I’m writing this article from underneath my mosquito net, blanketed by the afternoon heat, in a small but oh-so-beautiful village in Cambodia. Looking back on the past several years of my life, I still find it a bit crazy that I’m sitting here as a Peace Corps Volunteer, studying the Khmer alphabet, listening to the hum of my bedroom fan.
If you asked me what I wanted to be freshman year of high school, a statement along the lines of, “I want to travel the world and someday be a Peace Corps volunteer,” would have enthusiastically flown out of my mouth. In all honesty, it felt more like a dream than a plan, and to 14-year-old me, it remained entirely subject to change. I think I surprised myself by how my goals have been so reinforced as time has gone by. Although my interpretation of the word “travel” has shifted further and further from what one would consider a vacation, the value of the word to me has only increased. What was once a fascination with well-known, beautiful “bucket list” destinations has now grown into a passion to experience new places on foot. I value walking slowly and looking around to soak up life stories all around me—how do people in different places truly live, how do they see the world and themselves, and how much access do they have to their surroundings. What makes people special, and what unites us all in being simply, human. Beyond my International Relations degree from York College of Pennsylvania, I have two main sources to thank for this ever-growing perspective and those would be firstly Outward Bound Costa Rica (OBCR), and secondly the experience that is currently unfolding for me with the Peace Corps.
For months following my formal acceptance of the invitation to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer, some of the most common questions I was asked were: Aren’t you scared? Are you prepared? What if you can’t talk to your family back home? The truth is, the answers to all of these questions couldn’t be more subjective, and there were so many unknowns ahead of me in Peace Corps. Seeing how I didn’t finish packing until the day before I moved out of the country, maybe my answer at the time should have been no. But, to be honest, I felt as well prepared as I could be for this wild adventure and a great deal of that confidence is rooted in my experience with Outward Bound Costa Rica (OBCR).
Backtracking to the summer after I graduated from high school, I came to Costa Rica to be a part of the 2-week summer Hike and Homestay course with OBCR. It was not only my first solo traveling experience, but also my first international trip. Within two weeks, I fell so head over heels for the organization, the experience, and the country, that even my mother will testify that it’s a miracle I came back home and pursued my degree. On the bright side, at least I felt reassured knowing that International Relations was definitely the right field of study for me.
Heather on course with OBCR in Nicaragua (left) and getting her scuba certification in Panama (right)
Three years later in the spring semester of my junior year of college, I finally got the chance I had been waiting for ever since that 2-week summer adventure. I was going on the 85-day Coast to Coast Expedition semester course with Outward Bound Costa Rica. During those 85 days, I hiked from the sand of the Caribbean Ocean across the entire country, weaving through jungles, across rivers, alongside city roads and right into the Pacific Ocean. I earned six internationally-recognized certifications, including: Lifeguarding with Waterfront Module, Whitewater Rafting Guide, Whitewater Rescue Technician, Recreational Rappel Operator, Open Water Scuba Diver, and Wilderness First Aid. I spent 48 hours alone in the rainforest, during which I opted to fast. I sat on the edge of a dock in several feet of water on a small indigenous island in Bocas del Toro, Panama and watched the tropical fish disappear and bioluminescent plankton taking their place once the sun had set. I had hard days, painful blisters, and many failures along the way. But more frequently, there were the days I wished would never end. Walking up the steep hill at the highest elevation point during our hike and seeing the view through a break in the clouds. My first time breathing underwater, mesmerized by a world I hadn’t before seen but dreamed of my whole life. More than anything in those 85 days, I learned to be present. To survive (and thrive) without a cellphone. To value life and every moment of it to a greater extent than I had ever imagined possible.
Heather hiking in Costa Rica with OBCR in 2016 (left) and then in the same spot in 2018 (right).
I came back home at the end of April 2018 feeling a renewed sense of drive and desire to live intentionally. In fact, I barely spent two weeks at home before heading right back to Costa Rica for another three months to see the other side of the program as an Instructor Intern for the summer. After this, even more so that before, I felt a profound strengthening in my off-the-beaten-path dreams. I got lost, I got upset, I was confused, I made endless mistakes and I walked away ready to face my life. I think what we can and can’t achieve comes right from within ourselves. In most cases, it really is a case of how bad you want it, how hard you work for it, and the way you treat yourself along the way. I remember the first time I experienced Outward Bound how absolutely strange it seemed to me that we weren’t allowed to wear a watch. But then, after experiencing that lifestyle for a semester, I realized what a privilege it was to see the concept of time in a different way.
“On paper it may not appear so obvious, the similarities between Costa Rica and my Peace Corps position in Cambodia, but to me, they are deeply linked. I learned resilience at Outward Bound Costa Rica like no other. I learned to love the challenges and thrive without routine, surrounded by variables. I learned medical skills that provide comfort to me while living in a rural location. Perhaps most useful of all, I became dependent upon myself.”
The support I receive here while serving in Peace Corps from all across the world is crucial, essential, and it has greatly impacted my service already. I don’t mean to say that having family and friends backing you isn’t invaluable by any means. However, the fact of the matter is that I’m 12 hours ahead of the place where I grew up. I am, quite literally, halfway around the world from my hometown. When my day isn’t going well here, immediately calling home isn’t an option, and when it is, no one can fully understand what I’m going through. No matter how good their intentions or how hard they try, my journey here is incredibly personal and unique. The ability to re-center myself and remember that being present is what matters most has gotten me to where I am. To feel the bad moments, acknowledge them, and let them pass in order to savor the good. Here in Cambodia, simple day-to-day tasks are new to me. I’ve felt more emotions in a single day than I ever thought possible. My Peace Corps life may normalize over time, (although I almost hope it doesn’t) but one day, when I’m back on the other side of the world, I’ll miss every piece of it. Two years sounds long, but it’s already flying. I remember how 85 days sounded long once too.
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