I am lucky to have spent two years living in this complex country. Serving in the Peace Corps has been challenging, but by taking on this challenge, I have had wonderful rewards. I have become friends with people I would not have met otherwise. I have met elephants and climbed waterfalls. I have grown new vegetables and eaten them! Most importantly, I have come to know and care for my host community.
The Peace Corps’ mission is to promote world peace and friendship. It has three goals: to assist host countries meet their need for trained men and women, to promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of host country nationals and to promote a better understanding of the host country on the part of Americans. Whatever particular work we do, volunteers are united in our attitude towards our work and the communities we serve. Peace Corps is a global organization. Volunteers serve in rural villages like mine, as well as in cities in China, tiny islands in the South Pacific, mountain villages in Peru and many more places. I am proud to have served as a Peace Corps volunteer. I am now part of a special group of Americans who have taken on the challenge of joining a host community abroad and working to improve daily life.
You may be wondering how I ended up in Togo and how I have been able to travel so much. Did I have a master plan? Did I get incredibly lucky? I could tell you a tidy story of my life that ends with my arrival in Togo as an agriculture volunteer. I could describe my choice to study French, the time I spent in the kitchen as my family cooked and the charities I volunteered with in high school.
