The Assignment

On December 24, 2020, I applied for the Peace Corps. I was entering my last terms of college and knew that I wanted to join the Peace Corps when I graduated.

A year and a half and one pandemic later, I received an official invite: Youth Development Specialist in Morocco set to depart September 2022. After reading the invite and job description, I did a fist pump, had a small joyful cry on the porch, and accepted the position. It couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

Here I am with three weeks left before I depart. I am nervous and beyond excited. I am going to be an educator in a beautiful country with so much to learn.

My day-to-day job will be working with youth to teach them important skills and promote engagement in the community. Dependent on the needs of the community, topics could include employability, health education, information technology, English, sports, or environmental education.

The more difficult, nuanced, and arguably more important job that I have 24/7 while I am there is to be an interface between the people of Morocco and the people of the United States. I have the opportunity to learn a culture completely different from my own and share that with friends, family, and strangers at home. Along with that, I am there to represent American culture, sharing that with new friends and colleagues I meet in Morocco.

This website is primarily where I will be completing the former; writing articles and sharing photos of what I learn about Morocco so that whoever reads can better understand Moroccan culture. The latter will be completed in every interaction I have in Morocco. I will do the best I can to represent the people and culture of the U.S. with honesty and honor.

Keep an eye on this website (https://wwinks.com/peace-corps) for new articles and experiences from Morocco for the next two years. Please feel free to send me an email with any questions or just to connect! Email and other contact methods are in the footer.

I have the honor to be Your Obedient Servant,

Westley Winks

Created: 2022-08-22

Last modified: 2022-08-22