THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510250141
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THUMBS UP
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Bianca P. Breland did her best to prepare for the challenges she'll face in Cameroon, Africa, where she'll spend the next two years on Peace Corps assignment.
But Breland, 22, interviewed recently just before setting out from her parents' Greenbrier home, said she couldn't help having some misgivings.
``I think - I'm pretty sure - that I can do this,'' she said. ``I'm afraid I won't recognize it if I'm not hacking it until it's too late.
``But I'm stubborn,'' she said.
Breland, a graduate of Indian River High School in 1991 and of the University of Virginia in May, applied for the Peace Corps after college because she wasn't ready for graduate school and she wasn't sure what kind of career she wanted to pursue. The Peace Corps seemed like a worthwhile adventure.
``It'll be hard,'' she said. ``Plus, two years is a hell of a long time. They say, `It's the hardest job you'll ever love.' That what's so exciting about the Peace Corps.''
In Africa, she'll work on projects related to conservation of natural resources and land management.
``I don't have the idealism to expect that I'll see the outcome while I'm there,'' she said. ``But I hope the project will have a lasting effect.''
She won't know her specific assignment until after she has completed a 12-week training period. During the training, she will live with a family in Cameroon.
``After that, they can sign me up for my hut,'' she said.
Cameroon is like Africa in miniature, she said, with a little bit of every kind of topography - rain forests, deserts, mountains and savannas.
She said she was optimistic about experiencing a new culture and meeting some personal goals.
``I want to become completely imbedded in the culture,'' she said. ``I'm looking forward to the kind of person-to-person relationship I'll have there. I'm going to be in Africa probably one time in my life.
``I hope to bring an understanding of my American experience, and maybe make life a little bit better for the folks I come in contact with,'' she said.
Approval for the Peace Corps assignment included what she said was a rigid physical examination.
``They asked me everything I ever did,'' said Breland, who nearly died after a car accident when she was 12.
In the wreck, one cheek bone was badly broken. For a time, her vision was blurred.
``They wanted to make sure the accident had no lasting effect, and that I'm physically capable of serving,'' she said. ``This was what gave me more stress than anything else.''
Since she is 20 percent below what doctors refer to as optimum weight, Breland was required to get written confirmation about the status of her health.
But she loves to cook, and hopes new friends will teach her how to make some dishes indigenous to Cameroon.
``I'm not a picky eater, because my father is from Mississippi,'' she said. ``He exposed me to all kinds of foods, like frog legs and squirrel legs.''
Two days before leaving for Africa, Breland practiced packing, but found that she had forgotten to include a few things in the allotted 80 pounds of luggage. ``Like my rain jacket and my monster of a French dictionary and some little things for children,'' she said. ``I can stack those in the corners'' of the luggage.
In addition to a really good rain jacket, her wardrobe included washable loose skirts, pants and hiking boots.
The only tool she took with her was a Swiss Army knife, which was given to her by a friend.
What she'll miss most about America is music, she said.
``The Peace Corps told me not to skimp on tapes, because that's all we'll hear for two years,'' she said. ``So I bought a bunch.''
Breland, who is the daughter of Sidney R. and Gertruda A.A.M. Breland, was the first person in her family to earn a four-year degree from a university.
``I've been so fortunate,'' she said. ``I can't think of any better thing to do than to pass it on.
``I have wonderful friends and a really supportive family. They've really been quite cool about my going; nervous, I think, but cool.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Bianca Breland is a 1991 graduate of Indian River High School and
will finish at University of Virginia in May.
by CNB