Aspiration Statement

Each Peace Corps Trainee is asked to submit an Aspiration Statement prior to departure. This statement is to lay out expectations for your Peace Corps service and the strategies you plan to use to be successful. Below is the one that I just submitted (warning: I am one wordy SOB)...

A. The professional attributes that I plan to use, and the aspirations that I hope to fulfill during my Peace Corps service:

Throughout my career as a civil engineer, I have learned to tackle problems first-hand with an approach that combines creative thinking with resourcefulness. When evaluating any project, it is important to be able to look at it from many different angles. Rushing into a particular solution can result in unnecessary complications during construction or implementation, and can also end up costing the client more time or money than an alternative solution. This ability to evaluate all angles of a problem will prove vital while tackling projects during my time in the Peace Corps. In order to ensure success, it will be important to pensively approach each project and implement it in a manner that will be sustainable for the future. Simply solving the problem is not the goal. The goal must include self-sustainability. Therefore, I will work to ensure that an intellectual infrastructure is implemented within the local community such that in the future, they can tackle similar issues internally without the need for international aid.

My experience as a teaching assistant, coupled with experience working alongside both design teams and clients during my professional career, has taught me how best to relate to people in order to develop a productive and fulfilling professional relationship. While serving in Mali, I will use these skills and build upon them throughout my service in order to gain trust within the community. This trust will afford me the capability to effectively teach the local community the skills needed to sustain the development goals of the applicable water and sanitation projects.

B. My strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs:

Mali's Rich Musical Heritage

One of the many benefits of serving in the Peace Corps is the ability to experience first-hand the culture of a new land. I have always been fascinated by the many rich cultures that permeate the entire continent of Africa, whether through classes taken in college, the many great sculptures found in the Smithsonian African Art Museum in Washington, DC, or through the many great African musicians that have found their way to my ears over the years.

Two artists in particular have taken on a new meaning to me over the past week: Salif Keita and Oumou Sangaré. I have listened to both artists frequently over the years, and have just found out that they are both from Mali, the country I will find myself in beginning July! I would recommend both these musicians to anyone, whether joining me in Mali or not.

Salif Keita (right).

I first found out about Salif Keita after watching the movie "Ali" back in 2004. He contributed the song "Tomorrow (Sadio)" to the movie's soundtrack. The song, with its hauntingly beautiful and moving vocals, a Keita trademark, led me to discover a rich catalog of music from this prolific artist. The man truly has one of the most striking and distinctive voices, not only in all of Africa, but the world. I'd recommend his album "Folon" as a great starting place - it features some great uplifting tunes such as "Tekere," as well as aggressive and rhythmic movements with Funk and Afro-beat elements like "Sumun."

Oumou Sangaré.

I found out about Oumou Sangaré much later, sometime in 2009. But her music is just as impressive. Like Keita, its her vocals that stand out the most. Although I can't understand her lyrics (yet? maybe after PC training?), her voice truly reaches through her music and places the listener in a somewhat hypnotic trance. Backed by some great native instruments, such as the harp lute and various percussive instruments, this music has a very traditional feel. I have only heard her greatest hits compilation "Oumou," but this album is definitely worth picking up.

I know that these two artists are just the tip of the iceberg (probably the wrong analogy for Mali?!) for this great land, and that makes me all the more excited to experience the rich and diverse culture that Mali has to offer.

Invitation has been Accepted!

I received the formal invitation package from UPS on Friday, and officially accepted the invitation same-day. Today, logging into the 'My Toolkit' feature on the Peace Corps website shows this gem:

Application Status

You were nominated on September 29, 2009.

Status

Congratulations! You have accepted an invitation to serve in Mali. See below for further details.

Evaluations required to become an Trainee

Dental

Complete. Peace Corps has completed your dental review. There are no dental holds on your account at this time.

Legal

Peace Corps has completed your initial legal review. There are no legal holds on your account at this time.

Medical

Complete. Peace Corps has completed your medical review. There are no medical holds on your account at this time.

Place

Complete. Peace Corps has completed your placement review. There are no holds on your account at this time.

PLACEMENT required to become a Trainee

Invitation

Congratulations! You have accepted your invitation to serve in Mali. You will soon be receiving additional information from your country desk, the travel office, and the office of staging about preparing for service.

So there you have it, I am officially Mali-bound. I turned in my passport and visa paperwork on Saturday and am now working on my revised resume and my aspiration statement. I also received Rosetta Stone for French, Levels 1 & 2, on Friday, and have been working my way through that as well. One of these days I'll need to start packing and selling off my car and furniture. So much to do, so little time... but damn is this exciting!

Some post-invitation musings...

It's a funny thing, this Peace Corps application process. Back in August when I first applied, I was looking extremely forward to the opportunity to serve in this organization. Regardless of where I would be placed or what I would be doing, it would be one of the greatest challenges and most incredible experiences of my life. I would have the chance to help a community in need all the while experiencing a foreign culture first-hand and forging bonds that would last a lifetime. The actual assignment was secondary, I knew I would love the experience regardless.

