The Adventure Continues!

Hello all!

Greetings from Moçambique! I just wanted to share some exciting news with you that I recently received. Peace Corps has offered me a position as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader (PCVL) in Moçambique’s central office for next year. This means, starting in January, I will move to a new province a couple days’ north of my current site and work with Peace Corps to open new PCV sites, support current volunteers and coordinate trainings and other activities in the surrounding three provinces. I will also be spending some time working with a yet-to-be-determined NGO in the city to gain more international development experience.

This is not a decision I made lightly, but after plenty of prayer and talking with some former PCVLs, friends, PC staff members, I genuinely believe this is where I’m meant to be next year. I get another year to improve my Portuguese, get a better feel for development work and decide where I want to end up for grad school afterward. And, ok, I’ve kind of fallen in love with this country. 
I’m thrilled at the opportunity, but I know this also means that I’ll be away from you – my family, friends and support network – for another year. Thankfully, PC is paying for me to go home for a month, from December 16 to January 16, and I’ll see everyone then. And then be home for good at that time in 2012. This also means that you have another year to come visit me in Africa.  Cape Town, Victoria Falls or Mount. Kilimanjaro, anyone?

I’ll keep you posted as I hear more about my home for the next year on facebook and my blog (pcvalcooper.blogger.com). Or, I’m always up for Skype dates (valcooper87). Love you all and looking forward to seeing you in a few months! Fique bem!