Hey Everyone!

So I have been getting repeated requests to start a blog for my upcoming trip to Ethiopia... ok it's more than a trip. I am essentially moving to Ethiopia for the next two years.

For those of you who don't know here is the backstory...

I finished up my last year at Biola University Majoring in Environmental Science, and a Double Minor in Biology and Biblical Studies, the second is a requirement of all who attend the school.

Of course as soon as I finished I was bombarded with questions such as "Now what will you do?", "Are you going to Graduate School?",  "Are you getting an internship?", "Have you been offered a job yet?" ect. Ect. ECT....

Well I didn't find a job... I did however line up two internships. And, as is common for internships, I am in demand only when I work for free -_- ugh....

My first internship was this last summer where I worked for Au Sable Institute of Environmental studies. This institute is dedicated to teaching environmental classes through field experiences. I had spent the previous summer at a sister campus in Washington. I took two classes of International Development and Ecological Agriculture. Both classes were phenomenal, coupling class time with at least 50% field trips, and made me want to return.

When I found out about a research position open at the main Au Sable Michigan Campus I jumped at the opportunity. As a result I spent the summer meeting wonderful people and studying the difficulty in reforesting abandon oil pads in northern lower Michigan. Further I was aloud to take a class in Watershed Management as recompense for my work.

The second Internship I have undertaken is with an amazing NGO called Plant With Purpose (PWP). This non-profit works all over the world in Mexico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Burundi and Thailand thus far. The work on multiple fronts to holistically alleviate poverty. PWP works with rural villages to develop sustainable agriculture, reforest watersheds, and work on developing village loan and savings programs!

PWP has influenced me a great deal in shaping my goals for my future. I have been interested in there work since I was around 13 and is the driving reason for me selecting a major in Environmental Science. I hope someday to work in a similar field, and as such am very happy to currently be interning here.

My current job as an intern at PWP is a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) intern. I have spent the last few months since September working on researching and number crunching. Despite there being a lot of desk work I have enjoyed learning from my coworkers and developing valuable skills.

My internship with PWP is going to last till December, at which point my student loans become due. And here in lies the problem. Working at non-paid internships allow me to gain great experience, but I can't pay bills on experience alone. My options are continue with graduate school accumulating more debt, or get a job.

Believe me I would love to get a job. Problem being it's hard to get a job in the field you want, and I don't want to get a job at Walmart simply so I can pay my loans. I want to work for international organizations, working in poverty relief and environmental restoration. As already mentioned internships are available, but since it's mainly non-profit I won't get paid, and they won't hire me unless I get international experience.

So my mother suggested I try looking into the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps would pay for my travel and stay in country and allow me to defer my loans while in service. Further I would get international experience, learn a new language, and would get two years work experience that looks great on a resume. Other benefits include the possibility for credit in certain Graduate programs upon my return if I decide to take that path.

So I applied back in July along with a few other options I had heard about. despite the Peace Corps being notorious for taking a long time, by the end on August I had applied, interviewed, been nominated, and accepted to my Country of Service. All before my other options had gotten back to me for an interview... actually it was exactly one week after I had made my final acceptance commitment that I got a call back for a preliminary interview at another internship i had been hoping for, at which point i had to turn it down.

So as i said at the TOP, I am moving to Ethiopia. I will be there for two years and 3 months. With an option for an additional year. the three months refers to the training period I will undergo in country covering language, safety, and vocational skills.

All that's left before I leave is to buy some necessary items and get medically cleared. I will be shipping out in two months, leaving Jan 12th 2015. Just enough times to spend the holidays with the family.

I encourage everyone to see me while I'm still in the states, and follow me on this Blog as I travel into a foreign land.... Wish me luck, I may need it @_@