Cultural event #1 Purpose

As you step of the plane after the longest flight of your life, you stop dead it your tracks and realize, “you’re not in Kansas anymore Toto”!  Nothing you see, hear, smell or touch is familiar in the slightest. All you can think is, “I just flew half way around the world by myself, what the hell was thinking?”This is the biggest decision of your life but you can’t help thinking, I HAVE THE POWER”!

                Our English class had the pleasure of having one of the most creative and captivating speakers I have ever heard, and his name was Travis Axton. He is a Reprenentative form Peace Corps. Travis came to our class as a breath of fresh air yet, he wasn’t just a rep he was more than that. After finishing college he made the decision to join the Peace Corps and was selected to go to Zambia for a 27 month adventure. Travis was to be a health volunteer. Their job was to educate people on Aids and one of the biggest killers in that area, Malaria.

                The official website for the Peace Corps can be found at http://www.peacecorps.gov. This website provides information on what exactly the peace corps is, what volunteers do, the benefits of serving and so much more. If you want to find out more you can get in touch with those whose family members are serving right now as well as those who have served in the past.  The Peace Corps has been in operation for about 47 years and currently has thousands of people serving for them across the seas. What many people may not know it that the Peace Corps offers a full medical and dental plan, plane fair paid for, housing allowance and food allowance and the best part, 48 days of vacation to explore. When your term is over they give you a readjustment allowance to get you back on your feet.

                People have their choice of 74 different countries to pick from. However, the Peace Corps likes to place you where your skills will be used best. A few of the programs the Peace Corps offers are: business development, youth development and information technology to name a few. What I found interesting was the fact that countries request our service and that they don’t work for the governments. The Peace Corps prides itself on going straight to the source, the people in need.

                There are so many benefits to serving in the Peace Corps one being the cultural exchange. I mean just think about it, you fly across the world to some foreign place and live there for two years talk about the culture shock, but then you get over it a learn about how other people in the world live. It’s crazy to even think about.  Travis, a regular Joe, made the decision to travel across the world by himself to help those in need. Once he got there he went through training which involves language and learning diseases. He was then  taken to the middle of nowhere and lived in a dirt hut. Talk about a culture shock. Yet, he prevailed and took it as a learning experience and immersed himself in the language and the people. Travis is now fluent in the Zambia native tongue of Bimbo. We had the pleasure of having him speak to us and let me tell you it was one of the most beautiful languages I have ever heard.

                This program can do so much not just for the people you help but also for you as a person. There is so much about this world we don’t know about and the Peace Corps can give you a chance of a life time. Travis gave me a new outlook on life and is making me take a good look at myself and what I have to offer.  Now it’s time for the rest of us to do the same.