Well, as everyone knows by now, there’s a global pandemic of the COVID-19 virus. The Peace Corps announced in March that it was recalling all of its volunteers worldwide. I checked at that point and was told that things could change, but that I should continue to plan for a June 2 departure.
Then, on April 8, we got word that volunteers won’t return to their countries of service until at least after Sept. 30.
The message from Peace Corps Director Jody K. Olsen said, “We will continue to provide you with updates in coming weeks and months on how these decisions impact your specific departure. Given our hope to return Volunteers to the field as quickly as possible, you may be asked to consider a country assignment other than that to which you were originally invited if your initial assignment is further postponed. However, if you would prefer to decline your invitation, you may reapply at any time within the next year with an expedited application process. We wish to reassure you that withdrawing at this time will not have any negative impact on your future application for Peace Corps service.” (Emphasis added.)
At this point, it looks like I will still be able to serve in the Peace Corps, although I might be asked to serve in some place other than The Gambia. It’s unclear when I’ll be able to serve, though.
I’m wrapping things up in my job as editor of The Elizabethtown Advocate, the newspaper I founded in 2010. We announced today who my successor will be.
I had already planned to move to my mother’s home in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and use that as my address of record during my Peace Corps service. (Part of it was that Pennsylvania won’t let you renew your driver’s license except in the six-month period before it expires. Mine was set to expire in 2021 and I expected to be in Africa during the six months before it expired. My solution was to get a new Ohio driver’s license, which would ensure that I have a valid license when I return to the United States. That will make my life a lot easier upon my return.) Initially I was only planning to be physically present in Yellow Springs for a few weeks or a couple of months, but it might be where I am for an extended period.
On the plus side, this will give me time to get in better physical shape before my service. My first few months in country will go a lot more smoothly if I’m in good shape. Even if I’m reassigned to someplace where physical fitness isn’t very important (e.g. teaching English as a second language in an urban environment), it certainly won’t do me any harm to be physically fit.
I had planned to sell my house in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, but I’m not sure what I’ll do now. I suspect that when real estate brokers are allowed to do business again, there won’t be a whole lot of people looking to buy, so I might not be able to get a good price. I already rent out the upstairs unit; I might well get a property management company to look after the house for me and rent out the downstairs unit as well until the price of real estate recovers. Also, it’s possible that I will be able to sell the house for a good price within a few months. I really don’t know what to expect.