Wakeful Volition

Hello everyone,

As I approached the five month countdown to the culmination of my Peace Corps experience, I had to make an important decision.  The following question needed to be answered:  Do I apply to extend my service with the Peace Corps?  Each volunteer has the opportunity to extend from between a few months to a full two more years of working as a volunteer.  One exceptional volunteer on Dominica, named Judy, has been extending her service on the island since she stated as a volunteer in 2008.  Judy is a retired business woman who became a volunteer in her late fifties.  As she does incredible work, Peace Corps has allowed her to stay in her post longer than the usual maximum allotted time with an extension.  She is what I call a “Super Volunteer” as her efforts have been quite effective for dozens of villages all over Dominica.  After her final extension is complete, she is planning on staying in Dominica to continue her initiatives as a civilian.  Anyway, most volunteers ponder the decision of extending as the days pass by during their second year of their Peace Corps assignment. 

People from my village, while many of them know volunteers have the opportunity to apply for an extension, have been “buttering me up” with complements over the past several weeks about my presence in their community.  After they express their kind words, they follow up their comment with an inquiry like, “so, are you considering extending your service?”  Their feedback is a clear indication that they would enjoy having me continue to live among them in their community.  Their words have been very humbling to me as I know that they see impactful value in my efforts for their country.  Reflecting on all the good times we have all shared has made me realize that this rural village on the east coast of a Dominica has officially become like a second home to me.  Their remarks are quite flattering and they have made me strongly consider extending. 

After mulling over the decision for several weeks, I made the choice to not apply for an extension as a volunteer.  While I know that it will be extremely difficult to say goodbye to everyone who I care for so much, I understand that my current circumstances as a Peace Corps Volunteer is temporary and at some point it will come to an end.  I feel so fortunate that I have developed life-altering, loving relationships with the people who I have had the opportunity to share moments with in Dominica.

Several factors went into my decision to commit sticking with the current timetable of returning to the U.S. in April of 2013.  I dearly miss being around my family and friends from the United States.  Being away for a prolonged amount of time has made me realize the value in the close relationships I have had with people throughout my entire life.  Also, I am excited to pursue full-time work in the U.S. where my developing professional skills can be utilized in a productive manner.  I have a profoundly different perspective on how fortunate people are who live in larger economies like the U.S.  People from developing countries forge through nearly limitless barriers just to reach similar unguaranteed opportunities that some of the United States citizens take for granted like ample industries to be employed in or plenty of educational curricula to pursue.  Finally, I foresee many exciting life changes to look forward to that may occur during the next two to five years of my life.  Having a stable foundation of full employment with solid compensation will put me in a better position for potential success with realizing many other life goals I have set out to achieve.

Finishing strong is a quality that has been instilled in me by my parents, role models, and coaches throughout my life.  Whether I’m in school, at work, or in the playing arena, people have taught me to give maximum effort until the very end.  This virtue has led me to success in many areas of life.  I’m looking forward to continue wielding my exertions for the development of people from Dominica until my Peace Corps term expires in April of 2013.

Until the next time,

Joe

P.S.  I’m beginning my search for job opportunities soon so if any readers of this blog know of any openings that I could potentially be a decent fit for, please contact me.  :)