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Peace Corps volunteer ready to travel

And as Thursday nears, that difference becomes crystal clear to Ellie Adelman.

Adelman will leave Salisbury going to Gambia in West Africa as part of the Peace Corps.

"There is all the stuff that I have take care of before I leave," said to the Salisbury University graduate. "I'm finally starting to get nervous."

Adelman had to move out of her home, take care of financial obligations, fill out an absentee ballot, among other tasks, before she can leave. The Peace Corps helps her obtain a passport and visa, and she'll get her vaccinations while at orientation.

"It's the logistics of going they take care of," she said. "I take care of leaving."

While in Gambia, Adelman will be working on AIDS and malaria prevention, sanitation and nutrition training. As a community development volunteer, Adelman will assist the community with needed projects and augment existing projects.

Adelman graduated from SU with two degrees in conflict resolution and Spanish.

Conflict resolution captured Adelman's attention before she started her college education. By the end of her freshman year, she started to see where it would lead her.

When a Peace Corps recruiter came to the university that year, the idea was planted.

"Conflict resolution seems to fit with what the Peace Corps is doing," she said. "It kind of fit in so it was always in the back of my mind."

In Adelman's junior year, she volunteered with a nonprofit organization that sent her to India.

"After that, I really decided that volunteering and doing community development was something that I was really passionate about," she said.

Her interest grew as her studies and volunteer work continued.

Adelman's decision to join the Peace Corps was logical. She loves to travel and having a job that facilitates travel was a big draw. She also loves languages, so adding another language is also to her advantage.

Being able to use skills she's developed throughout her education will be a "huge benefit."

"A valuable thing as a conflict resolution major is that I can really listen to people in any situation," she said. "Listen to what the person is actually saying."

Adelman filled out the application and, with recommendations and an essay, mailed it in. She went for an interview, then was cleared both medically and legally.

All applicants to the Peace Corps can choose a preference of destinations, but the applicant's qualifications, program availability, scheduling and a committee ultimately decide where an applicant serves.

Africa was Adelman's top preference region, she said. Luckily, when she applied as community development volunteer, the Gambia program had an opening.

Adelman was told her destination just before Thanksgiving. She will have three months of training followed by two years of service.

Participants in the Peace Corps operate on a rolling basis. The 20 members of Adelman's Gambia class will replace the class that arrived two years ago.

"There is another SU alumni that I'm replacing," she said. "It really is a small world."