“All of last spring, I was exploring my options outside of football,” said the Wasco High and UC Berkeley graduate, who was released from the Buffalo Bills last February after a shoulder injury ended his career. “The Peace Corps was one of the first things that popped into his mind,” said Merz’s father, Eric, 50. Living overseas is not a new experience for Merz, who spent 11 months in Argentina between his sophomore and junior years of high school. “He’s always been adventurous, so it’s not surprising that he’s doing this,” his dad said. “I think it’s easier in one way to see him going over there to Africa than to watch him get pounded out on the field and think about what that’s doing to his body.” Working in a rural setting is also old hat to the 25-year-old, who has helped in his father’s farming businesses over the years, growing and harvesting cotton, alfalfa and almonds. In Zambia, he will teach farmers irrigation improvement measures, crop rotation, maintaining a balance between forest and farmland, and other healthy farming practices, he said.
Former Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Aaron Merz will be a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia
Why I Volunteer: Bakersfield native heads for African service
Peace Corps opens door for man
BY LOUIS MEDINA, Californian staff writer
lmedina@bakersfield.com | Monday, Feb 16 2009 9:08 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Feb 17 2009 8:45 AM
Caption: Aaron Merz, a Bakersfield native and former player with the NFL's Buffalo Bills, will serve as an agricultural volunteer with the Peace Corps in the southern African nation of Zambia. (Photo courtesy of Kate Kuykendall / Peace Corps)
A book about former Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Aaron Merz’s latest adventure could very well be called “From the NFL to Zambia: an agricultural volunteer with the Peace Corps.”
On Monday, the Bakersfield native left for Washington D.C., where he’ll pick up his special U.S. government passport and last-minute instructions.
Wednesday, he and more than 30 others will fly to Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, where they’ll receive language and cultural training for nine weeks before being assigned in various towns and villages throughout the southeast African country.
“All of last spring, I was exploring my options outside of football,” said the Wasco High and UC Berkeley graduate, who was released from the Buffalo Bills last February after a shoulder injury ended his career.
“The Peace Corps was one of the first things that popped into his mind,” said Merz’s father, Eric, 50. Living overseas is not a new experience for Merz, who spent 11 months in Argentina between his sophomore and junior years of high school.
“He’s always been adventurous, so it’s not surprising that he’s doing this,” his dad said.
“I think it’s easier in one way to see him going over there to Africa than to watch him get pounded out on the field and think about what that’s doing to his body.”
Working in a rural setting is also old hat to the 25-year-old, who has helped in his father’s farming businesses over the years, growing and harvesting cotton, alfalfa and almonds. In Zambia, he will teach farmers irrigation improvement measures, crop rotation, maintaining a balance between forest and farmland, and other healthy farming practices, he said.
He will earn about $250 a month, which is “an above average wage for Zambia.” The country is stable politically, Merz said, although it suffers from poverty and HIV, which also plague many other African countries.
Merz is only allowed to take 80 pounds of checked baggage with him, which in his case will be mostly clothes and shoes.
“For a guy like me, I’m probably not going to be able to walk into a shop and buy something that fits.” Merz weighs about 340 pounds and stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall.
He won’t be taking his laptop, he said. “I don’t think he’ll be in a location where he’s going to be able to e-mail me that often,” said his girlfriend, Jessica Hagen, 19.
The two — who’ve known each other since childhood — have been dating long distance since October, as Hagen is now a student at Texas Christian University.
“We were going to be long distance whether I was in California or Africa,” Merz said. “Her dad jokes that I’m the perfect boyfriend because I’m leaving for two years.”
Hagen said they’ll correspond “old school style,” by air mail. “I think it will be a wonderful spiritual challenge for us,” she said. “That’s the kind of outlook we’re taking.”
Merz will be almost 28 at the end of his assignment. He may go to graduate school when he returns, he said, to pursue international studies — “something tied to government” — or an MBA.
But while he’s in Zambia, he plans to travel to other African countries, including South Africa for the 2010 World Cup soccer competition.
Why I Volunteer puts the spotlight on our community’s army of volunteers and the nonprofits they serve. If you’re a volunteer or know of someone who is, contact Lifestyles Editor Jennifer Self at 395-7434 or jself@bakersfield.com.
