The Legacy

JFK in '61 with some of the first volunteers.

Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of my soon to be employer. Those were different times and different people. No internet, no 24 hour news network, and very few travel guides. You found out about other countries by who we were at War with, where your family immigrated from, and what you read in the morning paper. If you were lucky you had a distant relative that actually wanted to inconvenience themselves with foreign travel. Today, you are out of place if you haven't been out of country.

It took a different kind of swagger to do what they did back then. When all they had were anecdotes and newspaper clippings. They devoted two years of their lives to the unknown, back when something foreign was actually exotic. I, on the other hand, have spent many hours researching Ukraine, have actually been there, and am more concerned about teaching well than adapting to the culture.

Here's to the trailblazers of yesteryear. The first group of many sent out of country, not to destroy or preach, but to teach and learn. Their assigned country needed help and they happily gave it. (Though not without incident)

I only hope that with all my knowledge I can hit the ground running, quickly adapt, and aid them to the best of my abilities.

Introductions and Preparations

Who

Well here we are. I am less than a week away from leaving for the Peace Corps and I've decided to start a blog.  I suppose this would work best if you knew a little about me (You can stay in the shadows, I won't mind).

Simply, I love culture. I like to understand as much as I can about a people, their places, and their things. I enjoy the differences, but what I am really interested in are the similarities. Every culture is unique, but the rationale that led to each of our cultures is beautifully similar. There are threads that repeat over and over and that by braiding them together, one may catch a glimpse of an unabashed humanity.

After the Peace Corps I have no idea where I'll end up. Heading into an office and then back to school is the likeliest option, with INSEAD being the hope. Until then, I hope to do a commendable job teaching English, blending with the culture, and learning Russian and/or Ukrainian. This blog will try to give you some idea of what the Peace Corps in Ukraine is like. I hope you enjoy.

Preparations

I am trying to gather all my things together for the next two years and it's proving difficult. I've worked half the day, and have most of what I'm taking in the same room. I have six more days to buy some forgotten items, organize and protect the fragile bits, finish editing my pictures, organize my hard drives, realize more things I forgot, buy them, catch a movie, eat some local food, see some local friends, pack, repack, and bid my adieus. Fun.

I am milking, as much as I can, the creature comforts of my current life. Long hot showers, washing machines, driving myself places, speaking English, being able to live on autopilot. Soon I will (probably) be without all of these. While I am not worried so much about making it through this upcoming life, I am concerned about fully transitioning into this new culture. I cannot just tolerate differences and dislikes for the entire two years. I will have to change who I am or I will be miserable. Who will I be? I'll let you know.

So here we go, first post of a new term. You should see a few more posts up before I leave, and after that I shall continue when I am able.

I'm glad to have you along.