August 29th, 2014 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | No Comments »

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” – Mark Zuckerberg

When I attended a Peace Corps event a few months ago, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer said to me, “The news media will be your worst enemy.  They will present events that seem so much more dangerous and bigger than it seems.”  She is so right.  The news media hasn’t been treating me well lately.  While the news about Boko Haram has been ongoing, the recent news about the wife of Vice Prime Minister of Cameroon being kidnapped by Boko Haram a couple weeks ago and ebola killing hundreds of people in far west African countries has been putting my family into a complete nervous wreck about my leaving to Cameroon in just a little over a week.  To make the matter worse, New York Times this past month posted a front page news story about two Peace Corps volunteers dying from bacterial infections.  My family has tried to hint me that they want to tell me that I should change my mind and not go into the Peace Corps.  One even asked me if there was any way I could “switch to a different country outside of Africa.”

I’m still set to serve in the Peace Corps.

I am in no way saying that we should sweep these news under the rug.  These news do definitely need to be heard so that we are aware about we can do to ensure that we remain safe.  However, at the same time, we have to realize that every parts of the world have its own share of problems too.  South America, Asia and even North America are no safer than Africa.  Many parts of Central and South America are currently battling the drug wars.  Eastern Europe currently has a conflict in their own backyard – Ukraine and Russia.  The US is dealing with ongoing gun-related violence.  One in five women have been raped in the US.  Joining in the Peace Corps is no riskier than being a driver in a car in the US.

I hope that I can share some information to help ease the minds of my family members and friends.  Cameroon has long been known as the “oasis of Africa,” which means that it has been known as one of the most peaceful and prosperous countries in Africa.  It’s one of the few Peace Corps countries that has never faced suspension.  This means that Peace Corps never had to evacuate its volunteers out of the country due to security threats since Peace Corps has sent volunteers to Cameroon in 1962.

The Boko Haram situation is affecting only in the very far northern tip of Cameroon.  Peace Corps has blocked all volunteers from two northern most regions of Cameroon.  This means that no volunteers can be posted or enter the northern area of Cameroon.  I am presenting a map to show you how Boko Haram is affecting Cameroon.  You will see a light red highlighted area on the map.  That is where Boko Haram is located, which is primarily in Nigeria.  The bright red dot is where the 200+ girls were kidnapped.  The gray area is where no Peace Corps volunteers can enter.  Cameroon is about 30% bigger than California.  So, as you can see, Boko Haram is truly impacting only a very small part of the country, and Peace Corps volunteers will be very far from the Boko Haram situation.  According to various Peace Corps volunteers, Peace Corps has very strict security policies that includes various curfews.  These curfews can include not only not entering certain parts of a country but also not going out at night.  If we break a curfew, we could be expelled from the program.  Peace Corps is in close contact with local security officials in Cameroon, US Embassy in Cameroon, the Department of State, Regional Security Adviser, as well as the heads of other agencies to monitor the security situation very carefully.  They stay ahead of the news reports.  For example, all Peace Corps volunteers who were in the Far North region, the northern most region in Cameroon, were moved to the south last May 2013, long before Boko Haram became a front page news story.  If they do ever feel that Boko Haram can impose threats to us, they will evacuate us, which would mean sending us back to the US and reassigning us to a new country or early terminating the service.

The ebola virus has not yet posed any threats to Cameroon.  It has impacted primarily in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, which are far out to the west of Africa.  They are located about a good three to four hours plane ride.  However, the news did fairly recently report that someone who was infected with ebola entered in Nigeria from Liberia a few dew weeks ago.  So, there has been concerns that ebola might possibly spread in Nigeria.  This is understandably why my family is worried.  Nigeria is right next to Cameroon.  In the meantime, Cameroon has shut down the border between Nigeria and Cameroon and suspended all flights from Ebola affected countries.  World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and other medical related organizations have been working very diligently to try to eradicate the virus.  Everyone should also be aware that ebola is a virus that is not passed through the air, but only through fluids.  Peace Corps already has a plan in place if the virus does pose any threats to Peace Corps volunteers in Cameroon which includes evacuating the country if necessary.  Peace Corps has already evacuated all volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. I should add that Peace Corps has three very own medical officers.  These medical officers are either licensed physicians or nurses, and they are responsible for only caring the Peace Corps volunteers.

