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?
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?