Traveling to the coast of Africa presents more than just the opportunity of a lifetime for a pair of ISU faculty members.

For Chris and Tammi Martin, a two-year stint in Ghana with the Peace Corps is an experience they are eager to bring back to the ISU community.

For as long as Tammi, administrative specialist at the center for crop utilization and research, and Chris, associate professor of art and design, can remember, gaining a global perspective is something they have always held with great importance.

But, as with a majority of Peace Corps volunteers, timing is everything.

“I equate joining the Peace Corps to skydiving – some people can do it; some people can’t,” said Nicholas Lauen, Peace Corps representative for Iowa State. “You have to have that strong motivation to do it . and for some people that comes at different times in their lives.”

Although both hold their positions at Iowa State in the highest regard, Chris’ feelings on the two-year trip to Ghana are clear.

“For something bigger,” he said about the couple’s reasoning for leaving their home state of Iowa. “We’ve talked about it forever . you keep seeing issues that are going on in the world and stuff, and I keep thinking ‘I have this desire to do something bigger.'”

Though adventures and memories are likely to ensue over the next two years, the Martins have faced a number of challenges along the way.

Both are leaving Iowa State in the heat of their careers and are risking financial burdens upon return.

But in the end, they agreed, this trip is about the big picture and what Tammi refers to as “the international experience.”

“I hope we can bring a little bit of [Ghana’s culture] back here to share with students and to share with other people – and hopefully engage them – to do other study abroad experiences,” Chris said.

During their decision making process, the Martins battled a number of issues with their careers.

After gaining tenure, Chris planned on taking a sabbatical but never anticipated he would gain the support he did from fellow faculty members when he decided to take two years away from Iowa State.

“I checked with my department head [Roger Baer, chairman for art and design] and he was fully supportive,” he said. “I got one year of sabbatical and one year of unpaid leave.”

On the other side of the equation, Tammi will step away from her position with the university to hopefully make a larger impact.

“What we’re doing is a small part of bridging the gap,” she said about their attempt to bring a global perspective to Iowa State. “Heck, if we can do it, anybody can do it.”

During their trip, Chris and Tammi will teach at a senior secondary school, which is comparable to high schools in the United States. Their teaching will focus on lessons in art, sustainability and agriculture.

The Martins’ trip to Ghana is one that they hope will help bring a greater educational experience to students in Ghana but also to those students at Iowa State who are not able to travel overseas.

“We have to develop better relationships with other countries,” Chris said. “I have several students that have never been outside the state of Iowa … It’s surprising … Our attitudes about Africa are based on what we see in the news.”

In regard to student involvement, Lauen said the age distribution of Corps volunteers tends to be bi-modal. Those most commonly volunteering for service are the “twenty somethings” and the “50-pluses,” he said.

Why the large age gap? Because you can’t have dependent children.

While the Peace Corps has given many a chance to gain the experience they covet, Chris believes it all begins with students studying in countries of importance, such as China.

“We need to send students over there and plant that seed,” he said.

For two years, after June 7, when the Martins depart, they will attempt to establish an exchange program in Ghana and erase the notion of impossibility.

“The fact of the matter is most of the world is not like the United States,” Tammi said. “I think it’s really important to open our eyes to the bigger picture.”