¡Saludos desde la República Dominicana!

Hi everybody!

My name is Daniel Malin and I am currently serving overseas as a Peace Corps volunteer, in a Spanish-speaking country called the Dominican Republic. I have been living in a small farming town called Pedro Sánchez for almost a year, which means that I'm about half-way into my service here. It's been an amazing experience so far and I am very grateful for the opportunity to tell you all about it.

First, a little about myself:

I grew up in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, before going on to get a degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, DC. I think that I have always been interested in learning about different countries and experiencing new cultures, so when I found out about the Peace Corps, it seemed like a great idea! The Peace Corps is a program that sends Americans abroad to work in developing countries for a minimum of two years. Right now, all over the world there are thousands of Peace Corps volunteers working in different sectors: like health, education, business, environment, youth development and many more. Here in the Dominican Republic, I work as a Community Economic Development volunteer, which means that I help to create different business opportunities in my community.

I guess you could say I'm lucky, since my main project is to assist in the creation of a community eco-tourism project. I'm helping members of my community design and market their idea, which is to attract tourists and take them to visit nearby caves and waterfalls. When I first found out, I couldn't believe it! Caves and waterfalls? Sounds like fun! In truth, it is a ton of fun. But it also takes a lot of hard work to start a business, as you'll learn in the coming months. In addition to that project, I work with youth, I teach English and business classes and I spend lots and lots of time just hanging out in my community, spending time with different Dominican families.

I can't wait to hear more from you guys the coming weeks! I'll be happy to answer all of your questions :)

- Dan

Hi Dan

Hi Dan, Here at Campbell School we would love to know if you could tell us why you decided to join the Peace Corps?