FROM THE DIRECTOR TIMES

Glad to be here PEACE CORPS DIRECTOR Mark D. Gearan

I'm surc that all of you were excited when you received your EDITOR-IN-CHIEF invitation to scrve as a Peace Corps Voluntcer. The people you would Sarah Botr meer, the new culture you would experience, the chance to really do something good in the world-it all waited for you in the Peace Corps. MANAGING EDITOR Well, that's exactly how fclt when President Clinron asked me to be I Patric~aCunningham rhe ncw I'eace Corps Director. 1 couldn't wait to be part of this organi- zation, which has been such a positive influence in our country-and in COW EDITORS so many other countries-for 34 years. It's an honor to have this job because Ibelieve in the work Michael Chapman - all of you are doing- around Melissa Johns r?. j the wbr~d. Charis Warchal The biggest part of my job will be ro make your service INTERNS in the Peace Corps a Amy Trenkle rewarding one for you and for thc communitics where Aron Katz you live and work. PRINTING Rose Green w possible in the months Pre*identClintlln c,,nkru~ul.tex ahead, and Ihopc I'll get Peure Corps Director, Murk Ceuran. the &ance to meet many of you. In the meantime, I hope you'll write and let me know about your work and your experi- ences. Hearing from you will help me a great dcal with my new job, and

then I'll be better able to help you with yours. The Peace Corps Times is a quarterly publication of the Peace Corps. Views expressed in the Peace Corps Times are those of the indiv~dualwriters and do not necessarily represent the offi- cial position of the Peace Corps. The Director has determined that publica- tion of this periodical is necessary in Mark Gearan ( the transaction of the public business. Peace Corps Director Use of funds for printing this periodi- cal has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Government. P.S. Send some photos so we can see how you're doing our there! Inquiries and letters should be sent to: Peace Corps Times, 1990 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20526, or [email protected]. I.ettcn.s to the Editor ...... 4 Nulrx Ara~undthe \\'.,~ld ...... fi Mnrrb Mvdricrr ,riouci Lo~~tb;1101 for frauel nher COScrrg; Srei,,~the poriil>ilitiei for blind Moroccan itndrnlr: Hondn,ror I'ulnnleer, niokr o coloirnl nrchl,oc~,lc~gicnldirroucq: nrld nwrc.

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I'l.ukrllrn Updulc~ :I:! News /rrr,n Inforn8oriorr Rerorrrrer Manqpe,?renI, rl,r O//ice of Mediinl Services nrrd Vulurrreer & Features staff I'nyroli .. uiomon. ItPC\' l'rq,l:le ...... :lH 11's Your 1Molre I4 ~mradillor,j~,,~~lc bids, orid ronnl,y ,,nuic diva- BY SARAH BOTT-Quiet 8urekend ,rrghtr u 1,rrle too quirt? Rernrrecc rbore cl,ildh<*,d gnnrei or Texan Kinky Frisd,nrrmn's li/c as n nrystcry iuriter go1 lennr ronte new ones /or o friorrlly inrrodurriurr !#, the rarrmr~~nify hr rron wrrb his Peace Corpr rervicc 61 Romeo. It's u Sirties Thing 18 Lire~ili~~Peaw COPPX ...... 40 BY ~~LLISS~JOHNS-S~~~~,~ \'olunfrcrr cxhrbir the rn.e spirit of ndve,in

Credit Where Credi~la Due Identifying the ONCE AGAIN PCVS ARE TKYING source of my to get credit for doing something anger allows me Africans have been doing for years. to find pragmat- (RE: "99 Bottles of Beer In the Wall" ic solutions (say, Notes From Around the World, Winter working toward 1995). Although, I think it's great that stronger friend- the PCV iri Namibia cleaned up his ships with lily __--- arca of bottles, the idea of building a neighbors). Ru~hScbmm end lnev Enelivln clinxx house from beer cans and bottles has Sure, this is rrcngnize inter.nntiunal \\'#rmen'r been a very common practice by host not easy, but if you're going to deal Day in Guinea. country nationals for years. with your anger by strapping on 3 Walkman, you're going to go through Peace Corps to learn from and take Jerry Koontz a lot of batteries over the years and, part in a new culture, not to be angered [email protected] indeed, the rest of your life. In fact, by it. why bothcr with the Walkman-just Keked Omby An~er head for your nearest alcohol vendor. Tonya Bl~ckler YOUR ARTICLE "MANAGNG YOUR Progress with intractable age-old Gabon Anger" (Winter 1995) came closc to problems such as anger require contin- covering my only criticism of the Peace uous re-examination and is only slow- A 1,ump wrG,nl Ibr Suntu Corps Times: the pollyanna tone with ly achieved. And if that sounds like it YOU HAVE OPENED UP A MASSNE regard to PCVs. comes straight out of your Peace Corps can of worms by publishing both the Usually I'CVs arc presented in such Handbook, that's because it does. article "Santa Visits Micronesia" (Fall a kind, sensirivc, cooperative, unselfish 1994) and thc editorial "Santa Doesn't way that I wish I was in that Peace Glenn Heller Belong" (Winter 1995) in which PCV Corps, rather than the one Ispent the Solomon Islands Michael Aurele condemns PCV Gloria past two years with. Baily's charitable actions. So to make this criticism construc- I APPRECIATED THE ARTICLE Mr. Aurele is correct that Peace rive, I'd suggest more articles pointing "Managing Your Anger" and found Corps should be promoting self-suffi- out improper examples of PCV con- myself easily relating to the feelings ciency. However, has he the right to duct. Perhaps somc people (PCVs) expressed in it. One thing I have condemn the actions of another would see themselves in a different learned and would like to add is thc Volunteer? In this case, 1 believe he light. benefits of doing something nice for does not. yourself to calm anger. Taking a little I currently serve in the Central Ron Seibel time our whcn you nccd it to replace African Kcpublic in a small village Kazakhstan tension with comfort can work won- called Baoro. I've been hcre two years ders. Chewing thar entire pack of gum and made numerous friendships that THE mncu w~ml~~ml~YOUR your mother mailed you, locking your- will stay with me for thc rest of my life. Anger" is appropriate in any issue of self in your house for an hour to read I've found it difficult and rather the Peace Corps Times, but Iwas sur- your favorite comic book again, using patronizing to tell my friends who prised to find the management sugges- nvo buckets of water to take your work in the fields and live in mud- tions to he both superficial and con- bath, or simply laying under a mosqui- walled, straw-roofed houses that they trary to thc ideals of Peace Corps. to net while looking at old photos and can't have the things 1 do because they "Short-circuiting" your anger by having a good hard cry to the tunes of first must be self-sufficient. There are "thinking of something unrelated" a back home band-it doesn't take no "toys" in Baoro outside of empty sounds like avoidance, nor a solution. much to relieve our aching emotions at tomato sauce cans. Even if they niagi- If 1 become angry whcn the mail times. A little self-pampering niay be cally find money to buy gifts with, doesn't come, it's not because the mail is all you need to go back out and face there are no gifts to purchase! late but because Iwant contact with me the world that seemed so cruel only Over the last nvo years Ihave seen friends and famil!: because I am lonely. moments earlier. After all, we joined several development organizations

4 PEACF. CORPS TIMES attempt to help CAR in different ways. Mwre Appluuru for iteejcline There were four main objectives to Most are shooting for the goal of "sus- THE WINTER 1995 EDITION OF this projecr: celebrate women and their tainability," a very wise and worthwhile rhe Peace Corps Tinles is nice, interest- contribution to society, come together goal. No one likes dependency, least of ing, and slick. Estonian volunteer orga- in a relaxed social setting and speak all host-country nationals. However, if nizations would be jealous if they English, interest a World-Wise school we find ourselves with the means to give knew there were even a question of in corresponding with us by "introduc- our friends gifts they would otherwise what percentage of recycled paper it tion" with our paintings, and to bring probably never enjoy-is there really so was printed on. these canvases back to Seattle for much wrong with that? exposition to the public accompanied I'm not saying what Baily did was Nathan Roe with comnlentaries and other artifacts right. I'm also not saying it's wrong. Estonia about Guinea. Peace Corps is unique in that it puts us All these goals have been met except in the community, and we can become for the last, which hopefully will be a part of it if we choose. Each experi- Friendly Tr.ehhcrx realized soon after my COS in July. ence is different. If it were Christmas in 1 AM A PCV IN ZANZIBAR, Unfortunately, and ironically, the few the U.S., I'd give my friends presents. Tanzania, winding up a typical atypi- female students that I have did not par- My Central African friends are just as cal two-year tour as a teacher of sec- ticipate in this project. worthy, and 1 refuse to treat them any ondary mathematics. It will be hard to differently. Let's stop condemning leave the students, neighbors, and Ruth Scham other Volunteers' decisions and recog- other friends that I have worked and Tlin~ele,Guinea nize that people are people around the played with, in and out of my commu- globe. That's what goals number two nity. This includes the countless num- and three are all about. ber of I'CVs from around Africa that have visited our "rest house" during Scott McBride their stay on Zanzibar. Central African Republic It is through these encounters that 1 have come to truly believe that America is well represented by tmvel- Do Go On! ing PCVs. These Americans seem to I RECENTLY SAW A COPY OF YOUR share something that goes beyond a Peace Corps Times, Winter 1995 issue. common Tcva tan. Without wanting to Way to go! Finally a Peace Corps mag- sound mushy, I've found that PCVs azine with some really useful intorma- traveling abroad are some of the most tion for Volunteers, not just pleasure culturally sensitive and pleasant reading articles. Kecp up the good "tourists" I've met. I'CVs are some- work! how able to travel thriftily and effi- ciently without sacrificing generosity. Linda Millette Of course, that must be my obiective- Friends of Malawi (RPCV Group) ly biased opinion

