"DUST IN THE WIND?"

This is the unfolding story about an unconventional girl from Kansas and her quest for adventure in Latin America. Or…How will a light-skinned, green eyed “half-Latina”, non-domesticated, a twenty-something with no strings attached brave the wilds of Honduras? Read on, and find out with me.

I’m Tara. (That’s Tar-ah. Like Scarlet O’s home place. Please don’t confuse it with Tear-ah. It’s a little tricky, but with practice you’ll eventually get it.) And like that other over-quoted movie says, “there’s no place like home,” especially when you’re from Kansas. If you’ve never been to Kansas, you should give it try. Although desolate and isolated in many places you’ll either fall in love with the wide open sky and golden expanses of the rolling prairie…or it’ll make you appreciate your own home even more!

When I think of Kansas, though, I can't help but think of the wind. Except for those giant alien-like wind farms overlooking I-70, the wind has nowhere to go but faster. For a place whose eastern and western halves are often separated by geography, politics, and economy, the wind is one thing that we all share in common. With few trees to block the wind, it’s very easy to be swept away.

Growing up, that Kansas wind was a constant compass, always leading me to my next adventure. My family moved around the state at a breezy rate. From the Southwest to the Northeast corners and many towns in between, I was moved. Although uprooted each time, every new city, new neighborhood, new school brought new people with interesting things to say, thoughts to share, and needs to be met.

Eventually, that Kansas wind carried me up and out of my home state. I moved away to grad school not only for the education but also to satisfy my curiosity to explore different communities and cultures.

The more I experienced, the more I loved the diversity of people. But along with the diversity came so much competition, need, and rival perspectives. I had to wonder, do we all just cancel each other out? If not all of it can be true, is any of it true? Does any of it matter if not all of it can matter? And at some point, I had to ask myself the question posed by Kansas itself: “Is all we are just dust in the wind?”

I’m still looking for an answer but there’s something inside of me that wants to believe that’s not all there is – that there’s more.

I’m Tara. I’m from Kansas. And I want to help.

So, I’ve joined the Peace Corps and I will soon leave for training and assignment in Honduras. I know very little of what I’ll be doing, where I’ll live, or how this will all work out, but I know this adventure will let me help. And that act of helping, of contributing my part - that will bring me closer to knowing what the wind holds.

So that’s me and that’s my angle. Stick with me for the next two years as I escape the US to explore how other American communities manage to survive. I suspect that along the way I’ll discover a thing or two about personal survival as well.

Just for kicks, these are a few of my personal goals heading into the experience:

1. Don’t get malaria.

2. Don’t create an international incident.

3. Don’t end up on the show Locked Up Abroad.

4. Represent my family, friends, and country with dignity and compassion.

5. Leave those whom I encounter with an improved impression and better understanding of the United States.

6. Come back to the US motivated to continue educating others about how to develop trusting and rewarding relationships among strangers.

Because, in the end, even if we are just “dust in the wind” aren’t we all dust in the wind together? I don’t know, but I’m about to find out…

Much props to my friend Mandy C. who turned my idea for a metaphor into a captivating introduction to my story! Thank you