As I am sitting at my dining room table in Johannesburg filling out my Florida ballot for the US election, I cannot help but reflect on the journey that brought me to South Africa.

I was a fifth-grade teacher instructing my pupils in my classroom in Tampa, Florida, when I received the email. My heart stopped as I quickly glanced over the words on my phone screen. It was an acceptance letter from the Peace Corps. The experience I had long dreamt of, for over 10 years, had come to fruition. I was being placed in South Africa.  

When I first arrived, I spent three intense months in Peace Corps training where I learned its mission statement and focus on the promotion of peace and friendship. This particularly resonated with me as I grew up living in multiple countries with parents who emphasised the importance of embracing others and their differences. They taught me to see the beauty and value in people from other countries and encouraged me to be a life-long student of other cultures.

During my service of two years, I lived in a small village in southern Limpopo with limited electricity and no running water. The community accepted me as their daughter by showing me unconditional love countless times. I served as an English teacher to classes with more than 60 students, but with limited resources. We lacked basic essentials like textbooks and teaching aids. 

I became motivated to accept the position of technology teacher where I created a project called Tech Kids that fostered the development and completion of a multi-media space made up of a library, computer lab and SMART board classroom. In an effort to create a lasting impact, I trained other teachers to become fluent in the technology to improve teaching for years to come. These training sessions were weekly meetings, where I worked with my teachers to help build their skills. 

At the end of my service, I decided to prolong my stay in this wonderful country. Continuing my love for education, I enrolled in the graduate school at the University of Witwatersrand to obtain a degree in Educational Change with a focus on policy and leadership. Having been a teacher in South Africa, I wanted to learn more and deepen my knowledge of the opportunities for development within South African public schools and what I, too, could learn from the challenges they face.

Today, just a few days before an unprecedented national election in the United States of America, I stop and think about its history. America, formed over 200 years ago, was a melting pot of individuals of different backgrounds, with unique skills and cultures. Our success as a nation has been driven by embracing these differences and allowing people to excel in their areas of expertise. This is the so-called American Dream where any hard-working individual can make it.

To continue to thrive, we must embody the exact values that I learned during my training with the Peace Corps. By fostering peace, friendship and connections with others, we create a better environment to succeed domestically and internationally. The rhetoric of President Donald Trump, is just the opposite of this. 

The “America first” concept creates hostility towards other nations. We cannot truly be world leaders if we do not see the importance in engaging in peaceful relationships with other countries.

We need a president who understands that leadership is embedded in the values of unity at home and abroad. We need a president who will work to solve the global issues that we all face together. We need a president who promotes peace and friendship. This president is Joe Biden. 

Even though I’m living in South Africa now, I still wanted to find a way to somehow contribute to America’s democracy. This led me to get involved with Democrats Abroad South Africa, where I am a volunteer working to change the narrative of America. I was also able to cast my ballot in the critical state of Florida that could potentially determine the election outcome.

I hope that my small efforts can help Americans make the right choice and see the value of creating strong international relationships as they cast their ballots on Tuesday 3 November 2020. DM/MC 

Anita Vorlicek is a postgraduate student in Educational Change at the University of Witwatersrand. She was born in Switzerland, grew up in Europe and received a BA from Florida Southern College in the US. She worked as a teacher and community developer in Limpopo during her two years as a Peace Corps volunteer.