At last, for those who I think I should not go and work in a developing country due to security and health threats, I’d like for you to pause for a moment and think about this question: If I don’t go there because there are risks, then who will go and help make the place safer for the humans who are already living there with risks?  Is it fair for them to continue to live in tougher conditions?

August 26th, 2014 by Rachel | Tags: Book, Peace Corps | 2 Comments »

Many Peace Corps volunteers advised me to bring lots of books because my access to internet, television and many entertainments will be limited, and I will have a lot of downtime.   Believe or not, I am looking forward to receiving some rehabilitation for internet addiction.  I am undeniably addicted to the internet.  It has made me a little more unproductive as I do not spend as much time reading good books as I would like to.  I am truly looking forward to revitalizing the life before the internet days.

Reading good books will allow me to continue to explore my interests in social issues, public health, traveling, and anthropology and acquire new knowledge.  I of course included a few guilty pleasure books.  Here is a list of books I hope to read during the service:

• A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson
• A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
• Mango Elephants in the Sun by Susana Herrera
• The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change by Adam Braun
• Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
• Uprising: A New Age Is Dawning for Every Mother’s Daughter by Sally Armstrong
• The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam
• Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee and Carol Mithers
• I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
• The Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway
• Women Travelers: A Century of Trailblazing Adventures 1850-1950 by Alexandra Lapierre
• A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Beautiful Ruins by Jesse Walter
• Paris to the Pyrenees by David Downies
• Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder
• If It Were Only True 2 by Marc Levy*
• The Forever Fix by Ricki Lewis
• Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
• Not Fade Away: A Memoir of Senses Lost and Found by Rebecca Alexander*
• The White Man’s Burden by William Easterly
• Girls Like Us  by Rachel Lloyd
• Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
• Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
• Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen
• Reimagining Global Health edited by Paul Farmer, Arthur Kleinman, Jim Kim, Matthew Basilico
• Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood
• Creating Room to Read by John Wood
• Chasing Chaos by Jessica Alexander
• It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario

I am always open to recommendations – please feel free to share your recommendations in the comments below.

*Books I already have on my Kindle.

– Strikethrough: I finished reading.

August 23rd, 2014 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | No Comments »

Just a few days prior to finally receiving an invitation to serve in the Peace Corps this past April, I wrote a letter to my congressman, Joe Kennedy III, who is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and great-nephew of John F. Kennedy, asking for assistance in reaching out to Peace Corps to create a more fair application process for people with disabilities.  I will allow the letter to speak for itself to help you understand why I wrote a letter to him:

Dear Representative Kennedy,

I am contacting you not only because you represent my district but also because you were a Peace Corps volunteer.  Five years ago, I applied to join in the Peace Corp.  While I was nominated, the medical office denied me because of my disability.  I have Usher Syndrome, a condition that causes hearing loss and gradual loss of vision.  I am able to hear almost like a person who hears normally thanks to a cochlear implant, a surgically implanted technology that allows deaf people to hear.  When the medical office told me that they could not allow me to serve in Peace Corps, they questioned me how I can communicate and learn a foreign language.  In the application, I had clearly stated that not only I communicate with ease through hearing and speaking like anyone else, I also have successfully learned to speak French fluently and conversational Spanish.  To help you understand how good my hearing is, I can hold conversations with ease on the phone and watch television without closed captions.  My vision is very stable, and I have been told by my retinal specialist that I will still have usable vision until at least 80 years old.  I have several years of experiences in living abroad including in developing countries, and therefore, I know that my disability should not pose any issues while living abroad.

Because joining in the Peace Corps is my lifelong dream, I decided to reapply over one year ago.  I submitted the application in March 2013.  I was successfully nominated again this past May with an estimated departure date of early 2014.  However, the medical screening process took so long.  By beginning of December, I still have heard nothing from the medical office about their decision to give me a pre-clearance.  When I attended a Peace Corps event in Cambridge this past beginning of December, I met several people who applied after I submitted my application and already received their invitations.  I felt extremely hurt and that it was unfair that I have to wait longer simply because I have a disability.  I finally received a medical pre-clearance in mid-December.  I was extremely grateful that the medical office decided this time that I can serve.  However, shortly after hearing the news about the medical pre-clearance, I learned that my estimated departure date would be pushed back to September because all spots have been filled for winter and spring departure dates.

