LatinosNJ.com
Thursday
Sep 09th

About: Pedro Khoury

Pedro D. Khoury is a Community and Economic Development volunteer for U.S. Peace Corps in Ukraine. He lives and works in a community called Pryluky, northeast of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. Pedro was assigned to the Pryluky City Council were he functions as a non-political project initiator. His job is to identify needs in the community and then persuade and direct community members to accomplish them. Currently, he is working on various projects to promote competition and democratic values, which include developing a Business Assistance Center, creating a Business and Law Internship Program, and teaching Fiscal Education. Ukraine is an interesting country to live in. The country was one of the four founding republics of the Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (USSR). And for more fifty years, the USSR kept its border's closed; no one was allowed to leave or enter it in the West this was famously called the "Iron Curtain". These "curtains" limited a thorough understanding of the world, even today. For example, Pedro is a Latino American whose parents were born in the Dominican Republic. In Ukraine, he is consider black and is often confused for an African. Pedro, however, considers himself a "mulato" and though the same word exists in Ukrainian and Russian languages, it is rarely used. Even seventeen years af ter its independence there is still a lot of work to do in regards of social understanding. For Pedro joining Peace Corps was an easy decision, even though it was hard for him to leave his hometown of Jersey City. But there aren't too many jobs were you can work abroad, learn a new culture and language, meet unique people, and serve your country at the same time.

Posts by Pedro Khoury: