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The book on display today is not actually just a book, it is a collection of short stories. Sometime ago, I received a package in the mail from the other students in my graduate class cohort. Since some of them took up their professional experiences in the US, they were able to combine forces and send care packages to the students who went off to the Peace Corps. Among some food and… Read More
I am going on three years now of rock climbing. In the grand scheme of things, that is very little. I really enjoy still feeling like I am in the beginnings of something new. The progress I have made in such a short time makes me proud, and the years I still have ahead of me keep me motivated. Despite only being in my life for three years, climbing has taken up… Read More
The Stevenson Center at Illinois State University wrote a piece about my Peace Corps Service in Peru. Click HERE to read the article.
I may have just read one of my favorite books of my entire life. Or at least my favorite book of my Peace Corps service. David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas has had me consumed for the past couple weeks. His novel of about 500 pages accompanied me wherever I went. I read it in bed every night, at work, on the toilet, at friend’s houses, in coffee shops and on buses. I could… Read More
Apparently I have been in country for one year. If it weren’t for the social media accounts of the other volunteers in my group, I probably would not have known. I have not been thinking about my service in terms of time. For others, their service is a countdown to close-of-service (COS). The presence my service has brought me is one of the most beautiful parts of it. Yes I do think… Read More
In August I moved out of my host family’s house and into my own apartment. I made the decision to move out for a number of reasons. In general, nothing was going wrong. I didn’t feel particularly unsafe or unhappy with living with my host family. However, I was feeling unsatisfied with a couple of things. One of those things was the food I was eating (or wasn’t eating) and the impacts… Read More
Teddy Dondanville 