Why did you join the Peace Corps?

Good question. Probably one I'll ask several times during the length of my service. But the truth is: once I got the idea of the Peace Corps in my head, I woke up every day with a different reason to join. Here's what I came up with:

Reasons to join the Peace Corps:

• The trite reason: I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself
• The young, idealistic reason: I want to be defined by my humanity, not by my nationality
• The simple reason: I'm young and childless and looking for an adventure
• The pragmatic reason: I'm applying to law school and can't stand the thought of studying books for another three years straight.
  
• The "I'm curious" reason: There are cultures I've never even heard of and can't wait to learn about.
• The easy deduction reason: Every returned volunteer I've ever met came back with nothing but amazing stories and zero regrets.
  
• The "civic responsibility" reason: I grew up with everything I ever needed to make it in the world, and others didn't.
  
• The overly simple-yet-true reason: I could.
  

So, with my list, I made the decision to apply. There were times I doubted — even actively sought out other options — but I knew that I didn't want to be the girl who almost did Peace Corps. I wanted to be the girl who did.

And here I am.