Prologue: The Journey

The News: From waitlist to final invitation

K'ulub'anb'ilex ("all is welcome" in Q'eqchi),

I will soon partake in a journey that will change my life, my character, my perception of the world. With an open mind and a genuine heart, I intend to share the progress of my personal and professional development as well as my experiences in this mysterious country with whomever stumbles onto this blog. On a side note, I am currently absorbed in reading the novel Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts (I must say, hands down, one of the best gifts I have received thus far) and will probably reference the author's life philosophies into my posts since I am convinced that his fate in Bombay will parallel to my future adventures. If you have not heard of or read this 900-page book, I eagerly urge you to put your nose into it immediately. 

The #1 asked question: Peace Corps service presents major physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges; why do you want to be a Peace Corps volunteer?

The simplified answer: As a child, whenever I had scraps of food left over on my plate, my mother would constantly prompt me to finish my meal because there were starving African children who did not have the luxury to eat everyday. I asked myself what were the stories behind these African children and what were the reasons why they were skipping out on their meals. After extensive research, I realized that growing up in a household of parental and financial burdens were insubstantial in comparison to the countless life-threatening difficulties that children in Third World Countries have to withstand on a daily basis. My heart shattered when I discovered that these children not only have to fight off infectious diseases with limited medical/dental resources, but also have to struggle with affording basic needs such as food and education. Subsequently, I aspired to become a global health professional and assume the responsibility of a public servant who will make a difference in the lives of people in underdeveloped countries. Serving as a Peace Corps volunteer is an essential step to fostering an understanding on how to improve the human condition at the most basic level while experiencing an extraordinary cross-cultural opportunity to immerse in a new culture and to learn a new language. Although this 27-month commitment poses as a challenge that will probably push me to my upmost limits, it will also provide an array of possibilities for me to become an active resource to my community by spearheading developmental projects and cultivating healthy lifestyle habits that will benefit the well-being of the locals.

And so it begins...as long as fate permits, follow me through the thick-and-thin and the ups-and-downs of my life as rural health volunteer for the Peace Corps. You better Belize it!

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"Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. you know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb."

- Sir Winston Churchill

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