My Peace Corps Journey Begins

I've only been in my small, remote Moldovan village for four weeks, but I've already experienced so much. I’ve given a speech in Romanian at a school to commemorate the beginning of the school year, and I’ve introduced myself in Romanian while standing next to the mayor in front of the town hall. I’ve co-organized a club for youth volunteers and delivered free meals to the elderly. All this while working with several partners to help build internal capacity in their organizations so they can better serve the community.

I decided to join the Peace Corps as a Community and Organizational Development Facilitator last year because I wanted to reimagine how instructional design could be used. Don't get me wrong — I admire those who help professionals in corporate America acquire and advance the skills they need to be successful. But I wanted to take what I learned about organizational performance and human performance improvement and use it to help communities flourish.

Since I’m in a small village, I’ll be doing instructor-led training (as both the designer and facilitator) for both youth (life skills, employability, entrepreneurial training) and my partners (organizational development training). Additionally, I will be doing grant writing and project management for small community development projects. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to develop my e-learning skills in the workplace.

But that's OK! Peace Corps' third goal is "To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans." Soon I will begin creating videos and other types of e-learning that teach about Moldova, my village, and the challenges they face. This is a perfect opportunity for me to continue developing my professional skills and to help others become more familiar with this wonderful, welcoming country that will be my home for the next two years.