David and Champa Jarmul left yesterday for their Peace Corps service in the Republic of Moldova.
This is David's second stint as a Peace Corps volunteer. He first served in Nepal. That's where he met Champa.
David has been my friend for the last decade. We share a Peace Corps connection (I was a volunteer with my wife, Erin, in the Republic of Vanuatu), and we're both interested in science writing. David helped me get a job at Duke University, and he's been a trusted mentor. I miss him already, but am delighted he's venturing out again. I'll be reading his blog, Not Exactly Retired, to keep track.
I know you're a blogging pro, from reading Dave Winer for many years. But David's blog looks terrific, even though he uses WordPress. Ha ha. I think I'll follow along to see what the Peace Corps life is like. JFK invented it while I was in college and the idea appealed to me, but I never took the plunge. His writing is excellent and I think I will prefer it over the travel blogs I've seen that are written by youngsters and full of how their life is so perfect and free now.