In about three weeks, I will be carrying 80 pounds of luggage and flying to meet 25 other people who will be sharing the adventure of teaching English in Colombia through the Peace Corps.
Peace Corps had previously worked in Colombia from 1961 (the beginning of Peace Corps) until 1980. It was then discontinued because of fears for volunteers' safety. With improved social and political stability, Colombia was recently reopened as a country for volunteers. For the past two years, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (people who have already served in a different country) have been working there for limited year-long stints. My group is the first group signed up for the full two-and-a-quarter-year commitment in 30 years.
With the reopening of Colombia to Peace Corps, there are several security precautions that we have to take. One of the major ones is that I will be living with a host family - two, actually! There will be one family I will be living with during training for the first three months (as is done throughout the world for Peace Corps). After that, I will be living with a second host family for the remainder of my two-year commitment.
There are about 4,000 new volunteers every year and since 1961, there have been about 200,000 volunteers who have served in 139 countries. As can be expected, I am both nervous and excited to join those volunteers. The language mistakes will be many, the food will be interesting, and the experience will be unforgettable.
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