I currently follow a Peace Corps group on Facebook, and I have been reading that many people are already receiving invitations to leave in September.  Most of the people who are already receiving their invitations submitted their application much later than I did.  As of today, I still have not yet been informed if I will be invited or not.  I have already asked Peace Corps for an update on my application process.  While I did receive a response, they told me that they did not have any updates for me.  I understand that being patient is an extremely important asset to have during the application process; however, it is extremely unfair for someone with a disability to wait longer than everyone else.

Would you be able to assist in inquiring the Peace Corps office about my application process and finding out if they will inform me soon about whether or not they would invite me?  Moreover, I hear that it is very common for people with disabilities to wait much longer than most applicants to hear from Peace Corps about whether or not they would receive an invitation to serve.  Would you be able to advocate in making the time of the application process for people with disabilities to be the same as people without disabilities?  I understand that one of Peace Corps’ goal is to have a diverse group of volunteers.  If every person’s application process was treated equally, Peace Corps could see a more diverse community of volunteers.

Sincerely,

Rachel Chaikof

I do realize that Peace Corps has very recently changed the application process and one of the changes include shorter wait times.  I wonder if the new application process will make any difference for people with disabilities.

August 10th, 2014 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | 2 Comments »

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.  Dream.  Discover.” – Mark Twain

There was a time in my life when I aspired to work in Los Angeles and create movies.  I went to Savannah College of Art and Design with the intention of studying filmmaking.  However, once I started venturing the world and opened my mind in college by choosing to take classes that were different from what I had planned, I learned there was so much more to life than just having a job and earning money.  Staying with host families, exchanging different viewpoints about cultures in foreign languages, overcoming challenges due to being in a strange land, taking art history and anthropology courses and above all, doing advocacy work relating to hearing loss were all activities in which I participated that made me pause and think many times about my lifetime goals.

Since I was a little girl, I wanted to live my life by living in different places.  I was envious of my grandparents who traveled abroad frequently and shared images of their trips with me.  I remember when I pleaded my mother many times to let me go abroad and she always responded by saying, “You’re too young.  You have so much of life ahead of you,” or “I worry about you going so far because of your cochlear implants.” I read an article in the American Girl magazine about a girl and her family who left everything behind in America and spent a year traveling abroad.  When I read the article, I said, “I want her life.”  I read another article in another issue of the American Girl magazine about a girl who was going blind, coincidentally due to retinitis pigmentosa, and was given a gift from her parents to travel the world while she still had vision.  The craziest thing is that I read this article in high school, tore the pages out of the magazine and filed it away.  I dreamed of creating a movie about her life because I wanted people to know that we’re never too young to see the world and start working on our lifetime goals, and we would never know what life circumstances could bring to us that could make reaching our dreams much more difficult when we’re older.  Well, this girl’s story rang so true for me when I just so happened to be diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa too a few years later.

I did finally start achieving my dream when I was 17 years old and took my first overseas trip to France. Then starting at age 19 years old, I traveled abroad every year.

Then at some point when I was in college, someone, I can’t remember who, shared with me an article that was in New York Times, about a deaf man who served in the Peace Corps.  His name was Josh Swiller and he worked in Zambia.  I thought if this man who was deaf like me can work in a developing country, my deafness should never be an excuse for going abroad and working towards my goals.  My longterm career goal eventually changed from being a filmmaker and living in Hollywood to living and working in developing countries and solving problems.

Six years ago, during the summer of going into my junior year in college, when I was in London with my family and one night during dinner, I said, “I want to join in the Peace Corps.” My dad said, “You should consider going to grad school.” My mother’s response was, “As long as you can still have health insurance, you can choose what you want to do.”  At this time, the Affordable Healthcare Act has not even been discussed in DC.  I did have grad school in mind and had seriously considered pursuing masters in anthropology abroad.  However, I didn’t want to go to school just to get a masters. I wanted it to be a meaningful experience that could open up doors and show me how I can make contribution to the world.  I was still insistent that joining in the Peace Corps would be the best move because I would be on the field working directly with humans, communicating about cultural differences and social differences and cooperating with them to create a positive change.

