Overview

"Americans approaching retirement can redefine their lives and find new fulfillment by pursuing international adventure and service instead of drifting in their familiar jobs. That's the message of Not Exactly Retired. Author David Jarmul describes how he and his wife veered from their conventional American lives to wander around Nepal and the United States and serve as Peace Corps Volunteers in Moldova in their sixties. Readers in more than 100 countries followed their journey on David's popular blog and in news stories. Not Exactly Retired begins with a drive across 31 U.S. states as the author and his wife adjust from their workaday lives to a new rhythm of daily adventure. After a brief return home, they travel to Nepal in the wake of a major earthquake, visiting places rarely seen by Westerners. Then comes their biggest trip, to Eastern Europe, where they serve for two years as Peace Corps Volunteers in the little-known nation of Moldova. They form close friendships with their host family and colleagues there and undertake projects at the local school and library. They touch many lives and, in the process, change their own lives as well, finally returning home with a perspective very different from when they left. Not Exactly Retired is a book for anyone seeking inspiration about how they, too, might pursue adventure, serve others, and redefine themselves for the next phase of their lives. ""'Who in their right mind joins the Peace Corps in their sixties?'"" writes Marco Werman, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Togo and the current host of The World on public radio. ""'What were we trying to prove to ourselves or anybody else?' David Jarmul ponders these perplexing questions during an 11,000 mile road-trip across America and his second tour with the Peace Corps, this time in Moldova -- explorations that have both personal and historic appeal. He gently teases out a striking contrast between his service in Nepal 35 years ago and in Moldova in the age of Trump."" Jonathan Look, Jr., LifePart2, calls Not Exactly Retired a ""fascinating story about the rewards of doing good while seeing the world. It shows how adventure can give new meaning to our lives and make them richer."" Debbie and Michael Campbell, The Senior Nomads, say ""David's storytelling is engaging and will inspire you to find your own North Star, whether that is more travel or joining the Peace Corps like they did, or striking out for unknown personal territory."""

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9781950444052

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Reviews

David and Champa's story of exploring the world combined with service to others is an inspiring example of how your sixties and beyond can become the most rewarding years of your life. It's a perfect example of how to reinvent retirement (or almost retirement). David's storytelling is engaging and will inspire you to find your own North Star, whether that is more travel or joining the Peace Corps like they did, or striking out for unknown personal territory. Debbie and Michael Campbell, The Senior Nomads Not Exactly Retired is a fascinating story about the rewards of doing good while seeing the world. It shows how adventure can give new meaning to our lives and make them richer. Jonathan Look, Jr., LifePart2 I want to be like David Jarmul when I grow up. His story of setting out on an adventure of service in his 60's is a reminder that the itch for adventure can be scratched during any season of life and, as David so perfectly stated, the important choice is to actually make a choice, to act instead of drifting. His story is the perfect combination of adventure, compassion and love and is sure to stroke the flames of wanderlust in those of us that carry that torch in our chest. Kim Dinan, The Yellow Envelope Who in their right mind joins the Peace Corps in their sixties? What were we trying to prove to ourselves or anybody else? David Jarmul ponders these perplexing questions during an 11,000 mile road-trip across America and his second tour with the Peace Corps, this time in Moldova -- explorations that have both personal and historic appeal. He gently teases out a striking contrast between his service in Nepal 35 years ago and in Moldova in the age of Trump. Marco Werman, Former Peace Corps Volunteer, Togo Host, The World on public radio Not Exactly Retired disproves Thomas Wolfe's adage that you can't go home again. The poignant vignettes throughout this remarkably readable book demonstrate that you can serve again after you have retired from a rewarding career. Although Peace Corps service after sixty brings challenges including distance from family and friends, learning a foreign language and experiencing cultures vastly different than our own, there are countless opportunities for rewarding service and adventure. Kevin F. F. Quigley Former president, National Peace Corps Association A delightful and instructive guide to self-renewal from which we all can learn. Steve Olson, National Book Award nonfiction finalist A thoughtful and heart-warming account of love, travel and service to others. As a Moldovan, I found David's observations of my country wise, insightful and encouraging. I am humbled by David and Champa's volunteering in my home country. They will never know how many lives they've touched or changed, or how many young Moldovans will always remember their names. Stela Brinzeanu, Bessarabian Nights

Author Information

David Jarmul is a writer and world traveler whose blog has been read in more than 100 countries. He was the head of news and communications at Duke University for many years and held senior communications positions at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Academy of Sciences. An honors graduate of Brown University and past president of the D.C. Science Writers Association, he has also worked as an editor for an international development organization, a writer for the Voice of America, and a reporter for a business newspaper. David has traveled throughout the world and in all 50 U.S. states. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal, where he met his wife, Champa, and with her in Moldova, in Eastern Europe. They live in Durham, N.C.

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