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.