The invitation has arrived (Thursday, amazingly only two days after being notified that it was in the mail!) and the country I've been invited to serve the Peace Corps in is...Azerbaijan! My role is as a Community Economic Development Advisor and I will be leaving on September 21st.
Backing up a moment for those who have no idea what I've been doing - I decided in December that I was interested in the Peace Corps, did a TON of research, submitted my official application in January, interviewed and was nominated in February, spent February, March and April taking care of dr. appointments for medical/dental clearance, and then was invited a couple days ago (and will accept the invitation on Monday). This may seem like a surprise for many of you, but I assure you that I have done my research and really want to do this (and feel as though I'm supposed to be doing this) - and as the title of this blog suggests, I don't want to look back at my life in 20, 30, 40, 50 or more years and wonder how it could have been different or what it would have been like if I took a leap.
Well, this is my leap.
I will admit right now that I am as scared/nervous as I have ever been. But I think/hope it's normal. I mean, I'm leaving for 27 months! But what would life be like if you never did anything that you're scared of? I may not have wanted to, but I got on that rollercoaster at Six Flags that took me upside down, and I survived and even enjoyed it (I'll admit, joining the Peace Corps is a little bigger than that) and I fully believe that something as tough as this will only make me a stronger person (like the rollercoaster).
So Azerbaijan. Are some of you wondering where that is right now? That's what I thought. Azerbaijan is located on the Caspian Sea and shares its borders with Iran, Russia, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey (some say it's located in Eastern Europe, some say the Middle East, and still others say Central Asia). It's a Muslim country, but from what I've read it's more of a historical/cultural part of the people than a religion that is practiced. They speak Azerbaijani and were a part of the Soviet Union until 1991. The Peace Corps has been active in Azerbaijan since 2003.
Here's an overview of what will be happening:
September 21 - 22, 2008: Staging
Staging is located in a major US city and is where all of the training group gathers and begins to be oriented to the Peace Corps. We then travel to Azerbaijan as a group.
September 23, 2008 - December 9, 2008: Pre-Service Training
This is done in Azerbaijan and includes language, job, culture, safety, etc. training. Trainees live with a host family during this time and have practical experience in what they will be doing at their permanent site. Volunteers are assigned to their permanent sites part way through training.
December 9th, 2008 - December 8th, 2010: Service
After training volunteers are sworn in and move to their permanent sites. Staying with a host family is required for a certain length of time. My job as a Community Economic Development Advisor means I could be doing a wide variety of things - teaching business related courses, developing funding proposals, organizational development, and on and on. The possibilities are endless.
My goal with this blog is to keep my friends and family up to date with the experiences that I have during this amazing adventure. Obviously, I haven't gone anywhere yet and cannot anticipate the conditions I'll have (how accessible the internet will be) so please be patient with me when I do arrive - and for now, it may just be posts about how I'm a horrible packer and the many things that will need to be done before I leave the country for 27 months. Any questions, just post and ask! Or send me an email directly at wendysuewalter@gmail.com.
Thoughts and prayers will definitely be appreciated during this apprehensive time!
No comments:
Post a Comment