Created on: 7/25/2014
In real life, not many people get the chance to tip forward
out of their Nintendo chair and hit the restart button. Nintendo allowed us that option; whether it is
to erase an embarrassing defeat in Tecmo, try once more to master the original
Mario Bros at a faster clip, or just simply begin a new game of RBI. On July 21st, without intending to, I hit the
restart button on real life. Yes, this
is a Nintendo metaphor so get on board.
It wasn’t something that I saw coming but rather blind-sided
me, as I successfully developed zero expectations about this experience just
like Peace Corps instructed. I committed
to taking my life in a different direction than most when I accepted an
invitation from PC to spend 27 months in the country of Namibia. I wanted to volunteer my time to improve the
lives of others and my own, as I am selfishly aware of. What I wasn’t aware of was the fact that I
was starting over. As I arrived in
Okahandja on the night of July 23rd, I was with 48 other volunteers
that I met the day before. We were being welcomed by a community of Namibians
who are committed to providing us with all the game genie cheat codes needed to
successfully pass the next 27 months of our lives. All of my previous successes and failures
have been erased and I stand at a moment in my life where I have the power to
reinvent myself.
How do I describe this feeling? People don’t have any past reference of who
you are. They don’t know a thing about
you and you don’t know a thing about them.
They take you for what you are in that exact moment and you do the
same. At least until time passes and
expectations begin to develop. The one
thing that can be assumed about the people around you is that you share a
common interest, purpose, or calling.
All you can hope is for that bond to develop into a multiplayer game of
Contra, where someone always has your back.
Back home, I have a group of people that always have my back. I consider my family and friends to be my
greatest asset but how do they help me now and how do I help them? It is a new game I’m playing in Namibia and all
the people I love have disappeared since I hit restart. I suppose now they can help me in different
ways. They can be the person in player
chair #2 providing me with game strategy.
They can be my past experience that I look back on to help me through
the new. They can be that extra life
that I may need in a moment of desperation.
And as I think ‘they can be’ I realize they already are.
Disclaimer: The
content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the
views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Namibian
Government.
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