Peace Corps Aspiration Statment

After putting it off, getting ideas from others, then finally sitting down at the coffee house for about 3 hours with Ian...I was finally able to finish my aspiration statemtent. I figured I'd post it...so you all can get inside my head a little. And those who are spending time searching blogs for ideas (like I did) can hopefully have another piece of guidance. For questions regarding the post-invite resume...I'm not so much help! I had already altered my resume for the initial application...so I just added some coursework and a few other little things. I was so dead after working so long on the aspiration statement, that I went home, copied and pasted my resume into the format they wanted and went to bed. It was already a day late...I just wanted to be done with it and not stress anymore...at least about that. The only thing I will post is my interests/hobbies, which are as follows: Hiking, Sports, Reading, Baking, Music, Dancing at Grateful Dead Cover Band Shows. I hope the staff in Honduras have a bit of a sense of humor! Its all truth...



Aspiration Statement
Honduras - Youth Development
July 9th, 2008



A. The professional attributes that you plan to use, and what aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps Service.

I plan on using both my leadership skills as well as my ability to step back and learn from those who know more than me. I aspire to be an active observer during my Peace Corps service. I want to first understand the needs of my community and only then, when I understand these needs, can I step forward and facilitate change within my project.

B. Your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs.

I believe that the most effective strategy in working with the host country will be to listen to their needs and concerns, then make sure their ideas are incorporated into the projects I carry out. It sounds simple enough, but I think people can be hesitant to take on projects in an area that they aren’t well versed in. Instead of stepping out of their comfort zone, they stick with what they know. While this can produce terrific results, if it doesn’t meet the needs of the community it’s not going to last long-term. When the community feels they have a say in a matter and are included, they are more willing to participate, which in turn creates a sense of pride and ownership and produces a sustainable program that will be carried on.

After building a relationship with the community and coming up with some agreed upon goals, what is the next step in working to effectively address them? Connect groups on a peer-to-peer level. Peer groups are social phenomenon which creates the day to day reality that young people live in. Youth often feel that they have neither the voice nor the means to directly influence change. As a group, they can more freely express their ideas and concerns without the fear of marginalization. Peer groups can directly address the present while building skills that will last into the future.

C. Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background.

This can be tricky. It’s important to assimilate to the society that you are living in, but you don’t completely want to lose yourself either. I think my nature to see things across the spectrum instead of just black and white will greatly help me. I am more than ready to embrace the culture and become a part of it. While in the Dominican Republic, I found it easy for the most part to adapt as the people I met were very hospitable and wanted to make sure I was included in every way. I feel that my time living there has also given me the ability to easily transition to Honduras.

I don’t feel there are any strong cultural beliefs that are going to inhibit me from accomplishing this. I feel like somewhat of a chameleon in life, able to adapt and mold to new settings with fairly little conflict. This is partially due to the fact that I have had very supportive parents. While diversity was not big in my hometown (population ~300), they made sure that we were conscious of the differences between people in the world and that there is no one “right” way to do things. Between this and my family hosting many exchange students over the last 8 years, I am very aware of the different cultural norms, beliefs and attitudes that people may have.

D. The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and project.

During pre-service training, I hope to gain a better understand on the modern history and current political situations in Honduras. The issues currently affecting the country can make a huge difference in the mind-set of the people. It is also important to understand where some of the current beliefs and attitudes are stemming, especially when looking at the history between Honduras and the United States, since there can be some mixed feelings towards Peace Corps Volunteers, one needs to be aware of why. I also believe that following current trends and issues will improve the effectiveness of the projects that are being carried out.

I also hope to gain valuable skills in learning how to work with a variety of age groups. I have a background in working with young children and their families and would benefit from a deeper understanding of how to apply this experience to the classroom setting.

Language training will also be vital in helping me during my time in Honduras. I would like to develop the ability to effectively convey my ideas to others, in addition to ways of introducing unfamiliar concepts. Job/area specific terminology along with local or country-specific words will be of use, especially for those terms that don’t often come up in casual conversations with friends.


E. How do you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends?

Upon successful completion of my service, I will have developed a skill set that will allow me to pursue non-traditional job opportunities. I feel that the Peace Corps offers me the chance to combine my passion for participating in direct service, while also engaging in an administrative capacity. Discovering this balance will fulfill me personally, thus guiding my professional attainment.

First Post!

It's starting to settle in...that I'm really going. I kinda figured I would be and that's what I told most people, but now its really happening. I'm excited, scared, nervous, anxious all at the same time. I haven't yet gotten much of a chance to do a lot of leisurely research on Honduras or what other PCVs have done there. These first two weeks are going to be crazy. I got a call on the 1st of May from the Placement Office in DC and I was told that I was being invited and they were going to overnight my package the next day. What a weekend...waiting until Monday...anxiously awaiting what country it was going to be. Then to sit through work all day...it was quite an unproductive day.

I told my supervisors on Wednesday, which was a huge weight off my shoulders. It was hard...I really like where I'm working now, but I truely believe that this is the best decision for this point in my life. I've waited and passed up other opportunites to (possibly) do Peace Corps in the past, I couldn't let it get by me again. I think I would have deeply regretted it and not been as happy or productive at work. We're telling the rest of the staff at our montly meeting this afternoon. It will be nice not to have to be hush-hush about it.

Right now I'm trying to focus on getting my room rented out and making sure my finances are in place. Once that's cleared up, I'll be able to relax a little more...I'm still stressing about it at this point though. This weeks to do list: aspiration statement, resume, passport info, clean and pack as much as possible and try to find a subleasor!