Peace Corps
So it occurs to me that I might not have actually posted here that I've been accepted in the Peace Corps. Not only that, but I'm actually starting quite soon. On Monday, I'm flying to San Francisco for Staging (wherein they follow up on any shots we might lack and then teach us what not to do if we want to avoid international incidents. Also, I think there's a lecture along the lines of "you're going to be somewhere reeeally different; don't freak out."
Then on Wednesday morning we fly to Thailand (via Japan) and begin a 10-week training process: learning the language and culture, learning how to take care of ourselves from both health and safety standpoints, and learning basic program-related skills. Assuming we reach some basic level of competency by the end, we start working at the end of March.
My particular role is to be a Development Worker for Community-Based Organizations. Essentially I'm going to be placed with a rural government office (size-wise, I think of it as being like the county seat of an american farming community). I'm supposed to help the government officers with some of their stuff, but mostly I'll be biking out to the 5-15 villages of the region and meeting with community groups to help them figure out how to run things better. It's sort of like being a non-profit consultant, except I'm supposed to teach them how to do new things, not just deliver the new things on a silver platter.
Of course, the most interesting part of all of this is that I have no idea where any of it's going to take place after San Francisco. They just never got around to mentioning our Training location, and actual service areas don't get set until nearly the end of Training. So yeah, I've pretty much just given y'all the full (though not quite comprehensive) details of what I know from the Peace Corps.
I don't really know what my internet connections will be like while I'm serving, but unless they're super regular, I'm probably not going to posting here much (if at all) while I'm abroad. It's going to be kind of like the past several months, actually, except that now I'll have an airtight excuse.
So...take care of yourselves, everybody.
Then on Wednesday morning we fly to Thailand (via Japan) and begin a 10-week training process: learning the language and culture, learning how to take care of ourselves from both health and safety standpoints, and learning basic program-related skills. Assuming we reach some basic level of competency by the end, we start working at the end of March.
My particular role is to be a Development Worker for Community-Based Organizations. Essentially I'm going to be placed with a rural government office (size-wise, I think of it as being like the county seat of an american farming community). I'm supposed to help the government officers with some of their stuff, but mostly I'll be biking out to the 5-15 villages of the region and meeting with community groups to help them figure out how to run things better. It's sort of like being a non-profit consultant, except I'm supposed to teach them how to do new things, not just deliver the new things on a silver platter.
Of course, the most interesting part of all of this is that I have no idea where any of it's going to take place after San Francisco. They just never got around to mentioning our Training location, and actual service areas don't get set until nearly the end of Training. So yeah, I've pretty much just given y'all the full (though not quite comprehensive) details of what I know from the Peace Corps.
I don't really know what my internet connections will be like while I'm serving, but unless they're super regular, I'm probably not going to posting here much (if at all) while I'm abroad. It's going to be kind of like the past several months, actually, except that now I'll have an airtight excuse.
So...take care of yourselves, everybody.