Lessons From My Dad
Print this Page- By Mike Roman
- Country: Kiribati
- Dates of Service: 2000–2002
The Peace Corps was not something I thought of, much less knew about, before my junior year in college. Many of my fellow Volunteers tell me that joining the Peace Corps had been a long-time dream. They have told me about commercials they remember seeing on TV and how they knew that they were destined to become Peace Corps Volunteers. I must have missed all those commercials because I just stumbled across the Peace Corps at a local town fair with one of my friends. We were looking for the stage when we came upon a Peace Corps table. The returned Peace Corps Volunteer working behind the table told me about his Peace Corps experience and I was hooked! I had found what I wanted to do after college. What a great surprise!
The biggest draw of the returned Volunteer's story wasn't the travel or the adventure but the idea of serving others for two years. Service has always been a part of my life. It is something my dad taught me when I was young and still teaches me today.
Growing up in Rochester, New York, we had an elderly neighbor named Mr. Frank. Mr. Frank lived by himself in the house next to us. His wife died either when I was very young or before I was born. Besides my family and a few other neighborhood families, he didn't have any visitors. My mom always cooked enough dinner for Mr. Frank and us. After we finished eating, my dad and I would take dinner to Mr. Frank. Sometimes we would meet him at his door and other times my dad would keep him company while he ate. Meanwhile, I would provide the playful entertainment.
When I was older, my dad would take me to church to help load the trucks that were used to deliver Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to the needy. By this time, I was also volunteering as a teacher's aide in our church's Sunday pre-school room. I did this for the next five years. Throughout high school and college, I volunteered with many other organizations and institutions (e.g., schools, churches, and even a prison).
Everything in my life is a reflection of what my dad taught me when I was growing up. You choose to serve because it's the "right thing" to do. After some time, you learn what the "right thing" is in any situation—it's the voice inside your head; you just have to learn to listen to it.
^ Back to Top