where i come from, where i'm headed

Hi,

So a lot of people don't know how I came to be interested in Peace Corps service or why I have decided to do something like this. I've always been somewhat interested in the Peace Corps or other international work, but I decided that I wanted to go the way of the Peace Corps in the middle of my senior year at UCLA. I knew it would be a big step of faith, but I wanted to take it on, especially because I wanted to get involved with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Working with Dance Marathon at UCLA all four years taught me a lot about the pandemic and also about how much of a need there is on the continent. I wanted to get involved so I decided to apply for the Peace Corps, with the intent of being able to do public health work in Africa.

I applied in Winter quarter, and my interview was in mid-February, when I also received my nomination into a Peace Corps program departing September of 2008. My official nomination came in late July, at a reception hosted on the UCLA campus to recognize the relationship between the Peace Corps and UCLA. The worldwide director of the PC was in attendance, and he actually ended up presenting me with an envelope that contained my assignment in front of the attendees at the reception. It was an honor to be handed my assignment by the director, and I was duly shocked! The Daily Bruin article can be viewed here:

http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/jul/28/peace-corps-honors-bruin-service/

I have a little over a month and a half to prepare and boy is it starting to sit in. As of today I speak about three words of Portuguese and know very little about what to expect but I do hope that when the time comes, I'll be excited, and I'll be ready.