Then the nomination came in September; math teacher in non-french speaking Africa. I was told the nomination was subject to change, and that only about 50% of applicants end up serving in the capacity of their nomination. But there it was, a tangible position and location staring back at me, giving me something to latch myself onto.

When you have almost a year to think about something as life-altering as the Peace Corps, you dream about what your experience might be like. You picture yourself teaching a class of 50 students in the middle of a lush forest in sub-saharan Africa. To you, it all just begins to seem so right.

Then I recieved the phone call this past Tuesday, telling me something vastly different from what I had pictured. A water/sanitation engineer, in a french-speaking country, and in an arid land in Africa. Subconciously, I felt a slight dissapointment. I was excited, no doubt, but the experience I had dreamed about for a year would never happen. Now it was a new dream, a new experience.

As soon as I put down the phone and filtered through my thoughts, I quickly got back to that state I was in back in August. The desire, the excitement was still there, no matter what the position or location. It just got buried under a mirage.

So I guess the point of my rambling is that with the Peace Corps, you will rarely, in the end, end up with the position you expected. But now that the application process is over, I could not be more thrilled with the result. And this new challenge, this new experience; I am confident that it will be more rewarding than I could have ever imagined before that Tuesday phone call.

Just got the invite! It's Mali!

Just got the following email from the Placement Officer!

"I have good news. The post has accepted my proposal because they feel that your engineering skills are valuable to the program and that you would be a good fit. The program is a Water and Sanitation Engineering program in Mali leaving July 1st. We normally do not send invitations out via email but because of the time constraints I want to be sure you have adequate time to peruse the materials. I have attached the Volunteer Description as well as the online book below. You will receive an invitation packet in the mail in about 3 days. Please follow the directions for letting us know your decision. Again, it will be important for you to refresh your French as much as possible to have at least a base going in. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns and congratulations!"

This moved faster than I could have imagined just a day ago.  Yesterday, I was debating whether it was too late for a July invite, and the lack of September dates in Africa had me concerned.  Today, I'm invited!  I'm really speachless.

July 1st.  Mali.  Water and Sanitation Engineering.

"Refresh your French."  Yeah, ummm, any ideas on how to LEARN French best I can before July??

Un défi inattendu - Mike in West Africa!?!

Just got off the phone a couple hours ago with a placement officer in the health skills field. I was originally nominated for a math secondary education position in non-french speaking Africa, but as the Peace Corps seems to often do, they threw me a bit of a curve ball.

She said that she would like to invite me into a WATER/SANITARY HEALTH EXTENSION position in FRENCH SPEAKING Africa! Leaving early July. Wow. That's pretty loaded.

Apparently my job description would be either dealing with local health officials in an urban area to design and install water and sanitary sewer facilities, or traveling to local rural areas teaching the local populations how to construct latrines and facilities to maintain clean water.

She also mentioned what I knew would be a significant challenge - I would have to learn not one, but TWO languages during training; those being French and a local ethnic language. Normally people have to have prior recent experience in French to be considered for deployment in this region. I took french early on in high school, some ten years ago!

I must say that I have mixed emotions right now. For the most part, I am absolutely thrilled that I have the opportunity to serve in the Peace Corps, and go to Africa, my region of choice! I am somewhat disappointed about the job change, however, as I was looking forward to working in the education sector and felt that I would be strong at it. But I also understand that I am more qualified for this job based upon my experience in civil engineering, and should probably trust their judgement.

The Speculation Game...

I just found an unofficial Peace Corps website, http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/timeline, which provides a list of departure dates currently known. This information is apparently provided by applicants who have already received their invitation from the specific country.

Because I am about to burst with anticipation, I've been doing a bit of speculating with this information.

I was nominated for a math teaching position in non-french speaking Africa departing between July and September. From what I gathered from my interview, a science teaching position seems to be the fallback.

Last Friday, I received an email requesting my latest resume, and it stated the following:

"Once I have received your resume, your file will be passed on to the Education Desk Placement and Assessment Specialist for further review."

The minimum notice before departure is 6 weeks, while the maximum is 3 months. The invitation apparently is preceded by a call from the placement officer. And I have found that some people get this call within a week after the email, others still months away.

Below is the list of departure dates from the wiki website for my nominated months. I have eliminated the countries that are french speaking, and placed what are my most likely destinations, those being in Africa and non-french speaking in italics.

Peace Corps Application Process Timeline

I've seen other volunteers post a timeline regarding their application process.  Although not yet complete, it is interesting for me to see how far (read: lots and lots of waiting) I've come to get to this point, and I hope it can help provide future applicants with some guidance on the process.  Here it goes...

07/23/09 - Attended Peace Corps Information Session in Asheville.

08/12/09 - Application submitted.

09/04/09 - Final Letter of Recommendation received by Peace Corps.

09/15/09 - Phone call from recruiter.

09/23/09 - Interview at Appalachian State with recruiter, during which I was informed of her intent to nominate.

