Introduction
Welcome to the first post of my first blog. Here I hope to detail my Peace Corps experience, allowing you (the reader) the chance to live vicariousely through what you read. That's the goal, at least. But before I write too much more, allow me to introduce myself and what I will be doing for the next 26 months.
Who: My name is Andy Buchanan. I'm 22 years old, a resident of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area my entire life, a graduate of Benilde-St. Margaret High School in St. Louis Park, MN and of Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, where I majored in history and English, minored in Religion, and played football for 4 years. I graduated in 2005 and worked as a teller at a bank for a year before stopping May 19th so I could prepare myself for Peace Corps service.
What: I will be an English teacher, responsable for the education of school-age children. As of yet, I don't know exactly what age I will teach: it could be anywhere from kindergarden to high school, although I'm guessing that it will likely be middle-school aged kids. And while TEFL Teacher is my official title, I'm sure that I will be heavily involved in other parts of community and educational growth - I'll be sure to keep you posted on those developments as they happen. I will teach and speak either Romanian or Russian - again, I won't know for sure until I get there - and my primary training this summer will involve language study, as the Peace Corps will not allow me to begin service until I reach a proficencty level that will allow me to be (somewhat) comfortable in a classroom.
Where: Moldova is my final destination, the place where I will spend the vast majority of time between now and August of 2008. In the meantime . . . . This Sunday, June 4, I depart for Philadelphia, where I will meet with the other 45 or so Peace Corps volunteers for two days of training - the primary goal here being safety education, and it's also an oppourtiunity for the group to start knowing each-other. On June 6 we will take a bus from Philadelphia to JFK airport in New York, where we'll fly first to Istanbul for a layover, then to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. From what I understand, we'll be in the capital for a day or two before venturing out into a smaller village for training. We'll be together throughout training but will split up when we recieve our more specific assignments in the latter part of summer. Throughout training and the start of my teaching, I will live with a host family - in fact, I'll live with a host family until my language skills are 100 percent, totally developed, although there is a good chance that even after that time, I will continute to live with others.
When: My training begins on June 4 of 2005, my service officially starts on August 18 of 2005, and I will leave the Peace Corps on August 18 of 2008, three days after my 25th birthday.
Why: The ultimate question. There are many reasons why I'm doing this, the primary of which was stated by a Russian friend of mine when she wrote me, "Providence gave you a present to be born the one you are, didn’t it?" (That statement comes from a girl who has English as a second language. Stunning, I know). But the answer to her question is a clear 'yes.' There is no doubt that I have been blessed in my life - I have a loving family I will miss very much and as good of friends - on multiple continents - as I could possibly want. I've traveled places in this world that many people (especially people in places like Moldova) can only dream and read about. As the saying goes, "To whom much is given, much is expected in return." The Peace Corps is my oppourtunity to give back. I've wanted to do something like this since I was a senior in high school, a Habitat for Humanity trip to New Orleans being the final impetus. And now, the timing couldn't be better for me. I'm young, full of energy, life, and desire - if I were to wait even a year or two, I would get bogged down with leases, car payments, things like that. For me, this is the perfect oppourtunity for me to have experiences that will define me for the rest of my life. This is the perfect oppourtunity for me to take advantage of the gift that Providence has given me.
I will do my best to update this as much as possable - it should usually be once a week, but it could easily be more or less often. I will do my best to keep postings limited to my service - I imagine you do not log on and read this to hear my comments on religion or politics (although I reserve the right to comment on all things sport).
And feel free to leave any comments on any posting - I think I've set it up so that you should have no trouble doing so. If I receive multiple questions about something, I'll be sure to address it. And if you want something you write me to be in confidental, just send me an e-mail.
Finally, I'll apologize in advance for the wordiness of this (and future) posts. I'll do my best to self-edit but . . . it's a challenge. Just bear with me sometimes.
Who: My name is Andy Buchanan. I'm 22 years old, a resident of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area my entire life, a graduate of Benilde-St. Margaret High School in St. Louis Park, MN and of Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, where I majored in history and English, minored in Religion, and played football for 4 years. I graduated in 2005 and worked as a teller at a bank for a year before stopping May 19th so I could prepare myself for Peace Corps service.
What: I will be an English teacher, responsable for the education of school-age children. As of yet, I don't know exactly what age I will teach: it could be anywhere from kindergarden to high school, although I'm guessing that it will likely be middle-school aged kids. And while TEFL Teacher is my official title, I'm sure that I will be heavily involved in other parts of community and educational growth - I'll be sure to keep you posted on those developments as they happen. I will teach and speak either Romanian or Russian - again, I won't know for sure until I get there - and my primary training this summer will involve language study, as the Peace Corps will not allow me to begin service until I reach a proficencty level that will allow me to be (somewhat) comfortable in a classroom.
Where: Moldova is my final destination, the place where I will spend the vast majority of time between now and August of 2008. In the meantime . . . . This Sunday, June 4, I depart for Philadelphia, where I will meet with the other 45 or so Peace Corps volunteers for two days of training - the primary goal here being safety education, and it's also an oppourtiunity for the group to start knowing each-other. On June 6 we will take a bus from Philadelphia to JFK airport in New York, where we'll fly first to Istanbul for a layover, then to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. From what I understand, we'll be in the capital for a day or two before venturing out into a smaller village for training. We'll be together throughout training but will split up when we recieve our more specific assignments in the latter part of summer. Throughout training and the start of my teaching, I will live with a host family - in fact, I'll live with a host family until my language skills are 100 percent, totally developed, although there is a good chance that even after that time, I will continute to live with others.
When: My training begins on June 4 of 2005, my service officially starts on August 18 of 2005, and I will leave the Peace Corps on August 18 of 2008, three days after my 25th birthday.
Why: The ultimate question. There are many reasons why I'm doing this, the primary of which was stated by a Russian friend of mine when she wrote me, "Providence gave you a present to be born the one you are, didn’t it?" (That statement comes from a girl who has English as a second language. Stunning, I know). But the answer to her question is a clear 'yes.' There is no doubt that I have been blessed in my life - I have a loving family I will miss very much and as good of friends - on multiple continents - as I could possibly want. I've traveled places in this world that many people (especially people in places like Moldova) can only dream and read about. As the saying goes, "To whom much is given, much is expected in return." The Peace Corps is my oppourtunity to give back. I've wanted to do something like this since I was a senior in high school, a Habitat for Humanity trip to New Orleans being the final impetus. And now, the timing couldn't be better for me. I'm young, full of energy, life, and desire - if I were to wait even a year or two, I would get bogged down with leases, car payments, things like that. For me, this is the perfect oppourtunity for me to have experiences that will define me for the rest of my life. This is the perfect oppourtunity for me to take advantage of the gift that Providence has given me.
I will do my best to update this as much as possable - it should usually be once a week, but it could easily be more or less often. I will do my best to keep postings limited to my service - I imagine you do not log on and read this to hear my comments on religion or politics (although I reserve the right to comment on all things sport).
And feel free to leave any comments on any posting - I think I've set it up so that you should have no trouble doing so. If I receive multiple questions about something, I'll be sure to address it. And if you want something you write me to be in confidental, just send me an e-mail.
Finally, I'll apologize in advance for the wordiness of this (and future) posts. I'll do my best to self-edit but . . . it's a challenge. Just bear with me sometimes.
posted by Andy Buchanan at 11:04 AM
3 comments