All in the Funnily Daue Hollis THANK YOU FOR YOUR ARTICLE Zanzibar, Tanzania on families with several Volunteers, "Family Affair" (W~nter,1995). 1 am In~ec.nutia,nelWonnen'. Day u Hi1 Edii~t~i~lPIII~c.,,: one of five members of my family who 1 AM A PEACE COKI'S VOLUNTEER Lenerr and pbotor nre ahuays welconre, h41, for have served: my parents met in the in Tlimele, Guinea, West Africa, teach- space reaionr, we untnor print oll that we recPiue. Philippines (married while Volunreer- ing high school English. Once each Preference mi11 begiom to lettmr that addrers the ing); my uncle served there as well; my year during my two-year service, 1 corrteitr ofthc nugazillp. We reqrresr tlmt letters sister just returned from the Eastern organized a month-long art project Ix linzited to 200 words, and we reime the right Caribbean (St. Lucia), and now I am with my students called "International to edit for qle, clarir), or~dlmzlgtb. All block ond beginning my service in Antigua. How Women's Day." I had my students white and color photos (,,I, to 8x12 inches) ore about that! brainstorm about the many roles and acceptable. lVe regret. houiever, that we cannot various jobs women perform daily in retrrrn tl>m. Pleose idmtifi all photos clearly Jesse Ward Putrlam our town, portraying them in all their Peoce Corps rernver the right to tire o~ywitbtg, Antigua, Eastern Caribbean different settings. pl,otor, and amrk rtr otl~erpsblicotions. A NOMADIC NETWORK AN ANCIENT IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO WAKE UP TI-IE MORNING DISCOVERY of their COS date with a bad case of the travel bug. After all, when are you For generations, pre-Colom- going to find yourself with both a passport and a broken-in backpack again? bian lore has told the tale of a To help Volunteers figure out where they want to go and how mysterious people who domind. they're going to get there, PCVs in Thailand created the TI0 B-ed the Central (Travel Information Outlets) Network. Participating countries provide lists of American terrain, --Volunteers who have agreed to correspond with potential PCV trekkers. predrrting even the Mayrms, but Volunteers provide travel and cultural information to each other and fre- relics of the ancient civilization quently extend invitations to their sites. So far, 21 I'eacc Corps countries have have been few and far signed on to the network and hundreds of PCVs have tramped new frontiers. between-until now, with the dis- To learn more about TIO, write Jonathan Carr and Jai Sulivan at TI0 covery made by Honduras PCV Network Thailand, c/o Peace Corps, 242 Rajvithi Road, Amphur Dusit, TOM BERG and three fellow Bangkok 10300, Thailand. explorers. While caving at Cueva de Talgua near Catacamus. California, Here We Come! Tom's group cmne upon the bur- MOROCCO PCV Paula Jeane AND 12 MOROCCAN COUNTERPARTS ial site of the ancient people. received a mighty big lift in their quest to improve the Moroccan education After hedg of the find. the system for the blind. KLM Royal Dutch Airways jet Paula and her fellow Honduran Institute of Anthro- w-instructors and students, most of whom are blind, off to pology and History organized an California for a visit to some of the world's most technolog- expedition to exmnine the site ically advanced institutes, schools, and libraries for the blind. KLlM picked cmd designated it the most impor- up the tab for the one week visit to Los Angeles, Sa11 Francisco, and San tant archeological discovery in Mateo as part of the airline's "Bridging the World" contest. Paula works in Central America in over 150 a school for the blind in the Peace Corps Orientation and Mobility project years. with blind instructors, students, and their families to improve the living con- -- ditions and educational prospects for rhe visually impaired. The goal of the trip was to illform Paula's Moroccan counterparts of the operations of suc- Notes fiom Amund lhe World cessful American institutes for the blind. It also introduced the Moroccan to Pew* Gorp. rimes

instructors to resource materials and technology used in the education of the P&cim Cunningh-. Notes Editor. blind in the States. Liga Nocturna Silver Lining When he's not building a day care LIKE THE REST OF THE center lor children of female pris- world, Volunteers aren't oners or organizing a sewing work- immune to the everyday shop for girls.

----iEmador PCV MILES --COOLEY can be found practicing stale lunches and lost his jumpshot down d the local bas- cash, nor are they insulat- ketball cod and toning up for his ed from threats to their coaching job in Liga Noehuna. a personal safety. Volun- night-time basketboll league which tccrs in Honduras realized that a Volunteer can never feel more alone than Miles organized for the youth of the when suffcring through the aftermath of a crisis, so they created a support net- coastal city of Emeraldas. The work. The Survivor Advocacy Group's (SAG) objectives arc to train I'CVs to league helps keep kids off the street providc emotional support for victims of crime and othcr crisis situations and d night while engaging them in to inform them of their mcdical and legal options. SAG advocates also help constructive activity. It is last out with other Volunteer concerns, such as dealing with a family emergency or becoming the pride of the communi- with doubts about whether to early terminate their service. Since PCVs most wver 500 boys and gkk have often turn to other Volunteers in difficult timcs, SAG enhances their capacities pdicipded, and the chmnpionship to bc supportive. "What sets SAG apart from similar advocacy groups is that games were attended by the the training is organized, implemented, and facilitated by trained Volunteer Governor of Esmeddos Rovince advocates," said Honduras I'CV Debra Richardson (pictured above with SAG and the President of lhe National training facilitators). "As we well know, being a Volunteer isn't always easy.. Ecuadorial Sports Association. SAG advocates feel more prepared to face the possible crisis situations that are 'Ziga Noehuna is a truly positive a reality when working in a different culture." SAG hopes to be a model for lorse in solving Esmeraldcs' serious other posts. problems with delinquency. drugs. and gangs," says Miles. "Basketball MAKING HER MARK has become a metaphor for life. The IN A CULTURE WHERE A DISABLED CHILD IS OFTEN CONSIDERED kids m-e learning thd with determi- the result of sorcery or voodoo, challenging the status quo can be a daunting nation and practice they can task. But as is the case with most PCVs, once Tina Singleton, the first Special accomplish fanta4ic lhings." The Education Volunteer in Benin, hit the ground, she just started run- league shows no signs of slowing ning. Through her efforts, both the Benin Ministry of Social down. especidy since the Peace Affairs and local and international NGOs will now have a detailed report of Corps Gifts in Kind program donut. the- state of resources and services for persons with disabilities in Benin, as well ed 20 new basketballs. as strategies for further development. Two local schools for the deaf will have improved facilities and curricula, and Benin will have a full fledged sports fed- eration to accommodate medal winning athletes-who recently took home six medals at the Special Olympics! "The opportunities to share information and exchange information are many," said Tina. "We just have to make it happen.'' Getting Down to Business When PCV MIKE WALTON arrived at his site in Estonia, he realized the rules of doing business in Eastern - - Europe would re. quire a creative approach. Not only was there no trace of a cellular phone or a fax machine. there wasn't even a phone book. "They need infor- mation about the market. and program. The Biodiversity Conservarion and they don't have the link to the Environmental Education project aims to do just that. Funded jointly through outside world." explained USALD, the Swaziland National Trust Commission, and the hard work of Mike. "They don't know how to environmental PCVs, the project will address the causes of natural resource make the contact. they don't degradation through community-based awareness activities even know where to look for . . and technical training. The centerpiece of thc project is the B- the phone number." Mike went Environmental Education Resource Center at Lohamba. The brainchild of I'CV about setting up a business Jessie Lopez, the resource center provides a focal polnt for the development and information center for Eastern dissemination of information and a basic infrastructure for environmental edu- and Central Europe. The infor. cation. It's been such a huge success that I'CVs Elaine Wells and Clarissa Tafoya mation center functions as pad will be heading up a second resource center in Mlawula chis fall. library. part trade database and provides businesses with the resources they need to net- A PERFECT FIT work. "There are books on SO WELL-REGARDED ARE THE HIGH QUALITY, BUT how to get set up. and there reasonably priced, sweaters of the city of 1.a Ligua are trade books trom other that the very mention of the city to 3 Chilean is sure to countries." said Mike. "So if elicit the response Mi hijo (herntnno, primo, madre) someone needs supplies, they -7 -7 tien, ,,no mtty lindo. "My son (or brother, cousin or mother) can go to the center and link to has a very nice one from there." Yet, these budding enterprisers are finding other countries through a their sales endangered by imports of Asian sweaters and, lacking marketing and trade network now." He also distribution systems to reach outside markets, are seeing the local economy hopes to bring some consul- begin to shrink. PCV David Hennekes and his Chilean counterparts came up tants into the center to help with a solution: create the industry's first and only newsletter, "Trama." A would-be entrepreneurs set up bimonthly publication, "Trama" delivers to entrepreneurs marketing and man- shop. "Estonians have a lot of agement information to help them grow and remain competitive. "La Ligua is great ideas. they just don't an island in the industry," says David. "A newsletter is an i~iiportantmethod of know where to get started. I'm breaking the barrier of isolation. Jump-starting this project provides a very just trying to make it easy for important foundation for significant growth of the La Ligua textile industry." people to do business." Young Women on the Move Setting your sights on a career is difficult when options and role models are not readily available

