Aspiration Statement

The Invitation packet I received contained several folders and a couple useful books like the Volunteer Handbook, a guide to making the cultural adjustments and some advice to friends and family on the home front. The folders are labeled "Passport/Visa", "Resume and Personal Papers", "Domestic Connections", "Staging Materials" and "Finance and Insurance".

These folders are relatively self-explanatory. "Passport/Visa" was the most important of these folders. Peace Corps sent me this packet with just enough time to squeeze my information through the six-week process it takes to get the passport and visa. I got to work right away and filled out the necessary paperwork. This was pretty confusing for me because I've never done this before. I'm assuming that whoever put my folder together forgot the South Africa Visa form but luckily I was able to find the same one from the included example online. I just printed it out and included the necessary photos.

Instead of having the Post Office send the forms to...wherever it is they send them, Peace Corps requires us to send them to a third-party travel agency called SATO for processing. The air-mail packet PC was kind enough to include for this was too small for the folder that the Post Office returned to me. It's okay, I made it work.

With that out of the way, I moved onto my updated resume and aspiration statement for my host country. Peace Corps doesn't send your information overseas and these two bits of information will be the only way for your overseas connections to get a sense of who you are. I read that they are forwarded to your host family too.

I know why I joined the Peace Corps and I have already spoken or written much of this aspiration statement throughout the application process, but I wanted to gain a sense of what other people had written. The blogs of volunteers who have gone ahead have been very helpful for me. They give you a sense of direction and remind you that there are people with the same shortfalls still hoping to make an impact in the world. It's heartening, and I hope that by including my own aspiration statement that I can offer a little more of the same to those looking for an idea of what to say - Remember: "Communication is about being effective, not always about being proper." Bo Bennett

The directions for this said to "describe your expectations about your Peace Corps service and assigned project, your strategies for adapting to a new culture, and how you expect your service to further your personal and professional goals." It gave five sections to focus on and I have seen different people write it different ways. Some people include the questions and answer each of them individually. I wanted to write it as more of a letter so I was sure to focus on the points provided but tried to keep a theme between the paragraphs. I think you can pretty much write it any way you want it. Relax! You've already got the job!

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

I am thoroughly grateful for this opportunity to serve the country of South Africa through such a notable organization as the United States Peace Corps. It is this organization that has strived to connect the many unique, vibrant cultures of the world that captured my attention at a young age and inspired in me a passion to add to its efforts. To this end, it is my hope that the skills in language and communication that I have learned at University of the Cumberlands may enrich the many communities I will be working with and within. The skills provided by my education are further honed by the many leadership roles I have filled prior to my service and have been vital to the teaching, mentoring and tutoring programs that have prepared me for this service.

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

Those programs, like the Peace Corps, rely upon the collaborative efforts of individuals with varying backgrounds to work effectively on a broad scale. My experience with building relationships across these boundaries will prove most beneficial when working with my host partners. Primary to any collaborative effort is the necessity of trust between those involved. Trust, I believe, is built through an open channel of communication. This is achieved through a clear willingness to abandon preconceived notions attached to a project or people while extending a firm respect for all those involved. Respect, in this case, is what I believe to be a targeted application of my skills: the wisdom to know where I am needed and in what capacity. In this regard, I am fully committed to learning from those I work with and from those that have preceded me to best build trust, companionship and a greater good to the collective.

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

There is no doubt that this kind of adaptation to a new culture and country will be difficult; however, adaptation is a skill in which I comfortably engage. My family is a blend of Mexican-American lineages that has formed the basis for my commitment to positive cultural relations. This kind of cultural synthesis is inherent in the American vision of progress where no one culture supersedes another. This is a vision that my father swore to protect in the United States Marine Corps and a vision confirmed to me as his obligations took us to every region in America. In the many states where we settled, I witnessed the same degree of pride the native people expressed for their history and their land. Though we rarely stayed in any one location longer than four years, I found that “adaptation” meant sharing that pride by involving oneself in it. South Africa has a rich and beautiful history that I am proud to soon share by contributing to it and by allowing it to reshape my own experience.

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

I am most excited to add to my experience by living within and working with a culture different from my own. As a linguist and writer, I have a appetite for language and storytelling. It is for this reason that I find the language training invaluable to sharing cultural tales that will add to my own creative outlook and, hopefully, inspire those of others. In addition, I am confident that my pre-service training will prepare me with the tools and skills I need to be an effective Resource Specialist to my place of assignment. To this cause, I am ready to apply the utmost effort to best execute my duty.

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

I have no doubt that my Peace Corps service will instill many unforeseen personal and philosophical changes. It is through these changes that I hope to gain a fresh perspective on where my strengths are best applied while learning to improve and correct my weaknesses. I believe that volunteering will allow me to overcome conflict so as to grant me the skills needed to continue my education into graduate school. South Africa is home to a culture and heritage that will add to my understanding of human relationships which, as a writer, will prove instrumental to my craft. These skills and experiences will stay with me long after my service ends and will provide me with a wealth of knowledge that can only be found by actively participating in this program.