please look for a letter in the mail

I stumbled in from the earliest outbursts of Hurricane Irene, following a solid 9+ mile run with the students, to find a single piece of mail in my bin. It was the arrival of this very envelope that preoccupied my thoughts while walking home the two days before. A gray and foggy morning, in both atmosphere and temperament, must have clouded my underlying anticipation, however; this letter was the last thing on my mind when I saw it sitting there in my building's mail rack. Rather than tear right in, I set it on a small table and let it sit there - alone - feeling shades of trepidation as I settled myself and grew steadily more aware of its presence.

update on my path to volunteering overseas

Original Transmission: 4 May 2011

Dearest Friends, Family, Colleagues, and all other folks whom have helped along the way,

As most of you are now aware, the process of finally recognizing my long-held dream of serving as a Peace Corps volunteer is well-underway. For those who were not included on my first update, I officially submitted my application back in late January. Since then, I have gone through several rounds of paperwork, regularly corresponded with my recruiter, had my initial interview, spoke with a handful of extremely helpful and insightful Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and continued doing whatever needed to be done in order to move my dream closer to realization.

i'm officially (finally) a peace corps...applicant!

Original Transmission: 26 January 2011

Dearest Friends & Family,

After 6+ years of thinking, talking, and dreaming about it, I have finally done it - I've submitted my application to be considered for a term of service as a Peace Corps volunteer. As you all well-know, getting to this point has not been easy. There have been many ups-and-downs and countless uncertainties along the way. The path before me is still not yet certain, but this is an all-important first step, and a very significant one for me. I want to thank each of you for the role you have played in getting me to this point. Without your support, encouragement, and especially your love, I'm not sure my dream would have gotten this far.

There is still a wide space between this moment and when I might finally set-up shop overseas (I'm estimating 12-18 months), but I'm sure that time will pass rather quickly. I will keep you all posted as my journey progresses. Again, thank you all so much!


With love,


-Joe