I had an interview with the Bryan/College Station newspaper yesteday, and they already published an article about me! Enjoy:
Aggie on a global mission
For most Americans, 2011 will be a year full of new and old comforts, smarter phones, faster connections, more Facebook friends and unthought-of innovations.
But Aggie alumna April Alvarado is trading all that in for a year of serving others while exposing herself to cultures and customs that many people probably don’t even realize exist.
Alvarado, 23, departs Sunday on a missionary adventure around the world that is sure to change her life.
She and about 50 other “squad mates” are embarking on World Race, a trip to 11 countries where they will provide whatever services they can while spreading the message of Christianity.
“I think something like this is something I’m comfortable with at this point in my life,” she said. “Everyone’s like, ‘You’re so brave.’ To me, this is more simple than having to worry about finding a job and becoming a grown-up right out of college.”
Alvarado graduated from Texas A&M in December with a degree in nutrition.
She’s been preparing for her trip for more than a year and was accepted as a participant in November 2009, two days after applying.
Alvarado, originally from Colleyville, and her squad mates will start off in India, make their way through Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland and Romania. They will conclude their missionary work in Ireland.
“Everything is just really exciting to me,” she said. “I’m really excited to get out of Facebook-technology land and have real relationships with people.”
Swaziland is one of the stops she’s looking forward to the most, she said.
There, one in four adults are believed to be infected with HIV. Experts say if nothing is done, the country could be wiped out by the disease in the not-too-distant future.
World Race missionaries will provide people with the education needed to prevent contracting and spreading disease, Alvarado said, and break down myths that exist about AIDS.
Living without amenities such as cell phones or air conditioning will take some getting used to, Alvarado admitted, but those aren’t the comforts she predicted missing the most.
“I know this is silly, but I like being in control of what I’m eating and when I eat,” she said. “We’re just going to be eating whatever, whenever.”
She added, “I think it will be a really different experience, but we’ll survive.”
Alvarado will be keeping a blog about her experience, which can be viewed at http://aprilalvarado.theworldrace.org/.
There she writes, “I want to make a commitment to beauty for these 11 months. A commitment not only to appreciate every sight, smell, sound and taste of this crazy adventure, but also to see EVERY SINGLE PERSON as a beautiful part of the Lord’s creation.”