Five years ago, when I was heading into senior year in college, I submitted an application to join in the Peace Corps. A month later, I had the interview and learned a few hours after the interview I had been nominated for a technology assignment in a French speaking country in Africa.

Five months later, after having submitted pages worth of medical information, the medical office denied me to serve in the Peace Corps because of my disability.  Here is one particular statement they wrote in the letter:

“How will your hearing disability affect the learning of a new language in Peace Corps? You stated that you do not read lips nor understand sign language.”

I was given the option to appeal and while I had moved forward In working on the appeal, I went ahead and applied to grad schools in the UK to pursue a masters in anthropology.  Within a week, I heard from one grad school informing me I’d be accepted.  I was ecstatic but I’m not going to deny that Peace Corps was still on my mind.  Then I quickly learned I was accepted into all schools.  I eventually decided that going to grad school was the way go for the time being, and that I would eventually try applying again to the Peace Corps in the future.

After graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors degree in photography from Savannah College of Art and Design, I took off to the UK to study anthropology at University College London for a year.  I had the time of my life as I made close friends with students from all over the world. Our conversations were always about our lifestyle differences and social issues around the world. We traveled together all over the UK.  However, while I had very intelligent professors who provided well rounded information about the subject, the masters did not open up doors for me.

When I returned to the US, I took on jobs working at the desk, on the computer all day.  I was grateful to have jobs so that I could begin gaining work experiences.  I tried to keep an open mind by acknowledging that I was just getting my feet into the real world.  However, I was still feeling that I was really not on the path reaching towards my long term career goal which is to be working abroad and solving social issues.  As the mission of the organization where I was working recently was about human rights, I spent many hours during break times reading texts created by the organization about social issues.  Reading the texts made me feel that I still truly wanted to work directly with humans who were facing social issues.

I also had learned online shortly after I finished school that Peace Corps had just accepted two cochlear implant recipients for the first time in history, and they were just starting their service.  Hearing the news felt like a huge punch in my gut. If they can do it, then why can’t I do it too?  I was considering reapplying eventually because I still felt so strongly that Peace Corps would provide me the best experiences in working directly with humans in foreign countries.  What was keeping me from starting the application process again was figuring out how to peacefully inform my family.  While they never really told me outright, I always knew they were really against the idea of their daughter with a disability living and working in a developing country.  I knew that I’m an adult and I have every right to make my own decisions. However, I love my parents so dearly that I didn’t want to cause any rifts with them.  It was really important to me to have their support when going through the application process.

In September 2012, when I was watching the Democratic National Convention, I saw a tribute film to Ted Kennedy, late US senate from Massachusetts. At the very beginning of the film, Ted said, “For all those who cares has been our concerns, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.” Then I saw what a meaningful career he has enjoyed and the incredible impact he has made on the world by simply doing public services. He showed how being in public service is truly a privileged duty. Hearing the words, “…the hope still lives and the dream shall never die,” gave me another big punch in my gut.

I could no longer live the rest of my life with a big regret.  I no longer wanted to live the life knowing that I could have achieved one of my biggest dreams if I were persistent and had fought.  A large number of people are able to accomplish their dreams by simply never quitting.

Shortly after the film, without telling anyone, I contacted Peace Corps medical office and explained that I was interested in reapplying but wanted to check into their policy about accepting those with Usher Syndrome, a genetic condition that I have that causes deafness and slow progression of blindness.  They responded by saying that I should call them. That email just sat for some time.

One day, just after New Years Day in 2013, I finally broke down in tears and told my mom that I felt my life was going nowhere, and I’ve been seriously considering reapplying for Peace Corps. She was silent for a second and then quietly said, “No.”

“Peace Corps just accepted two cochlear implant recipients in the past year for the first time in history,” I said.

“But you have more issues,” she said.

I then went on to explain to her that both cochlear implant recipients were persistence, and if I had gone all the way through the appeal process, I would have likely been accepted. She was just silent.  I knew this was not going to be an easy conversation.

A few weeks later, my mother and I broke into another fight, and I told her that I was upset that she was not being supportive in my long term career goals and wished that she would support my desire to serve in the Peace Corps. I understood that she was just being a mother who loves me and was trying to look after the well-being and safety of her daughter.  It’s not uncommon after all for many daughters to have mothers who love them so much and have concerns about Peace Corps.  However, I’m not going to deny that this was a very frustrating situation.

