I've always had a negative view of the Peace Corps. Not for what it accomplishes, but I always imagine really "granola" hippy kind of people as the type that would be involved in such a thing. A judgemental stereotype, I know. But suddenly I have a slight interest in joining myself. I've never done anything too adventerous. I grew up in a small town in Wyoming, went to boarding school in New England when I was 15 (which I guess is fairly adventerous), and now I'm in college in Alabama. I'll graduate in December. I guess I've just never done any of the adventerous youthful things like backpacking across Europe or traveling to Haiti with Habitats for Humanity. Nothing like that.
I realize that the Peace Corps is a 27 month commitment and it's hard work. I thrive on hard work, anything from organizational to leadership roles to dirty manual labor. I'm also fairly low maintenance, I can survive without creature comforts. I am NOT thinking of this as a vacation to some tropical island where I play with the locals. I'll graduate with a BS, and I've majored in Agriculture/Animal Science with a focus in animal production. Basically, I have an education on the science and strategy of efficiently producing livestock animals (beef, sheep/goats, swine, and horses). I also grew up on a cattle ranch in Wyoming, so I have plenty of experience in agriculture. I think I could use my education and experience in the Peace Corps by helping underdeveloped communities establish efficient agriculture systems to feed themselves with.
Here's the catch though...my wonderful boyfriend and I are planning on getting married. He's an Army officer (currently in Iraq), so it's not like he could join with me, haha. After I graduate in December, we'll be headed to Ft. Sill, OK for his Captains Career Course. After that, we'll be stationed somewhere. So I guess I'm pretty much telling you that I *can't* join the Peace Corps because I'm staying with my guy no matter what. But on the other hand, I'm conflicted because it is something I'm interested in and I don't want to regret not having any crazy youthful adventures.
Has anybody thought about joining or joined the Peace Corps?