I stared at her…dumbfounded. “I’m sorry, what?” With a look of slight annoyance, the barista repeated her question. “Would you like marshmallows in your cappuccino?” The gravity of my surroundings did not hit me until that moment, standing there in a coffee shop in the New Zealand airport. It was over. Two years and three months of service in Peace Corps Samoa. Done.

Yet it was not the absence of inconsequential pleasures such as marshmallows that made my time on the small island of Savai’i so arduous. It was 2 years of infestations of giant flying cockroaches, sleeping on the floor, doing laundry in a bucket, cold showers, stifling heat, rampant unchecked child abuse, corporal punishment, isolation from family and friends, and cultural paralysis that challenged the very core of my fortitude and resiliency. Of course, my time in Samoa wasn’t all tribulation. The remarkable beauty of the country, the warmth, kindness, and laughter of the Samoan people, the notable difference I saw in my students, teachers and community, the friendships made and the lessons learned, made my time in Peace Corps incredibly momentous. Nonetheless, when I received that phone call from the Department of Justice in January 2016, less than 2 weeks after I returned home, offering me a job as an International Affairs Specialist on the Mexico and Central America team, I was exuberant. Hot water? Washing machines? Air-conditioned office? A chance to live in my dream city and work for the highest law enforcement agency in the world? Sign me up. When do I start?  

April 18, 2016. I worked with the Government of Mexico on extraditions and mutual legal assistance. We were getting bad guys off the street. Really bad guys. And I loved it there. Living and working in D.C. was a dream come true. I had a gorgeous one-bedroom apartment in the heart of the city. I had a fulfilling job with great benefits, an incredible boss, and wonderful friends. Can a person ask more much of life?

April 18, 2018. The itch. The hunger. That familiar restlessness had returned. And I thought about marshmallows.  I wondered how I used to wonder at such small things. I felt my heart longing for that kind of wonder in my life again. When I saw the announcement online, my spirit stirred inside of me. Field Director, WorldTeach Ecuador. I felt like the job had my name written all over it, but it was a long shot. I didn’t have any managerial experience, much less running, directing and managing a non-profit organization. But it couldn’t hurt to try. Affirmation. From the time I applied for the job, to the time I accepted the offer took a grand total of 9 days. Tears of joy ran down my face as I muttered endless thanks to the heavens. And peace overwhelmed my soul.

July 15, 2018. I moved to Ecuador and started my new job as Field Director of WorldTeach. At last returning to my passion: international development. I have seen firsthand the power of education in changing lives. The mission of this organization aligns strongly with my personal beliefs in the global impact of education. And their mission is to provide quality, engaged educators and compassionate global citizens to countries in need. Their vision is a world where all individuals have access to quality education that will expand their capabilities, increase their knowledge and skills, and deepen their understanding of themselves and others. I believe in that mission. And I am so excited to be a part of it.

As Field Director I am essentially running a U.S. based non-profit NGO (non-governmental organization) wearing many hats. The first hat is Administration: working with in-country partners to meet their national educational objectives and specific program goals; renewing the WorldTeach contract with the government through the Ministry of Foreign Relations; writing annual and financial reports, etc. The second hat is Volunteer Support: equipping them to meet our partners’ goals; arranging their teaching placements and their host-family placements; providing encouragement and support to them throughout their year here; planning and directing the logistics of orientation and trainings etc. The third hat is Financial and Legal Responsibility:  Overseeing payments from our partners; submitting program budget drafts and expense reports; maintaining the bank account and money transfers, etc. Thankfully, I have an Assistant Field Director to help me balance some of this responsibility. She is in her second year here and knows the ropes quite well, which is extremely reassuring.

WorldTeach Ecuador accepts volunteers three times a year: in February, in June, and in September. So at any given time, I will be in charge of 55+ volunteers in country. Quite the change from my desk job at DOJ. However, I think my favorite part of the job will be helping and supporting my volunteers as they endeavor to teach English to Ecuadorian students, learn Spanish, and navigate through sometimes precarious cultural differences. My least favorite part of the job might be responding to an emergency call at 3am and rushing a vomiting volunteer to the hospital only to find out she has been diagnosed with dysentery (I didn’t know that still existed); or being yelled at by host families in our biannual meeting that they aren’t getting paid enough, both of which just happened recently to the outgoing Field Director. Oh boy…

But at the end of the day, watching the sun set over the Andes mountains, and how they turn an almost fuchsia color, and the moon rising above the peaks, illuminating the villages below, I have to ask myself, is this real life?

At times I feel woefully underqualified for the task that lay ahead of me. But then I look through the Bible and it seems God has a habit of choosing people who are not qualified to do what He’s called them to do. It’s through His strength, and His grace that they accomplished the job before them. They simply answered the call.

No doubt there will be days that if you’d ask me, was it worth it? Leaving your cushy government job for twice the work and half the pay – that I will say no. But more often than not, my response will be what it is today. Was it worth it? Absolutely…and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Until next time,

Stephanie