Becoming Miss Universe

After the disgruntling pageant loss of 2004, I realized that my answer “and to solve world peace” had been amiss. In fact, it had never been the right answer. Although it’s always been the default response in the interview portion, I’ve never truly believed in this mentality or even considered it to be a logical approach to life. So when I finally hankered down and opted to commit myself to applying for the Peace Corps, I knew my motivation was not to solve world peace.

While I have never even been remotely close to participating or interacting within the Beauty Pageant domain, and perhaps slightly exaggerate my experiences to further get my point across, I really am an honest person. Volunteering has taught and/or provided me with the opportunities to learn much of what I know, as well as greatly contributing to my even-keeled sanity (which I suppose is up for debate). Regardless, I’m a firm believer in:

“Helping someone else is the secret to happiness.” - Booker T. Washington And “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Gandhi

Thus, joining the Peace Corps was indeed another opportunity to serve others and hopefully be able to have a positive influence on at least one other person in some way or another. However, my true inspiration was for the opportunity to live amongst another culture. I’m not sure how my fascination of observing people (nothing creepy) began but I can genuinely people watch for hours. People are astounding morsels of existence that surrender to the society in which they live. And… I simply can’t get enough.

As I have perhaps alluded to before, I have not solved world peace (or at least not yet), probably haven’t provided much technical training or been of much help. But I realized that I’m okay with that. The cultural exchange has surpassed my expectations and has been more rewarding than I ever imagined. This, I recognize is self-serving, and kind of supports what I think almost any volunteer will tell you, that as an individual you gain much more than you give. However, I think the cross-cultural exchange and its positive effects that occur through Peace Corps are drastically overlooked. Never being a fan of missionary work, I was hesitant to join PC. Although we only serve in countries that make a request for our assistance, who are we to come in and change things around? But…by simply living amongst a foreign culture and working alongside them…there is much to be gained. You are introduced to entirely new mentalities, processes and an overall way of life. On both sides of the fence; myths, stereotypes and rumors are broken down…or even sometimes further enforced. Consequentially, you are able to provide living testimonies and share with others this new found information, whether you find it to be brilliant, efficient or ridiculously hilarious. Personally, I can’t think of or even fathom a better form of diplomacy. Except perhaps…World Peace.