Adam Welti's blog

Defining your community may not seem imperative, but in reality, it has a tremendous effect on how we go about our daily lives. Community in Morocco exhibited a very different set of characteristics than community does back here at home in rural Minnesota. We each make choices that affect how we interact with our neighbors and within greater society, and it is up to each of us as individuals to change those choices if we think it is necessary. Maybe we want to see a closer-knit neighborhood or a world more at peace. Set a vision and work to create that new, brighter world.

A difficult part of the readjustment process from Morocco to the U.S. was the redefinition of community. In many ways, I missed the close-knit connections Morocco represented. We certainly have our own sense of community here in the U.S. and in southeast Minnesota, but I think there exist a few things Morocco can teach us, as well as a few things we do pretty well that could be shared with others.

Editorial note from RNeighbors

This will be one of (hopefully) many blog entries from Adam J. Welti. Originally from Olmsted County, Adam is a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer who is finishing up 25 months serving in Morocco building community. Even though his words come from a world away, there are many parallels to what our Neighborhood Associations are working on right here in Rochester, MN.

Hello.

Just a quick update....

• Our community association training workshop was held in March. Three fellow PCVs and I collaborated to hold a training for 16 people from six villages. The week-long workshop was a great success with networks created, successful project examples visited, and excellent guest speakers who helped participants realize potential project ideas and how to make them a reality.
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