Peace Corps Invitation Accepted!

I apologize for the lack of entries. I've been busy dealing with Peace Corps related stuff, as well as watching DVD's of HBO's Entourage series and some playoff baseball. The financial crisis has continued to dominate the news, and unfortunately the bailout has passed. I don't have much more to say about that at this point, check out the blogs I have listed in the left hand column for detailed explanations and reactions.

I mentioned that I was dealing with Peace Corps items lately. A week ago I received my invitation packet in the mail, and after some serious contemplation about whether I really wanted to spend 27 months of my life in a developing country, I officially accepted on Friday. I will be leaving February 24, 2009 to do Business Advising in Honduras. I am very excited as I know it will be a challenging and rewarding experience.

I have found that many people are not very familiar with what the Peace Corps actually does. When I mention that I am going to be serving, they often mention that they know someone who did it at one time or another, but that is often as far as their knowledge of the organization goes. I think it is important to distinguish that the PC involves more than just building houses or other types of physical labor. While these things are helpful in the own right, one goal of the PC is to leave people in the host country with skills and resources that they will (hopefully) retain long after the the volunteer has left. I think this will be important for me to keep in mind. While foreign aid in the form of money sent to developing countries may or may not be well-intentioned, there are a number of issues which show that it is not nearly as helpful as one would hope, and in fact may even be harmful in some cases. This is because countries may become reliant on money being supplied to them, and a dependence on these cash gifts can become a hindrance to further development. Also, foreign aid is put into the hands of that country's government officials, who can often be corrupt and find ways to keep the money/use it in a way that was not intended. Finally, foreign aid often comes with the stipulation that the receiving country use it to buy goods from the country that provided it. So, many industries in the recipient country lose out on this possible revenue. I still have a lot to learn about the subjects. But the bottom line is that aid to developing countries in any form is a tough issue. I think that, while the Peace Corps is certainly not perfect, it is a better vehicle for development than sending over a lump sum of cash.

I am planning to keep a blog while I am in Honduras to keep friends and family informed of what I am doing while I'm away. I am not yet sure if I will be able to use this one for that purpose or if I will have to start another one, but I will let you know.