Watch this space!
As many of you know, back some 17 years ago I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer as a fresh-faced long-haired youth right out of college. It was one of the most intense, rewarding, difficult, and interesting experiences of my life. And some of you may also know that this March the Peace Corps is celebrating its 50th anniversary, having been established by the Kennedy administration way back in 1961. To honor this achievement and look back on my own experiences, I aim to make this March my very own “Peace Corps Month”. I will be giving a few presentations around town, attending social gatherings and commendations, and most dauntingly attempting to post a Peace Corps-related blog entry every day this March, starting tomorrow. I will be writing about my experiences serving as a High School math and science teacher in rural Ghana in 1993-1994, and also about the broader history of the Peace Corps, and finally about my activities this month as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. So I invite you to come along with me on this ride, which is sure to be as bumpy and noisy as a bus ride through the wilds of West Africa.
Now even though it is not yet March (and I have one more day to gather my wits and collect my thoughts for 31 consecutive days of blogging, thank goodness), CSU is jumping the gun and will host a reception for an exhibit at the Morgan Library today from 4:00 until 6:00 this evening. From the CSU web site:
“50 Years of Volunteering: The Peace Corps at CSU Returned Peace Corps volunteers, nominees, and all supporters of the Peace Corps are invited to celebrate CSU's historic involvement with an exhibition and reception in the Morgan Library. Exhibition runs from Feb. 11 - March 31. Opening Reception will be held: Feb. 28 • 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. • Morgan Library, Second Floor”
Word has it the mayor will be giving some sort of proclamation at 4:30. If it is anything like a Ghanaian official reception, it will last all night and it will be festive!
Also looking ahead to this Wednesday, I will be posted at the “Health Market Table” at the CSU exercise center, chatting to students about, uh, the “health benefits” of serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I don’t think we’ll get into health benefits too much as I believe the point is to promote the Peace Corps experience, not scare people away. But it should be fun and I encourage you to stop by and say hello if you're in the neighborhood.
Again from the web site:
Health Market TableReturned health volunteers (that's me!) share their experiences, stories, and souvenirs from around the world. Learn about the great opportunities in the Peace Corps! March 2 • 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. • Moby, Health and Exercise Science Wing
And much more to come, wish me luck!
Cheers, Slush
