From the Land of Fire: Thank You

A little bit about me...

Hi my name is Raechelle, and I lived in the secular Muslim country of Azerbaijan as a Youth Development Volunteer for the Peace Corps for three years and three months. I am now the Administrator of the official Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Friends of Azerbaijan group. As such, I am working to promote Peace Corps third goal of helping promote a better understanding of Azerbaijani people to Americans.

I created this blog as a way for future Peace Corps Volunteers, my friends and family, and Americans in general to understand what life as a Peace Corps Volunteer is like. As part of the pilot program for Youth Development in Azerbaijan, my work in Azerbaijan was diverse to say the least. I took on a role as youth educator, mentor and promoter. I helped with academic advising, established informal youth service clubs, encouraged youth to be proactive in their communities, promoted volunteer-ism and making a positive contribution to their communities.

I served as an extended volunteer, meaning that I served a third year instead of the traditional two year and three month service. During that time, I got married to my community counterpart and embraced many parts of the Azerbaijani culture. It is my hope to provide you a sense of understanding of life as a Peace Corps volunteer, life in Azerbaijan, and a bit about Azerbaijani culture through my experiences. Please feel free to comment or email me if you have any questions or suggestions for topics you'd like to hear more about.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Thank You

To all my family, and close family friends who came to say goodbye yesterday, I just wanted to say thank you. It means so much to me that I could say goodbye to everyone before I left, as hard as that is. You have all done so much to help me get this far, and I couldn't have done it without you. I have lots of pictures to take with me, but remember I can always use a few more! Don't forget to send me as many as you can over the next two years... weddings, birthdays, thanksgiving, christmas and any other holiday or family event that I should have been there... please send me pictures! I had such a nice time eating all your tasty foods, and getting to laugh (and cry) with you all one more time. I know you are all worried about me, but I know I will be fine. I know that things will be both exciting and meaningful. I may miss a lot here... but you will all miss a lot there. I love you all, and thank you again for EVERYTHING!