From Microsoft to Malawi: Learning on the Front Lines as a Peace Corps Volunteer
Holy crap. We won�t know the real deal until we step off the plane,� said Buckler to his fellow Peace Corps volunteers before �embarking into the great beyond� in Africa. Nine thousand miles and one year later, the 32-year-old lawyer began to understand the depth of commitment demanded by his mission in Malawi and the truth of his initial assessment. Teaching in a village there for two years meant sharing his small home with three boy students as he learned the language (Chichewa), customs, and culture. Buckler�s multicultural and transformative personal growth will keep readers� attention as he reports on how he learned the nuanced meanings of commitment, collaboration, and friendship in this exploration of self and place developed from journal entries. Buckler describes with keen powers of observation details of village life that capture the imagination as he sees beyond those boundaries to the larger global landscape. Readers interested in global community development and armchair travelers will applaud. --Whitney Scott