Second

The Peace Corps' mission has three main goals:

1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans    

I am beyond excited for this new adventure. However, the complexity of the Middle East is overwhelming me. I studied International Studies in college. I have an average understanding of the Middle East. Unfortunately, an average understanding means there is still quite a bit I do not know or understand, and probably quite a bit more I don't even know I don't know.  Part of the reason I am keeping this blog is to fulfill goal #3 - promoting a better understanding of other people and cultures. I'm not going to pretend like I know more than I do. I accepted my invitation to work as a primary school teacher in Jordan for a lot of reasons... I have wanted to teach since I was a kid, I've had an increasing fascination with living abroad since college, I believe that peace can't be created solely by the government and people in power, I think I have things to offer. But a huge reason is that I have so much to learn.

So here I go, exploring the unfamiliar- and sharing things as I learn. Any and all comments and opinions are always welcome!

I have been reading so much about Syria lately and want to document my understanding of what is going on now. In August alone, more than 100,000 Syrians fled the country- the highest number since the conflict began in March 2011. "August was arguably Syria's most violent month yet, with the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting more than 5,000 deaths." Up to 183,000 Syrians have entered Jordan and are currently arriving at a rate of about 1,000 a day. (BBC). Jordan doesn't have the means to support the giant influx of people and life in refugee camps is rough- little water, food, and constant uncertainty. There is no real sign of political progress or a military solution that could let them return home anytime soon.

As I prepare to leave family, friends, my home and life I have created in Seattle I sometimes find myself getting really anxious. 27 months is a long time to be away from all that is familiar. But there is such comfort in knowing that when I do come back, the majority of my family and friends will still be here, my neighborhood and beloved park across the street will remain relatively the same. I can not fathom having to get up and go overnight- not knowing when or even if you will be able to return home or if there will even be a home to return to. Saying goodbye to friends and family that you may never see again. Living in tents with intense dust storms and little protection from the sun. War can seem very abstract when it is across the world. It's very very real. READ THIS.  My heart is with the hundreds of thousands of people there and throughout the world whose lives have been so drastically altered by the effects of corruption and war.