Turkmenislan's young women. who must cut a completely new pa& in order to achieve heir go*. PCVS MARGO HAUBER. MARGUERITE BATY, and MEL- PCVTO THE RESCUE ANIE VALLENTINE organized Career Day to give teenage IT TOOK FIJI I'CV Angelo Ventillo (PICTURED ABOVE, SECOND FROM girls a clearer perspective of left) almost two years and ten thousand m~lesto be at the r~ghtplace at the their choices and to provide r~glittllne but, fortunately, there he was at the plarform of the Suva Olymp~c advice on making that difficult 1'001 when Kenji Nadaka, a Japanese tourist, lost consciousness transition from student to pro. while swimming. A~igelo.a math teacher who mo~.nlights as a Red fessional. "The goal of Career Cross swimming instructor, was holding swimming classes for primary stu- Day was to acquaint girls with dents when he heard Kenji yelling. A few moments later, the 23-year old differentcareer options by giv- Tokyo native was lying on the bottom of the pool. A four member rescue ing them opportunities to talk team, led by Angelo, pulled Kenji from the water and applied mouth-to- mouth resuscitation until he came to. "1 cannot say thank you enough," said with local women from various Kenji. "Iowe these people my new life." The Japanese Ambassador to Fiji was professions," explained so grateful, he awarded the team silver medals for bravery. Melanie. Women physicians. journalists. teachers. and engi- To Washington with Great Expectations neers talked to students about their jobs. answered questions "DEAR BOB, I'VE BEEN IN UKRAINE FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS NOW, AND about their education. and. in it can best be described as really, really strange. Don't get me wrong, I've had the mean time. became role a great time so far. It's just that living in Northern Virginia is a little different." models to the more than 100 So begins PCV Dave Howard's Peace Corps adventure, as well as his letter to the world, via Washington Post rolu~nnistbh Levey. teenagers who attended. "The question of which profession to Throughout Dave's tour as a small business adviser, he will regularly be send- ing letters back to Rob about his life and impressions. So far, readers have been pursue is arising in the minds introduced to Dave's host country family in Yalra, ridden on a train with two of these girls as they approach burly Ukranian lieutenants, and witnessed Dave's hapless wanderings into poi- the end of their school years," son ivy-plus his enthusiasm over his work as a business specialist at the Yalta noted Margo. "It's a difficult Commercial Sea Port. "Am 1 rired of it all? Have Ihad enough? Do 1 want to time for them. They need to go home? Not on your life. These pasr six months have been the experience of know the different responsibil- a lifetime both personally and professionally." And since he's just out of ities of possible careers for Training, the best is mosr certainly yet to come. themselves." T A TIME WHEN THE PEACE CORPS IS TOUTING ITS that incorporate education in the transfrr of most exciting and "media-friendly" projects-saving the rain- and technology. Right now, 40 percent of Volunteers forest in South America, building a market economy in Eastern are involved in ed~lcationPro- iects. Twenty-five hundred Europe, introducing health initiatives to prevent the spread of Vol~inteers in 72 countries are introducing schoolchildren to HIVIALDS in Thailand-it's easy to lose sight of the deeds of the biology, chemistry, algebra, 2nd English; insrrucring adults in more traditional, but equally important, project assignmetlts, namely self-sustaining vocational skills A like mechanics, metalworking, Education. Since I'eace Corps' inception, Education and home economics; working to help the disabled help Volunteers have been marching unswervingly to the bear of themselves and make co~nmunitiesmore accommodating to the agency's mission and providing the backbone to its enter- their needs; training primary and secondary classrooin teach- prise. More than five million people around the world have ers in modern educarional techniques; and assisting cornmu- been taught by Volunteers, according to Peace Corps' esti- nities in the development of non-formal education and mates, and tlinr's not including the countless othcr project youth-rclated activities, such as literacy and nutrition train-

10 PEACE CORPS TI.MES ing and drug prevention. Though the al systems that favor n~emorization programming, PATS outlines achiev- work may not appear as glamorous as over problem-solving and critical able goals for Volunreers. Before cutting deals in Kiev, what it lacks in thinking skills. Volunteers even arrive at their sires, pretension it more than makes up for "There is a push to introduce some APCDs are working with host country in effectiveness. of the new teaching methods and dif- national sponsors to develop fcasible "I think it's the heart of what we ferent techniques, such as experiential projects and to chart a Volunteer's do," says Kathy Rulon, a former learning and parricipatory learning," ability to implement various teaching Education Volunteer in approaches~ ~ and ways to Morocco who is now a interact with host country senior agency official reachers. In fact, PATS is involved in international now a permanent parr of operations. pre-service training, in- Over the course of service training, and pro- Peace Corps' history, edu- ject evaluation. cation has remained the "It helps them under- agcncy's largest secror. stand fully what their Education Volunteers project is, how they con- continue to lead in new tribute to it, how they country requests, and make a difference in it," Teaching English as a says Macdonald, "and ir Foreign Language (TEFL) treats the Volunteer as a is almost invariably the professional conrribu- first program countries tor." request when rhey invite While PATS gives I'cace Corps Volunteers. Education Volunteers a Developing nations have road map for what is discovered that Peace expected of them and Corps reachers have that helps to focus their ener- certain knack for enhanc- gies, the general rule is ing a country's most valu- that the rype of change able asset-its people. Volunteers can effect, as "You won't find well as the degree, another organization that depends on rhe condition has the four goals of of the cducntional systeln working with the stu- in each counrry and varies dents, the reachers, the with each classroom. resources and the corn- "I think we see most muniry," notes Rulon. Volunteers integrating rhe Nor will you find a group of people notes Elizabeth ~MacDonald,a former system they're working in with the among teachers overseas who are Volunteer in Central African Republic newer methods or techniques," more commirred to the basic truth that and one of Peace Corps' Education explains Rulon. "And for the most the enlightened mind is the bedrock Specialists. part, they are bringing new ideas into upon which all other advances are Volunteers work closely with host the classroom." raised. country reachers, school administra- And as every Education Volunteer tors, and the local community to knows, getting students to open up to A ROAD MAP TO IDEAS develop new methodologies, materi- new ideas often requires an innovative The greatest impact Education als, and curricula. Agency initiatives approach. Volunteers have on developing coun- in educational programming, such as Sheila Smith, a former Volunteer in tries comes from their insisrence on the Programming and Training System Fiji, admitted to being daunted nearly implementing better teaching methods (PATS), arc making it easier for to the point of hopelessness when she and introducing more effective teach- Volunreers to meet these projecr goals. first encounrered the vacant, silent ing tools. This is no easy feat since Begun in 1989 to strengthen Peace faces of the students in her English many Volunreers encounter education- Corps' contribution to educational class. really using a library 1 started. 1 saw a school using the microscope another Volunteer and I helped build. 1 saw the national teacher training project using curriculum materials 1 helped devel- op. I am fortunate to leave Nepal feeling Igave some- thing for what Igot." Education Volunteers also assist counterpam in identi- fying resources in thcir own country and lccll commu- nity that can be used to facilitate learning. This might mean working with counterparts to create text- books or helping them locate desks and black- boards. "We don't bring in the materials," says Rulon. "Our resources are human, and we work wid1 people in the given country to help developing countries, chal- them develop a capacity." lenging students to think critically and would really open up. Iwould explain More students and counterparts are creatively can often mean challenging to them how we do things in my cul- gaining access to information, tcchnolo- institutional structures. ture, and they would tell me how they gy-and opportunities-around the "Marxist-Leninist theories of edu- did things in Fijian culture. It helped world than ever before, thanks to cation wcre based on indoctrination by them and me, too, and they could talk Education Volunteers. English teaching, rote memory," said Judy Brown, an more easily ahout novels they'd read whether at the sccondary or university Education Volunteer in the Czech for class." level, is now the fastest growing pro- Republic. "Students had stopped gram~iiingarea, mainly due to the fact attending classcs because they could BUILT TO LAST that countries in Central and Eastern memorizc the books and pass based on Along with instituting better tcach- Europe are finding English to he one of whom they knew or were rclared to." ing methods in the classroom, rhe most crucial tools of rhe trade as Judy's solution was to convince the Education Volunteers are also concen- they build free market econon~ies.Fifty director of her program to institute a trating their cfforts on capacity build- percent of all Peace Corps teachers are mandatory attendance policy and ing within the community. Teacher engaged in TEFL projects. In 1994 redesign her courses to ensure that her training, for instance, constitutes alone, Volunteers taught English to studenrs were using analysis, mrher than almost 20 percent of all education more than 100,000 students and memorization, to learn their subjects. assignments and has a real impact on worked with more than 15,000 host Sheila Sniith took a slightly different improving the quality of instruction in country teachers-developing language approach. She found discussions of cul- Peace Corps countries. Last year in skills and sharing new approaches. In tural differences wcrc an effectivc segue Nepal, one of the world's poorest the meantime, being able to speak and into English instruction and provided countries, Volunteers trained more read English provides them access to just the spark she needed to pique her than 500 teachers in math, science, and materials not available in their own lan- students' curiosities and open their English language skills. guages. It also enables them to partici- minds to new ideas. "I saw teachers using methods Ihad pate in world-wide conferences, com- "We would get into some strong taught them," says Pam Randles, a for- niunicate in the international business discussions and at points like that they mer Volunteer in Nepal. "I saw people arena, attend universities, and find employment in companies they would tion has also become a mainstay in tributions are more than evident in have been excluded from orherwise: Volunteer projects in Larin America. plain sight. For instance, developing "English is a necessary skill in com- The region's natural resources are seri- countries with high literacy rates are merce and other fields today," says ously threatened, challenging Volun- seen to grow faster economically than James Kubarrh-Lay, a former TEFL teers to educate the growing rural and those with lo\v literacy rates. Volunteer in 1.esotho. "Some of my urban populations about ways to uti- Improved education increases people's pupils might not have qualified as lize their existing natural resource base ability to contribute to scientific and clerks and office assistants without while still protecting the environment. technical advances in the world, as improving their English. Three of my "We are sensitizing the surrounding well as in one's own village. A more students went on to the National communities to the fantastic natural educated populace leads to visible Un~versityof Lesotho." resources they have close by," says improvements in a country's health, Susan Qashu, a Volunteer in Chile. agriculture, economy, and use of its MORE THAN "THREE RS" "We're trying to create an awareness natural resources. In the long run, the Capacity building today extends of the desertification probleins hcre in benefits Education Volunteers bring beyond the more traditional disci- north Chile and assisting them in find- to the communities in which they plines. Education Volunteers have been ing ways to ensure the health of their serve are immeasurable because tech- branching out from the "three Rs"and environment." nical assistance is only part of the making inroads to new frontiers- Peace Corps mission and because the incorporating spec~al education, A RIPPLE EFFECT Volunteer's commitment to a country HIVIAIDS, environment, youth dcvel- Peace Corps has an elaborate and its people is so strong. opment, and business into classroom reporting system ro gauge the success "Formal schooling is only part of lessons-with considerable success. of Education Voluntcers-their con: the learning process," says Roy Volunteers in Africa Guyton.. . a former Adult have been at rhe forefronr Edocation Volun-teer in of integrating HIVIAIDS Costa Kica. "The majori- education into the class- ty of what we learn actu- room curricula. In ally occurs outside of the Cameroon, Volunteers formal learning environ- worked wirh their host ment, in the community. I country partners to devel- like to think my actions op a manual, Teach had a ripple effect, that English, Preuent AIDS, to by touching the lives of tcach HIVIAIDS aware- those in the community, ness in English classes. other lives were made Now that the manual is better." being implemented in 20 Ultimately it's hard to secondary schools quantify the rewards of throughout the country, an illuminated mind or of over 5,000 students are the aspirations of an indi- hearing the HIVIAIDS vidual who begins to see message. In Benin, what is possible to Volunteers are focusing achieve. their projects on training They may nor be culti- local community mem- vating whole forests, but bers. "Before the end of Education Volunteers are 1995," says Benin PCV sowing seeds which are Kristin Cook, "we hope to sure to blossom for gener- train 1,200 community ations to come. health educators, 800 influential village leaders, and 600 high school peer Patricia Cn~t~tingham counselors." ruorks irr the Office of Environmental educa- The Universal Experience ofI Games

