My Blogger Manifesto

Distance, sort of.

The irony of starting a blog right here right now is stark. I am the most distant to my home (Buffalo, New York) as I ever have been. The Caribbean Sea, my boss’s approval and two sets of customs are just a few of the obstacles that lye in the way of making it home for the holidays. The irony however is that because I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in 2017, and not the 60s or 70s, I have electronic forms of communication readily at my disposal, which renders my physical location minor in terms of communication and connectivity. With 3G services in my pueblo and Wi-Fi (when it’s working) in my room, I am almost always accessible, connected to, and sometimes distracted by Internet communications. Whatsapp, Facebook, MyWeather App, and yes, even Snapchat are in my pocket ready to launch. The pros and cons of such a technologies are a topic for another blog entry itself.

To embrace blogging for me is as much professional as it is personal. Other PCVs can attest that for most of what we do the personal and the professional are inseparable.  So, at the least, I can consider this blog Peace Corps “Third Goal” material, and at most, it’s my humble need for an outlet to a wider audience.

If I do the blog right…

My Desk and Laptop

The goal of this blog is to do more than show you my experience. Rather, it is to offer you critique, analysis, and document for myself my thoughts accumulated during my Peace Corps service. With added emphasis on MY Peace Corps experience, which differs drastically from others’ in my Community Economic Development program, other PCVs in Colombia, other countries, and especially those from the preceding decades, I will explore contemporary and evolving issues related to my Peace Corps service.

I hope to flush out my thoughts and commentary to this audience as an alternative to my physical environment (a rural Colombian village). A blog removes some cultural, physical, and environmental barriers in order to effectively share my experience. If successful, blog entries will prompt more questions than they will offer you answers. With more questions than answers I hope to create an environment of personal, social, and relative inquisition, using my service in Peace Corps Colombia as a springboard. I hope you find what you read of value and I encourage you to reach out.