random thoughts of preparation...

Just had an incredibly intense conversation online with a friend, on the topic of injustice, human rights, and the poor. My mind is still buzzing with thoughts; throat began hurting this evening, I sincerely hope I am not getting sick. That would be the end of my life (not literally).

To get my head around what exactly I was debating, I looked up the following term on the Oxford dictionary.

Injustice: lack of fairness or justice
Human Right: a right that is believe to belong justifiably to every person
Poor: lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in society.

Say friend is an intellect with great love for knowledge and ideas, the sharing of knowledge and ideas, and logical debate. I wouldn’t dare say that I am an intellectual. I enjoy learning, but my ability to retain knowledge isn’t the best. I have had formal training in some form of logical thinking. I did a great job analyzing tort law through economics today, but I apparently can’t argue logically. Is it that I lack logic, or are there merely difference in ideas? Someone once told me that knowledge and the retaining of knowledge seems “bourgeois”. I can read great books and think of stellar ideas to fix the next grand social problem, but isn’t all the thinking rather futile when there are people suffering right then and now? I am a fan of knowledge and great ideas; otherwise I would not have subjected myself to taking all sorts of unnecessary classes. In preparation for the Peace Corps, I am attempting to find a balance between great knowledge and the people. How do I transform years of education into action, but at the same time integrate rather than obfuscate?

I will likely learn more from the Cameroonians than anything I can instruct. This experience will be a time to make human connections. With each passing day, I am scrapping my brain trying to think of the fall of 1998. What are the dos? And what are the do-nots? Smile. Body language is more or less universal. I say more or less because we all know gestures that are great in one place but faux pas in another. Smile, however, is a universal connector. Some may argue other than Paris, but I’ve smiled my way through many awkward situations in Paris. Listening is another great tool. I won’t be able to speak the language right away, so I’ll listen. I’ll attempt to see the world through their eyes and be amazed. I will be open to share stories of my life: life in Taiwan, life in the U.S., life in London. I will be eager to gain an understanding of their thoughts and perception of Chinese/Taiwanese, Americans, and the English. This leads to the do-nots.

I do not need to integrate in such a way where I need to forget I ever lived in the U.S. That is a fatal mistake I made in round I. Today people often forget that I’ve thus far spent more years of my life on an island of the Far East than I have in the U.S.A. (though in September, that number will be equal) Sharing my past doesn’t make me less of an American, it makes me a different American. I never understood why people cared about my stories until I met foreigners and I was eager to hear their stories.

Many things that I will soon encounter will scream unfair. How do I put those injustices in the context of the societal culture, but also within the world? How many human rights violations will I find in Cameroon? That will be interesting to discover. To what extent can I truly make an impact? Somewhere, I read, “think small, create big.” If I can leave Cameroon at the end of 27 months knowing at least one individual’s life has been changed in a better way because of my presence, then that’s enough. And if at least one person can know the difference between Taiwan and China, and realize I don’t do karate, then that’s also enough.

I am trying to remember what it was like to wash my shoes and clothes over the sink. I’m trying to remember the smell of line-dried clothes in the summer, slightly mildewed from severe humidity. I am remembering what all the fabulously delicious, and what many of you would think is disgusting, food taste like. I am recalling squat toilets from elementary school and grandparents’ houses. I am remembering bucket showers and water storage for those occasional water/electricity outage days. I am remembering spotting cockroaches and geckos running around the apartment. Remember the raw smell of outdoor markets, of chickens running around in a cage, odd parts of a pig on a stand ready for sell, kind farmers sitting on a stool with their fresh veggies (they always toss in some green onion with your purchase). I am remembering my uncle’s pig farm, and the rooster that cluck in the early mornings.

I am remembering, and making insignificant connections between my distant past and near future.

Packing List!

Finally, I had the time to compile my own packing list. This is a culmination of the official list and suggestions from other volunteers. If you are a family member or friend who is planning on buying me a graduation/going-away present, feel free to get ideas from my Amazon wish list!

This list will be revised several times prior to departure! Comments in red are my thoughts after being in Cameroon. As a general note, you need to bring enough stuff to deal with the first 3 months in training, before you get the hang of shopping in Cameroon. After that, you can buy most things you need here in country.

General Clothing

[Peace Corps is all about "business casual" during the initial 3 months of training. So bring enough for that. It's a relaxed definition - basically just wear nice clothes, no shorts, etc. After training, there are plenty of chance to buy clothes for cheap in the "frip", or getting them made."]

short-sleeve collar shirts (4)

dark cotton t-shirts (5)

casual tees (5)
jeans (1) [Depending on where you live, this may or may not be necessary. They are very difficult to wash by hand.]

knee-length (or longer) skirts (4)

light linen pants/light PJ

athletic shorts (2)

long shorts (1)
leather belt
socks (10)
rain jacket [essential for the rainy season!]
thin sweatshirt
jean jacket
swimming suit

earrings (5)

hair clips/ties (many)

Shoes
Casual Shoes(Teva Makayla)
Sports Sandal (Teva Omium) [not all the necessary. I only wore it once to go on a hike that nearly killed me. Not that useful if you aren't super sporty.]
Waterproof Sandal (Keen Bali)
Sandal (Teva Downtown OLA) [casual yet a bit dressy sandal like this was great. I wore this pair of shoes almost everyday for the first 8 months at post.]
Running Shoes

Personal Hygiene/Toiletry
Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer (one medium-size bottle)
Vitamin/herbal supplement
Body Wash (2)

deodorant (2)
Lotion (1)

Sunscreen (1)

Insect Repellent (higher deet %) [didn't end up bringing this, and isn't necessary. Peace Corps provides them.]

