Peace Corp blahs

Okay, well, I at least started my Peace Corp essays. But, they want me to talk about my ability to adapt, with an example of a situation in which I needed to adapt quickly (obviously), and I am completely stuck. Why am I completely stuck?

Because I don't critically analyze myself. People ask me what I should do for a living, or what I am good at, and I just completely blank. If I think about it, there's a lot of stuff I'm good at, but I couldn't give you a reason behind why I am good at them. Adapting happens to be one of the things I am good at; it may be because I am open-minded, directly interested in the way other people live, or it may be simple curiosity. After all, I am constantly considering ridiculous life changes just to see what would happen. Becoming a nun, for instance... I have always been supremely interested in the idea, though my religious beliefs took me pretty far away from that path. Still, the idea behind a holy life, devoted to God, has been burning harder in my heart for about a year now. Which is funny, since I'm not a Christian. Maybe it's the habit? Anyway, I still keep up with Sister Julie and her Nun's Life blog.

That is to say, my curiosity has never been idle, and when I find myself in a new culture, with new rules, I tend to devote myself to it, utterly. I find out which parts of my personality will shine the brightest in the situation, and I put those forward. It is rare that people dislike me.

So the Peace Corp wants me to somehow explain this and give specific examples of situations, but I have to come up with the most extreme situation I can think of. That would probably be in Germany on an au pair interview, where I was expecting far more adult interaction, so I had prepared my best 'adult' personality and the parents ended up throwing me to the proverbial wolves (aka: the children). So that was a switch -- I'm great with kids, I adore them, but I don't know anything about the way German kids are raised or what their culture dictates they act like. So I had to think fast and on my feet, and somehow get the five year old to stop crying about how I couldn't understand her. I have a terrible feeling that would turn into an essay singing the praises of non-verbal communication -- not my own personal adaptation.

Oh lord... they are never going to send me to Ecuador. The other essay is about my life goals and how the Peace Corp fits into that -- are you kidding? I went to college to find a husband! Upon not finding one, I am flying by the seat of my pants and my interests change too quickly for me to have any real life goals. I'm only 21, how am I supposed to know what I want to do for the rest of my life? Sheesh.