29 August 2005

The Land of Coffee and Sugar Cane

Coffee - what a beautiful thing it is to sit and relax with a hot cup of coffee. Of course, with milk, chocolate, sugar, etc you can make a multitude of variations on the basic cup to suit the many moods of life.

As I head off to the Dominican Republic next week, I am looking forward to living in a land where coffee and sugar cane is grown. Maybe I'll even get to work with coffee farmers for my Small Business Development work. For those of you wondering what this is all about, I'll explain. Beginning Sept 6th, I will be a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Of course, this means 3 months of training before I can begin my position as a Community Economic Advisor. (And if anyone can translate what exactly that means I will be doing, you would have my eternal gratitude!) Once I have completed my training (which naturally involves language training, cultural training, and job training), I will be off to my site, which will be my new home for the next 2 years. As daunting as all this sounds, I am finally getting excited. The whole process (application, interview, medical clearance, and more!) has taken an entire year... and I can't believe it's finally here! So, here's to friends and family that will accompany me electronically for the next 2+ years! PLEASE email and keep in touch! In the meantime, I will continue to dream of coffee and hope for the best!

My mailing info (at least thru Nov):
Jessica Stearns, PCV
Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado 1412
Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic

Email (for as often as I can find internet cafes!):
jstearns @ westmont.edu


Blogs (yes, I have two... I'm still deciding!):
stearns003.blogspot.com
spaces.msn.com/members/stearns003

Cheers and blessings to you all!

Travel/PC Links

Peace Corps Books

DR Books