About

Hi, my name’s David Richie and I’m from Pittsburgh, PA where I recently graduated from Duquesne University.

I’m currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. My site is outside of Santiago, in a small pueblo in the mountains. So far, I love it here and it’s located right next to a really well kept botanical garden. I recently swore in as a Volunteer  last month and am currently during my community diagnostic.

As an Information and Communication Technology / Education Volunteer, I’ve been assigned to my site to work primarily with a teacher training and youth in the high school. I’m going to try and start some different youth groups, show teachers how to better use technology in their classrooms, and help keep the school’s computer lab in shape.

Besides all this, I’m working with a group of Peace Corps Volunteers to develop a telenovela, which is a soapopera, aimed at teenagers being filmed in my site. The episodes of the telenovelas go along with the curriculum for one of the Peace Corps Dominican Republic’s most successful youth initiatives, Escoja Mi Vida, which teaches teenagers about making healthy sexual and life choices.

So that’s what I’m supposed to be doing, in the first few weeks, I’ve just been trying to get settled into the community and get used to where I’ll be living for the next two years. Peace Corps has been great so far, but there are definitely days when it’s up and down. An unfamiliar culture, being imersed into a different language, and leaving behind my friends and family hasn’t been easy. On the other hand, it’s been great as my Spanish has gotten stronger, I’ve made great new friends, and explored an unfamiliar culture.

So if you have any questions about Peace Corps, the Dominican Republic, or me, let me know!