Tuesday, April 21, 2015

...is an adventure!

 
"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list"
~ Susan Sontag


This is for us. For any of you that do not know us, this is a blog about us - Sean and Grace Collins. The purpose for creating a blog about us is not merely for narcissistic reasons. We are going on an adventure! The real intention for our blog is to tell you about this particular adventure - Swaziland. We have only been married for just under 2 years and have been on plenty of adventures. However, this adventure differs from the rest. Beginning June 2015 Sean and I will be living and working in Swaziland - for 2 years for the Peace Corps.

For those of you who - like us prior to getting our Peace Corps assignment - have no clue about Swaziland, here are the highlights:
  • Swaziland is almost entirely landlocked within the boundaries of South Africa - the very most southern country in the continent of Africa.  Its eastern neighbor (and not by much) is Mozambique.
  • Swaziland is small - 109 miles by 84 miles - with a population of around 1.2 million
  • The spoken language is English, however the native tongue is SiSwati
  • Swaziland is a Monarchy whose current Head of State is His Majesty King Mswati III 
So now that we are all experts let us tell you why we decided to join the Peace Corps.

Grace - "I fell in love with international work while in Kenya with dad in 2011. It has always been on my mind and never far from my heart since then. When Sean and I started dating I let him know immediately that overseas was in my future plans, short or long-term. He didn't miss a beat and readily accepted the invitation. Sean found the Peace Corps. It seemed like a safe and efficient way to make a dream come true. I love where I am from and blessed to have come from it. I intend to come back - I want to come back. But I also want this. So let the adventure begin!"

Sean- "It took me a long time to find what it was I wanted to do with my life and it led to some changes along my educational and professional journey.  Along the way, I was blessed to marry a girl that shared the same passion for others and our world as I did, although we pursued it down different career paths.  Our passion however was the same, we each wanted to travel and impact our world, and the world in turn have an impact on us.  When we came across the Peace Corps, it didn't take long for us to realize that this was a great opportunity for us.  I'm excited to see what this adventure holds in store for our lives together."

To learn more about Swaziland or the Peace Corps in Swaziland click on the links up on the right of the page.