Joy: Top 10 Reasons to do something like this...

It's getting closer and closer to our leave date (7 weeks from today), and I'm sitting here, thinking of how excited I am & of all the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead of us, being Peace Corps Volunteers.  And, I thought it'd be fun to write down my top 10 reasons for doing something like this!  So, here they are, in no particular order:

1. You get to travel.  Enough said.
2. You get to step outside of the rat race.  Very exciting :)
3. You get to experience & appreciate another culture.  You also learn to appreciate your own culture more than you would otherwise, having a comparison.
4. You get to simplify your life... minimalize, if you will.  I know I have way too much stuff that I don't use.
5. You get to learn another language.  That may not sound so fun, if you're not into that sort of thing, but it reaps great benefits & is quite fun!
6. You get to make friends outside of your normal demographic! :)
7. Since living in another culture can make you feel a little discombobulated and powerless, at times, your dependence on God really increases.  This is definitely an indirect result, but such a true one.
8. You stop taking for granted many of the benefits of living in the US.
9. Your sense of adventure is peaked... you'll never be the same!
10. "You're far happier giving than getting" (Acts 20:35).

I'm sure there are more really good reasons, but these are at the forefront of my mind today.  There are also many more ways to serve than internationally or, especially, with the Peace Corps.

Why would you do something like this?  Have you done something like this?  What was it?  What would your top 10 be?