John in Liberia

This week all of the volunteers found out where we will be going for the next two years. After sharing our preferences for the kind of community we want (like big or small city, far or close to things, big or small class size, etc.) it was finally time for the big reveal!  The staff drew out a map of Liberia with all of the counties. Then we were blindfolded and brought to the location on the map where we will be serving in. After the anxious waiting we were able to take our blindfolds off and I opened my eyes to see that I would be in Grand Kru County in the Southeast! Here's a map below: Grand Kru County in the Southeast After we received a packet of information where it showed us a picture of our home, information about the shool and lots of details to get us excited and prepared for where we will be staying. From the information I received, my community will be a little smaller than 7,000 people, and I will be placed in a small middle school (7th-10th) grade where their

Chickens and Ducks I became much closer to the food I've been eating in the past week as my family gave me the honor of killing our chicken. I'll spare the graphic pictures but here's one of me and our pet chicken who recently became our meal. My host brothers laughing as I awkwardly struggle to pick up the chicken for the first time Though I didn't particularly want to kill the chicken, I did see it as an essential part of experiencing the culture here and feeling more connected to the food that I am eating. It's a different feeling killing the animal you're eating. As someone who eats primarily vegetarian (for animal, health, and environmental reasons), it was difficult to kill this animal. However, I am happy about the fact that this she was raised naturally, free range, and living life like a normal chicken. This is also a society that animals are not grown in excess or factory farmed like in the states. Not to mention, I knew someone in my hou

The chores here are the real deal. So for this I thought I'd just share some of the many things I've been learning to do here with my host family the past month I've been living with them.  My host family's home One thing to keep in mind when looking at these pictures is that as a generalization,  the gender roles here in Liberian culture tend to be very traditional, where women are taking care of the home/children while men are working or socializing. So, for me as an adult male, seeing me do these types of chores looks a bit out of place. Sometimes men who do these chores might be made fun of by other men because they are doing "women's work" and it is socially unacceptable to do this. Women who see me do this sometimes exclaim, "That man can WORK!". Overall though, my family has been great with giving me the opportunity to try these new things because they know I'll be living on my own soon and need to develop these skills

So much happened the past two weeks! I visited a current Peace Corps Volunteer, was adopted by a Liberian host family, helped with Rise2Raise girls camp, and went through many long hours of training.  While visiting George, a current volunteer at his site, we had the chance to see his home and how he has integrated into his community. It was encouraging to see him pass by friends, students, teachers, and coworkers and show us the great relationships he's made.  Gathering water at George's home We also stopped by his school. I was excited to see the library project he was working on. George's school was having a book give away and invited teachers from neighboring schools to visit and select books from the giveaway. Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to see a class being taught, however, seeing the school environment there made me aware of some of the challenges I might face in my future site. Sometimes, teachers don't show up to school,

After a trip to DC and some time to get to know some fellow volunteers, we've really started to get to know each other and begin bonding. We spent one full in Washington DC and many of us had the opportunity to explore the city and bike around. It was really a special place to be before becoming ambassadors for the US to serve in Liberia. Crusin' in DC During this evenig in DC, we took an Uber home. Our driver happened to be from South Africa and one of his previous teachers was a PCV. He was so excited to share about it with us and it was such an uplifting moment the night before our flight! We spent many hours on a plane and after a long trip finally made it to Liberia. Upon arrival we were greeted by the amazing Peace Corps Staff that will be training us and preparing us for service. We also took a bus ride to our training site and then hung out before going to bed to recover from jet lag. (Which I still don't think I'm recovered from!) The Welcome Cre

Well, it's official! I leave for Liberia as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) on Saturday June 3rd and the reality of this probably will not set in until I hop on an airplane and leave good ol' Wisconsin. I decided to create this blog to share some experiences from serving as a volunteer and here are some of my main goals as I continue to write it: Promote greater cross cultural understanding Share accomplishments and challenges Send updates to friends and family Journal to reflect on experiences Sh are teaching resources So, please join me as I continue to update you all about my service. So far I know a fair amount about Liberia through books, online, and talking with others about their own experiences. However, I learned from my student teaching in Khon Kaen, Thailand that it's difficult to learn about a country without being there. So, I'm going to hold off posting much until I arrive. For now, just know that I will be serving as a PCV in Liberia as a middle/hig