i BY SARAH BOTT ! i i! I i I F YOU'RE ANYTHIdGLIKE JOE rhe gamesthat arc p&ular in the United Stares are played 7, -i~some~forni~allove~the..w.orld.~3li1idMan's~~uff,'ilo~ zadrozny, you enjoy a jousing game of exaniple, is played in hostall countries. Games historian, 1 Frederic Grunfeld (dames of the World: Holt Rinehart, Monopoly" from time toitirne. Of course, New York, 1975) tells, 11sthat as far hack as 239 AD Roman children played this (ame game, calling it "Murinda." In if youin in a roeiae in Germany it is called ;'Blind Cow," whereas in Spain chil- l dren know it as "~li"d Hen" and English children call it Mongolia,I like Joe, you probably dhn'r haue Monopoly. "Hoodman Rlind." I But that didn't stop Joe. He and some friends sat down Peace Corps volunteers might not find partners for wirh somc cardboard and glue and, i~ithe spirit of good old Trivial Pursuit@ or Scrabble@ among their host country fashioned "appropriate technology," made their own vet- neighbors, hut they a!e likely to find someonc who knows sion of the popular American game. how to play checker2 or chess or dominoes or something I "It's pretty elaborate,'' says rhe former Volunteer of his else from among many of other universally-enjoyed games. invention, Mongolo/~oly."All of the 'c'hancc' cards are true Kimberly ~an~agner,a former Volu~fieer in South life experiences. Therc's the basic set for 'mixed' company, America, didn't wastetoo much time bemoaning her town's and the stress-relieving or venting 'VolpnteerI only' cards wirh lack of available amusements without taking action. "11 Inure satcasric expressions of our frusrl;arions." Mongolopoly wasn'r what you'd call a hopping place," she says of her -..helped.thegroup.passthe.long(seveniro I-eight-monrhsJong)_ _site's 400~~eo~le.:0~eespecially..boring aftecnoon 1-.was winters on the other side of the Great Wall and today pro- talking to my neighbdr's nephew, Alberto, about games we vides an amusing and rangible mcmori of his service. liked to play. Even if: we didn't like rhe games, rhey were Mongolopoly may have been ~iiorethan jusr an amusing beginning ro look appealing in comparison to the boredom. pastime, though. Making and p laying rhe game helped So we decided rd make our own checkers set. We Joe and his friends adapr ro their new culture. couldn't find any cardboard for the hoard, but we Their ~nodificationsro a classic game from home did find an bld school desk jusr the right size. So illustrare the way games evolve over time, cul- we drew 3 checkerboard onto the desk with a ture, geography, and personal pencil and magic marker. I had a friend who Games have been around in some form or worked i" the cantina, and he gave us bottle anorher as long as civilization, and niany of caps to usc for rhe checkers. For the rest of

14 PEACE COKPS TI.\IES i I

game,"' says former Volunteer eers spent many long hours debat-

l~nandescribes the game as

trees, fish, and crabs.

ples at Luxor and Karnak.

dropping them into other recesses. Filipinos moved around sensc: "They feel exciting to the touch, and many people the board with amazing speed. We didn't." delight in displaying jirtuoso ways of shuffling and dealing I Observing new games is part of most every Volunteer's that add immeasurabiy to the 'theatre' of card playing." At experience. Sometimes they are simdle to Icarn and some- rhe same time, cards also appeal to the visual sense, and are times trying to figure out the rules is !more of a puzzle than often decorated wirh designs of great beauty. Many I playing the game. Volunteers collect unusual decks in their travels, trading, I "In Benin, there is a ganic that the Volunteers like to perhaps, that deck with the American Airlines or IBM logo I - I - -. Volunteers Write She's a Thai very special complimenr: "Sharon bat kone is a Thai person.) What satishcrio~rlam considered one of the gang. Yahoo! Seven months in this country, with three months of intensive, practically brainwashing Training, have granted nle the auspicio~lsritle of "Thai person." If I were !male and l'hai, I would drink a lot of whisky to cdebrate. Luckily, a sip of beer or mayk just a delicious banontc (dessert) will suffice. I What is ii, however, that nlaks me ''Thai" nthcr than "American?" Perhaps this question will explain why I anno longer easily pinpoint my .. - of mystery and magic identiry, and why I often fecl like the person I was eight montlls ago has .', '. been lost somewhere along the way in my travels to this place high in the .. mowitains of nonhcm Thailand.

First, let's look at my physical appearance. Sure, my hair i$ ' ,,,.* L., .+$ "One of my major leisure time dark for a fararzg, but it is brown and curly, not straight and 1 black. It definitely cannot be my body. Not only am I rallerthan . . . ~Mali. "It is similar in most Thai men and won~a?,but I probably wcigh more, as wdl. Pinochle or Euchre. It At least nobody calls me far, which Thais have no qualms about than any of these, has saying. (My threats to cry non-stop may be the reason ooahp, or allowed if you don't get shapely, has been used to describe me instead). Also, I have far of Tim's village would more body hair than any of my Thai friends and co-workers. Thai cuss the day's news. "It served as o!r information center women rarely have arm, leg, or armpit hair. My cycs are round, I and discussion group," he says of his regular group, or grin. my skin is white, and I have body hair. There is no mistaking me I "I found it to be a great stress reliever and an exceptional for a Thai. I way to interact with Malians on their terms." Maybe, then, it's my food consun~ption.My spicy food iomke I If you're looking for a way to enjoy some free time with is definitely increasing. 1 can eat sticky rice with no proble~nixid' , '' - . I frie1ids.onieigbbors,.but~you1~e.sho~ton id.e.as,.y_eu.might actually even prefer it to steamed rice. I--~- . . try your hand at making some games of your own. What's There is Inore to my "Thai-ness" than food, however. I'ossibly it's :- '~ ! in a Ganre? provides instructions on making games for my conversational abilities. I can hold a simple conversarion in Thai I : educational purposes or just for fu?. Some of the games , (and a MY bit in the northern dialect, too). For example: teach specific skills, such as telling time or basic niultipli- Sharon: Hello. cation. Others accommodate a broab range of topics and Thai: Hello. skill levels determined by individualI game makers. Sharoir: Have you eaten yet? Environmental educators, health wo!kers, foresters, social Thai: Yes. Have you caten? I studies, and language professors should a11 be able to find Sharon: No. What did you ear with rice today? I in this book creative formats for presenting new material. Thai: Spicy pepper dip. And what will you eat with rice today? ?, ,' ; "Once you have started on the road to game making you will discover the many creative ways you can alter, Thai: (not improve, and combine the ideas toI satisfy your group's ~ ,. , specific needs," Volunteer authors bordon and Skripak i I write. "Use your imagination and borrow from whatever sources you can find, especially your own childhood expe- Thai: Do you have . . riences." Sharon: Nope, not yet. M~ngolop.ol~has-already-b~e~en_done,~but~chereIsSstill Thai: Do you want a Thai onyl kno room for your versions of Scrabblemi Twistera, and Trivial Sharon: Sure, only if he'll do all Pursuitg. Furthermore, your American audience, which could you find me a couple.? One waits impatiently for you to come hdme and rub off some Yes, I would definitely say I am v of your exotic international experience, will clap their terns. 1 yell in conversation I I hands in delight when you open up your travel-beaten suit- 24 years of life. I ask Thai peopl I case and introduce them to something new to play that has- like how old thcy are, how mu n't yet made it onto the shelves at Togs R Us. going, and what they are eat prying upon my rerum. 1 Sarah Bott is the Editor of the Peace korps Times. Sharon London 1s a Volunteer rrr Tharland. CAROLYN IOAKIMEDES HAS A STANDARD ANSWER nFOR anyone asking why she decided to become a Peace _,/ Volunteer\ "I tell people I was approaching my sixtieth birth-a0rp9', \ // day, and I had always heard that joining the Peace Corps 1 I was a 'sixties thing' to do." Ioakimedes, of Boulder, i / 5olorad0, is now two years into her sixth . .-~--,decade/' and not longing for a rocking Instead, she has a different idea for her I years:" putting to good use her 15 years of experi- I ence in midwifery to combat Mor?ccols high \. / maternal mortality rate. Ioakimedes IS the first , .I member of the Peace Corps' Maternal Child Health program to serve in the Saharan town of Foumzguid. "Most of my life has been doing service-oriented work. I love to travel and experience new cultures. Joining the

Peace Corps seemed like the/'- perfect\thing---\ for me."= \ I' '\ "di$taNced fro^ the youth-ob(e((ed eericatq culture, gray hair catq be WorN proudly a( ah a((et-hot a Liability."

