About Us

We met working at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch. It wasn't before long that we fell in love and decided to get married. We both graduated from Southwest Texas State University, in San Marcos, three years later. That's about the time we volunteered for the Peace Corps. Mike was pursuing his teaching career, and Melissa was considering which medical school to go to. If we were ever going to do it, this was a great time.
We left for Suriname, South America, in June of 2002. It was a long process of getting all our paperwork and medical forms together. Once we got to South America we had to go through orientation and had to start learning the language. It was a long few weeks, but it made it that much better when we finally got to our hut in Bigiston.
We spent the rest of our 2 years living in a thatch-roof hut in Bigiston. We had no electricity, or plumbing. We swam in the river and took naps in our hammocks. We explored our new surroundings and traveled to other villages. We learned to eat a new diet and make some of their staple meals. We read book, after book, after book! But, between all that we managed to teach english, build bridges, learn their culture, help the doctors, take the kids on field trips, and a few other projects that we picked up along the way.
We learned a lot about a new culture, a new way of life, and eachother. It was a wonderful experience. One that we will always treasure and share with others.

The reason we chose to volunteer:

 

Things we enjoyed most about Suriname:

 

Things we will miss most:

 

 

(This photo was taken in 2001 at SWT)