A dear friend, Rob Ferguson shared with me the NC state motto, Esse Quam Videri which means, "To be rather than to seem" and it sums up my motivation. My indifference regarding the state of the world had begun to plague me. I can do something to give back, learn about another culture and lifestyle and hopefully figure out what to do with my life when I am back home. A new perspective perhaps. 2.25 years of my life is only a sliver of time.
Turning 30 this year, another milestone that I've been excited about since age 28...telling people I was "almost 30". It's an accomplishment people!
So, in the midst of this milestone, I began to also reevaluate my life. College, work, move to a big city, Master's degree, buy my first home and now what? Not yet ready to settle down so why not Peace Corps to fulfill my adventure chapter?
Just as important, I have the support of my parents and their lives to reflect upon. I’m a first generation…an ABC (American born chinese) whose parents immigrated here to find a better life for themselves. I lived with an extended family of grandparents (nai-nai and dee-dee) who raised me and my ambitious, hard working and determined parents who built a comfortable life for us. They have supported me through college, grad school and move to Chicago. They never expected me to work during school but instead to study, study, study and no punky punky*! :)
Not only have they supported my educational development, but they have also been supportive of my adventures. My mom and I have traveled overseas ever since I was a kid. And though my mother is quite traditional, she is not, however, old-fashion when it comes to marriage. For most asian cultures, there is the usual pressure to get married by a certain age. I mean, by 30 for sure! I am so lucky to have parents who encourage me to experience life as a single woman.
Along with the above reasons, there are also personal motives...to learn about myself and become more well-rounded. My good friends know me as the planner, the organizer and communicator, always in touch, emailing (sorry for the mass ones), texting or calling. So for 2 years, I will be without many of these outlets and I think it will be brutal at first but it will be such a release to "disconnect". Will it? It's a scary thought.
And being the planner that I am, island time will be vastly different from the busy days I am used to with project plans, conference calls, meetings and schedules. I won't be able to control the speed of life or business in the Pacific Islands so it will take some getting used to but lessons learned everyday I am sure. Thankfully my crew in Chicago have provided me some IST (Indian standard time) practice.
It's good to see my reasons written down because I can't say that I don't have doubts about doing this. It's going to be tough physically and mentally but most of all, I will be missing my dear family and friends. Thankfully most of you are married already so I won't miss many weddings (hopefully not Amber and Josh's in Oct) and babies have been born (hopefully April and Dee have their twins before I leave!) but it will be sad to miss out on 2 years of life here.
Thanks y'all for being so supportive and encouraging of this next chapter.
*punky punky was a term my mother used to express physical relations with boys...funnier even when she says it! (and not meaning Timeri's mom, Punky)
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