She did eventually come to realization that my mind was so set on Peace Corps and begin to support me in the application process.

I submitted my application in March 2013 with a vow that if the medical office said “no,” again, I would fight all the way through. My mom became more supportive than ever by advising me to contact Joe Kennedy III, my congressman whose great uncle founded Peace Corps and who was also a Peace Corps volunteer himself.  I decided that I would wait to contact him if the medical office would give me a hard time again. In the meantime, I contacted Mobility International USA, a non profit organization that provides people with disabilities support in studying, volunteering and working abroad and explained my Peace Corps situation and asked them if they had tips for going through the appeal process if necessary.  I wanted to be prepared and ready to fight if needed.  They responded with a tremendous amount of very helpful information including cases where people with disabilities were denied and won the appeal.  I also contacted both cochlear implant recipients who we’re serving at the time for tips, and they both provided me very helpful information.

I was not going to allow a rejection to happen again simply because of my disabilities.  While I do believe in setting realistic expectations about how we can lead our lives with disabilities, but I also believe that we should never underestimate our abilities.  “Can’t” is likely the one of the most frequent words we, people with disabilities, hear and also a word we hate hearing, but “perseverance” is also likely the favorite word of many of us.  I am also a believer in trying.  We can never know what we cannot do until we actually do the tasks.  We still have a long way to go in educating the society about how well people with disabilities can lead their lives.  We have a responsibility to show the world what we are truly capable of doing.  We do it just by presenting ourselves doing the tasks that the general society would not realize that we can do.

I finally had the interview a month later, April 2013, and it was the best job interview because I felt so passionate about what I was sharing to the interviewer and hearing from her about the job.  When she told me at the end of the interview that I would be nominated for a technology or community development assignment with an early 2014 departure date, I told her, “I want you to be aware that I applied four years ago to serve in the Peace Corps but the medical office denied me because of my disability.  They asked me how I communicate because I don’t read lips or sign.  They also questioned my vision.” I explained to her what was Usher Syndrome.  “Oh wow!  I am so glad you told me this.  I will make a note to the medical office and make sure they understand that you communicate well,” she said.

“Can you make sure they understand that I can truly function well in day to day life like any other people without disabilities,” I said, “And that I really do speak and hear auditoraly like people who hear normally.”

“Yes. Yes.  If there is a problem, I’ll be your advocate,” she said.

A couple weeks later, I finally started the medical review process.  I had all forms submitted by end of May.

For the next several months, I heard no news. I finally ran into the person who interviewed me at an event at the end of October and asked her what was going on with my medical review. She said she’d check and get back to me. Two days later, she informed me that the medical office would get in touch with me and my tentative departure date would be pushed back to May.  I finally heard from the medical office. They sent me several questions about my cochlear implants.  Shortly after I responded, they asked more questions.  A conversation between me and the medical office lasted about a month. I finally received pre-clearance in mid-December.

After receiving legal pre-clearance in January, I contacted the placement office asking for an update on my application process. They said that because I did not get medical pre-clearance until December, all spots for spring departure has been filled and so, my tentative departure date was being pushed back again to September, and my nominated assignment has been changed to community health education.

In February, I finally received a placement questionnaire from the placement office. The questionnaire consisted a series of questions that focused on verifying that I understand the living conditions and how to set realistic expectations for the job.  Receiving the questionnaire meant I was closer to possibly receiving an invitation. Weeks went by and just when I was almost losing my patience, I finally received an invitation on April 2nd, while vacationing in Santorini.  I have been assigned to work in community health education with a focus on women and children in Cameroon.

April 2, 2014. This was the very moment when I received the invitation to join in the Peace Corps.

I was so trilled to learn that it’s a French speaking country, and I can finally put my years of learning French into professional use.  When I read about Cameroon being known as the “miniature of Africa” and “oasis of Africa,” having over 100 ethnic groups and being one of the most tolerant countries, and I saw pictures of beautiful landscapes, I became more excited.

