Undergraduate / Adjusting to Foreign Environment (Peace Corps) [2]

Hi, this is the second essay needed for the Peace Corps. Right now I feel this essay is pretty week if anyone has suggestions on how to make it more memorable I would appreciate it. Thanks for the help.

Experience on Study Abroad in London

My junior year of college I was fortunate enough to study aboard in London. While there I had an opportunity to intern at the Brunel Museum, I worked as their Assistant Curator. This offered me a unique experience to get to know another culture. I was depended on daily to open the museum, greet guests, answer phones, and manage the gift shop. The museum's Curator also assigned me two special tasks. The first was to become an integral part in helping plan and prepare for the museum's annual fundraising event the other was to conduct archival research to help the museum. There were many challenges that I faced in my day to day dealings with the museum. The biggest difficulty was the different dialects of English. There were many times in which the people I was dealing with had trouble understanding me. This manifested itself in the planning of the fundraising event. A volunteer and I were asked to clean up the museum and set up a presentation. While working on the presentation we often had to ask each other repeat what had just been said and to slow down while speaking. Another challenge I had to deal with was fitting in with my co-workers. I was one of the youngest volunteer working at museum and the only American. To find common ground with my co-workers I asked them questioned about London and try to keep up with the current events around the city. I found that by talking to them about the city and about their interests I managed to assimilate myself. In London I used the Underground to commute to and from work. Commuting on public transportation had its own set of pros and cons. It was nice to not have to worry about driving and I also was able to get a lot reading done during my half and hour commutes. Yet not being in control of my arrival time at work caused problems sometimes. This meant I had to develop a comfort level of communication with my co-workers and supervisor. If I realized that I was not going to be on time I had to be able to communicate this fact so the museum could function on a normal schedule. Through my study aboard experience I learned how to be patient, flexible, and willing how to learn to adjust to new challenges. I feel this experience will be key in being successful in the Peace Corps.

Undergraduate / "Put my college degree good use by helping people" why I want to join the Peace Corps [2]

Hi, I am looking for feedback on my essay to help me get into the Peace Corps. The prompt is below followed by the essay. Thanks for the help in advance.

* Your reasons for wanting to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer; and
* How these reasons are related to your past experiences and life goals.
* How you expect to satisfy the Peace Corps 10 Core Expectations (please be specific about which expectations you expect to find most challenging and how you plan to overcome these challenges).

I want to serve in the Peace Corps because I believe it would be a good way to put my college degree good use by helping people. Throughout my life I have been taught to help those who are in need. At Loyola Marymount University they challenged their student body to live a life for others. As a recent graduate I want to take up this charge and serve people. The Peace Corps offers a completely unique experience of immersion into a different world while at the same time promoting service I feel the Peace Corps also offers a life changing opportunity to learn about a foreign community and oneself. The experience of serving in the developing world will allow me to see new places, learn another language and to gain leadership experience. These skills will be helpful in my life as I move forward and try to secure either further education or a position in the business world.

Through previous experiences I feel that I will have no problem fulfilling the Peace Corps expectations. By being open to new situations, willing to learn, and understanding that patients is a virtue will help me integrate into my host community as well as adapt skills to improve the quality of life of those around me. I realize that by being accepted into my host community that I become a representative of them, that I should uphold their laws, and that I should represent them with pride. Wherever the Peace Corps request me to go, I will gladly go. I recognize that I am responsible for my conduct and that I am representative of the United States therefore I should conduct myself to the highest standard of ethics. I understand the well being of myself and those around me are a top priority and good judgment should always be used to not jeopardize them. Finally, the most difficult expectation to meet will be preparing to serve for 27 months. I feel that it is a long time to be away, however, I have been away for long periods of time before and understand that it is important to the experience to be away for that length of time.

The Peace Corps offers a meaningful experience that will change the lives of people and my own. If given the opportunity I would love to serve in the Peace Corps. By being a volunteer I hope to make the world a better place.