"The goal of the hero trip down to the jewel point is to find those levels in the psyche that open, open, open, and finally open to the mystery of your Self. Being Buddha consciousness or the Christ. That's the journey."
-Joseph Campbell
And so I'm off to the city of brotherly love on Tuesday for two days of staging events with the other PCV's on my trip to Benin. Just for a little background, I got the Peace Corps itch a few years ago when doing my first international travel in Europe. It was always something I knew about, but never really looked into it that much. Finally, after being back home in the states and finding that 9-5 that all college grads dream about, the itch came back. I knew that the time and opportunities to take off again were ripe, and so I went back in and signed up for a spot in the Peace Corps.
My main goals were construction and building abroad, but as I interviewed with PC I realized that those programs didn't exist. We discussed other options, and after they expressed that their needs were greatest in Africa, I decided it sounded like a perfect place to go. I spent the next months knowing I would end up somewhere in Africa, but no idea where. Finally I received my invitation to serve as a Rural Community Health Advisor in Benin, West Africa. Now my experience is mainly architecture and design, hence the interest in the most important thing that architectural universities don't teach you; building and construction. AIDS education and water sanitation were completely different than what I had in mind, but I was sold on the fact that there would be much potential for secondary projects, so I took the position.
It hasn't been easy leaving the great world I established in Los Angeles, and it is going to be missed dearly in many ways. The saving fact is that it will still be there when I finish my program, whereas the opportunity I was given may not have been. I have been poor on my preparation for my trip, but then again it almost seems impossible to plan for the unknown. I will have some tea tree oil, drinking straws, and a headlamp, so I should be well equipped for anything... (thats what you buy when you're going into the unknown, right?)
This blog goes both ways. Its for me to try to keep a steady journal of what I experience in Benin, and also a way for me to connect with all the amazing people who have been in my life, and will continue to be. I have no idea where in Benin I will be after September, or what my conditions will be, but I intend to keep this blog going as much as possible when the internet presents itself. I thank you all for inspiring me in someway to face my fears and my curiosities and embark on this adventure. I hope to hear from you all soon.
"The warrior's approach is to say 'yes' to life: 'yea' to it all."
