One Man’s Request

After 2 months of intensive language lessons, training sessions, and business development meetings I will hopefully be transitioning from Peace Corps Trainee to Peace Corps Volunteer August 3rd, 2012. In order to achieve this, I needed to write a letter to the current Peace Corps Director of Moldova requesting this invitation. I finished my letter today, which is attached below. It has felt like I have been here for over a year, but in the same sense when I look back at when I arrived in country, it feels like just yesterday I was dragging my smelly corp strapped with 200 lbs. worth of baggage through a Turkish airport destined for Chisinau.

In review of my time in Pre-Service Training (PST) I could not be more thankful for the host family I was matched with. The Bolfosu family: Slavic, Svetlana, Igor and Maxim have been great. They are such a wonderful mix of personalities. Slavic is extremely quirky, fun-loving, passionate, and a comedian. Svetlana is quiet, reserved, a great listener, and helper in making my life and communication easier. Igor is the facilitator of social gatherings, hard-working, and friendly. Last but not least, Maxim is curious, nice, and quiet like his mother. Together, the parts equal a strong sum. A fence without one chain link bent or broken. I have enjoyed this experience in PST in the town of Cricova, but a greater opportunity and challenge awaits. This Friday I will be moving to Leova, Moldova. Located across the Prut River from Romania, Leova will be where I call home for the next two years. I will be working in a business incubator with my partner Vitalie Garguan. There, I will be able to join adult basketball and volleyball teams, while also leading independent business projects. Who knows, I may also teach English to local youth.

The feeling I have now is nothing but bittersweet. I will miss my host family, town, and fellow volunteers immensely, but I joined the Peace Corps to test my will and abilties to their fullest. I cannot wait for what lies ahead. With that I would like to present to you my pitch, sent to the Country Director this afternoon, as to why I believe I am a strong candidate to be accepted as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova for the next two years:

Dear Jeffrey Goveia,

I would like to say that the last 2 months in Pre-Service Training have been excellent. Throughout this time I have experienced some pretty incredible things: a pig being processed from start to finish, many of the neighbors’ wine cellars, great sunsets, family parties, outdoor BBQs, basketball games with local youth and fellow volunteers, helping to pick fruit in my backyard, building a chicken coop, and carrying 100 cinder blocks up a small hill with my host dad. All of these experiences have helped me to grow, learn, and further integrate myself into the community, for which I could not be more thankful.

1. My time in Pre-Service Training has been sufficient to prepare myself for official service as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

2. I am excited to commit two plus years to the Peace Corps.

3. I am requesting to be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer August 3rd, 2012.

If I am missing anything, please let me know. I would like to conclude by adding my favorite quote to this excerpt, which is one that I read every morning and strongly applies to my every day life and attitude I will take into the Peace Corps, if granted permission:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes. – Charles Swindoll

Best,

Patrick Miller