August 8, 2005: Headlines: COS - South Africa: Cadillac News: Andrew Kibbe will be spending the next two years in South Africa with the Peace Corps
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August 8, 2005: Headlines: COS - South Africa: Cadillac News: Andrew Kibbe will be spending the next two years in South Africa with the Peace Corps
Andrew Kibbe will be spending the next two years in South Africa with the Peace Corps
"They had a speaker come to Michigan State University and I went and listened again and I applied again," he said. "I was still interested with it and I didn't want to be 75 and have a regret. They accepted me and I quit my job."
Andrew Kibbe will be spending the next two years in South Africa with the Peace Corps
Manton man headed to Africa
By Rick Charmoli, Cadillac News
MANTON - Every morning when Andrew Kibbe wakes up he has one of two feeling - excitement or anxiety.
Kibbe is not worried about personal issues or how he is going to pay his bills. He is not excited about meeting a girl or winning the lottery. He has those feelings because he has joined the Peace Corps and on Aug. 14, he will begin a 26-month adventure that will take him to South Africa.
"Some days I wish it was Aug. 14 and others I was like, 'Should I be doing this?' It changes every hour," Kibbe said. "They say it takes almost a year to be accepted into the culture. The second year you can be a lot more productive. Two years is a long time. I can't commit to a girl for two years but we'll see about a country."
During his 26 months, the Alma College graduate with a education degree will serve as a teacher trainer. He will train in South Africa for two months before he begins his duties.
"They pretty much say I will have three or four villages I'll be responsible for. I will do team teaching, workshops and help the teachers," he said.
Kibbe's interest in joining the Peace Corps started when he was enrolled at Alma.
A speaker came to the college when he was student teaching but he thought he would do the Peace Corps afterward. That was the plan until he was offered a job. Coca-Cola Enterprises offered him a job first as a retail space representative out of Traverse City and then as an account manager in Lansing.
It was not until he had moved to Lansing that he decided to check out the Peace Corps again.
"They had a speaker come to Michigan State University and I went and listened again and I applied again," he said. "I was still interested with it and I didn't want to be 75 and have a regret. They accepted me and I quit my job."
Though the anticipation of the trip is both exciting and nerve racking at times, Kibbe said he will miss his yellow Labrador Retriever Truman as well as his family.
"They (my family) are very supportive. My mom is worried about it and my dad is fighting fires in Oregon. He will be coming back a few days before I leave and my sister is a camp counselor in New York and will be coming back a day before I leave. It's crazy."
Currently, more than 7,700 Peace Corps volunteers are serving in 72 countries, working to bring clean water to communities, teach children, help start new small businesses and stop the spread of AIDS.
For more information about the Peace Corps, go online to www.peacecorps.gov.
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Story Source: Cadillac News
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