Wheeling Native About to Embark On Peace Corps Trip to Zambia
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WHEELING -- Jacob Marino was sitting at his desk inside a Morgantown bank last year when he looked outside the window and realized he was losing sight of his goal to one day serve in the Peace Corps.
"This has been a dream of mine since 2015 that nearly slipped away. I was tired of office work," Marino said. "I've always had a heart for doing community service and a spirit for travel. That was a perfect opportunity to me."
So instead he'll be work long hours building an aquaculture program in a remote village in the African country of Zambia teaching locals in a remote village the techniques of raising fish and how to get their product to market. Marino leaves next weekend on the 27-month trip in which he'll be without the comforts of home, such as electricity and indoor plumbing.
"It goes back and forth a lot," the 25-year-old Wheeling native said of his emotions as he prepares to embark on the journey. I feel really prepared some days, and then other days I think, 'What the heck did I get myself into?' But I feel really good. I know I have to be nervous. If not, my sense of awareness will drop, but I'm a little scared to go some place by myself and leave everything behind."
After applying to the Peace Corps last May and being accepted in September, he had only one week to decide whether he was ready for the long-term commitment.
"There was never a doubt in my mind until I received the actual offer," he said. "Then I talked to my friends and family and realized it was an opportunity I couldn't give up."
He quit his banking job in Morgantown, sold his car and gave up his dog, Ella, to a close friend.
Marino will fly from Philadelphia on March 8 with 60 other Peace Corps volunteers to Zambia's capital city of Lusaka.
There, the group will spend three months learning some of the country's more than 100 dialects spoken in the country -- tailored to each person's ultimate destination -- along with cultural and technical training.
Then, they'll be scattered to their assignments across the country. Marino will be the only Peace Corps volunteer at his assigned village, although he'll have an assistant from the community who speaks English and is able to help him navigate any cultural differences. While there, he'll teach aquaculture with techniques on how to grow fish in ponds and even offer advice on the business side of the market.
"Sometimes, they can grow the fish, but they can't sell it because they don't have the business skills," he said.
Marino, a 2013 graduate at Wheeling Park High School, earned his international relations degree from West Virginia University in 2017. It was while at college that he learned about the Peace Corps by listening to a lecture by a young woman who had just returned from a trip in 2015. He spoke to a representative from the organization that same year and began making rigorous plans to gear the rest of his time in college to "building a resume for that one day" when he would join.
Upon graduating from WVU, he lived in Ireland for four months working on youth service projects and spending time learning about agriculture on organic farms.
Now, he's preparing for this adventure by getting himself physically and mentally fit.
"I'm sure that will be a big shock to my body, along with the dietary changes. Being strong and being able to endure it," Marino said of the differences in utilities and food. "I've heard your mentality changes a lot after your service."
He's not sure what the future holds, but some members extend their service while others enroll in another assignment. Marino hopes the experience helps him to eventually work at a U.S. embassy overseas.
Until then, he's ready for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to live his dream of service and travel.
"Life is full of opportunity, and if we cut our mindset off to one thing you might miss something important right in front of you," Marino said.
There are more than 275 volunteers in Zambia working with their communities on projects in agriculture, education, the environment and health. More than 2,260 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Zambia since the program was established in 1994.
Marino joins the 20 West Virginia residents currently serving in the Peace Corps and more than 716 West Virginia residents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.