hough hardly the norm, there are book smarts to their projects: dccades One priceless payhack is the honor t too many senior Volunteers to call of professional experience. and respect older members of a com- them rare. While 74 percent of In addition to their technical knowl- munity are accorded in many develop- Volunteers are in their twenties, with edge, senior Volunteers often have a ing nations. Distanced from the youth- the median age in the mid-twenties, the more certain sense of their purpose as obsessed American culture, gray hair burgeoning senior Volunteer popula- Peace Corps Volunteers. Younger can be worn proudly as an asset-not tion is pulling rhe average age upward Volunteers often admire them for a liability in many countries. into the low thirties. Around eight per- being steadier, more diplomatic, and "It's amazing how much respect our cent of PCVs setting off for foreign soil less prone to find cultural differences older Volunteers can command just by today are over the age of 50 (536 of upserting. In short, their additional their presence," said Louis J. Rrenner, them to be exact), and a good number years of life experience ~nakesthem a Peace Corps recruiter based ar of them are far-from-tottering septua- more confident. Southern Illinois University in genarians. This is not to say that the Peace Carbondale. "They're elders in most Senior Volunteers are engaged in Corps experience is a one-way street of countries they go to. That means every area of service but are especially giving for senior Volunteers. Rewards they're to be listened to." concentrated in small business devel- to the senior Volunteer can he very dif- opment and education. Older ferent from those a younger Volunteer eace Corps also offers older ciri- Volunreers bring something beyond experiences. Pzens a reprieve from the I Volunteers Write Tapha the Hero

Upcm my,arriv,al, the villagers werc hospitable, and anxious to know monotony of retirement or a break my nnnonal~ry(Ghanaian) because I spoke English, which was from friends who are more interested strange to them. They rold me about an American man named Tapha they in a pilgrimage to the country clubs admired for his courage and hard work. They said he was a hero. than to the ends of the earth. It offers a Curiosity pushed mr ro find our who this American was and why he was renewed vitality to those seniors who hailed a hero. Through nn invesrigation, 1 was told the man was a Peace want to continue thcir growth as indi- Corps Volunteer in Senegal who served as an agroforestry extension viduals. Their kids have flown the agent, specializing in dry land reforcsrarion by raising trees for live fences, coop, why shouldn't the parents fol- windbreaks, soil improvemenr, and shade. He also hclpcd them to improve thcir sani- low? tation and soil fertility by instituting composting latrines. They were very grateful to David Koehler, an insurance compa- him for his efforts to protect their cnvironmcnt. The women, for liis system of insritut- ny owner turned workshop supervisor ing fuel efficient mud stoves, which made it possible for them to reduce the consump- of developmentally-disabled Costa tion of firewood for cooking. Rican children, never really considered What raised him to the sratus of hero was his ability to locare well sights over water joining the Peace Corps until after veins by dousing. According to villagers, rhose wells rhar were marked hy Tapha haw retirement. "1 arrived at a stage in my so far showed high accuracy on his predictions of wnrer quality and quantiry. life where 1 had fewer ties. I had Ileroism does not depend on which sociery you belong to, but you have to accom- divorced, sold my business, and was plish it within a given sociery. With Tapha's case, the villagers had deep affection for telatively free." Rather rhan seeing his him such that rhcy immediarely discarded rhe fact that he did not belong to their soci- Peace Corps years as a continuation of ety. his profession in the States, as did As his final months and weeks in Senegal flew by, he parceled his belongings and loakimedes, Kochler saw this time as a prepared to dcparr the villagc. As he said good-bye ro his hosr family the morning of discernible departurc from the routine departurc, it was quite emotional. The entire family broke up inro tears. Taphn could he had cstablished in the business not ~.ontrolhis sentirncnts and alsu gave up with tears. world. To rhe Americans, I send you a lrig hand clap for your generosity. For Africans to "I don't think there is a person who achieve our developmenr goals, send us more Srcven Herberts. • has ever worked in an office who has- n't thought 'thctc's got to bc more to Emnranrrcl Ayam is a Gharzarai~lorrrnalrst lrurng in Senegal. life than this,"' says Jack Hawbacker, I 65, a recent RI'CV who served in both Costa Rica and Uruguay. "1 think it's very important for pcople to develop seas service, or who just can't under- "I learned to be more self-suffi- the potential older people have." stand why Grandma wants to "aban- cient," Hawbreaker said in a May Rather than while the hours away in don" her family and traipse around interview about his Peace Corps expc- his rocking chair, this urban develop- the world doing good. "One of my ticnce with the Hagersto\vn, ment professional got out while the sons thought I had gone absolutely Maryland, Herald Mail. going was good. Hawbacker headed out of niy mind," laughed 70-year- So what do these adventuresome South to Costa Rica to repair and con- old Janet Davidson, who organized seniors do after their close of service? struct rural housing. Hc then contin- craft market associations in Jamaica Anything they want to, triumphs ued his service in Uruguay as a small as a Volunteer. Carolyn loakimedes. business planner. Harsh living conditions provide "I don't anticipate going back to my "It was a extremcly rewarding," challenges to all Volunteers, but can former life. 1 feel like my days practic- Hawbaker said of the Peace Corps. "I prove to he significant to an older ing midwifery ate done, and I'm look- could point to something and say, Volunteer. "There were times when I ing forward to moving on. I'm sure 'Here's an improvement 1 had a hand had to sleep in gloves," said Jack there ate lots of exciting possibilities in."' Hawbacker, recalling the cold wintcrs for me." B of Uruguay. His home heating system or every aspect of a senior there consisted of a fireplace and layers Melissa Johns works in the Office of Volunteer's experience is so stel- of clothes. But even being forced to Comn~unications.A recent graduate of lar. Many face opposition from fanii- split wood all winter long to stay in his Duke Ui~iuersity, she is bound for ly membcrs who are afraid of the race with ~Mothet Nature had its Hondrtras in February to be a medical risks associated with ovet- rewards. Volunteer.

20 PEACE CORPS TIMES Reporting from the Field

PCV 'Zines have their pages on the pulse

African-American volunteer's essay on the merits

-"".-- -- ,-*-- The AprillMay issue of

getting the job done. offer other discounts to So what's out there? First, a caveat: most of the newsletters have Nazdar (Czech Re-

El Climd staff, the tary, and even a language lesson ("inviting Peace Corps, or the people to social situations"), Nazdar can united States Gov- occupy you for hours. It even has advertising from local coffee houses! of the way, the com- Those are just to mention a few of the munication starts to newsletters that are regularly delivered to

primary source of news about Volunteer life. issue of El Clima -.------.---- your opinions about what's going on at your ----.--.--I sites, teriffic essays and short stories, and advice to colleagues. So to the editors of these 'zines, we offer you enthusiastic kudos. ments attributed to Please keep Peace Corps T~rneson your mail- Volunteers, such as

NUMBER TWO 1995 21 IA CUNNINCHAM

find yourself stranded in a deserted countryside with nothing but soggy Birkenstocks for transportation. When hope of rescue has all but abandoned you, out of the cor- ner of your eye you spot a bus rounding the bend. But you've been saving your cash for your capital shopping spree.

You have rwo alternatives: take a seat of a pile of rubble and stave in the muck, shake your fist at the swarm of malaria-ca heavens, shed a few rears, and pray for mosquitocs with a roll of fl sheer delivcrance, or explain to thc bus and you can do things with a drivcr that the fate of the world resrs string and a mud pie tha on your getting to the capital, since Franklin could only have dre you are a dclcgate to thc papal Ininistry about. But conic on, your real ta and arc carrying the Dead Sea Scrolls. is your ability to glide effortle Whar do you do? Well, you're a I'eace through the stickiest of situatio Corps Volunteer, is therc really any si~nultaneouslyget a free meal. choice? A nod, a wink . . . and by rhe trickery (call it cheap!), call i rime you rcach the capital your fcllow you will, that crcarive PCV re travelers on thc bus are singing "Hail fulness always delivers when to the Chief," wishing you Godspeed, depends solely on wits. and offering ro carry your bags. Here, some of the rrickiest PCVs we I'CVs are legendary for rheir inge- know conic clean on their shrewdest nuity. Sure you make crops grow out exploits.

