Peace Corps Placement

I'm sure most have you have heard by now, but I am going to Moldova! Where is that and what does that mean, you ask? Here is what I know so far:

• I'll spend the summer in the capitol learning to read and write Romanian.
• I will be living with a host family.
• I will be a community and organizational development advisor, working with a non-governmental organization to address a community problem.
• This program is very flexible since problems, solutions, and goals are different in every community. I will be charged with integrating myself into the community, working with local leaders to understand community problems, and seeking out creative solutions to those problems.
• I also get to work on secondary projects of my choosing once I am a trusted member of the community. Some early ideas include an environmental science or ecology club, a volleyball team, a softball team, English literature club, or even a Girl Scout troop!
• I chose to participate in a classroom coorsepondence program and my current supervisor, in DC, is putting me in contact with some teachers he knows in Mississppi (from when he was a Teach For America Corps Member).
• The food is very pork and potatoes...
• Summers are long, mild, and humid
• Winters are fairly mild, certainly not any worse than I endured last year in Pullman
• Moldova gained independence in 1991 and the Peace Corps was invited to serve there in 1993. To date, only about 650 volunteers have served there.
• I have a very small training class, probably less than 10 classmates, so I hope that means I will get lots of one-on-one attention with the language lessons.
• I will not be sworn in as a Volunteer until August, when I finish training and pass a language proficiency exam.
• More to come!