inspiration

Julia Campbell
juliainthephilippines.blogspot.com

I was in Paris when I heard about Julia Campbell. I was with the Paris pinoy contingent, & the news of Julia was spreading like wildfire through the Philippines (her temporary home), the U.S. (her real home), & then the rest of the world. For those who don't know, she was an American Peace Corps volunteer who was killed in the Philippines towards the end of her 2-year assignment there.

Her story touched me in so many ways. How could I not have love for someone who dedicated so much of herself to the Philippines, the country that is half of me? And a country to which she had no previous ties to at all. She decided to leave a life of relative stability & comfort in New York, to step out of the rat race as she said, & into a life of provincial simplicity in the 3rd world. She's originally from Fairfax, Virginia. That was also my first home, where I lived from age 0-3 years.

Reading her blog gives me a glimpse of the realities I'm just getting myself into. The humble living conditions. The exhilaration of a vastly new environment & new lovely people to meet. The challenges of being a foreigner in an un-diverse setting. The frustrations of working your ass off without seeing any results because archaic systems, corrupt institutions & lax business practices are thwarting your every move. The harsh realities of realizing that you can't help everyone, especially those that need it most, & that your impact there will have little effect in the grand scheme of things. All you can do is hope that you've made life even a fraction better for someone else.

But it is because of passionate & dedicated people like her that positive change does happen.

She was killed in April 2007. Not even a year later, & here I am embarking on my own volunteering adventure.

Every encounter we have, however small or seemingly impersonal, is still significant & influences our lives in ways that aren't always obvious. I didn't know Julia, but she has touched my life.