10. World Corps Bringing People Together
As Gia madeher way through the fence and stumbled across her own yard, she felt buzzed from the alcohol and the revelation that Carla was at least partially aware of the history between her and Ben—well, maybe not aware of the history—but that she knew there was history. How did she find out, anyway?
Feeling dazed, she wandered in her back door and headed up the stairs toward her room. Without even thinking, she reached under her bed and pulled out a box. She lifted the lid and glanced inside, eyeing its contents suspiciously as if it had the potential to cause great harm.
“Pandora’s Box,” she mumbled to herself. “I swore I’d never go back.” Gia reached into the box and grasped a rolled-up paper, unfurling it to read the words to herself.
“Congratulations! You’ve been accepted as a volunteer in the World Corps program and have been placed in Santarem, Brazil.”
She ran her finger over the words. A chance she never took. She turned down an opportunity for an entirely different life out of fear and uncertainty. She remembered the day she had received the letter. It was shortly after Ben had received the very same one, and with each accepted into their first-choice program—Brazil—they would be able to stay together, living out their dreams. At least, that was how it was supposed to play out, but life had other plans.
Gia recalled the rush of sheer joy upon receiving her acceptance letter and placement. All of a sudden, in that moment, life held infinite possibilities for happiness, adventure, and even romance with Ben. The two had gone through school together but ran with different crowds and hadn’t had much opportunity to connect during that time. But that all changed quickly after they attended the Information Session for World Corps.
Very quickly.
Gia’s eyes glazed over as her memories overtook the present moment, bringing a sense of longing and, simultaneously, a stinging pain over dreams long ago shelved and left to die.
“Hey, I know you,” a voice came from behind Gia as she waited at the sign-in table for the World Corps info session at the career and opportunity fair held in the community center. Truth be told, she wasn’t entirely sure what had triggered her to register for the info session, but something about the idea of spending time traveling and helping the less fortunate pulled at her. She’d spent so much of her life feeling lost and aimless, just doing as she was told, that the idea of truly making a difference was a pretty solid draw for the gap year she’d decided to take after high school.
Even better, World Corps offered a Sustainable Farming volunteer opportunity, where she could truly use her skills and knowledge to have an impact while learning from experts in the field. She was deeply passionate about sustainability, organic farming practices, and integrated pest management, among other garden and farming topics that caused her friends and family to zone out whenever she moved past a cursory explanation.
Gia raised her eyes and turned slightly to see who was speaking from behind. Benjamin Marshall. She knew him, but not well. He was a little nerdy, certainly not from her “clique,” but always pleasant when saying hello in passing, and they’d grown up attending the same schools. She rotated to face him.
“Hi there. Learning about World Corps, too?” she asked, a slight shyness in her voice.
“Seems like it could be interesting. Get to see the world, learn about other cultures, do some gardening,” Ben said with a comforting smile.
“You garden?” Gia asked, a note of surprise sneaking out with the words. Somehow, she never took him for the gardening, outdoorsy type—always saw him as more of the computer and video gaming type.
“I do, indeed,” Ben began. “Been doing it with my dad since before I could walk, pretty much! He’s a Master Gardener. I’m close!”
Gia’s eyes widened, and her eyebrows moved in an upward motion. “I had no idea!” she added, glancing up to make eye contact with Ben. Until then, she had never noticed the bright specks of green that dotted his light brown eyes, making them sparkle.
“There’s a lot about me most people don’t know.” Ben chuckled. “I’m full of surprises.”
“Me too,” Gia said. “Most people only ever see what’s on the surface.” She smiled at Ben, who returned the expression. For a moment, her stomach fluttered, and her heartbeat sped up. Fortunately for Gia, always awkward in the face of new emotions, they were interrupted by an announcement requesting all World Corps Info Session participants to move to the stage area where the presentation would begin.
Gia and Ben followed the crowd to a stage with a podium, screen, and projector. They found two seats beside each other and sat down without saying a word. A few moments later, the screen flashed on, airing the opening scenes of a World Corps volunteer opportunities promotional video. As the video played, neither could turn away from the inspirational footage and perfectly coordinated musical backing. By the film”s end, Gia knew she had to do it. She had to be there making a difference, being the change.
“Wow,” Ben said as the film concluded. “That was?—”
Before he could finish his thought, the director of volunteer opportunities stepped up to the podium and began speaking to the attendees.
“You are all here for a reason. You came together today to learn more about World Corps because you saw an opportunity to make a difference, to be a force for bettering the world, and to work as a unified force across the global community to improve lives, livelihoods, and environments. You recognize that there is the possibility to achieve the greater good, and we offer a way to be a part of that goal—that dream.”
Ben and Gia’s eyes were glued to the woman on stage, offering promises of a better world achievable through hard work, sharing skills and experience, kindness, compassion, and cultural acceptance. Then, she laid the final straw—gardening and farming.
She spoke of extraordinary worldwide opportunities to change lives, preserve intact ecosystems, and “save the world” through implementing sustainable agriculture in sensitive areas. Another focus was to train locals to use their resources responsibly to generate income without destroying the land for future generations. Gia was hooked. She glanced at the boy beside her and realized he was also drawn to the possibilities.
Gia and Ben sat through the remainder of the presentation, jaws dropping every so often and eyebrows rising as the director detailed exciting goals and outlined the possible avenues to achieve them. Finally, the woman completed her speech, adding that application packets were available to pick up on the way out or could be completed online.
As they stood up, they glanced at each other with wide eyes lit up by the possibility of having a future that mattered.
“Wow,” Gia started. “I want to do it!”
“Me too,” said Ben, a grin stretching from one cheek to the other. “It sounds amazing.”
As far as Gia was concerned, that was the start of Gia and Ben. A shared passion. A commitment to join something more significant than what their small-town life offered. Gia thought back to the time they spent preparing their applications for World Corps. After that,they began talking and texting about the program. They soon met daily to work on their essays and discuss the many different placements and opportunities, and the excitement mounted—along with several trickier emotions.
Not only did World Corps give them constant subject matter for their little meetings, but they realized just how much they had in common. Ben and Gia were both avid gardeners and relished any opportunity to talk about seed saving, pollinators, and their dream gardens. They began to find comfort in their similarities—a place that felt like home.