Who am I?
Who?
My name is Chris Schirm, I am 24, and currently live in Washington D.C. but not for too much longer. I have worked for a PR firm in DC for the past two years, and while the people that I have met and the experiences that I have had have been extrordinary to say the least, I will be leaving DC and joining the Peace Corps. I have accepted an invitation to teach English in Turkmenistan.
Where?
The question that most people have asked me when I tell them is, "Where the heck is Turkmenistan?" Well here is a map of where Turkmenistan is http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/tx/.
What language do they speak?
The primary language that is spoken is Turkmen, which is a combination of Russian and Turkish. No, I am not fluent in Turkmen nor Russian, nor have I been a teacher in a classroom for more than a couple days before. I will receive three months of intense (6 days a week) training on both teaching and the Turkmen language once I get over there. I am awaiting my staging packet that will have an introduction to Turkmen.
Why?
When people ask me why I am doing this I have two answers. The first for me is that I have a desire to answer the following question, "Who are you as a person when you are in situation that you dont know anyone, dont know the language, but all you know is that you are there to help?" The second answer that I have is simply, because I can. I am at a point in my life where I dont have that many responsibilities or that many people relying on me for sustenance. In part, I know that if I didn't do this now than I would regret it for the rest of my life and always wonder what it would have been like.
When?
I started thinking about joining the Peace Corps when I was still in college. I am glad that I took the advice of my mom and went out into the working world before I decided to join. I have learned more about myself and what I am able to do in the past year and a half then I have the previous four years of college.
I will be leaving D.C. the end of August, spending a month with my parents in Arizona before I leave for staging and Turkmenistan at the end of September. I feel so underprepared for the adventure that is yet to come, but for something like this I dont quite think that you ever could be ready completely.
My name is Chris Schirm, I am 24, and currently live in Washington D.C. but not for too much longer. I have worked for a PR firm in DC for the past two years, and while the people that I have met and the experiences that I have had have been extrordinary to say the least, I will be leaving DC and joining the Peace Corps. I have accepted an invitation to teach English in Turkmenistan.
Where?
The question that most people have asked me when I tell them is, "Where the heck is Turkmenistan?" Well here is a map of where Turkmenistan is http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/tx/.
What language do they speak?
The primary language that is spoken is Turkmen, which is a combination of Russian and Turkish. No, I am not fluent in Turkmen nor Russian, nor have I been a teacher in a classroom for more than a couple days before. I will receive three months of intense (6 days a week) training on both teaching and the Turkmen language once I get over there. I am awaiting my staging packet that will have an introduction to Turkmen.
Why?
When people ask me why I am doing this I have two answers. The first for me is that I have a desire to answer the following question, "Who are you as a person when you are in situation that you dont know anyone, dont know the language, but all you know is that you are there to help?" The second answer that I have is simply, because I can. I am at a point in my life where I dont have that many responsibilities or that many people relying on me for sustenance. In part, I know that if I didn't do this now than I would regret it for the rest of my life and always wonder what it would have been like.
When?
I started thinking about joining the Peace Corps when I was still in college. I am glad that I took the advice of my mom and went out into the working world before I decided to join. I have learned more about myself and what I am able to do in the past year and a half then I have the previous four years of college.
I will be leaving D.C. the end of August, spending a month with my parents in Arizona before I leave for staging and Turkmenistan at the end of September. I feel so underprepared for the adventure that is yet to come, but for something like this I dont quite think that you ever could be ready completely.
posted by Schirm 2605 | 9:16 AM
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