Derek Wood

For Derek Wood, the Peace Corps was a life altering experience.An experience he will never, ever forget.

"I had heard about it when I was young - about people traveling to other countries to help out and it sounded like something I wanted to do," said Wood, a 1997 graduate of St. Michael-Albertville High School."I could help people.And, at the same time, see a bit of the world."

So in January 2002, Wood went online and applied for the Peace Corps.Months later, after a 15-page application and three essays, Wood received his exception (in July) to the Peace Corps and was notified that he would spend the next two years stationed in Koneurgench, Turkmenistan.The Peace Corps, however, is not for everyone.

Although it is volunteer based, entrance into the Peace Corps is a very selective process.More than half of the applicants don't even make the cut, mainly because of the 30% dropout rate.But for Wood, now 26, who graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in secondary education, social studies in 2002, he had the skills that fit in with the more specialized Peace Corps.

"A common misconception of Peace Corps is we're out there building bridges, and literally doing that kind of work " Wood said."That's really not needed in much of the Third World.They have the people to do the labor."

Once in Turkmenistan, Wood was assigned to teach English.But in order to do that, he said, he had to learn their language first.

Turkmenistan, located in Central Asia between Iran and Kazakhstan, is a country slightly larger than California with a population around five million.In October 1991, it gained its independence with the fall of the Soviet Union.And because of that, the country has a real mix of languages.Though most speak Turkmen, others speak Russian or Uzbek.So Wood said he had to learn parts of three languages.

He spent the first week of training - learning the language - in Turkmenistan without the help of Turkmen.But he later moved in with a Turkmen family, where he lived for two months concentrating on their language and culture.

"It's intense," Wood said."You get there and everyday you're so tired of the other day cause everything's new.And you sleep about 11 hours a night cause everything is new."

But after the two-month training period, Wood said he had some doubts about the Peace Corps."I was a slow learner of the language, right away," he said."I was frustrated, and things weren't going the best."

But, as time past, things began to get easier for Wood.Then, sometime around the seventh month, Wood said he had a breakthrough month where things got better and started to click.

For instance, Wood said he began to understand their culture.He began to see their differences.Like how one would talk to American women versus how they would talk to a Muslim Turkmen."The'yre superstitious," Wood said."You don't say how much a baby's grown.If you say how much a baby has grown, they'd think it s a curse."

For two years, Wood lived with the Amangeldievs, which he called a "really good family."They lived in a small house, about the size of one floor of an average American home.They had eight people living there and owned a bull and some goats.And over time, Wood said he began to feel like part of their family.

"I was a member of their family," he said."They had no reason to really like me, but they did.They took me in, and it was really incredible.It was incredible to see the way everyone, almost everyone, supported me."

Everyday, except Sunday, Wood would wake up at 7 a.m., pour water into the sink of the outdoor bathroom to wash his face and clean up, eat breakfast and head off for long day in the classroom, he said.

Once at the classroom, Wood and his counterpart, a Turkmen teacher he worked with, would teach four English clubs a day.Each class lasted just over an hour; he worked about seven hours a day, he said.

On his off day, Sunday, Wood spent time with his host family.He would help them with chores around the house and relax.Sometimes he would even cook them American lunches, he said.

Also during his free time, Wood said he took on some extra projects.He was member of the chess club, helped with the construction of an English center, and wrote a book on how to teach English in Turkmen.The book, which got published in the country, is now being used by other Peace Corps volunteers in conjunction with local teachers to help teach English to Turkmen, he said.

Wood also used time off for traveling.Twice a month he received vacation days.But instead of using those days up right away, he would store them for trips to other parts of the world, he said.That, Wood said, is the real benefit of the Peace Corps.

"It really teaches you about the world - that most people in the world are really good people," Wood said.
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As for Turkmen, Wood said their perception of Americans was directly related to what they saw on the television screen.

"They think we're all rich," Wood said.
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When Wood returned to America after his two-year, three-month stay in Turkmenistan, he noticed how fortunate we really are.

"It's an adjustment," Wood said.
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But one thing is for sure: Wood will always remember Turkmenistan, his new family and the Peace Corps.

"It's definitely a character building experience," Wood said."I mean, it's two years, you're on your own, it can be real tough at times, but it really tests you.I think it's made me a much better person.And it was also two of the best years of my life."

Wood, who now lives in south Minneapolis and is teacher at Thuttle Community School and Hans Christian Andersen Open School in Minneapolis, said he can't wait to go back in a few years.

"I already miss 'em," he said.