Dan Turkel, as a member of the Peace Corps in Albania
My Peace Corps Journal
My dearest and most wonderful godson, Dan Turkel, decided to join the United States Peace Corps. He was assigned to the small town of Berat, Albania. A year before he left, I suggested we write a book about the whole experience. Dan resisted the idea a bit, he saw it as a lot of work and a big commitment that he didn't need at the time. And he was correct, it would be a big commitment. So I made this deal with him—if he would simply act as the reporter, scribble out his thoughts and actions weekly then email them to me, I would rewrite and assemble them. He agreed. So for three and half years we were a writing team. Dan would piece together observations along with his raw thoughts and feelings and send them to me. Reviewing his weekly journal entries caused me to suffer when Dan suffered, to be angry when he was angry and when he overcome obstacles I rejoiced. More than just a series of reports, I think you’ll find his journal enlightening and entertaining. Dan is young, quite different from me and has a quirky sense of humor. Although I acted as the assembler and initial editor, I felt it was important to leave all of his thoughts and emotions intact. I believe you’ll find our collaboration as one of the most comprehensive and interesting coverages of the Peace Corps volunteer experience. It’s possible after you read it, that you’ll either want to join the corps tomorrow, or you’ll want to stay a million miles away from it.
I have to admit a special fondness about this project.
When Dan was only sixteen, I spoke to him briefly about the Peace Corps, but only as a reflection of my admiration of John F. Kennedy. Although I absolutely believe in helping others, there was nothing in me that ever sought to extend that altruism by roughing it out in a foreign country for two years. However, young Dan heard President Kennedy’s message differently. He had the desire and courage to help others no matter where they were and didn’t see life in the corps as an obstacle. Even still, I never ever thought he would join the Peace Corps. But he did and I learned two very important things from the experience. Be careful what you tell young ambitious people. And that I can’t express how proud I am to be involved, even indirectly, with the legacy of JFK and the life of Daniel Turkel.
I have to admit a special fondness about this project.
When Dan was only sixteen, I spoke to him briefly about the Peace Corps, but only as a reflection of my admiration of John F. Kennedy. Although I absolutely believe in helping others, there was nothing in me that ever sought to extend that altruism by roughing it out in a foreign country for two years. However, young Dan heard President Kennedy’s message differently. He had the desire and courage to help others no matter where they were and didn’t see life in the corps as an obstacle. Even still, I never ever thought he would join the Peace Corps. But he did and I learned two very important things from the experience. Be careful what you tell young ambitious people. And that I can’t express how proud I am to be involved, even indirectly, with the legacy of JFK and the life of Daniel Turkel.
