Undergraduate / Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels; Peace Corps. [3]

Hi everyone! I had great feedback on my first Peace Corps essay, that I would love help with this one as well (feedback and/or grammar corrections are extremely helpful). Thanks again for your help.

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

"Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy."

-Sai Baba

It's funny how those two sentences can answer the most important question I have ever been asked "why do you want to be in the Peace Corps?" Love may seem like a simple answer but for me coming to understand its true meaning was a long road. Honestly, I have always been in love with the idea of love. However, the more life throws at you the more you reflect on the meaning verses an idea. My fiancĂŠ passed away two years ago, this moment in my life forced me meditate not just on the future but what is truly important. I have come to understand not just love but our connection to each other and the world.

The struggles we go through can unite us if you let it; it gives us awareness to the suffering around us. This can manifest a drive to give the strength we were taught through our own battles to those in their time of weakness. That's what happened to me. Through the darkest point in my life you can call them a family, friends, community or tribe but they bonded together to create a solidarity of strength and love. They were there day and night to cry with me, share their experiences of weakness, to listen and sit quietly when no words could be found. Within time the strength they conveyed started to build the foundation for that strength within me. The love they expressed had more meaning than a fairy tale ending between two people. This love represents selflessness, kindness and compassion. Love is the affectionate actions towards others, one's self and nature. Once I understood this I came to believe that we are not here to figure out why or who we are, that's simple, love. I believe the real questions come down to have we loved enough? Have we looked past the boundaries of family, religion, country and expanded our home globally and our family to being everyone?

After I asked myself those questions, how could I not want to be a part of the Peace Corps? I want you to know that my passion to be a part of the Peace Corps has always been constant throughout my life. I go forward towards situations cautiously and mindfully. My decision to apply now does involved a number of years deliberating over my financial, career and family obligations. Now I am stable and confident that this is the perfect time. I hope to one day have a career working for a nonprofit group that helps the global community through youth development, and I know the Peace Corps is a great place to start. I will not downplay the tough challenges that I will be faced with over the next 27 months. The living conditions may be strenuous, building trust and adapting to new cultures while building confidence in an unfamiliar place will take time and growth. However, out of these challenges can spring the healing of love, hope and unity. I am certain that I have the ability to overcome, adapt and grow with any challenges that come my way.

Undergraduate / TRUST & CONFIDENCE - Success as a Peace Corps Volunteer [3]

I need help! I am horrible with grammar and would love some help with my essay. Please and thank you!
The question is....
*Your success as a Peace Corps Volunteer is based on the trust and confidence you build by living in, and respectfully integrating yourself into, your host community and culture (Core Expectation 4). Describe in between 250-500 words an experience you have had living or working in a social or cultural environment different from your own. What specific challenges did you face concerning trust, confidence, and/or integration? What did you learn from this experience that you will bring with you to your Peace Corps service?

When I was 8 years old I asked my mother "What religion are we?" my mother replied "Your grandmother is Catholic and I am Atheist. You however, can explore any religion. You make your own path to follow." This was the start to my spiritual and cultural journey. I have been lucky to live in a city that is known to be extremely liberal, which has given me the opportunity to really explore my curiosity. I feel my spiritual journey has taken me to through many experiences where I not only had to adapt to different cultures but also taught me how to respect others beliefs and ways of life with no judgment.

Each experience I had whether visiting a church, temple, monastery, mosque and synagogue I was always eager to learn and understand them. The largest impact was last year when I was invited to a spiritual festival called Bhakti fest. Bhakti Fest is a festival for 3 days that practices devotion through yoga, meditation and kirtan.

When I arrived I was feeling intimidated being by myself surrounded by hundreds of people, not knowing truly what to expect. I started by going to a kirtan held by Krishna Das. When the chanting started I will admit I felt out of place. I was unfamiliar with the chants, questioned if I should be dancing or sitting; have my eyes open, and interact with others, the more I doubted myself the more questions kept popping up. Once this started happening I realized I had to just let go, stop worrying and enjoy it. The kirtan was the most beautiful experience of my life. It wasn't about chanting the right words or even understanding them, it was creating a unity of love through these vibrations. As the kirtan went on the more interactions you had with others whether it was dancing, hugging or just sharing a smile. I believed this created a type of trust because once it was over everyone was so willing to walk up to one another and start a conversation. As I got to know others I realized how many different religions and cultures were involved. It wasn't a gathering of Hinduism and Buddhism; it was a gathering of devotion to love, compassion and serving others. After this I dived into everything, yoga, meditation, drumming circles, chakra balancing, workshops and more kirtan. Even though the festival was only 3 days long, the friendships and bonds made moved into our everyday life.

What I learned from this is to really understand someone or something, you need to sometimes let go of your questions, judgment and preconceived notions. Experience people and things for what they are and not what you believe or want it to be. I think this is extremely important when it comes to the Peace Corps because understanding a culture, a person or a place is the foundation for trust. Without trust how can we help those in need?