He worked in three schools and a language learning center. He worked more hours than probably any other volunteer (some days he worked 8-8) because in addition to his long days of “regular” PCV work, he had undertaken a project to create teacher manuals to go along with the Turkmen English language text books. It was a project that everyone at Peace Corps and people in the Turkmen ministry of education were excited about. Now that project will never be done. He and his counterpart had formed a good bond, as his counterpart came over to his house three or four evenings a week. And another volunteer is losing the sitemate she had regular Sunday lunches with.
He is one of the kindest, gentlest, most thoughtful people I know. I can rely on him to put a smile on my face, or more usually, make me laugh. Whenever I am upset, he has an uncanny ability to calm me. He’s always telling me about what he’s reading at the moment and asking me what I’m reading at the moment (so I always feel I should be reading something at any given time; it’s good for me). And like me, he’ll pull out random facts a la Cliff Clavin on Cheers.
I could go on, fawning over him and singing his praises, but he might read this, and I don’t want him to get a big head. For everyone else reading it, you get an idea of what a great guy he is and why his leaving the program is such a tragedy.