Getting Ready

I cannot believe how quickly time has flown since I received my Peace Corps invitation three weeks ago, but I must face the fact that I leave in about three weeks for a two-year journey almost impossible to prepare for. As you can imagine, I have so much to do in my time remaining ... there is paperwork for Peace Corps, bank accounts, legal matters, etc. that is necessary for close out my affairs here. Then there is shopping and packing to prepare for a variety of climates and seasons with a very limited restriction on how much I can bring and what I am allowed to wear. Also, there is mental preparation, such as reading through materials Peace Corps has sent, beginning to learn the language and culture, and saying good-bye to family and friends. Luckily, I have been working diligently for the past few weeks to get some of these things taken care of and hope to enjoy some downtown (a little, at least!) before I head out.

I took a quick trip to D.C. last weekend and had a wonderful time! It was so nice to have an opportunity to see the people I care about one last time and feel at peace leaving that part of my life. This weekend, I have two of my best friends from childhood in town (with their babies!), the next weekend I am going on a work retreat (my last official responsibility at work), and the weekend after that, my family (including my sister!) will be at a family reunion.

I've had the opportunity to begin to community with some people who have served as Peace Corps volunteers before, including one who served in Azerbaijan and still works there. It has been very helpful to hear their perspectives on what I should expect, what I should bring and what I should be sure to do in my last weeks here.

Overall, as I've said before, I am both excited and nervous about my adventure. I understand that it will be a challenging experience in many ways, but I look forward to growing in those areas and becoming a stronger, more well-rounded person because of it. Mostly, despite my anxiety, I feel blessed and joyful that I will be realizing one of my dreams and doing what I believe is God's will for my life in the process. I see this experience as a jumping-off point for a new chapter in my life, and it is time to take the plunge!

Conflict between Azerbaijan's Neighbors

If you've listened to international news or seen an online news forum recently, it is hard to miss mention of the escalating conflict between Russia and Georgia, two of Azerbaijan's neighbors (see map below - particularly section in yellow). While I won't begin to describe the reasons or potential ramifications of the "conflict," I will address a question pertaining to my future that has been raised numerous times since the bombing began late last week. In other words, yes, I am taking a history-making international episode and making it "all about me" ;) . . . in all seriousness, I appreciate your concerns and will continue to keep you posted on my preparations for Peace Corps.

This afternoon Peace Corps posted a news release on their website, stating that volunteers in Georgia have been temporarily pulled and are awaiting further instruction in Armenia. In other words, as soon as the U.S. Department of State began pulling embassy personnel from the country, Peace Corps volunteers were whisked to safety. Peace Corps has a very specific action plan for emergency situations and takes great care to ensure the safety of its volunteers. I trust Peace Corps staff to make a well-informed decision about my security, and we'll just have to wait to see what happens in the next month or so. To be clear, Peace Corps has not talked about pulling volunteers from Georgia permanently or from its neighbors, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Again, I appreciate your concern for my safety and as always, welcome prayers. I find the recent events to be unsettling but not nearly to a point where I would consider abandoning this dream. The way I see it: I am going to continue to plan like everything is on-schedule and if this is not where I should be, God will close the door.

And the winner is . . . Azerbaijan!

I have finally received my official invitation from the Peace Corps and am set to leave in late September for the Republic of Azerbaijan, where I will be a Community Economic Development Advisor. Here's a map to give you a better idea of where I'll be (Azerbaijan is the green country next to the Caspian Sea):

Azerbaijan is a former Soviet republic in what is called the Caucasus region. It has approximately 8 million inhabitants and is about the size of Maine. It is an oil-rich country; however, as is often the case in developing countries, there is a huge income gap between the elite (with oil money) and the general population. Peace Corps developed the Community Economic Development program that I will be a part of in 2005 to work with non-governmental (non-profit) organizations and small businesses to diversify the economy.

My first three months in-country, I'll be living with a host family and studying alongside 4-5 other volunteers to learn the native language of Azerbaijani (or Azeri), a Turkic language using the cyrillic alphabet. At the end of this 3-month period, I will be transfered to my yet-t0-be-determined town of assignment, where I will work for 24 months.

I'm bogged down in paperwork and preparations at the moment, but I will blog more as I learn more about the country and what to expect.