My Stage

Stage is the name Peace Corps Niger gives each group of new trainees when they come into country. All of us are training to become either CHA or FARM volunteers. Forty-three of us arrived in Niger on October 22^nd. Two months in, there are forty-one of us which I think is pretty normal for Peace Corps standards.

I feel incredibly lucky to be part of such an enthusiastic and diverse group of people. Many of us are coming straight from undergrad, some have spent a few years working, there are three married couples among us, one past the age of retirement… so if you’ve ever thought about joining the Peace Corps: it’s never too late! There are people from California, from Idaho, and several from Pennsylvania too. One of my stage mates actually just finished Peace Corps Nicaragua and decided to repeat the experience all over again in Niger.

My awesome roommate Shelly has a blog, which I recommend reading (especially when my poor grammar gets to you. Shelly was a Journalism major at University of Wisconsin and worked in Communications at Habitat for Humanity before coming to Peace Corps Niger).

Cornell in Niger! (Michael Beyman, I expect this picture in the next Alumni Magazine).

For all the Cornellians reading this, I also recommend fellow Class of 2010 Shelby’s blog. We’ve had a lot of fun comparing weather patterns in Niger to those in Ithaca, and owning up to the Andy Bernard reputation together.

A good friend and fellow trainee here, Jacob, has uploaded small bios of each of us on his blog, I’d encourage you to visit if you’re interested in Peace Corps in general, development, or who I spend all my time with these days. 

Additional blog plugs: my good friend Ben Cole (another Cornell ‘10er), is working for Google Africa this year, so I’d encourage his blog. Finally, my Dad’s blog is pretty cool, so feel free to check that one out too.