The City of Brotherly Love

I’m in Philly for staging right now.  I’ve got the internets in my room, so I thought I’d write a quick note now, and more of an explanation and analysis of the staging later.

For now, just know that I’m leaving for Azerbaijan tomorrow afternoon, and I won’t have access to a phone or the internet for the week or so after that.  I don’t know how I’ll survive, but I think I will.

Azerbaijan? Where the hell is that?

This is the response I normally get when I tell people I’m about to go into the Peace Corps in Azerbaijan. I’ve explained it a few different ways, but I usually say it’s between Russia and Iran, between the Caspian and Black Seas. Maybe there’s a better way to describe it, but since you’ve got internet access, go ahead and check out the Wikipedia page on Azerbaijan. Click the map to access the page.

If you read that, you will be about as informed as I am.

The Joy of Packing

Of the things I need to do before I leave for Azerbaijan, packing is easily the most daunting task.  Other than load my suitcases, I must wrap up my loose ends and get out of my apartment, both of which are easy.  Packing is the problem.

I have broken things into three categories: Clothes, Sanity, and Work.  The clothes are self-evident (but i should mention that it is difficult to pack for both a hot summer and a cold winter).  What is really proving to be a challenge is the Sanity category.  Here, I’m including things like my little chess set, my ipod, laptop, camera, books, coffee (and french press), soccer balls, cards, and things of that nature.  I feel as though I will have a lot of downtime, so I want to be prepared for it.  I remember some of the tougher times in Korea had to do with the fact that sometimes there just wasn’t anything exciting to do.

The other category is things I’ll need in the classroom.  Glue sticks?  Will they be available?  I have no idea, which makes preparation difficult.  Too bad I only have four days to figure it out.

The amount of time left makes packing an obstacle one that can be overcome, but it’s such an important thing to do, I don’t want to mess it up.  Maybe I just need to say ‘to hell with it’ and toss some stuff in a suitcase and see where I stand.

An oldy but goody

My old blog is still up.  You can check it out at www.ayearinkorea.typepad.com.

I know I’m writing this for friends and family, so many of you will have read the old blog too.  It’s pretty fun to go back and read some of the old posts.  But maybe thats only true if you were the one writing them.

Either way, I don’t know how long that blog will still exist, so check it while ya’ can.

For those who read ayearinkorea, do you have any suggestions about something I should do differently this time around?  Anything I did right?  I know including more pictures is a priority of mine now…

Preface Two – The History

My name is Jeff Bailey. I’m from Coos Bay, Oregon. I’m 23 years old. I’m in the Peace Corps.

A less dry history of myself might include that I just graduated from Portland State University (June 2007). I got a B.A. in Social Science and worked as a Peer Mentor for the University Studies program. I really loved the work I did in there, and was hoping to find a way to continue to do so after I graduated. That was my junior year.

I spent what was supposed to be my senior year studying-abroad, in Seoul, Korea. I was taking classes, but not focused whatsoever on graduating. I attended Yonsei University for two semesters and taught English on the side, and came back to the U.S. in August of 2006.

I came back prepared to start my final year of college, but I was also determined to have a post-degree plan lined-up before I actually graduated. I really really really didn’t want to finish school and have nothing on the horizon. I idea scared the crap out of me.

I was looking into doing AmeriCorps until my cousin suggested Peace Corps. In a sense, that was it, because as soon as I looked into it, I decided thats what I wanted to do. That was in September 2005. I would stay up all night reading PC blogs, imagining myself in various scenarios all over the world.

The application process was thorough, and annoying, but in the end was doable. However, did my determination to complete the obstacle of the application, and avoid any post-graduate doldrums cloud my judgment as to whether or not the Peace Corps was actually a good idea or not? If you did the math between when I got back from Korea and when I will leave for Azerbaijan, I will have been back for less than a year. Is it too soon? Am I going while the going is good? Why do I have such an urge to leave when others seem so content to stay? Do they see something I don’t?

Did I make the right choice? Keep reading for the next 27 months to find out.

Preface One – The Story

This is my new blog. Welcome.

To put things into context, I’ll be leaving for the Peace Corps in six days. June 23rd to be exact. After a couple days in Philadelphia, I’ll be heading to Azerbaijan, where I’ll spend 27 months (if everything goes according to plan). I frame this as being contextual because this impeding departure is the end of a long process that is the Peace Corps (PC) application process.

I applied around January 4th and had my interview a couple weeks after that. After some follow-up questions from the interview, I got nominated for the North Africa/Middle East program. However, it took me three weeks to complete the medical application, plus some delay from some additional work needed, so by the time the deadline for invitation to the North Africa/Middle East program came around, the program was booked.

This last part is far from peculiar. I guess around 40% of applicants don’t go to the program they are nominated for. I think it’s somewhat like overbooking a flight. You can bank of a couple people not showing up, so sign up some extra people to make sure all the seats get filled.

Either, way I decided to accept an invitation to Eastern Europe/Central Asia, specifically the Caucus region. After some reservations (based on my own stereotypes of what a former soviet union country would be like), I agreed to go, and it turned out that I’ll be leaving for Azerbaijan about a week after I graduated from Portland State University, which was yesterday.