Jim D.

1. What got you interested in the Peace Corps?

When I was growing up in the ‘60s, all the magazines had Peace Corps ads and on TV there would be Peace Corps commercials. Not sure why that stuck with me because I didn't know anyone who had traveled outside the U.S. other than an uncle who was in the military.

When I graduated with a mechanical engineering degree, I knew I didn't want a desk job, so I filled out a Peace Corps application. It was 30+ pages! After I filled it out, I left so many pages blank that I knew they wouldn't choose me, so I never sent it in. But the thought never left my mind. I kept thinking about it, year after year.

In 2008, after traveling a lot, I ended up taking a volunteer teaching job in Mongolia. There I met and became very good friends with a Peace Corps Volunteer who was serving there. He was the one who convinced me to finally apply. He even wrote one of my recommendation letters.

That was 4 countries ago: Thailand, Mongolia, Nepal, and now, Armenia. I didn't plan on serving that many times, it just sort of happened. But I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

2. What projects are you working on?

My school's grant project is to build several multimedia carts that can be taken from classroom to classroom. Our school has a computer room with a projector but we're lucky if we can get use of it for 1 class a month. But, especially with languages, students really need to hear English more. Plus, multimedia is a way to get them more engaged. More engagement = more learning, IMO.

I'm extending a third year, and my main focus will be to continue to create more materials we can use on the carts.

3. What strategies have you used to integrate into your community?

Even though my village is about 1500 people, I don't really see them much because every house is surrounded by 10-foot walls. I've had to rely on using my connection to my students to better integrate in the village. I'm always surprised when a villager seems to know everything about me before we even meet. But I guess that is a good thing.

I run and bike a lot so that helps me see every part of the village and I guess it lets them see me too. Lately I've started working out the wrestling team at the community center. That has helped me break the ice with older students who are very reluctant to speak English in the classroom.

4. What is a highlight of your time in service so far?

I know this is going to sound crazy, but just being excited to go to work every morning is the highlight of every day. Not everyone, especially back in the U.S., can say that. I guess other highlights are getting a grant to outfit the whole school with new desks, some of my students winning national awards in the WriteOn! competition, and hosting the Peace Corps Trainees to do their practicums at my school.

But the biggest highlight is when Carol Spahn, the director of the Peace Corps, came and sat in on one of my classes. It was my third-grade class, and we had so much fun. She even joined us for a song. I think for any Volunteer, that would be a highlight.

6. How do you spend time when you are not working on a project?

My hobbies are running (for health, as I'm pretty slow), biking (I love to ride my mountain bike in the hills surrounding the village and to nearby towns), computers (I run a Peace Corps tips and advice website: WanderingTheWorld.com - All Things Peace Corps), and learning to play the baritone ukulele. So I'm never bored!

7. What are you looking forward to in your remaining time as a Volunteer?

Watching my students grow into young adults. When I first arrived 2 years ago, during my site visit, four little girls from the 4th grade instantly became my friends. In those two years, they have grown up so much. I'm looking forward to seeing how much more they are going to grow in the next year. But this really goes for all the students. It is going to tear my heart apart to leave them so that means I have to make my remaining time even more precious.

8. Once you finish service, what will you do differently when you return to the U.S.?

Peace Corps has taught me so much, both personally and professionally. And it has exposed me to parts of the world I never would have known. I know so much more about the lesser-known parts of the world now. So, when they are in the news, I can help my family and friends learn from what I know and experienced. On one level, I guess I will be an unofficial advocate for my host countries.

Learn more about serving in Armenia.