In late 2012 I began to start looking at what I wanted out of the next stage of my life – I was single, I knew I wanted to return to professional work in my field, and I knew I was ready for a change of scenery. I started applying to ecology jobs around the country and world, and looked into a few other possibilities. At one point I applied to a yearlong post in Guam working with invasive species management for the brown tree snake. Finally, one of the options I had considered at an earlier age was the Peace Corps.
I began looking into it again out of sheer curiosity. I thought about what I wanted to do and where I was in life. The fact that I was about to turn 30 in 2013, I was single, I wanted to see more of the world, I wanted to put my education to use again, and how I have always wanted to really get to know another culture. Basically all of the common reasons one joins the Peace Corps. The overall feel and mission of the Peace Corps fit with my personality and goals perfectly. I dove into research - reading blogs, interviewing returned volunteers, attending panel discussions, and generally devouring any info I could get my hands on (good or bad – not everyone loves their experience). The more I learned, the more the interest snowballed. I started my application in early January of 2013 and then waited. And waited. Through periodic correspondence from the Peace Corps and fulfilling further steps in the very lengthy application process I was eventually offered a spot 9 months later at the end of September.
The offer was for placement in Malawi in March of 2014 as part of an environment cohort – putting that ecology degree to work I hope! The email was accompanied with lots of information and the ability to think on it for 7 days. In spite of the drastic change that a commitment to 27 months in a completely foreign country entailed, and telling myself that I would think on it for the full 7 days, I sent my response in a mere 37 hours. That time felt like an eternity. I was so eager and excited that restraining myself from responding instantly with a huge YESYES was all that I could do. Without hesitation, I sought out information on the country, the program, the language (I am still quite rough at it), and the people. I immediately began pairing down my possessions to the minimum essentials All of the "things n stuff, stuff n things" that I now own fits on the top of a twin mattress. This process I found rewarding in its own right: With less "stuff" I had significantly more time for the people in my life and the activities I want to do. The last 5 months have been immensely rewarding in building and strengthening friendships (I am going to miss all of you and we will see each other soon, two years will go by so quickly).
I am excited and already humbled by this fantastic opportunity and I can’t wait to fill all of you in on my experiences.
I will post my final packing list shortly.
I leave for Philly in 2 days on Monday March 3rd. I am fortunate in that I get to spend the evening meeting my fellow volunteers (Health or Environment sectors). March 4th we have staging/orientation. Then we leave the hotel at 2am on March 5th to make it to JFK airport in New York City for a 1045 am flight to Johannesburg South Africa (15 Hours!). We connect from there before finally arriving in Malawi. Training will be the only thing on my mind for the first two months – Don’t expect to hear anything from me for this time (no news is good news!).
If anyone wants to write me the old fashioned way (Please do! There is something so much more exciting, genuine, and personal about real mail) you can send letters to me at the following address:
Andrew Ellis, PCT
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 208
Lilongwe, Malawi
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