By Patricia Breakey
A Stamford woman is leaving today for a two-year stint in the Peace Corps.
Lacey Baldwin, 23, will be departing for the country of Georgia to begin pre-service training as an education Peace Corps volunteer.
After graduation from volunteer training in September, Baldwin said, she will be teaching English to children at the middle school and high school level.
"I am really excited about leaving," Baldwin said Thursday. "I am the traveler in my family. I like trying new things. My parents are happy, but nervous. They don't know what to expect."
Baldwin is the daughter of Richard and Cynthia Baldwin and a graduate of Stamford Central High School. She attended the State University of New York at Oswego, where she earned a bachelor's degree in German.
Baldwin said she traveled to Germany as a Rotary Club exchange student and spent additional time in Germany while earning her college diploma.
"Unfortunately, in Georgia they speak Georgian, which is a completely different language," Baldwin said.
During the first three months of her service, Baldwin will live with a host family to become immersed in the country's language and culture.
After acquiring the language and cultural skills necessary to assist her community, Baldwin will serve for two years in Georgia, living in a manner similar to people there.
Baldwin said she has been interested in joining the Peace Corps since she heard a presentation in high school about the organization.
"I am known by others for helping people, which is how I became motivated to join the Peace Corps," Baldwin said. "Knowing that I will have an opportunity to help others is a tremendous feeling, and I know I will become stronger person from this experience."
The first Peace Corps volunteers to be stationed in Georgia, a former Soviet republic located between Russia and Turkey and bordering the Black Sea, arrived in May 2001. Currently, 82 are serving there.
Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18, and service is a 27-month commitment. For more information, visit www.peacecorps.gov.
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Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