However, I am not going to lie.  I was so nervous about sharing the news of my country placement to my parents and grandparents.  I admit that I had a very tiny hope that I would not be placed in Africa only because I didn’t want to see my parents and grandparents’ losing sleep at night.  While I have always recognized that many parts of Africa are truly safe and have a lot of wonderful treasures, my family unfortunately does not see the same way as I do.  After my excitement calmed down, I said, “S***! How do I tell my family this news? They’re so not going to be happy.”  I immediately contacted a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who recently finished her service in Kenya for tips in telling my family. She shared some great suggestions, as she faced the same situation too.  I finally told them the following morning via e-mail.  My mother was clearly not thrilled and showed that she is very nervous as her very first response was just a link to a site listing security threats in Cameroon.  She sent me another e-mail shortly thereafter saying that she was happy for me but sad for her and also nervous, which was a very reasonable reaction as most parents would hate to see their children move faraway regardless of the circumstances.  On the other hand, my grandmother said that while she is nervous, she is cheering for me and fully supporting me and told me that I should do what makes me happy and chase after my dreams.  How I love my grandmother dearly!

I had to go through another round of medical screening.  I completed all the exams and paperwork within two weeks.  On May 8th, the day after my birthday, I received a final medical clearance.  I am now in process of preparing to depart in September.

July 31st, 2014 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | No Comments »

“…while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

To the people who may think I am crazy to be willing to fly thousands of miles to live in a strange place with strangers:

Sure.  I may be crazy to be joining in the Peace Corps.  I’m very excited about the opportunity to live in a foreign land and cooperate with foreign people to solve issues.  But I’m not going to deny that I am nervous too.  Yes, I know that I am headed for a huge challenge.  I’ve learned as much as I could about the obstacles I will likely face by reading other Peace Corps Volunteers’ blogs about their experiences.

I will be living in a shack with inconsistent electricity, killing rats and big bugs, speaking in a foreign language, and eating strange food.  I’ll likely get sick with food poisoning, no mater how hard I try to eat and drink carefully.  Because racial discrimination and gender inequality still exist in various countries, including in Cameroon where majority of the population is black, I am aware to expect to face differential treatment because I am a white women.  People might stare at me and call me names such as “La Blanche,” which means “white woman” in French.  I may get many random proposal requests from men and will need to stand up for myself by politely saying, “No.”  People may tease me for having more money than average people in the community.  I also acknowledge that I will face frustrations in not seeing fast results from my efforts in completing assignments and creating some positive changes.

I am prepared to cry on some days and ask myself, “Why the hell did I choose to take this job?”  However, I will be stubborn and refuse to quit.  In midst of frustrations, I will still discover many charms in the strange land.  While I will meet many friendly people who will teach me how to love Cameroon and make great new friends, I will also find gorgeous sceneries that are worth photographing.  I will still find food that are tasty such as beignets.  I will celebrate the smallest achievements I will have made, be it being able to successfully wash clothes and linens by hand or teach a concept that a few people in my community will be able to learn.

I will also likely be taught so many invaluable life lessons.  I will probably learn how to become a more patient person and take one day at a time.  While I already have experiences in living abroad, I will continue to learn how to be sensitive about the cultural differences, communicate effectively with people from different cultures and live the lifestyle of the locals in the community while educating them about my American culture.

I will also apply the experiences I learned from overcoming obstacles due to being deaf while growing up, to my daily work.  If I face a setback or feel like I am not achieving something, I will remember the times when I learned to hear and speak while growing up.  When I was a child and learning listening and spoken language, there were days when I struggled and wondered if I would ever be able to do just as well as my hearing peers.  But I persevered and still experienced making great advancements.  I did eventually master my listening and spoken language skills.  It was just a matter of being persistent and also patient.

Circa 1993. Rachel doing therapy work with her mother.

While my goal is to make a small, positive impact in a community while serving in Peace Corps, I also expect that Peace Corps will change who I am.  I hope to acquire the skills in solving social issues and become better networked with people who work with humanitarian organizations for future job opportunities.  I will certainly not be Malala Yousafzai, Steve Jobs, or Rosa Parks, people who took risks and created a phenomenal change on a big scale.  I will simply be working along side with the locals in a small community.  I also want to note that my impressions about what I can possibly encounter when moving to Cameroon could turn out to be totally different from what I write here.

While you are thinking that I am crazy to face frustrations and risks, please keep in mind that if we want to see positive changes, facing challenges is necessary and a worthwhile.