Ep. 1 - Why Peace Corps?

-
https://anchor.fm/thegentleman-exp/episodes/Ep--1---Why-Peace-Corps-e4i0cq

This is the first episode in a series about my journey to Botswana Africa to serve in the Peace Corps. In this episode I talk about my motivations for serving and what I hope this podcast turns into over time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Now if I dip the broom handle in the salmon”

-
            I often like to have control in my life. When I plan a trip with friends, I’m the one planning on an Excel spreadsheet, the food we’re going to buy and what recipes to use. When it came to my interview for the Peace Corps, I had 3 pages of notes and every question they were going to ask prepared a week in advance. I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. At other times, I find myself spontaneously hanging upside down in a tree with a cat in one hand, another hand wrapped around the tree, desperately trying to not get scratched, while simultaneously trying to drop said cat without harming him. His name is Sebastian, and only a week earlier did I find myself suddenly owning said cat.            A few weeks earlier, I was walking into the teacher’s lounge at the local primary school. Upon entering I made eye contact with a Korean man sitting reading a book on his Kindle. This wouldn’t be a surprise in most countries, but in Botswana it’s rare to find someone of Asian de
Read more

"Try and avoid the elephants"

-
9/7/19            There seems to be a lot of tradition when it comes to Peace Corps. Tradition that leaves you wondering why you’re standing in the middle of a room with a blind fold on and a camera going off. No this was not a gender reveal party, or a scene from 50 shades of grey but rather the announcement for where we will be living and serving for the next two years. Imagine 49 confused and slightly helpless soon to be volunteers standing over a map that’s been tapped to the ground. Suddenly everyone is told to take of their masks for the big reveal! Annndd! “Wait where is this again?”            Moments before removing the blindfold I was still not sure how I would react. I was told that I’d be up in the north, but what does that mean exactly? I wasn’t sure whether I should shout, cry or laugh because I had no clue what I would be getting with my site. Fast forward .2 seconds to removing the blindfold and I learned I was to be living in Kazungula (Ka-Zoon-Gu-la). Cool. Wh
Read more

A commentary on the spread and perception of the Coronavirus(COVID-19) from an American volunteer in Botswana

-
Image
            Looking out over a large conference room I can see the pained expression of the bridge workers searching my words for answers. What started as a simple health talk about how to protect yourself from the Coronavirus has now devolved into a lengthy discussion about the origins of the Coronavirus and quarantine procedures for Botswana. Their eyes rest on the brink of fear not knowing when the virus will come to Botswana, nor if they are healthy enough to survive it. I am not an expert. I am a 23-year-old Peace Corps volunteer living in a village in the Northern District of Botswana. I hold nothing more than a bachelor’s in biology and 7 months as a volunteer in country. I am a novice to the public health realm, my knowledge stemming from accurate online resources strapped together with duct tape and a newly realized passion for public health. The advantage to these fresh eyes is that I have no pre-conceived notions to the delays and struggles of public health. Every pi
Read more