2 PF.ACE CORPS TMES PCV MikeSine" in Nepal 1 exereire* the finer points or haelin&in u lueul murkel.

1 to pay approximarely 10 rimes once tried what the locals were paying. JVolunteer" so Holding Bali in may arms an( speaking Fijian, I explained rhat my daughter, my brother ' (pointing to my husband), and I 1 were traveling to visit my : daughrer's grandfather. When efforts to mooch s kd rhat time. asked where the girl's father -Nichn kt,. 7hoiland was, I explained rhar he was 1 back in Rewa (the province where we lived). George and I M oaid local fare. while Bali was Romania. We orob allowed to ride for frce. My friends between us in assorted currencies, urlng Trwn~ng, 1 suffered from back in Rewa still love to tell this bur that would go forcver in D'hemorrho~ds. ... Ar the rime, Peacc story! Hungary, so we felt fairly confident. Corps was not issuing refrigerators in -i\leridc~h Hindcs; Fiji Less than a year and a half after my country of service, although they Ceaucescu, however, Romania was did have some on hand. Nonetheless never had to tell a fib toget a meal in still withour much of a service desiring n refrigerator (warm gin and IGuatemala. Just rhe opposite, ill fact. industry. The hotels we found were tonic is nor a good thing), 1 put t\vo Many rimes 1 had ro say Iwas allergic cold, bleak, and about $35 a night, and rwo together. I explained to my to something so 1 wouldn't have to eat and it was against the law for peo- PClMO that the prescribed supposito- it. (Consequently, I had a lot of "aller- ple to put us up in their houses. At ries melted in the inrense heat of my gies.") rhis point I was ready to give up on host counrry. A refrigerator would -Chri~Davis, (;uutcminls the Transylvanian adventure when solve rhis dilemma, as well as the Peggy had a great idea: we could dilemma of warm drinks. The rest, as beg our way into the student dormi- they say, is history. thlopla Volunteers often were pre- tory. A few inquiries led us ro the -Annnyrnuu* E'sented with housing rental con- town gymnasium, empty except for tracts that showed thirteen months of the porter, Atrila. He was quire en I was planning my grand rent payments. Ethiopia, of course, puzzled. We were Americans? But uses rhe Julian calendar of twelve we spoke Hungarian? And we need- I'CV traveling buddy months, each consisting of thirty days, ed to somewhere to sleep? Suddenly followed by a "thirteenrh month" of his brow cleared. Oh, were we five or six days. Our landlord protest- judges for the Hungarian literature Every time anyone said rhey knew ed our insistence that we adhere to the conrest that week? "Yes!" We ex- someone in a certain country or city, "Wesrern" calendar. We didn'r think claimed. "Yeah ...sure!'' He showed we offered to carry lerters, gifts, etc. we were being "cheap," we thought us to our room and after rhat, we Bottom line-we we were being frugal. were home free. We went back out -\\i~~~dyJe~~~ett.E~hinpiu to explore Romania, and when we returned to the school, we found a Ecuador, and Peru. 'm a cheapskare and darn proud of delegation waiting for us-the head- -Ellen 16116, Jumuieia and C;uyuna 1.II! Ipassed as a Russian at St. Basil's master and several professors, all Cathedral in Moscow so Ididn'r have wondering who rhese American and I were travel- to pay the tourist rate. Bur I was roo judges were. Ing w~rhour five-year-old good at the Military museum; the tick- -Penny Anderson, Huneury friend, Bali, to visit her grandfather et seller tried to srart a conversation on the sourhern island of Kadavu. 1 and it blew up in my face. I'otrrcio Currr~inghaiit works in the noticed that the tourists were asked -Anonymnus Office of Commr~r?ications. some speak German back to you. I rank the best methods to improve your language like this (in order of importance): 1. Television-I am firmly convinced that the best method for learning a new language is to watch television (in the Czech Republic that means go easy on CNN). Because there is no pressure on you to respond, you can watch 1 Reservations and learn. (If you don't have a television, Chris recommends looking into getting one, i References for Peace or for those of you for whom this is impossi- j Corps applicants have ble, we would suggest looking at one when i made a few interesting possible). i commcnts about hope- Study-yes, study. When you study, 2. j hl PCVs over the write the words down over and over. Pick out / years-among them the some scratch paper so wc minimize our dam- following: age to the environment and write things down over a period of several days. 3. Tutor+andidly, I don't consider a tutor i "I fccl morally obliged to be a tremendous necessity, l know there's a i to point out that he A Gift for Gab lot of fuss about getting the right tutor, and j simply cannot spell." it's important so that you don't waste your rls Stark, a PCV in the Czech Republic, money. 1 have an excellent tutor, but I would- i "She has a Boston Ch'apparently has a way with words. Asked n't consider meeting more than once a week. accent." hy frustrated fellow Volunteers how he picked Memorization is something you must do on upthe language so qoickly, he rote the fol- your own, holr~erzr.A tutor can't memorize / "I think you should things for you. lowing letter for the in-country newsletter. j know shc attended a "Thanks for all of your compliments on The rewards of learning a new language, at . i private girl's school." lily Czech-speaking ability, but I guarantee least for me, are fantastic. Oh, 1 draw stares you that I have the same problems that you and attention that sometimes I don't like "She's afraid of big, do. In fact, at times it can be downright frus- when I speak Czech with my accent. i trating. Here in the Sudetenland, people aren't However, when 1 happen to run into a friend j hairy spiders." always nice to you if you have an accent and or casual acquaintance on the square, 1 can walk with that person and converse with j "He is sometimes vcry I I them in their language about almost any sub- i naive and could possi- : Got a tip to share with other ject. This is one of the greatest rewards that 1 j bly bc duped by a 1 Volunteers? will experience here. i strong medicine man." Peace Corps Times I 1 I j wants to hear from you! I Reprinted front Nazdar, the PCV newsletter I 1 for the Czech Repr~blic. j Co~npiledby Craig Stom' What a Trip! RY CHRIS DAVIS

acationing in the Peace Corps one week in December ever can be an inexpensive and exot- year, thousands converge- ic adventure. (I am not referring with camels in tow-on the vto those splurges to the nicest hotels in sun soaked dunes near the the capital with hot showers, CNN, and town of Douz. Huge tents swimming pools.) The idea, if I've got it are erected. There are right, is to absorb even further the mul- camel races, traditional tiple facets of the country of service or dances, parades, markets region. The trick is to go cheaply, see as where camels, carpets, much as you can, and keep away from spices, and textiles are the tourists. Here are a few examples to traded and sold. Camels whet your appetite from some former can be rented cheaply Peace Corps Volunteers: for rides into the "Trekking in the Himalayas, in the desert. And, of course, Annapurna range, was an amazing there is plenty of food experience," said I'eaches Joyal, a for- (including delicious mer Volunteer in Afghanistan. "Seven camel sandwiches)." days straight up (to 10,000 feet); one "One of the most enjoyable ways to day layover; two days straight down spend a week in Malawi is to take a Travel light. again. We (two of us) hired a Tibetan 'steamer' boat up or down beautiful Have proper currency. guide for next to nothing. We atc Lake Malawi," recalls Jeff Berghagc, a Take a journal. oranges all day long, and our guide former Volunteer in that country. "The Travel in small numbers (fewer would stop in whatever village we terrain is savannah forest with scrub- people, fewer opinions). came to at dusk. We shared an evening. land and palms. You can leave from Make sure someone knows where meal with a family and Monkey Bay in the south, and go north you are. slept on their floor. One toward Karonga. I went as far as Designate a responsible "keeper night we slept in the Nkata Ray, which took about four of the stuff" (wallets, passports, etc.) hayloft of a missionary days. Volunteer-types can stay on the and make sure it is with you at all time. hospital. We didn't roof of the boat, and string up a Never ever leave your wallet or pass- have access to rainlsun tarp. The boat stops at sev- port in the room. water so we eral ports along the way picking up Don't drink too much (or at least brushed our people, animals, and cargo. It is fasci- have a designated sober person). It is teeth with nating to watch this activity. Along the easy to take advantage of a drunk. . . scotch (which way you can stop at Cape Maclear, and also, know what you are drinking we carried for "emergencies"). We with its underwater park (in the south) before you drink it! did have dinner with the nuns at the or Livingstonia and the Nyika I'lateau Never travel alone. hospital-they were British-and they (in the north). If you like camping, The "traveling" can actually be hroke out a plum pudding they'd been breathtaking scenery, and the friend- the best part of a vacation so choose saving for a special occasion." liest people on the planet, Malawi is your route creatively. Lora Parisicn, who served in the place!" Check out the airline or carrier Tunisia, recalled one of her most mem- Travel tips to consider: before you board. Don't hop on some orable experiences as a Peace Corps Seek out and take the advice of random twin-engine plane rccom- Volunteer. "The international camel seasoned Peace Corps Volunteers and mended by the taxi driver. El festival in the Sahara brings together staff before you go. Mauritanians, Moroccans, Algerians, It is great to be a free spirit, but do Chris Davis is a former Volcrntecr in Tunisians, Libyans, and Egyptians. For some pre-planning before you leave. Gt~atenrala. paragraph explains that: WID is not a members understand where you're program, it is, philosophy. wlo is coming from, your customs, culture, What I Need 18 a the ex~ortationof western feminism. etc. 1 finally decided to stop asking, WID 1s not a support group for female and just did it. VoIuntL.womcn only. wm not for or by I invited three other Volunteers who live in my area ovcr to my house. Each Support- - Group That got me thinking. Why aren't of us had varied backgrounds and site s I was cleaning out my bookshelf there any groups for Volunteers to experiences. 1 asked each Volunteer to A one day, 1 came across a paper share their experiences, problems, con- be ~re~aredto share something-a explaining Women In Development cerns, even laughter? A group to help verse, saying, experience, that was spe- (WID) and the Peace Corps. Thc first you ger through the hard times, whose cial to them and why. To make it spe- cific, 1 asked it to be related to Paraguay. I felt there was a need for a group such as rhis to meet, share, support, and encourage each other because Chilling Out there are times when we are in need of o those of you living at sites without refrigeration, the PCVs in support when we're falling and need TMorocco have ~erfccted the Peace Corps cooler that "gets cool some help to get back into action. enough and is humid enough to keep your veggies fresh for at least a week 1 have seen that somctinies wc all and also works well to keep your drinking water, etc., cool." get so gung-lio about our communi- Peaceworks, tlie newsletter of I'eace Corps Morocco, gives you the step ties, our projects, and its needs that we by step instructions. (Warning: After an unfortunare experience, they dis- ovcrlook our own. When we finally realize that maybe we pushed it a littlc covered that this cooler will not work well with meat.) too far, it sonietinies is a bit too late. Directioizs: In our first meeting, wc were able to To construct a cooler, you nccd a 30-liter plastic jug (the type they use open up and share ideas, opinions, for water with a closeable lid), sonie heavy cloth (about one square meter), encouragement, information and cxpe- some nylon sting (clothesline), a few rocks and a large washtub. rienccs. Afterwards I felt refreshed, Wrap the heavy cloth around the outside of the jug (attaching or with a rcinforced confidencc, drive, sewing it on tightly with the nylon string) leaving it open on the bottom and initiative. The communication was wirh a fcw extra inches of fabric. Obviously, yoti don't cover the top or better than the quick "Hey, how's it you wooldn't be ablc to get into your cooler. going?" here and the "Hi!" there that Put thc water jug with its cloth wrapping into the washtub with the arc most common in the rush of washtub about half full of water. The water should draw up into the cloth errands and appointments. about halfway up thc jug by capillary action. Use a small cut to daily Why not give it a shot? My sugges- tions are: moisten the rest of the fabric. 1. Keep the group small. Take your rocks, wash them well and put them on the bottom of the 2. Kcep what's said in the group. water jug. Put some fabric on the rocks (plastic screening works best, but 3. Save thc alcohol for another get anything will do) to keep your food. etc.. our of the water. together-it rends to distract the pur- Your food and water sits on rap of the fabric and the water on thc bot- pose. tom keeps humidity high so your veggies stay crisp rather than rubbery. 4. Have someone facilitate each ses- It's the evapor2tion of the water from the outside fabric thar absorbs heat sion to niake sure that the purpose is and keeps your stuff cool. In a really dry climate, the water evaporates not lost and to stay on track. quickly and things are cooler. In a humid climate, it doesn't evaporate as 5. Remember thar this time is not to quickly and it doesn't cool as well. Make sure that the fabric stays moist, compare ourselves to other Volunteers close the lid, and pour a little water on tlie lid to keep things coolest. and their accomplishments (or lack of). By David Doctor. Reprinted from I'eaceworks, the ~~ewsletterof Peace By "Diane," PCV Paragria)? Reprinted Corps Morocco. from Kuar, the riewslettcr of Peace 1 Corps Paragrra)! Recording Your Journey BY ROSE GREEN

