Paul Blair in the Peace Corps

In the arduous Peace Corps application process, there are 2 main milestones: nomination and invitation.  My experience has been unusual in the sense that I have been nominated for three programs now, but this is the first time I’ve been INVITED, which is the point at which I make a commitment.  Terrifying stuff, this invitation.

The basic news:

I’ll be going to Kenya.  If you’re like me, you’ll have to look at a map.  It’s in eastern Africa and it has some familiar-sounding neighbors: Somalia and Ethiopia.

I’ll be teaching (to some not-entirely-clear capacity) deaf kids.  I’ll have to learn Kenyan Sign Language.  I will NOT have to learn French, which I’ve been studying ever since my first nomination.

There is some sort of e-learning involved.  This means computer training of some sort.  I am fascinated by this aspect.  Some subset of the program seems to be here: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatlike.interactivefeatures.ksl

This all begins on Nov. 3.  A few days in DC, then 3 months in the capital of Kenya (Nairobi), then 2 years (!) somewhere else, to be determined.

Here is a great blog of a volunteer who previously served in this program: http://kimerimeti.blogspot.com/index.html

There is also some info here about the Peace Corp’s return to Kenya after some recent civil unrest: http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/about_usafc/newsroom/announcements_dynamic.asp?ID=1909

This link was sent to me by the Peace Corps after I was invited.  It’s a REALLY long PDF that you can read if you are looking for 100+ pages of info about the Peace Corps in Kenya: http://www.peacecorps.gov/welcomebooks/kewb615.pdf