Peace Corps: < 2 Weeks

So less than 2 weeks (a mere 13 days) from today, I will be getting on a plane and heading to Philadelphia for Staging. Then, two days later, I will be boarding a plane to Johannesburg, South Africa!!!

When I get to Johannesberg, I'm going to be driven to Ndebele College of Education near Dennilton in Mpumalanga Province. I will be staying in a dormitory for a week then I will live with a host family until September 16, 2010. During this time period (the first 8 weeks) I will not have any internet access or a phone number at which you can reach me. I will be busy immersing myself in the South African culture, free of outside distractions. After that, I'm not sure what will be happening as far as where I'll be living. I guess I'll just wait to find out that answer until I get there! In the meantime, if you want to send me letters, you can use this address:

Chad Wolver, PCV

Peace Corps

P.O. Box 9536

Pretoria 0001

South Africa

To answer another popular question I have been asked of late, I am both electrified with excitement and brooding with fear. I am scared that I'll miss all my friends and family, won't like the lack of amenities, won't be able to learn the local language in order to fulfill my job and won't be accepted into my host community. I am scared to death for sure. BUT... I am so excited to finally be able to serve others in this amazing opportunity that my fears crushed with optimism.

If I miss my family and friends, I know they are only a phone call away (and I'll have pictures for sure). If I don't like the lack of amenities, I'll think of the time I went without showering for 30 days straight. If I'm struggling with learning the language, I'll devote even more time and energy to overcome this impediment. And if I'm not accepted into the host community, I'll just play Age of Empires III on my computer for the next few years (Just kidding haha!).

Seriously though, I am so excited to learn a new language, live outside of the United States and immerse myself in another culture. This new chapter in my life is becoming more and more real with every passing hour, and I cannot wait to start writing all about it!

Until I hear from you,

Chad Wolver

Peace Corps: My Assignment

Total flight distance is 10,011 miles (16,111 km) from Phoenix, AZ to Pretoria, South Africa.

Image and calculations courtesy of TravelMath.com.

Okay so the main question that I've been getting is about what I'll actually be doing in South Africa. What's my job? First, let me give you what Peace Corps gave me. "In my role as School and Community Resource Volunteers, I will work at the secondary education level:

• "assisting teachers in improving their teaching, subject content knowledge and classroom practices in all subjects in accordance with the requrements of the outcomes-based curriculum;
• "providing direct instruction to learners primarily but not exclusively;
• "complementing the Department of Education's training of teachers and school management teams on the outcomes-based curriculum, overall school management and other initiatives;
• "supporting initiatives by government and non-government organizations that promote HIV/AIDS awareness and education in schools and communities as well as developing strategies for handling the subject in schools;
• "working with school governing bodies, educators, parents and community members to stregthen the parnership between schools and communities;
• "initiating, supporting and strengthening programmes in the community which empower out-of-school youth."

Basically I'm going to be teaching math, working with other teachers to create a better teaching program and working with administration to improve education quality. Besides those 6 things listed, I also can take on secondary and tertiary assignments of my own choosing. These assignments can be anything from hosting english literacy sessions to improving beekeeping practices in the area.

Anything else that I want to get involved with, I essentially can. The extra projects will "be largely determined by my initiative, skills and interests, and the interests and needs of my community." It should be interesting to say the least, I am so excited to finally start working!

Yours in Elation,
Chad Wolver

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this posting are in no way intended to represent the views of the United States Peace Corps or the United States Government.

Peace Corps: The Groundwork

I'm going to try and only use 2 websites to update my progress as a Peace Corps Volunteer: Facebook and Twitter. I figure I already have an established base of friends who visit my profile on these two websites regularly, so there really is no reason to create an external blog. Oh and this is a longer post, I apologize in advance for its length. Normally, they will not be this long.

So for everyone who doesn't know, I have wanted to join Peace Corps since I was in high school. My flame to serve in an international capacity was truly sparked when my high school German teacher, Frau Birgit Zimmermann, encouraged me to reach farther than my mind could imagine and challenged me to see a bigger picture of our world. From there, I became heavily involved with the Order of the Arrow. Their purpose of selflessly serving other people in leadership further amplified my inner-flame to put others before myself in an attempt to make our world a more complete and empathetic place.

In high school, I contemplated joining the Peace Corps as soon as I graduated. I'm not even kidding. I went to informational sessions and everything. Unfortunately, the recruiter at the information session told me that I needed at the very least a bachelors degree. So I went to ASU, learned a little there and there and finally applied in the summer between my junior year and senior year. To give you a little understanding of how long the application process was, here are the actual dates of my various submissions, interviews, clearances, et cetera:

• Started Application: 05/10/2008
• Submitted Application: 05/06/2009
• Interview Date: 06/11/2009
• Nomination: 08/05/2009
• Medical Clearance: 10/19/2009
• Legal Clearance: 10/21/2009
• Program Invitation: 04/12/2010

So all-in-all, it has taken me 6 years, a mandatory wisdom teeth extraction surgery, 10+ doctors appointments, a trip to Los Angeles and more paperwork than a single man could carry in order to fully commit to the Peace Corps. I am so proud and ecstatic that I have finally been called to serve.

I have been invited to serve as a "Resource Specialist" with the "Schools and Community Resource Project" Program in the Republic of South Africa. The first official event that I will be attending is the Pre-Service Training (often called 'Staging') in the United States from July 12-13, 2010. At Staging, I will finish off my paperwork, meet the rest of the Trainees who I will be serving with and learn a little more about my specific duties. At the conclusion of the Staging event, our group will depart to South Africa together. I will have Pre-Service Training in South Africa from July 14, 2010 until August 28, 2010. The in-country Pre-Service Training is designed to acclimate me to the culture, language and customs of the villages in which I will be serving. At the conclusion of the Pre-Service Training, I will be sworn in as an official Volunteer for the Peace Corps and will serve in a South African community from August 28, 2010 until August 27, 2012.

Although I will not know what city I will be residing in until I get to the Pre-Service Training, it is a pretty safe bet to assume that most of my service will be conducted in a remote, rural community of South Africa. As such, I am not sure how often I will have access to the internet but I will be updating my Facebook profile and my Twitter account as much as possible while I am overseas (events, updates and pictures). Below are the web addresses for both:

http://www.facebook.com/chadwolver
http://www.twitter.com/chadwolver

I hope to update both accounts as often as possible. Once I know what my permanent address will be, I will update my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Thank you everyone who has sacrificed so much to get me where I am today, I sincerely could not have done it without your love, discipline, passion, disapproval and support!

In Justice & Service,
Chad Wolver

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this posting are in no way intended to represent the views of the United States Peace Corps or the United States Government.