The following year, she was a resident assistant in his building. They decided to get married and when Balmaceda's graduate school plans fell through, Roy mentioned joining the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps commitment is two years and three months, with 24 vacation days per year, a small living stipend and a readjustment allowance given when the volunteer returns home, they said. Balmaceda and Roy are slated to ship out September 30. African communities come together to form cooperatives, they said, to either develop agriculture or start a craft business, so business and economics skills will come in handy.
Volunteers help with the books and teach business practices.
The partial shutdown of the United States government caused delays in the process for many, but Roy and Balmaceda got their nomination only a week after the interview. While the two naturally feel some anxiety about their move, they are excited about the rewards that the Peace Corps offers. There is such a culture to be experienced there. Visit family in Ethiopia, begin job at Whitman College in Washington Halefom Belay, who receives the PhD in economics this weekend, considers himself lucky. Ethiopia was in the throes of a civil war.