As most of you reading this know, I am heading to the Dominican Republic (DR) to serve for two years and three months with the Peace Corps. Though I know I will be working with a health project, most of the details surrounding it are still largely unknown. I am currently in Huntsville, AL spending time with my family, but will depart on Tuesday, August 19th, for Miami. There I will meet the other 44 Peace Corps volunteers who are beginning their service in the DR and we will have a two day pre-orientation, or staging. For the first three months we will be based in the capital city, Santo Domingo, for training. After this, we are placed in our permanent posts for the 2 year period.
Why? The question on every application and in every interview. It is the first question from Peace Corps staff and from friends and family. It is the easiest and the hardest question. Both easy and hard because there are so many reasons and so much passion that go with them.
I have long desired such an experience. Innate and somewhat unexplainable love and thrill to serve the most vulnerable, needy, and marginalized led me to social work and then to public health. An obsession for Spanish, need for diversity, and love for new cultures led me to want to practice these within a global spectrum. Through this Peace Corps experience I am hoping to gather information and simply better understand poverty, the abundant and immoral inequities, and effective development practices to reverse the increasing gaps in our world.
Thanks SO MUCH for reading and being interested in what I am doing. It really means the world to me! I am uncertain of how my access to the internet and other telecommunications will be. However, despite my periods of poor correspondence know that your thoughts, prayers, emails, and letters are always coveted!
My address for regular mail for the first three months of training will be:
Katie Massey, PCT
Cuerpo de Paz
Av Bolivar 451, Gazcue
Apartado Postal 1412
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2 comments:
Hi Katie,
I was just talking with Liz about you yesterday! Good to hear from you, love your post. Looking forward to hearing about this chapter in your life as it unfolds. -S
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