https://mozlikely.travel.blog/
You will learn a lot about his experiences abroad e.g. the language, dance, culture, and the community.
For more information about his experiences at UAB, check out this article:http://www.uab.edu/news/campus/item/7263-uab-student-to-join-peace-corps-following-spring-graduation
During the medical school application
process, why and when did you decide to also apply to be a part of the
Peace Corps?
As the stereotypical millennial with to
many things I like to do, I applied concurrently to medical school and the
Peace Corps. I wanted to keep my options open. In February, I interviewed for
both medical school and the Peace Corps. I actually got accepted to medical
school the first week of march and the Peace Corps the following week. I don’t know how to describe what led
my decision making other than sheer intuition i.e. “my gut”. I couldn’t really
rationalize to anyone why I was giving up a medical school acceptance alongside
my best friend and study partner for the last 4 years. In fact, most people
that didn’t instantly sanctify me for giving up such an opportunity thought I
was literally crazy. I can’t blame them. When I try to put myself in their perspective,
it doesn’t really seem to add up. Truth be told, I wanted to really get
the chance to live in another culture. Up until that point, I had lived a very
blessed, lucky life. I realized I needed to give back. But also, medical school
seemed like a life sentence. Not necessarily in a bad way. But, I just wasn’t
ready to commit, seemingly, my entire life to anything at that point. I needed
time to grow and develop and I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than
to immerse yourself completely out of your comfort zone
Looking back, what were some things you have
left behind or sacrificed when you chose this path?
Sacrificed? Milkshakes. Chic-Fil-A. Hot showers. Milkshakes. Washing Machines. Driers. Momma’s Cooking. Milkshakes. Air conditioning. Running water. Milkshakes.
On a more serious note, when you join the Peace Corps you know that you’ll be taking this on. They make it crystal clear for you to prepare yourself to live 27 months abroad, in hardship if necessary. One thing that I didn’t realize I would be giving up is a feeling of competence. Overcoming the language barrier is hard and takes way longer than you would like it to. Another thing I din’t know I signed up for is losing the ability to blend in. No matter where I go I am always the odd one out. Sometimes a great thing. Sometimes a bad thing. But never my choice. Also, it’s hard to adult. It feels even harder to adult in another country AND in a foreign language. My family and friends could listen, but they couldn’t really offer to much advice.
You described the other volunteers
provided some comfort and peace for you, what other emotions and things you
learned during the transition arriving to the site alone? What was your typical day like?
My typical day goes a little something
like this. I wake up to the muslim call to prayer
at around 4:30-5:00 depending on the exact time the sun rises that morning.
I’ll lay around in my bed for a couple of minutes and check facebook lite (the
full facebook app is way too slow to be functional.) Then, I’ll get out of bed,
pump my water for the day from the well, wash the dishes, sweep the floor, and
do a few other household chores. School begins at 6:30 a.m. and I'll teach anywhere from 2 – 8 hours depending on the day. I have 7 classes,
each with 100 students. I cycle through the different homerooms for 45 minute
periods at a time. On the weekdays in my free time, I have
a couple secondary projects including work at a pre-school, with a social
activist youth group, or developing a community library program. For fun, I
hang out with my host family, go talk to my friends at the market, dance, go to
the beach, watch Game of Thrones, read, or find a way to talk to family back
home.
With your first-hand experiences
seeing the struggles in Mozambique, educating students on a various
important topics, seeing gender inequality, and dealing with specific HIV
population, how did you stay motivated for 27 months of service?
That’s a great question! Mental Health
in the Peace Corps is something completely different than any mental health
work I’ve done before. It’s hard. Plain and simple. That being said, I couldn’t
relieve stress by going for a run or going to the gym. The Mozambican sun is
too hot and the gyms are nonexistent. Talking to friends and family is also
kind of hard because my experience is very different from theirs. Despite all of this, you find ways to
cope with stress and the different issues that arise. For me, my work with my
youth group is the most nurturing. My kids remind me that the future doesn’t
have to be the way that it is currently. They can be the change makers that
stop the spread of HIV or stand up for gender equality. When I look at the
opportunity of pouring my heart into these kids, it becomes much easier to stay
motivated and continue work here even in the harder times.
Any plan to apply similar
education model to the US/other developing countries or in your
future career?
I do intend to eventually do some
international work with medicine in specific. I think if anything being over
here has strengthened my desire to do medicine. I have some experiences of
seeing just how helpful a good doctor could be to a small rural town in the
developing world. I think I would feel very fulfilled by splitting my medical
practice between the U.S. and some developing countries.
For the neuroscience students who may
want to take a different path outside of the science or graduate schools,
any advice and any inspirational moments you would like to share?
Don’t be scared to try something new. I
think that I would have been happy following the traditional “neurosciencey”
path. But, I think I would have always questioned the “what if?”. Following
something you’re genuinely interested in will teach you a lot about yourself.
People love unique and wholesome life experience. Plus, in any future
endeavors, I’m sure that the passion you put into that “less traditional” path
will shine through.