Looking Forward to Learning

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Part 1 of a 3 part series on why I'm volunteering abroad.

I'm pretty sure in every cover letter, scholarship essay, or application for something, I have included the phrase "lifelong learner." It's  buzz word and somewhat cliche. But, in my case it's totally true! There is nothing more exciting to me than learning something new - a new term, another culture, a new perspective, a fun fact, a tidbit about history, or a better way of doing things.

Learning is what excites me most about this volunteering adventure I am about to embark on. I hope to learn a lot - and hopefully be able to put it into practice in my life and work some how.

Some things I hope to learn...

1. More about my cultural roots. My father is Kenyan and he and my extended family have taught me so much about where I come from. But, there is so much more to learn and so many more lenses to look through.
2. More about careers in global health, international development, and education. I'm working on a Masters' degree in Public Health. Soon I will have to choose a focus. Hopefully this experience will help me learn what path to go down in my studies. 
3. Other approaches to public health. One thing I  know from teaching, is you can't force change and you can't project your thoughts and beliefs on others. Other cultures have different ways of doing things and the community engages in different ways. I am looking forward to seeing what works in Kenya. 
4. Swahili. I know I can't become fluent in a language in 5-6 weeks. But, it would be nice to round out the few phrases I know into full sentences! 
5. Anything and everything. Sometimes the best lessons are the ones you don't realize you are learning until you get back and have sometime to reflect. 

Support my adventure at http://www.youcaring.com/other/help-janet-volunteer-in-kenya/288895