In Search of the Elusive Peace Corps Moment: Destination: Estonia
From the moment the Aeroflot Tupolev-134 hit the tarmac, Douglas Wells knew his life would never be the same. As he stared in awe at the scores of Soviet military aircrafts jammed into the tiny Riga International Airport he was decidedly less sure about whether joining the first group of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in the former Soviet Union was the best decision of his life or his worst mistake. Was turning his back on a budding career as an accountant to work as an agricultural advisor in Estonia adventurous or foolhardy? And would he ever be able to fit into this totally alien environment? Armed with 100 pounds of luggage, a fishing pole, and a silent prayer, Douglas Wells sets out to find what had been missing in his life for many years, in search of adventure, in search of romance, in search of his "Peace Corps Moment."In Search of the Elusive Peace Corps Moment ~ Destination: Estonia is an anthology of "fish out of water" stories about a young man from America’s heartland struggling to find a place for himself in post-Soviet Estonia. Motivated by a will to make a difference in the world, he quickly finds out that doing so is much more difficult than he expected. Throughout his frustrations Douglas is able to maintain a sense of humor about the cultural gaps that must be bridged. Whether he is wrestling a prized sheep named Yeltsin, being stalked by an overzealous traffic cop armed with a new radar gun received as humanitarian aid from Texas, or cringing as a reluctant passenger in a car that is being driven 17 miles across the icy surface of the frozen Baltic Sea, Douglas never fails to recognize the irony of each situation, while at the same time laughing over his own angst.As Wells carries on the search for his elusive "Peace Corps Moment", he stumbles his way into some extraordinary events. He receives a commendation from the Estonian President for having recovered a national treasure that had been lost for 50 years, writes a song that miraculously finds itself in the number 1 spot on the Estonian pop charts, and marries the woman of his dreams. For many people, any one of these events might be considered life-defining, but in the end Douglas Wells recognizes that the true impact he made as a Peace Corps Volunteer extends far beyond his material accomplishments.