{"id":12483,"date":"2017-03-28T02:07:30","date_gmt":"2017-03-28T06:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=12483"},"modified":"2020-06-01T11:29:27","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T15:29:27","slug":"declined-offer-peace-corps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/declined-offer-peace-corps\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Declined My Offer to the Peace Corps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen you grow up, what do you want to be?\u201d \u00a0This is a question we get asked starting from when we are toddlers, and one that we begin to ask ourselves as we get older. \u00a0\u00a0For the lucky ones, this question is discovered early in life and we spend the rest of our life happily pursuing it. \u00a0For the others, every experience is one step closer to figuring it out.<\/p>\n

Growing up, what did I want to be? \u00a0Easy, I \u201cknew\u201d from the time I was 4. \u00a0I wanted to be a doctor \u2013 specifically a dermatologist. \u00a0The classes I took in high school and college were dictated by this decision. \u00a0Even the college I chose was due to its strong reputation for its pre-med program.<\/p>\n

The summer of 2010 changed it all — my first trip to Nicaragua, Latin America to participate in a medical-based community service project. \u00a0I fell in love with the people, the country, and the mission. \u00a0My global perspective widened. \u00a0I felt like I discovered a whole new world \u2013 and quite literally, I did. \u00a0\u00a0Spending the days in local communities, talking to the natives and learning about their way of life fascinated me. \u00a0I questioned everything I thought I knew about how life should be. \u00a0Helping them to create a safe, livable home and witnessing their gratitude emerged a feeling in me that I have never experienced before \u2013 at least not to that degree. \u00a0It was powerful and it was addictive. \u00a0And I wanted more.<\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

My first trip to Nicaragua in 2010<\/em><\/p>\n

Our group leader was a former Costa Rica Peace Corps volunteer, and during the trip she made a few comparisons to her time in Costa Rica to our trip in Nicaragua. \u00a0I thrived off her experience. \u00a0Then a light bulb went off in my head and I knew I needed to join the Peace Corps. \u00a0In June 2011, I began the application process for the Peace Corps.<\/p>\n

After 10 long months of interviewing, paperwork, and anticipation- I was accepted and placed. \u00a0Starting in January 2013, I would be spending the next 27 months in Panama teaching English. \u00a0I took Spanish in college and on the side earned my TEFL certification \u2013 I was ready. \u00a0\u00a0After graduating in May of 2012, I would spend time in NY with my family, and then in January I would leave for Panama.<\/p>\n

HALT.<\/p>\n

What would happen in the next three months after graduation would change my life forever.<\/p>\n

The group leader from my Nicaragua trip in 2010 knew how much I enjoyed my experience. \u00a0Nearing graduation time, she made me aware of a three-month summer internship program at Gran Pacifica (ECI\u2019s community in Nicaragua). \u00a0She suggested I look into the program prior going to Panama. \u00a0I agreed, and the next thing I knew I was on the plane to Nicaragua.<\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

Mike’s family took me to Catarina Viewpoint when I was an intern in 2012.<\/em><\/p>\n

In August, towards the end of the internship as I was planning to pack up and go home, I had lunch with the CEO of ECI Development, Mike Cobb, to talk about my experience. \u00a0He said to me that although there was no specific job opening at ECI, they were going to offer me a full-time position. \u00a0He didn\u2019t know about Peace Corps at this time, and I was torn. \u00a0I enjoyed the past three months and believed in ECI, but I was also looking forward to beginning my journey in Panama.<\/p>\n

I did the old Ben Franklin and made a list of pros and cons. \u00a0What it boiled down to was why I wanted to go to Peace Corps in the first place. \u00a0The reasons were simple:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Share my knowledge and skills to better people\u2019s lives<\/li>\n
  2. Expand my understanding of the global community<\/li>\n
  3. Live abroad<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When I took a step back to see how ECI fit into my long-term aspirations, I realized I could accomplish these same goals with this organization. \u00a0Yes, I was comparing the Peace Corps to the Corporate World. \u00a0Apples and oranges in a sense, but ECI\u2019s mission had many similarities to the Peace Corps. \u00a0ECI was, and still is, building communities for people who are looking for a better quality life on a budget. \u00a0They provide jobs to the locals and bring investors to the developing Latin American countries. \u00a0They care about the people and are in business to serve the people. \u00a0\u00a0And I didn\u2019t have to sleep in a mud hut with no electricity in the middle of the jungle. \u00a0I took the job with ECI. \u00a0I am probably forever blacklisted from the Peace Corps, but I bet they found an extraordinary replacement for me.<\/p>\n

    I took a risk, and I have never looked back. Sixty months later and the progress has been significant and the opportunities abundant.<\/p>\n

    \"Why<\/p>\n

    Enjoying front-row seats of the Sunset at Gran Pacifica, Nicaragua. 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

    During conferences I am often asked how I got started with ECI, and there is the answer. \u00a0A bit long-winded, but spoken from the heart. \u00a0If you think you may be interested in spending time abroad or bringing your sales and marketing expertise the ECI family, please contact me. \u00a0I enjoy sharing my story to help determine what may be right for you.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u201cWhen you grow up, what do you want to be?\u201d \u00a0This is a question we get asked starting from when we are toddlers, and one that we begin to ask ourselves as we get older. \u00a0\u00a0For the lucky ones, this question is discovered early in life and we spend the rest of our life happily […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":425,"featured_media":12484,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[22552,22550,2340,1881,3680,22551,22547,6106,22549,16699,2022,1889,1888,3838,22546,1793,2198,5166,22548,7385],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/jpeg-2-5.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12483"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/425"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12483"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12487,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12483\/revisions\/12487"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12483"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=12483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}