John in Liberia

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...