here is a Chinese proverb rhar says, "The palest ink is Lined pages. A diary wirh a lock. Open it up and begin to clearer rhan the sharpest memory." Two years from writc. You can write anywhere and at any time-in a crowd- Tnow, are you going ro remember what you did today? ed train station, by a pond, in the comfiest chair in Five years from now? Twenty years from now? your house. Your memory will be a lot sharper in the hat to wrire about? The occurrences of the day. years ahead if you srart wriring ignificant events rhat happen ro you. Someone things down today. you like. Something you don't. Keep a running Keeping a journal helps you to lisr of your favorire words and phrases, and observe more and respond more to what what they mean, in your hosr country lan- is raking place around you. A journal guage. Go to one of your favorite loca- entry is like a snapshot. It may be out of tions and write a detailed description of focus at rimes, but it still carches your spir- wharever you see and how it makes you feel. it and characrer bcttcr than any formal por- Once you establish a routine of writing rrair. After you have returned home, and the regularly in your journal, you'll be memories of your time as a Volunteer have hooked. Chris Gomcs, a former begun ro fade, reading your journal will remind Volunteer in Equatorial Guinea, you of a special moment or place probably more wrote three books worth of journals vivid and interesting rhan your photographs will. while serving. "I found the practice very cathar- "A couple of years ago 1 wrore a book (Cultrrre tic," he says. "The acr of wriring allowed me to have more Shock! Morocco) and went first to my journals ro of a sense uf clarity about what I was doing." refresh my memory," recalls Orin Hargraves, a former If you don'r like keeping a journal, there are orher ways to Volunteer in that country. "What really surprised me about keep a collecrion of your thoughts and words. When you write reading the journals was how different the experience had letters home ask your family and friends to keep them safe for become in my memory from what it was at the time. Over the your return. course of a dozen years I had transfor~iiedmy experience in Jane Sommer, a former Voluntcrr in the I'hilippines, tells morocco into a kind of golden age, where I was always happy us, "1 didn't keep a journal but wrote exrremely derailed let- and everything was wonderful. Bur in reading the journals Iwas rers to my family, who ryped them and circulated them to surprised to see how often I was angry, frustrated, lonely, and friends. When 1 came home Ifound them an inreresting record, just not coping!" Taking thar srep back in time helped not only of my Peace Corps experiences, but also of my per- Hargraves rake a more appropriate tone in writing his book of specrive of the timc. Ire-read them periodically. They jog my "cross cultural adjustment for the traveler or settler bound for memory, and they also remind me of who 1 used to he and morocco." how I've changed." If you've never kept a journal, or don'r think you'll feel Right now you may rhink you'll remember everything hap- comforrable wriring, the most important thing to realize is pening to you because each experience is so new and so often that after all thcse years of writing for other people-school intense. Soon after you return home, however, you'll discover papers, essays, applicarion forms, and reports-your journal is rhat one face or place blends into another, so be sure ro dare each just for you. It's a space for your thoughts, your opinions, entry and include the names of the people you meet and the your choice of words, your feelings, your grammar and places you go. Living in another country for an exrended lengrh spelling. No one can correct the pages, edit rhem, evaluate of timc and becoming pan of another culture are things most of them, or even comment on them if you don't wanr rhem to. us will never know. Whether by journal or letter, treasure rhis (Unless you become famous and someone finds them and pub- rime and write your memories in whatever way works best for lishes them-we'll deal wirh that possibility in a furure issue). you. Years fro~nnow you'll be glad you did. Get a blank book, any old kind will do. A marble compo- sirion tablet. A spiral bound notebook. Plain sheets of paper. Rose Green works bt the Office of Comntri~~icatio~is.

NUMIIER Two 199s 27 TAPESTRYTECHNICAL SUPPORT AND INFORMATION A Peace Corps Forum Looks at 'The Internet as a Tool for Development"

BY JUDY BENJAMIN

EACE COKPS TOOK A LEAP ing staff members what questions they into cyberspace this year with had about the lnternet. These then its entry onto the Internet. became the focus of the forum. Rushing to take advantage of The questions also made it clear Pthe new medium, headquarters staff is that staff would benefit from the expe- sending e-mail messages around the rience of other development agencies globe at a rapid pace, doubling and with a longer Internet history. tripling the number each month. Together, Wolfe and Gail Wadsworrh, In the field, Peace Corps soon will be ICE'S Resor~rce Developmcnr catching up, with at leasr one region- Specialist, arranged to have a panel of Europe, Cenual Asia and the Mediter- experts speak at the forum and stimu- ranean (ECAM)-already linked to the late discussion. The panelists also htemct in about 90 percent of the coun- brought handouts with them, includ- tries. ing Technology Fact Sheers and an As use has increased so have qucs- article on Internet by e-mail, which tions about its impact. What will ICE has reproduced in its electronic Internet mean for development and for newsletter for In-Country Resource Peace Corps in particular? What effect Centers, IRC Network News. The will it have on countries that have lim- most recent issue features the Internet. ited access to it? Panelists at the forurn included Dr. To address these issues, OTAPS Eugene Boostrom, a public health sponsored an all-day foruni at Peace physician with the World Bank; Jakc Corps headquarters early in June for brunner, an Associate of the World staff throughout the Agency. In orga- Resources Institute (WRI); Tony Bryne nizing the forum, ICE Director David From the International Research Bc Wolfe sent out an e-mail message ask- Exchanges Board (IREX); Kaye Gapen, Director of Research Services Brunner reported for the Morino Institute; and Jonathan that he had Olsson, representing the U.S. Agency reviewed WRl's for International Development Internet communica- (USAID). As a first step for Peace tions with environ- Corps into virtual reality, panelist mental organiza- Steve Cisler spoke from his office in tions in Africa, and Cupertino, California, on a slow-scan found the most video image transmitted over the valuable feature to lnternet and projected on a screen. be e-mail. Through Wendy White, a Senior Program e-mail, these orga- Officer with the National Research nizations have been Council, served as moderator. able to secure from WRI maps of rheir Experience of Other own countries, Or&anizations monthly reports that highlight ----- In her opening remarks, White environmental referred to the questions staff members activities, and announcements had submitted to Wolfe as falling into about how they can acccss evaluations of nizations as USAID and the United four general categories-"The Four rheir countty programs. Nations Development Programme 'Cs' of Cost, Content, Connectivity Kaye Capen stressed the gcneral (UNDI') to share their experience. and Capacity Building." Each of these advances in communication and infor- issues was touched upon by thc panel mation the lnternet makes possible, Problems of Lan uage, members in describing their experience providing an international reach to Culture, and Pn itic~ with the lnternet and its value for P what wc normally do internally. "It devcloprnent. creates new ways of working, a new Following the presentations, in An RPCV in thc '60s from Togo social meaning, a different cultural answer to a question about languages, and now a Senior Scientist at Apple mindset," Gapen said. Cisler mentioned Apple's experience Computer Corporation, Cisler spoke Dr. Eugene Boostrom directed with schools on Native American about the relevance for I'eace Corps of attention specifically to development reservations and in Hawaii, where Apple's work with Native American in Africa stressing the Internet's pupils are practicing on computers in and rural communities, setting up pub- potential for connecting the continent their indigenous languages. While lic access sites to the Internet. with the rest of the world. In his own worldwide discussion groups use From his experience with IREX, ficld, for example, he cited how mainly English, Cisler pointed out that which trains scholars and policy mak- libraries in Africa, which have few through UNICODE, com~nunication ers in Eastern Europe, Tony Bryne scholarly journals, can now have can be tmnslatrd into any existing lan- highlighted the problem of informa- online access to the British Medical guage. tion control, especially acute in that Journal. Epidemiological data also Since an earlier problem of trans- part of the world. Because of govern- now is being reported through a glob- posing the Latin alphabet into Cyrillic ments' concern about open access to al health network. characters has now been solved, the information, rather than dealing with The Internet's potential for Africa lnternet has become more popular in communications ministries, his organi- was stressed also by Jonathan Olsson, Eastern Europe. Language also has zation is working with the end users- who argued that without access, Africa political implications, however, and the historians, the econon~ists-to would become even more isolated. many Eastern block countries are demonstrate how the Internet can meet More important than co~nmunications unwilling to accept Russian as their rheir needs. Through an "Internet from north to south, Olsson pointed universal regional language. Peace Corps" of Volunteers, IREX out, are local and regional communi- Culture is another factor. hopes to encourage the development of cation. Networks in the Sahel and in Describing how we conlmunicate, public access sires. Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, are Cisler noted that "American informal- In preparation for the forum, Jake now making it possible for such orga- ity doesn't always travel well," refer- TAPESTRY*

