Here is an update on what we will be doing after Peace Corps Georgia!

In February of 2016, I walked into my boss’ office and said, “Do you have a minute? I would like to talk to you about something important.” As I closed the door, my boss said, “You are either pregnant or you are leaving.” She knew me very well- on a personal and professional level- therefore, it was impossible for her not to guess. I nodded my head and said that yes, I am in fact resigning. Then I joked that I still have a few years ahead of me until I become pregnant.

She asked me which company I was going to and if I was getting paid more. Her face exhibited utter confusion when I said, “they aren’t paying me anything.” She was like, “I don’t understand. What do you mean?” My hands were quivering slightly and I said, “I joined the Peace Corps and I leave in 8 weeks.” Immediately that conversation took a different turn. She was happy, supportive, and curious about all aspects. That moment is when the Peace Corps became real.

But it got really real when a couple of weeks later I sold my furniture and my car the same day. I sat on my living floor surrounded by a few boxes and no furniture. I looked at Justin and I said, “there is no turning back. We just made the biggest commitment of our lives.” (Well, besides marrying each other). It felt very committal when we packed our remaining belongings in several boxes and stored it in my childhood bedroom in my parents’ home. All the talk about the Peace Corps didn’t amount to much, until that moment.

Now, I’m about to do the same thing, but in an entirely different way. I’m currently staring at my few boxes that I left at my parents’ house prior to my departure to Georgia. I’m just as anxious starting the new chapter of our lives. I’ve been wanting to be a Peace Corps Volunteer since I was 17 years old. Therefore, having to close this chapter is fulfilling but also terrifying. Putting my life in two suitcases once again is no easy feat.

However, the new chapter that awaits us is an exciting one. After a year of studying for the GMAT and the GRE (yes, we took both tests!), Justin and I applied for graduate business schools. To my surprise, I was accepted to nearly all of the universities that I applied to and received generous scholarships. As much as I miss my home state of California, Justin and I did not apply to any universities there. We wanted a low cost of living and a highly ranked business school. There aren’t any universities in California that offer both ranking and an affordable location.

With that being said, Justin and I are ecstatic to announce that we will be attending Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill starting July 2019! We have secured our housing and I’m now anxiously browsing the internet for what furniture that I need to buy!

I will have to give credit to my dear and close friend, Rose! She was one of my best friends during my Peace Corps service and was the one that recommended the program to me. I applied as a joke so that “we can go to school together.” It ended up working out because we need to be close to family and UNC can afford us that opportunity while going to school with Rose! She does attend a different graduate program, but having a close friend from the area does help with the transition.

So pretty soon, Rose and I will be going to furniture shopping together once I arrive in Chapel Hill. If someone told me during Peace Corps orientation that I will move to North Carolina because I struck a strong friendship bond with a fellow volunteer, I would have laughed. So here I am, moving to North Carolina with Justin. My parents, however, are not laughing. They seriously thought I was moving back to California…whoops!