My Peace Corps Journey Begins…

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” ~ July Garland

My Peace Corps Journey begins….

June 11, 1997, I left NYC and flew to Washington, DC, for Stage (the word ‘training’ in French). While at the airport, I called my two sister-friends, Sheila and Juliette, to say goodbye. Both made a last-ditch effort to talk me out of leaving the police force to go so far away to Africa. I told them that I prayed about this decision, and moving to Africa felt right in my soul. Moreover, being an NYC police officer was not a long-term career for me. I wished them well and ended the conversation with, “I love you guys. Stay safe!”

Stage in DC

Stage in DC was at Georgetown University. The campus was beautiful, and I met the other volunteers. Out of the 57 volunteers, only four of us were black. I felt overwhelmed by that same old familiar feeling of being one of few blacks in a room.  However, soon, that would change. As I was moving to Africa.

Numerous confirmations before leaving for Africa

June 14, 1997, I prepared to leave for Burkina Faso (Burkina). My Air France flight was at 6:30 pm. Before boarding, I called my siblings to say goodbye.  I often got the common question, “Are you sure you want to move to Africa?” I always replied, “I prayed about this opportunity. God opened doors and made my Peace Corps process easy and quick. This opportunity feels right in my soul. It is time for me to do something more meaningful with my life.”

The goodbyes followed the journey

Our stopover was in Paris. PCV-N and I left the group to freshen-up while we waited for our flight to Ouagadougou (Ouaga). We got lost as we made our way back to the group.  “Having just resigned from a police precinct that had document complaints (the captain filed an EEO complaint on behalf of black female officers), I was sensitive to unfair treatment people of color received, discriminately. So when I observed the harassment of an African man by airport agents, I said to myself, “here we go again!”.”

Series of uncertain thoughts

As we made our way to Burkina, I had many thoughts roaming around in my mind. Will my last check be cashed in time to pay my bills? Will I like Burkina? Will I be accepted as an African American by Africans? (My dad had the opinion that I would not be because of my complexion.) Will the Burkinabe in my village benefit from my efforts? It was the most severe concern I had.

We landed in Ouaga safely. As we debarked from the plane, both excited and anxious about the unknown, both PCV-N and I cried. These were the tears of joy.  At the time, it seemed the weight of challenges I had on my shoulders as a police officer for the past four years had lifted immediately. The then US Ambassador, an African American from New York, and other PCVs met us at the airport.

True Adventure

Burkina was wonderful – lime green forestry and red clay-colored roads. Very different from South Africa’s landscape. We stayed at a US mission on our first night in Ouaga.  The next day we traveled to Bobo-Dioulasso for our 3-month Stage. Somewhere in between Ouaga and Bobo, we saw elephants. The bus stopped to allow the herd to cross the road.  The group was so excited. True adventure had just begun. “No going back now!” I exclaimed to myself.

Peace Corps Journey

Continue my peace corps journey with me. To find out about my 3-month Stage in Bobo- my experience staying with a kind Muslim family, learning about the 5 am ‘Call to Prayer’, that frightened me. Also, about my first experiences having my hair braided in the market; and how being immersed in French, all day often gave me headaches. Feel free to visit ExPATise.blog. I post a new blog about my adventures every week.