If you were to leave home for 27 months...

and you could only take one (or two) books with you, what would you bring?

It is my understanding that I will likely encounter reading material overseas, but what is the book you would really want to make sure you had? Is it an old favorite, that you could reread over and over? Perhaps, it's a book that's been on your shelf for years and you haven't had the time to tackle it? Or maybe something really dense that would require careful study and rereading?

I'm curious to know your personal response, but I am also looking for suggestions. Or, if you have/are serving, what book did you bring or discover that kept you going?

The Countdown

Three months from today. That is my anticipated arrival in Morocco.

Between now and then I have to get ready for a solo art show, travel to Texas and the Northwest coast, pack, move my studio to storage, and prepare myself, my family and friends. So it begins!

--That is, after I call and officially accept my invitation. I wanted the weekend to let it sink in a bit before I jumped and accepted. Speak now or hold your peace. Most likely I'm calling tomorrow.

edit 6/9/08: I called this morning and accepted my invitation!

Peace Corps Invitation

I received the invitation in the mail today.

It seems I have officially been invited with what I was nominated for! I will be in Morocco in the "small business development" program, leaving in early September.

Since I'm not trained in business, I was a little wary with the title "small business development" but I also half expected that. The details in the rest of the booklet talk about working with small, community based artisans/artisan groups improve their businesses. This includes: access to new markets, identification of product, product quality control, training in basic business and financial management including inventory control, product pricing, credit and marketing plans, access to new information and technologies.

Two examples they gave of activities implemented by previous SBD volunteers were developing or enhancing an existing web page for start up artisan enterprises, and transcribing certain oral traditions in handicraft or artisan product design into written/electronic form to help preserve the traditional designs.

This sounds like it will be challenging and exciting for me. It is a little out of what I do, but I think I can appreciate a lot of this from the point of view of the artist, and having had to market my own work.

I have a lot to think about now, and for the next couple of months as I prepare.

I got a call...

Morocco!

-details to come.

Application Status Update

"Peace Corps sent you an invitation kit on June 2, 2008."


Mail from D.C. usually gets here 4-5 days from when it was sent. I will probably know Thursday or Friday where I will be headed! Since I never got a call from my placement officer, I can be fairly certain I will be headed to Morocco or Jordan in September.

Details to come when I get them.