I am not boarding the plane nor am I already in
Africa but I thought I would give you a little background information. This blog reflects my views on the world and
stories but please be aware that it does not reflect the views and values of
the United States government or the Peace Corps.
Let me start with some history about the Peace
Corps. A president made a call to America’s
youth, “My fellow
Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for
your country – John F Kennedy.” Several
months after President Kennedy was inaugurated he made a speech in 1960 at
Michigan University asking the youth of America to serve its country not with a
gun but with a hammer and a hoe. The first
batch of Peace Corps volunteers left in 1961 for Ghana and Tanzania. Since the
first group of volunteers there have been over 200,000 who have served in more than
139 different countries. The volunteers
work within five different sectors of the organization, health, education,
youth development, business and agriculture.
Each volunteer serves for 27 months which includes 9-12 weeks of
intensive culture and language training.
I hand delivered my
application to the Boston PC office on the 1st of December in
2010. Two days later I had my in-person
interview. One day after that I was
nominated to go to West Africa as a health volunteer! I was initially expected to leave September
of 2011, that date was soon changed due to government budget cuts of nearly 20%
of the PC budget. January 4, 2011 was my
new date of departure. My now official date
(as of 2 weeks ago) is March 4, 2011. Although
the delay is a disappointment, it is a huge benefit to me and my experience in
the PC. I will have dual visa for The
Gambia and Senegal. This opportunity gives
me the chance to work across borders and work with a larger network of
volunteers. My training will be held in
Senegal at a USAID training site. After
my 12 weeks of training in Senegal, I
will spend two years of service in The Gambia.
