? Having all the Answers is not something I claim; instead I try to be a cheerful and open wanderer, engaged and engaging. "Mind forg'd manacles" are what scare me the most!
Friends in Western Washington, we should hang out! "Hanging Out" for me these days often means "Staying In," doing the following: watching movies, cooking something, playing board games (new favorite: Dominion!), listening to great music (new favorite: LTJ Bukem!), watching movies, conversing, hiking. Not super glamorous or excting to some, perhaps, but enough for me! And isn't it who you spend time with that counts, not what you're doing? Heck, most of my time in my village in Mali was spent sitting with people and talking and drinking tea and I loved that!
And I am still dancing nearly everyday.
So after getting back to the U.S. I shortly dove head first into the job market. I had heard Peace Corps volunteers have a high employability, possibly from being adventuresome and self-assured and passionate. Well, many of my fellow PC friends have obtained respectable employment, so I guess it's probably true. As for me, I wasn't getting too many leads or calls back. I did however get a job offer to teach English in China, which I declined. As the days passed and my despair grew I decided to return to an old possibility I had once considered: Americorps. Like Peace Corps, but in America! And so I applied.
And I got the interview, and saw the place, and was offered the job, and I ACCEPTED! Technically it's not a "job" but full-time volunteer work with some benefits including a small amount of money to keep this boat afloat. I am working as a "Youth Tutor" at a Seattle non-profit organization called "Neighborhood House." The possibility of one day working at a non-profit interests me so I am happy for the opportunity to volunteer for one. And I hope I can help some of the low-income kids at the public housing project where I will be located. I've done some social work in Africa and I am now doing some in America, which will be a different but hopefully also rewarding (spiritually, not monetarily!) endeavor. I will keep you posted.
So again I find myself trying to do good, not getting paid much for it, and wondering where this path is leading me. Sometimes I feel bad or guility for not making bathtubs full of dollars but I think that's just my culture's pounded-in message conflicting with my own values. Right now I am fine with living cheaply, doing something interesting and meaningful, "building the soul" (in a metaphorical sense, my more literal-minded readers!). Feel free to judge me or criticize me for my actions or beliefs and believe me I often scrutinize endleslly my own decisions and actions. We all wear our blinders, no? Having all the Answers is not something I claim; instead I try to be a cheerful and open wanderer, engaged and engaging. "Mind forg'd manacles" are what scare me the most!
Friends in Western Washington, we should hang out! "Hanging Out" for me these days often means "Staying In," doing the following: watching movies, cooking something, playing board games (new favorite: Dominion!), listening to great music (new favorite: LTJ Bukem!), watching movies, conversing, hiking. Not super glamorous or excting to some, perhaps, but enough for me! And isn't it who you spend time with that counts, not what you're doing? Heck, most of my time in my village in Mali was spent sitting with people and talking and drinking tea and I loved that!
And I am still dancing nearly everyday.
