Ben and Kendall Badgett going to Madagascar with Peace Corps



After some in-country training in Madagascar, he will teach villagers about environmental issues. Her work will be in agroforestry, working in areas such as water sanitation or building bathrooms. They don't know the name of the village where they will be stationed. Considering their assignments, they expect to be placed in a remote area. They're prepared for primitive living, perhaps in a hut they must build themselves.

Ben and Kendall Badgett going to Madagascar with Peace Corps

Newlyweds going to Madagascar with Peace Corps

OWENSBORO, Ky. -- A map of the world hangs on a prominent wall in Ben and Kendall Badgett's apartment. Pushpins mark two spots: Owensboro and Madagascar, an island off the southeast coast of Africa.

Stacks of boxes and piles of their personal belongings _ including a new set of bride-and-groom champagne flutes _ fill one corner of the living room. A Peace Corps Volunteer Handbook sits front and center on the coffee table.

These Owensboro newlyweds believe life is an adventure. So they're off to Madagascar.

The Badgetts tied the knot June 18 at Trinity Episcopal Church, where Ben Badgett works as youth director.

No, their Peace Corps mission to Madagascar won't double as an extended honeymoon. They enjoyed a trip to Costa Rica after they wed.

But the Badgetts love to travel. As an engaged couple, they shared an "ah-ha moment" in which they realized the Peace Corps might prove the perfect way for them to see the world, have an adventure or two and make a difference.

As newlyweds, they don't have children yet and they haven't had time to accumulate a house full of stuff. It's the perfect time of life to take off on a two-year mission.

"Ben and Kendall are certainly special people," said Pam Terrett, Kendall's mom. "They've done mission work, and they're good with children. They have all the skills. ... I'm very proud of them."

The Badgetts are set to arrive in Madagascar Feb. 16.

From Memphis, Tenn., which is Ben Badgett's home, they'll travel to New York or Philadelphia for a two-day orientation before heading overseas.

After some in-country training in Madagascar, he will teach villagers about environmental issues. Her work will be in agroforestry, working in areas such as water sanitation or building bathrooms. They don't know the name of the village where they will be stationed. Considering their assignments, they expect to be placed in a remote area. They're prepared for primitive living, perhaps in a hut they must build themselves.

In preparation for their trip, they took a semester of French classes. They've arranged interim homes for Flake, an orphaned kitty they took in. They've given away some of their household furnishings. And Kendall Badgett sold her 1999 Toyota Corolla.

Now, they're concentrating on packing. They are allowed 80 pounds of luggage each.

"I've had experience backpacking," Ben Badgett said. He knows how to travel light _ for short periods of time. This trip will last two years and three months.

The Badgetts were counseled: Pack luxury items. They can buy clothes cheaply in Madagascar once they arrive.

Taking that advice, they bought an MP3 player. They both get to download 60 songs on it. Now, they hope it holds up in Madagascar's tropical weather, which can be tough on electronics.

Kendall Badgett likes to write, so she's packing journals. She's artistic. Charcoal and colored pencils are on her list.

They're packing a solar-powered battery charger and a French coffee press. Because Madagascar exports coffee, they can get all the beans they want over there.

Pictures of friends and family, camping gear, books and board games will go along, too.

The first year of married life is a period of adjustment for most couples _ even without a two-year mission trip to a foreign land.

"From the moment I met him, I had this feeling about him, that he was someone I could spend my life with," she said.

The Badgetts, who are 25, met at Western Kentucky University and dated off and on. They were apart for seven or eight months when he popped by one day and unexpectedly asked her to marry him.

He had gotten the idea in another "ah-ha moment" out hiking on the Appalachian Trail. He wished she was beside him that day and decided he wanted her to be there from then on.

When he proposed, she said yes _ seven or eight times.

"Life is an adventure," Ben Badgett said. "(Madagascar) is another adventure to share with her. I can't imagine any of this with anyone else."

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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