LG's Excellent PC Adventure

LG's Excellent PC Adventure..or..my answer to the question, "You Did What?!!?"

It occurred to me that, at this point in my life, there was nothing to prevent me from going off into the world and having an adventure. I had once been interested in joining the Peace Corps but ended up taking a different road and over the years whenever I thought about that missed opportunity I just excused myself with, "I didn't have much experience to offer them anyway." Now, with the world becoming increasingly belligerent, the mission the Peace Corps was created to serve seems more relevant than ever.

I began to do some research and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Peace Corps was alive, healthy and dedicated to the same ideals that had led to its creation in the Sixties. The more I learned, the more I liked the idea of volunteering. Sharing our experience and values, teaching, learning and creating friendships within our host countries seemed like an excellent concept. I did a quick self-evaluation, decided that I had some useful experience to share and pulled up an on-line application form.

Naively, I believed that once I alerted the Peace Corps to my availability it would only be a matter of having them agree to one or two minor stipulations and I'd let them know when, where and how I'd be willing to serve. After all, I have 'experience' and I'm willing to share it with them...the lucky dogs! So I filled in a 'basic eligibility' application, then completed an extensive on-line application, filled out an on-line health evaluation and waited for the Peace Corps to send a car and driver to collect me. They said, "Please fill out these additional forms" and the application process began.

That process took just over a year to complete and I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to have been accepted. The application process is thorough. After filling out stacks of forms, you meet with a recruiter and, if your interview goes well, you become a Nominee. You're nominated for consideration to become a volunteer in a specific area of work and a specific region of the world. Then you fill out more forms, undergo medical and dental evaluation, and have your life examined in detail. If all goes well, you then become an Invitee and are offered a position to accept or decline and are given another set of forms to complete. I am currently an Invitee and have accepted an invitation to work in Bulgaria as a Community Economic Development volunteer. I don't know any of the specifics of my future assignment but I'm fairly certain that more forms are waiting for me down the road.

I'll be part of a group scheduled to arrive in Bulgaria in early August. Once there, I will begin a three month training program designed to teach me the language, the culture and some of the specifics of the job I'll be doing. During those three months I'll be a Trainee and then, if I do well enough during training to earn a position, I'll be sworn in as a Volunteer. As a Volunteer I'll work with my Bulgarian counterparts for two years in some area of Small Business development.

I hope to use this website to allow my friends and family to follow along on the adventure. I'm sure it will be a great ride!