I recently returned from a trip to Central Florida to watch the last space shuttle launch take off from Kennedy Space Center. While there, I got to meet a ton of really cool people involved at NASA as well as the World Bank, Apple, Disney, and more. All of these incredible people were there to witness the launch and be inspired by it. We also all came together to discuss the future of NASA and of the space industry as a whole. The entire experience was amazing, and I got to have so many great conversations with very intelligent individuals.
As I am not particularly a tech or space person, when meeting all these new people, I was frequently introduced as the girl going into the Peace Corps. Really, the only reason I was there in the first place is because my boyfriend works at NASA. The responses I got when I or anyone else told people I would be going to Senegal for 2+ years to work on Urban Ag were varied and amusing. A majority of the time, the initial response was "Sen-a-gal? Where is that?". Most people hadn't even heard of the country let alone knew where it was. It's in West Africa by the way-- I added a map of the African continent to my blog as soon as I got back from Florida, just in case you need a reference. They looked at me like I was absolutely insane to leave all the comforts of home and the technology they held so dear to work in a garden in Africa. While Peace Corps is definitely not for everyone, many of them at least seemed to respect my decision.
On the other side of the spectrum, there were a select handful who had a lot of travel experience and knew a lot about development work. These people were over the moon (sorry for the space reference) excited for me and wanted to know every last detail about what I would be doing and where I would be. I got to have an in-depth conversation about theories of sustainable development while waiting in line for the Norway ride at Epcot as well as a conversation about urban gardening techniques during "The Land"-- a boat ride that lead you through a series of greenhouse to take an inside look at innovative agriculture research being done at Disney World (the coolest ride of the day). One guy was even going to visit Dakar in a couple of weeks and said he would "do some recon" for me.
At a meeting about the future of NASA, one person made a comment that the agency focused too much on astronauts as heros when really they are just everyday people, and every day people do heroic things all the time. She turned to me and said, "You are doing the Peace Corps for two years. You are the real hero." Me, a hero? I don't know about that. I'm going to Senegal to learn as much as I can about development work and to immerse myself in a new culture, not to be hero. Many people I've talked to about my service talk of me "going over there" to "help" and "make a difference in people's lives". But really, I'm the one that is going to be doing the learning and gaining so much more out of the experience. What can I as a recent grad in Development Studies with little to no real skills do to change people's lives? I have no idea. All I can do is open my eyes and ears and learn from the people around me. Hopefully, I will learn more about Urban Agriculture and help on an grassroots level at least in some small way, but hero is a label I do not take on easily.
Overall, the week was a success. After much doubt that the shuttle would launch on time due to terrible Florida weather i.e. normal Florida weather, it went off with out a hitch and was absolutely amazing and inspiring (a word that was thrown around a lot). A couple even proposed next to us as we were watching (she said yes!). I got to meet and talk with people from all over the country working on space, open government, technology, international development, entertainment, and even innovative ways to educate kids. I guess as Nathan Fillion would say, "Everyone's a hero in their own way" (sorry for the cheesiness).
An aside-- if you are ever in Orlando, go to a place called Tasty Wok.
