Ambassador

No matter where I go in the world, one thing that remains the same is my role as ambassador. Whether you are cognizant, or oblivious, your role as you travel is also the same.

The reality is, that as one travels, you are the face of whatever country, state, race, etc. that you represent. While traveling in Europe you might just be another loud American (or not), going to more remote areas of the world increases ones role as an ambassador.

For me, this was first the case as an exchange student in Finland, where nine months of training from Rotary International provided skills on being a good ambassador. Continuing on later in my travels, being a Peace Corps Volunteer is certainly like being a junior ambassador of sorts. I would venture to argue that PCVs perhaps leave more impressions of America on their host country than the American Ambassador themselves (given access to people a local level and impressions left by volunteers over the years).

In my village in Ghana I was the first “white lady” to live in the village. Without movies or other access to impression of America, my community certainly was left with an impression of America based on my actions and behavior.

Now as I travel this remains to be the case. As I spend long days on the road and visit one health facility after another, I represent not only the international organization I work for, but so much more than that

I might just be the only white face someone sees in a day. This gives me pause in that I feel obliged to represent foreigners alike in a positive manner.

In many of the areas that I travel, this means smiling and waving at kids and family – for hours.

Yes, sometimes it feels a bit like a parade of sorts, but while I might be tired of waving and smiling as we pass through villages, the alternative also seems untenable to me. I feel that if I did let fatigue set in, that all those excited kids and families would be let down and be left with a poor impression. Children are so excited when they see one of the only cars that will pass them in the day, that they being waving and smiling and running before you even approach them closely.

So, at the end of the day, the role of ambassador might be as simple as a smile, but I believe that smile makes all the difference.

Safe journeys,

Miel