October 1, 2004: Headlines: COS - Paraguay: Liberty County Times: Bill Novak is headed to Paraguay with the Peace Corps

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Paraguay: Peace Corps Paraguay: The Peace Corps in Paraguay: October 1, 2004: Headlines: COS - Paraguay: Liberty County Times: Bill Novak is headed to Paraguay with the Peace Corps

By Admin1 (admin) (151.196.185.151) on Saturday, October 02, 2004 - 3:43 pm: Edit Post

Bill Novak is headed to Paraguay with the Peace Corps

Bill Novak is headed to Paraguay with the Peace Corps

Bill Novak is headed to Paraguay with the Peace Corps

Novak headed for South American experience

Caption: Bill Novak had his bags packed Friday as he prepared for a new adventure Photo by Paul Overlie

By PAUL OVERLIE - For Liberty County Times

Bill Novak has graduated college and is heading off to a new adventure in a strange and exotic land. Well, maybe not so exotic, or all that strange, but the people there will speak a different language. Novak is headed to Paraguay with the Peace Corps.

"I will probably be headed to the Chico region, which is a lot like this area climate-wise," Novak said. "The town will also be a lot like Chester in population, with less than 1,000 people."

Novak is a 1999 graduate of Chester High School where he was a member of the state championship football team, student council president and the Montana Scholar-Athlete Award winner.

Novak traveled to Walla, Walla, Washington after graduation to attend Whitman College. He graduated from Whitman last year with a double major in Theater and Politics. This year Novak volunteered for the Peace Corps where he will be working in sustainable development in the area of crop extension.

"It is a lot like being an MSU-Extension agent," Novak said. "In fact, I talked to the extension to get some information."

Paraguay is a land-locked country with no direct access to the sea. It is bordered by Bolivia on the northwest, Argentina on the southwest and Brazil to the east. There are about 5-million people living in Paraguay, which is a very poor country that has about the same landmass as California.

"I'm nervously excited," Novak said. "I'm nervous about the language barrier, and the cultural differences; but I'm excited about these same things. I'm also excited about the adventure, I think it is something I will enjoy!"

Novak headed out Saturday, right into the mouth of hurricane Jeanne. He had to fly to Florida, and then catch a flight there to Paraguay. According to Novak, he will first go to the capital city of Asuncion where he will spend three-months getting some training. Then it will be off to his assigned area for 24-months of service.

Novak noted that there are different cultures and ethnic groups in Paraguay. "Interestingly there are a lot of Mennonites in Paraguay, yet it is a country dominated by the indigenous Spanish mix who are mainly Catholic," Novak pointed out.

Bill Novak will not be totally isolated for the next 27 months; he can be reached by e-mail at bill_novak55@hotmail.com.

"While in Paraguay I will be writing about these experiences and sending those writings to three different classes in the Chester school system," Novak said. "That is also something I'm excited about doing."





When this story was posted in October 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:


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Story Source: Liberty County Times

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Paraguay

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