Jambo-

I might as well start practicing Swahili (one of Kenya's two official languages - the other being English) as I will be spending three weeks volunteering in the Eastern African country. By the way, the word Jambo means Hello!!

Well, my name is Jake and I am a Registered Nurse living in small-town, rural Ontario - Oro Station. You may be asking, :"Why are you living in a town of 500 people and not working as a Nurse, in a city, where hospitals exist?" The answer to that is quite complex, but put simply, for blogging sake, it's because I moved back home to study for the MCAT exam that I will be writing at the end January. This exam will be the last pre-requisite I need, on a long list of 'must-haves', before I can apply to Canadian medical schools next summer. "Why apply to medicine when you are a RN?" This answer is simple; I have always wanted to be a doctor, nursing was something that happened along the way.

Having a passion for the Sciences and Health Care, I quickly realized - while studying Cell Biology and Genetics at the Univeristy of British Columbia (UBC) - that perhaps being a Biology Major was not the right route, if I wanted an understanding of what being a doctor might truly entail. I immediately dropped two courses in my third year, took a full-year prerequisite course in Anatomy and Physiology, and then applied to the Nursing program at UBC. After being accepted into the advance-standing program, I was able to complete my Nursing degree within two years.

Throughout those two years, two things stood out. The first, was that I had a passion for Nursing. I loved interacting with the patients, the unique intimacy involved, rotating through the various fields of medicine, and learning the sciences along the way. I knew then that a health care setting, career wise, was right for me. The second, was how much becoming a Nurse was inspiring me and lending me the confidence to pursue medical school.

In the past year; I have finished a 3rd year Biochemistry course, my last undergraduate prerequisite for medical school; lived in Paris for four months, which was on my list of life accomplishments; and moved home to Oro Station, to take on the challenge of studying for the MCAT. One of my last wishes and goals was to take some time to volunteer abroad as a Nurse.

That is what inspired my application to volunteer with a medical team in Kenya. Now that I have been accepted into the Global Volunteer Network program, my wish is about to become a reality. In order to help me on this path, I am requesting the help of those around me for sponsorships. The following post is a more formal letter I have written for potential sponsors, family, friends and YOU!