'Serving as a PCV / Trust, confidence, integration' - Peace Corps application essays

Hello members, I'm currently the process of the PCV application. I have written rough drafts of the two separate essays required for the process. Your help will be gratefully appreciated. I tried to cut out the "lard" as much as possible but need help to do more. I will bold the prompt above each essay. Again, thanks in advance for any help given.

Essay # 1
What are you reasons for wanting to serve as a PCV?
The reasons for why I want to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer stem from early childhood experiences. When I was five years old, my mother and I would rise before dawn each morning scouring alleys, parks, and beaches for trashcans to rummage through, gathering all the aluminum cans and plastic bottles we could. A week's effort equated to the following week's groceries. I knew my mother did not have much in regards to financial wealth but she had wealth of a different nature - generosity, kindness, and a sense of care for everyone. It is from watching her always making an effort to give to others less fortunate than ourselves that inspired me from a young age to help others. She barely had anything herself yet she was always felt compelled to help total strangers in need. Be it loose change, a snack, or the sweater on her back, rest assure my mother would make some kind of difference. I too desire to make a difference whether it is within the larger community or just a positive impact on an individual.

Another reason for why I want to serve as a volunteer is that in doing so, will build bridges of friendship and compassion and which in turn will create a greater sense of community among total strangers. Having lived most of my life so far in City Heights, one of the most culturally affluent communities of San Diego, I have seen first hand the benefits that come from such relationships. In my early teens, I participated in various cultural events in my neighborhood, from helping the Cambodian Buddhist Society fundraise at their New Year celebration to helping the Pacific Islander Festival Association provide information to goers of their Pacific Islander Festival. I feel that if there is unfamiliarity of the customs and traditions between different ethnic groups that happen to reside together in a condense neighborhood, it will hinder any attempt of community development. So it is my goal to always try to create a bond between people to establish that ever so great sense of community.

Lastly, I want to serve in the Peace Corps because I believe the experiences gained from being part of this organization can lead to personal growth. Serving abroad will give me the chance to engage with people whom I may not share a cultural connection with. It will challenge me in ways I may have not yet experienced but the reward will be found in my ability to adapt or overcome. Daily interactions with members of the host community may teach me new perspectives on life, seeing and understanding situations in a way I would not without the Peace Corps. I hope to build a foundation for friendship on an individual level as well as the global level all the while making a positive contribution to society.

Essay #2
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?

For over twenty years, City Heights has been my home. A culturally affluent community tucked away on the mesa of East San Diego, City Heights is home to many immigrants. Since the 1980s, immigrants from many regions of the world including war-torn countries in East Africa, Southeast Asia, and more recently, the Middle East have settled in City Heights. As families arrived, many seem to gravitate towards where most of their ethnic groups had settled in the community. Over the years, it became apparent that there was a culture separation in this ethnically rich and vibrant community. The result of this was unfamiliarity and misperception of each other among the different cultural groups. Some could say it may have fueled the racial tension and violence that plagued City Heights in the 1990s. The large issue at hand was that there was widespread distrust and unwillingness to fully integrate among residents. However, in recent years, efforts by non-profit organizations and community leaders have helped unite the residents with a sense of togetherness through the promotion of events that foster cultural awareness and appreciation. Organizations like the Cambodian Buddhist Society of San Diego, host local cultural events open to the public to an effort to encourage members of the organization to participate and to introduce and educate others about their customs and traditions.

As an American I was foreign to the cultures of my community but I had an eagerness to learn about them and so I volunteered time towards assisting different organizations. One of them was the Cambodian Buddhist Society of San Diego, which is responsible for Cambodian New Year festival, a nearly weeklong event that showcases performing arts, food tasting, and religious ceremonies. Before I could volunteer with their New Year celebration, I had to first gain their trust as well as learn about their customs and traditions. The challenge of gaining their trust and integrating myself with the Cambodian people became apparent when I began learning about their culture. It was not all open-arms as I had hoped, but rather, a hesitance. There was a cultural barrier between them and I. Determined to be accepted I took language courses during because I felt it was a necessary step for me to learn how to communicate with members in a common language as well as showing them how passionate I was about their culture. As the months went by, I felt it more welcoming each time in their presence when we interacted. It became a situation where they wanted to teach me as much as I wanted to learn.

I learned a great deal from the time spent working with members of the Cambodian Buddhist Society. It taught me that sometimes, in order to connect with others, I had to allow myself to be vulnerable. Vulnerable in he sense that the invisible walls that I put up and that of others had to be brought down. I had to also accept that people would not so easily hand over trust or fully embrace the presence of the unfamiliar. Though these proved to be tough challenges, I met them head on; I did not give up. The strong drive to connect and build a relationship with people is what made possible and it is that drive that I will bring with me to the Peace Corps. It will better prepare me for it is crucial for managing life during service. Ultimately, the pursuit for connection with the members of the host country as well as other volunteers and the interest in creating a positive and enriching experience through friendship are not only Peace Corps goals but also mine.