Prescription Drug (3 months) [general rule for meds: PC will provide all the regular over-the-counter stuff you need from the moment you arrive, the prescription drugs take a while, so they recommend 3 months initial supply]
Allergy Meds
Pain Killers
Cold/flu medicine
Tums/Chinese tummy meds
Prescription Eyeglasses (2) [PC advised against wearing contact lenses, but I ended up wearing it for most of two years. It wasn't a problem. Just be sure to bring a lot of contact solution!

Sunglasses

Facial toner (2)
Face lotion (1)

Tissue

Cotton Rounds

Q-tips
Diva Cup/sanitary wash [highly recommended for girls!]

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap

Hair gel (2)
Leave-in Conditioner
Loofa (1)
Toothbrush (2)
Toothpaste (1)
Floss (3)
Hairbrush (1)
Tweezer, Razor/blades

Nail kit/clear nail polish

Minimal make-up (2 eye-liners & eye-shadow)
Earplugs
Small hand towels
Travel Towels (2)

Eye Mask

Office Supplies
notebooks (4)

Books
Writing utensil

Project-related books [didn't end up bringing these and weren't necessary.]
Journal (1)

18-month weekly planner

scotch tape

scissor

CD-RW(1)

Kitchen Supplies
Plastic storage containers [possibly the best thing I brought with me. Pack your things in them. They are SO useful! tupperwear rock!]
Measuring cups and spoons
Ziploc style bags
Swiss army knife
Snack food
Small nonstick frying pan
Small cutting board
pairing knife
peeler
Light weight packaged food

Can opener

Spices

Luna Bars [These were incredibly great in the beginning when you aren't totally used to the food and the eating pattern, and there weren't much snacks to be bought.]

Emergen-C
Crystal Light/Propel packets

Electronics
iPod+travel speakers
Macbook [if you are bringing a computer, make sure you back up your files at home, and also bring an external hard drive - load that puppy up with movies, TV shows, language learning resources (French movies, etc) - be prepared for something bad to happen to your computer at some point during the service. the horrible electricity in Cameroon does damage. If you are buying a new one to bring, I recommend those cheap Netbooks.]
Cannon SD 450 Powershot + extra memory cards
Solio Classic hybrid solar charger [not necessary if short on money. but very useful as a backup battery, especially if you get posted somewhere power cuts a lot, or no power at all. - although I think for most PC countries/posts, this isn't necessary.]
Hand-Crank Emergency/Shortwave Radio [great for those quiet nights when the power goes out. I just got a cheap one and it picks up Radio France International and other local channels]
USB Flashdrive (2)
Power Adapter/Converter Kit

Luggages
Eagle Creek Grand Voyage 90L Travel Pack
Eddie Bauer Rolling Duffle

Daypack
Moneybelt

Miscellaneous
Passport-size photos (12) Got them at ePassportphotos.com via Snapfish. So much cheaper!

PC Handbook/paperwork

Loan paperwork
Pictures/album
Postcards/decoration for house
World Map [Great for decorating the house and the neighborhood kids love them!]
Book of puzzle
Stationary/greeting cards
U.S. stamps
Freeplay Energy Hand Crank LED Lantern
Hand-Crank Flashlight [very essential! I also wish I brought a headlight since those frees up your hand if you are trying to cook in the dark, etc.]
Nalgene Bottle
Reliable Watch
Travel Alarm Clock
TSA Approved Combination locks [these were useful. I used them to always lock my bags when I was traveling, just to give myself a piece of mind. The number combination is nice since you don't have to worry about losing keys.]
Calculator
Good quality umbrella
French pocket Dictionary

Pocket-sized French Verb Guide
Compressible Pillow
Travel Sheet Set
Laundry Bag

Laundry stain remover

Clothing Line
Small mirror
Duct Tape
Jump Robe

Deck of Cards

Gifts for Locals
Inflatable globe ball
Boxes of Crayola crayons (2)
STL/USA stuff

Motivation Statement

The following are the essays accompanied my application.

Motivation Statement

The Peace Corps has always intrigued me immensely. Over the past year, I have spent many hours researching the organization and gaining an understanding via many Peace Corps Volunteers’ blogs. With each heart-warming story, my passion for the program and its mission grew stronger. As I head toward the next chapter of life, I choose to join the Peace Corps because it successfully encompasses elements I consider important for a well-rounded life: service, international mobility, cultural immersion and career development.

