He may not know exactly what to expect when he arrives in Kazakhstan but Shoreline resident Greg Yandl said he knows serving as a Peace Corps volunteer will be an adventure.
Yandl will leave behind family, friends and the area he has called home all his life today, Aug. 17, as he begins a 27-month commitment as a Peace Corps volunteer.
“At this point I know I can’t expect anything,” he said. “I know some times will be rough and some will be fun but I’m convinced I can stick it out.”
Yandl, 22, attended St. Luke Elementary School in Shoreline and Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle. In May he graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a minor in chemistry and a concentration in entrepreneurial leadership. While attending Gonzaga, he spent two years in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) before deciding to join the Peace Corps after graduation.
“With the political climate the way it is I decided I really didn’t want to do (ROTC) anymore but I still wanted to serve my country and the Peace Corp seemed like a very good way to do that,” Yandl said.
So he visited the Peace Corps Web site, signed up and was nominated by a recruiter to go to his top region of choice – Eastern Europe. His plans were changed when he was asked to work in the country of Kazakhstan, in Central Asia.
Yandl said he’ll work in non-governmental organizational development (NGO development) and the job description is “kinda vague” for now but he will be assisting organizations and community groups.
For three months he will live with a host family while he studies Russian for the first time and learns about the local culture. Then he will be immersed in the local culture as he works in his host country over the next two years. He will be given a stipend, or area median income to live on and was told to bring only the amount of luggage allowed on a plane. He plans to communicate with family and friends via the Internet, posting blogs and pictures of his time in Kazakhstan on his Web site, www.gregyandl.com.
Kathy Yandl said her son is “hoping he has electricity and other things he’s used to” but is certain that “he’ll come back with a lot of different experiences and perspectives.”
She said her son’s decision has caused his two younger sisters and one younger brother to talk about their own plans post college.
“It’s a new experience for all of us,” she said. “We have no idea what to look forward to but I don’t think he has ever missed a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter so that will be hard when he goes.”
Yandl’s father, Kris, said his son is ambitious.
“I’m a little surprised he took on this Peace Corps endeavor,” he said. “But he’s a very helpful person so it doesn’t surprise me at all from that point of view.”
When asked how he felt about leaving the only continent he’s ever set foot in, Yandl said he wasn’t nervous.
“I’m excited more than anything,” he said. “I think it’ll be the most wild adventure.”
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