¿Cuál es tú vocación?

What is your calling?   Or, what do you want to do with your life?

Isn´t that the question that we all ask ourselves repeatedly as we grow up?  Even as adults, or in our elder years, I´m sure this question emerges as our lives shift and our interests change. 

For a young, going on ¨late-20´s¨ something like myself, it is constantly on my mind.  In school and University, we begin to discover what it is we like to study.  Because of that, we chose a degree to persue, and write papers, study and read about a subject that keeps us enthralled.  After school, we either persue higher studies to get a more professional degree or join the Peace Corps (those are our only two options.. right?).  Some might even get jobs and start bringing in some income, but these jobs usually have nothing to do with the studies we have just finished focusing on for four years. 

Through experience, we start to realize what it is we ¨like¨, what makes us happy, what frustrates us.  I feel like it is an ongoing and very long process.  And I am writing this entry because I am JUST beginning to figure it is what I like. 

For two years, I worked ¨in the field¨ with very little experience and even less Spanish speaking ability.  I organized projects and taught classes, but what I really loved was talking on the radio once a week.  Then, I went and working as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Peace Corps Peru Environment Program.  This involved working in an office 5 days a week like a normal full time job, mixed in with visiting volunteers in their sites and planning training events.  My favorite parts of this job were time spent with volunteers and planning and participating in training events.  Now, I work for two organizations that work with schools and youth.  In one, I work three days a week in an office and work on a computer all day, most days.  The 4th day (saturdays) we run youth groups with underpriveleged kids from poorer areas in Lima.  For the other organization, I run an environmental schools network with the head coordinator and we run workshops for teachers. 

Recently, I have had a few opportunities to give talks to teachers and to be in classrooms with students.  I have found that every time, I feel nervous about the event, but that during and afterwords I feel incredibly energized and optomistic.  I leave feeling full of energy and positivity in a way that nothing else makes me feel.  While I already knew I liked working with people, I never thought I would love being a presenter. 

And its not just that, it is the newfound ability to identify the positive feelings associated with doing something you like.  I feel like I become the best version of myself.  Outgoing, positive, optomisitic and energetic.  It is the way I would want to live my life all the time, but that I find myself losing when I work indoors, isolated, typing away at a computer all day.  When I am with people, on the other hand, particularly youth, I feel motivated.  My heart goes out to them and I want to help and teach everyone.  I want to be in a million places at once and give them all the opportunities that I can.

So here is to learning what I like, and hoping it guides me to what I will ¨BE¨.