Pursuing an undergraduate degree at a Jesuit university was never an intention as I am not a member of the Catholic faith. However, service-oriented Saint Louis University has taught me the virtue of volunteerism by introducing a plethora of community service activities. For the past three years, I have been a tutor at a local church for inner-city school children. Despite coming from an undesirable background, the kids are eager to better themselves; a mere few hours of my time can exchange for a higher grade and a better future for these children. This volunteer activity, among many others, is a motivation for me to continue serving others.

Life experiences, thus far, have taught me the significance of cultural integration around the world and the rewarding challenges of become immersed in yet another culture. With each adventure, I feel less a citizen of one nation, but rather a citizen of the world. However, living abroad and cultural immersion should not simply be a privilege for the young. An internship at the U.S. Embassy in London allowed me to see first hand the lives of Foreign Service professionals and how they integrate international mobility, cultural immersion and a rewarding career. As a finance and economics student, I strive to incorporate all those elements with the analytical nature of my studies to form a global career.

My enthusiasm for the Peace Corps intensified when I discovered the business branch of the service. Throughout college, work and service have always been two separate activities for me. Devoting time to business-related internships in the corporate world meant volunteer work had to remain an “on-the-side” activity. For a long time, I pondered over ways to utilize my business skills to make a direct contribution for others, incorporating service into a “day job”. The video clips of Peace Corps Volunteers advising businesses in developing countries around the world were the answers to my internal dilemma.

The Peace Corps will not only provide international mobility and an incredible culture immersion experience, but will also present one- of- a- kind career development that I cannot obtain from within the glass buildings of fancy corporate offices. The decision to join the Peace Corps has already been an inspirational experience, and I hope to continue this experience through serving the international community; learning life lessons via a different culture, discovering personal qualities I yet know existed and fine-tuning a life plan that will make an impact, one small element at a time.

Cross-Cultural Experience

Cross-Cultural Experience

In July 1998, at age 11, I waved goodbye to my family and all familiarities of life. I grew up in Taiwan where children fantasized over an idealized America: Disney cartoons, life without uniforms and a low-pressured school system. Due to family reasons, I was the “guinea pig” in the immigration process and was sent to live with my aunt and American uncle for two years. As I boarded the aircraft, several drops of tears fell as I saw my parents waving at the gate. However, excitements for the bright, yet unknown future drowned out the sadness in an instant. At that very moment, my life changed forever – I was on my way to becoming an American.

Moving to a stereotypical suburb of St. Louis was quite a shock since I came from a bustling pedestrian city of Taiwan. While driving through the suburb, I asked in confusion “Where is everyone?” The concept of driving everywhere was difficult to grasp. The first day of school in America marked an interesting event. I was both nervous and excited in hopes of getting along with my peers. However, a few shock elements took place. At an orientation assembly for all 6th graders, I was the only one who didn’t raise my hand to the question, “Is this school much larger from the ones you came from?” Coming from an elementary school in Taiwan that had a campus the size of some small colleges in the U.S., a middle school that contained in one building paled in comparison. Another shock element was that I couldn’t understand people. While I attended an after school English program in Taiwan for some time, facing real life Americans and carrying on conversations still proved to be challenging. In addition, as the only Asian face at the school, kids asked an overwhelming number of questions out of pure curiosity. Not knowing how to manage the excess attention, I desperately wanted to be “normal.”

Many years later, I have assimilated very well and couldn’t be more of a “normal” American. In July 2005, at the end of my first year in college, I had the opportunity to participate in a study abroad program in Angers, France. There I had the chance to interact with people of many nationalities and understand the concept of an international community. I found myself using that much-rusted Mandarin to order Chinese food in France when the waitress couldn’t understand my broken French. For the first time since immigrating to the US, I began evaluating my role as an American and my heritage as a Taiwanese.

Since France, I have spent approximately seven months in total, living and working in the U.K. Throughout my experiences abroad, I have truly enjoyed living, learning and integrating myself into a new culture. The process unavoidably involves some frustration and discouragement, but I always manage to walk away a stronger person and eager to seek similarly challenging, yet new and exciting experiences.

What the heck does Wendy need?

I don't NEED anything, but some things are good to have for various reasons.

• M&Ms (peanut & peanut butter)
• Chinese ramen & other Asian snacks
• Non-perishable foods (candy! or any dry goods from Trader Joe's!)
• Raisins, jell-o packets, peanut butter (Skippy Extra Chunky), fruit Mentos, trail mix...
• Gatorade, Crystal Light (or other) single serving powder drink packets
• Salty Snacks (Cheerio salty mix, Doritos, Flavor Blasted Goldfish, etc.)
• Dry Parmesan Cheese
• Maple Syrup
• Air freshner/scented candle
• Tea and coffee
• Back issues of the Economist or other publications (Vogue, The New Yorker, Budget Traveler)
• Luna/Cliff Bar (or other energy protein bars)
• (Used) books you think I'd like (or on my Amazon wish list) - I'll take them in all 3 languages: Chinese, English & French!
• Burned CDs of music
• DVDs (Any TV show or movie that has French voiceover and English subtitle!)

Amazon.com ships to Cameroon and their shipments have insurance! Something to think about!

More coming soon!

Merci Beaucoup!!