09/23/09 - Submitted fingerprints for legal background check.

09/29/09 - Officially nominated for a math teaching assignment in 'non-french speaking Africa' for July or September departure. (During interview, the recruiter told me the nomination would be for July, but when she went to put it in the system, the program was full, and the nomination became September.  However, when I asked whether a July deployment was still possible, she added a note into the system stating I would accept July.  Future correspondence from the PC has all noted a July or September deployment.)

10/21/09 - Submitted medical/dental evaluation forms.

11/03/09 - Peace Corps receives medical/dental evaluation forms.

12/04/09 - Medical/dental clearance received.

12/12/09 - Legal clearance received.

12/26/09 - Provided notification of PE certification (!) to Peace Corps.

02/17/10 - Received 'February Check-in" email from PC describing placement process.

05/07/10 - Received email from PC Placement Office requesting updated resume.  "Once I have received your resume, your file will be passed on to the Education Desk Placement and Assessment Specialist for further review."

05/08/10 - Emailed revised resume to recruiter.

... To Be Continued...

Motivation Statement (or.. why the heck is Mike doing this??)

I figured the best way to kick off this blog is to answer the question I have been asked just about every time I tell someone about my decision to join the Peace Corps... 'Why would you do that??' Of course, I understand that some people may never understand and accept it (Hi Mom!).

Below is an essay I submitted as part of the application process to describe just that...

Motivation Statement

Our culture, at its best, celebrates our nation’s diversity. As Americans, we have taken from many distinct cultures to create our own wholly unique society. It is in this tradition that I hope to learn from a new culture: their customs, their viewpoints; and share this experience at home. At the same time, I plan to instill our sense of unity and our ideals with people abroad. It would truly be an honor to fully immerse myself in a foreign culture, learning more than I can imagine, all the while representing our nation’s culture abroad.

During my college experience, one course in particular helped shape my outlook on foreign culture and the world as a whole; AAS 341: African Politics. I took this course outside of my curriculum to pursue my fascination with global history, but I ended up taking away much more. In this course, I learned about African culture, including the way African villages operate prior to Western contact and the different ways they cope with their surroundings. For instance, many Africans historically use the concept of fractals to analyze their natural environment in lieu of our staples of mathematics and science. These are not inferior practices by any means, just different. Both approaches have their own strengths, and should be respected.

But one part of this course affected me the most; the downward spiral that the continent has taken ever since its resources and its people were first taken advantage of by the outside world. And I was shocked to learn that many of the NGOs which operate in Africa, dispersing food and shelter to the needy, only exacerbate their problems. When Westerners come to Africa and hand out food and shelter, the native population becomes dependent on aid. Due to this dependency, the NGOs are supported with further funding, continuing the continent’s downward spiral.

The Peace Corps, however, is different. It affords its volunteers the opportunity to make a real difference, by educating the native population on how to not only care for themselves, but thrive both in the context of their region and globally. Instead of instilling dependency, this program affords independency. It is this cause that stirs a passion within, to give back to the world and have a positive impact on a whole community.

I am at a point in my life where I have gained valuable knowledge and occupational skills through my education and my four years in the workforce. I have proven myself adept not only at the technical skills required for engineering, but also the communications skills required to effectively coordinate projects to completion amongst clients and coworkers. The Peace Corps would provide an opportunity for me to challenge these skills in a new and exciting environment, providing invaluable experience to draw upon throughout my career. More importantly, I feel that I am now in a prime position to move from the private sector to the Peace Corps and truly have a positive impact on a community in need abroad.

A quick introduction to the blogosphere...

My name is Mike, and I am currently working as a civil engineer in the Appalachian mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. I spent my formative years between Naugatuck, CT, Holly Springs, NC, and West Townsend, MA, before jetting off (or sledding, to be more precise) to Syracuse University in Upstate New York for college. After earning my degree in 2005, I spent three years practicing civil engineering at a firm in Northern Virginia, just west of DC, before moving to my current abode.

Ever since my senior year of college, I have strongly considered joining the Peace Corps. After four years, I finally took the plunge and decided to apply last August. Although I am currently in the midst of the most successful and enjoyable time during my professional career, I still have that itch to have a lasting impact on a community in need, all the while experiencing a foreign culture first-hand in a way that traveling as a tourist could never provide. My only hope is that if I am chosen, I can leave as much of an imprint on their community as they are sure to leave on me.

Those who know me will know that I have not exactly been quick to the whole social networking frenzy. I finally caved to Facebook earlier this year, and this is now my attempt to enter into the blogging scene... so I guess what I'm trying to say here is, this is a bold, new frontier for me, so bare with me as I get my feet wet.

My hope is that this will become a place for me to, should I be chosen, share my experiences abroad with friends, family, and anyone else interested in the Peace Corps back home, while providing them with the ability to interact with me along the way. I will use this blog as an outlet for me to air my inner thoughts, my successes, and my frustrations along the way. Its cathartic, so I hear!