Joel Hatline and Catherine Belte taked about their time in the Peace Corps.
 
The idea of the Peace Corps was first announced by John F. Kennedy at U of M in 1960 and became a reality in 1961. It started in 9 countries, has been in 141 countries total, with 60 active countries today. The average age of a volunteer is 28 with a surprising number of people over age 50 participating. The four areas in which the Peace Corps focuses are health, education, economic, and community.
Joel and Catherine met while training for their respective duties. Both went to the country of Moldova where Joel taught English at a Russian speaking school while Catherine worked in the health care industry where they spoke Romanian.
 
Although both had to handle serious language barriers, unusual customs, and living in remote areas where cleanliness was not a priority (leading to health issues), both came away with great experiences. For Catherine, she was able to connect to her family heritage and Joel was able to be the first American to whom some of the residents had ever spoken. To learn more, please visit www.peacecorps.gov.