ring especially to Eastern Europe. In providing technical support, and open- Training to Promote the some countries, Iran for example, tech- ing an account would be 500 dollars. Internet's Expansion nology generally is considered threat- Operating expenses they calculated at ening. How the lnternet develops in 1,000 dollars per year. From his experience with lKEX in any country will depend on the time Even though these costs are low, as Eastern Europe, Tony Bryne saw train- and place. Dr. Boostrom pointed out in his open- ing as a "seeding" process, starting ing remarks, telecommunications in with developing small training groups, Organizing the Africa is often in the hands of govern- and then having these individuals Information ment monopolies, which charge exor- become "lead nenvorkers," training bitant fees. As a rcsult, connections others in their field. Although he saw I'eople use the Internet in two ways are limited. the need for people with technical that are important to Peace Corps- The map published by the Internet expertise, he and others on the panel for personal comn~ttnicationand for Socicty may sliow substantial cover- felt it W~Sbetter to have teachers be access to files and information. Once age worldwide, but fails to show that the trainers. More than the technical the system is in place, using interna- coverage in a country may consist of a capacity is the need "to build a con- tional e-mail is an easy matter, but single connection to a network of 50 stituency for open and sustainable acccssitig data can be far more com- physicists. Cisler suggested that a communication." plicated. guide is needed, such as the kind air- Gapen, too, stressed the importance At the present time, only five per- lines use, that would sliow the actual of gaining advocates. Training, she felt, cent of published works are in digital connections-that a messagc from needs to demonstrate to people what form. As Cisler reported, problems of someone in Nairobi, for example, may the Internct can do for them, how it security, copyright and accounting have to go through the U.S. to reach can meet their needs, so they will be havc slowed publishers from exploit- someonc else in Nairobi. willing to take advantagc of it. As one ing the medium. Dr. Boostrorn rciterated the efforts way to convince people, Cislcr suggest- As commercial activity ii~ctcases, the World Bank is making to improve ed the use being made of howcver, wading through the Internet connectivity. Negotiations are under the Internct rhrough the kinds of sto- will be even more of a problem than it way with governments in Africa to ries Brunner had mentioned. is now. White said that the lntcrnet change regulations and allow telecom- had been likencd to "a library without munications to be privatized. USAID, Commercial a card catalog," and Gapen sttcssed the UNDP, the World Bank, and other Development the need to organize it. organizations are proposing also to The World Wide Web (WWW) and pool their resources and install in Although commercial activity has Gopher were among the various countries in Africa a shared "pipeline" started slowly, no one on the panel search tools mentioned to make it eas- to have an e-mail hookup, accessible to doubted that it would soon catch up. ier to locate information that in schools and other institutions as well. So far, the government-research-cduca- Gapen's words "is reliable, current, Jake Brunner felt that local tion community has taken the lead, but usable and meaningful." As Capen e-mail server providers should be the eventually, Cisler predicted, it will be said, "How you put content together source for improving local connectivi- dwarfed by the comtiiercial sector. is what matrers. Information has to be ty, and other panelists agreed. Panel On its own, the private sccror is pertinent to your own needs." members noted several measurcs to unlikely to establish the connections to reduce costs and bypass existing make the Internet mote widespread in telecommunications systems: thc work Africa. Private investment, Brunner

- ~ in the Philippines of the nongovcrn- noted, accounts for only eight percent "The internet," Olsson asserted, "is mental organization Volunteers in of the ccotiomies of these countries, as the least expensive way to bring com- Technical Assistance, linking rural opposed to development assistance, munications to these developing coun- communities through packet radios which accounts for 35 percent. So that tries." To get an idca of exactly what connected to computers and, globally, the poor will not be left out of the the costs would be, Jake Brunner sent through PACSAT; the use of solar loop, the panelists concluded that an e-mail to 40 countries in Africa, energy to power computers; and Peace Corps and other development receiving a response from some 20 to reliance on low-earth orbiting satel- organizations need to promote dercgu- 25 providers. They reported that the lites to use cellular telephones and lation and seed initiatives by private start-up costs of purchasing a modem, other wireless techniques to make the sector groups to link up with the conducting a one-day training session, connections. Internet. Peace Cot.psl Role ment as part of their assignments. connecting everyone to the lnternet. But Peace Corps is looking for Cisler, who stayed hooked up The afternoon's session was devor- Volunteers with computer skills-in throughout the event, suggested devel- ed to Peace Corps' own experience assignments to the Business oping a "Decision ,Matrixn to help with the Internet. These are some of Development Centers in Bulgaria, for determine when to introduce thr the examples cited: example-which could be considered lnternet into a country. Such a mecha- Individual Volunteers have been "public access sites." OTAPS nism would enable Peace Corps to set using e-mail to search for sources of Director Howard Anderson suggested priorities, show the conditions that funding, send out proposals and the In-Country Resource Centers as need to change, and adapt when resumes, and share TEFL materials. another possible site for lnternet change occurs. The Office of Volunteer Recruitment access and training. In the future, Cisler predicted we & Selection (VRS) is expecting to use may see walk-in telccenters for people the Internet for recruiting purposes; Is the lntn.net to connect to the lnternet in the same the World Wide Web for text, pho- Appropt.iateTechnology? way they now make international tographs and videos publicizing calls. As Charles Baquet, Peace Volunteer service; and eventually, an A major issue, however, is whether Corps' Acting Director, said in intro- online application process. Through a the lnternet is appropriate technology ducing the forum, "The lnternet is World Wide Web connection, the for PCVs to use. Peace Corps always like eagle's wings permitting people to ECAM Region is hoping to share has questioned whether Volunteers fly higher and further." Whether training materials, while World Wise should have resources their communi- "another tool for communication," in Schools is planning to use the Web to ties would not have otherwise, especial- Wendy White's words, or "a tool for reach teachers and students with its ly resources that can easily distract development," there is no doubt, the study guides and videos, as well as PCVs from their assignments. A coun- Internet is here to stay. interviews with I'CVs. try where only the capital has electrici- As a rulc, PCVs have not been ty, or lacks schools and basic teaching Judy Renjanzin is the Editor of doing lnternet training or devclop- materials may have priorities other than Tapes try

ERE ARE SOlW OF ICE'S units, as well as additional discussion A workbook for teaching business com- rlewest additio~~sto The questions; an overview of pesticide regu- munication skills to adult ESL students. Whole ICE Catalo ion, and WPS training and protection Presents ten steps, or chapters, each relating to attitudes that contribute to es important information for business succcss, e.g., being positive, a team player, punctual, etc. Each chapter includes two brief case studies to show a elpful for trainers to incor- "right" and "wrong" way of behavior, and a varier?.of activities and exercises to develop language and human relations skills. xw Curnrnunieulinn: wwss. I.in Lou&beed. EDlSS - Options for Educn~nr*:A son-\\hsle? Puhlinhins Monogasph Lrr 1)eeinion Alnkerx on r\llea.nulire P~~rliei~nlo~Slmlejies. I.?,. I.?,. Sriniv-n. (PACT/CDS) 1992 pesticide hao- DISTRIBUTION TO I'EACE CORPS IN- I56 pp. llCE Clnxx. No. C02!)01 dlers. Contains 17 specific training COUNTRY RESOURCE CENTERS ONLY Presents alternative educational srrate- TAPESTRY-

gies based upon thc belief that poverty is SB177 - Strut@ie Plttnnine Workboob functions and structure of such commit- best fought through the rapping of an for i\'unprof O~an>,ationr Rryinn tees, illustrated by case studies. individual's capacity for self-direction \V. Burry (Amherst H. \\'ilder and self-fulfillment. Provides a rheoreti- Foundation) 1986 72 pp. [ICE Clnxs SR182 - Fund-Ruisin~and the cal framework, as well as practical steps NU.J020II Nonprol;t Honmd Mernher. Fishen. for applying participatory principles, A workbook that defines srraregic plan- H0u.e (Notional Center For. Nonprofit including guidelines for a participatory ning; explains its relevance ro nonprofit Board.) I989 [ICE Class No. J020II workshop and sample acriviries for facil- organizations; and provides a step-by- Presents the key principles of fund-mis- itators working with community groups step guide for developing, impleme~iting ing and stresses the role of the board. on specific issues. Complements WD084 and updating a strategic plan. Describes fund-raising as a narural Tools for Community I'articipation and Appendices include a summary of a situ- process which must be supported by a provides practical advice for Volunteers ational analysis, an example of a strate- persuasive case. Provides straregies for regardless of their assignmenr. gic plan, and strategic planning work- involving and motivating all board mem- sheets. bers in the fund-raising process. FC204 - The Eurthhird ~Mukazine Sevies: Fond for the Futuw: Ou~.Twen SBI78 - Ten Buvic Rexponsihilitier or W1)112 - T<~c,lsof Gender Anulysiu: r\ and Forest*: IAm S, HunQryI Could hronprrf:t Rnards. Kiehnrd 'I: Ingram. Guide tn Field Alethods I;r Bringin* Eat A liwe; und Fuhult,ux Foveut (Nutionnl Centep fop N~n~roI;t Gender into Su~tuismuhleRcraurce Fuetorier.Jured C. Crawford Roards) l!l88 22pp. [ICE Clauu No. M.n"g.rne.t. HUI.~~PU-Ihomtw- (I:oresln.y PolirT PlnnninQI)iri*ion. J0400l Sluyter. Andvea Lee Exxer, uad Al. Foewxtry I>epartrnemnt, VAO) 20 pp. em. One of several booklets produced by the DmIe Shields. (Clark Univerri~~)19!):l [ICE Class No. E02001 National Centcr for Nonprofit Boards 44 pp. [ICE Cluw*. h'o. I30001 A four-part series that educates children (NCNB) as part of the NCNB In a clear and concise manner, presents about the environment through the use Governance Series. Clarifies the respon- niethods for gathering data and examin- of cartoons and stories. Deals with such sibilitics of the board as a collective cnti- ing men's and women's roles in natural issues as crcating a balanced diet, pre- ty as well as the rcsponsibilitics of indi- resource managcmenr. Information serving forests, and recognizing the value vidual board members. Describes ten illustrated with brief examples of pro- of natural resources. The information differcnr functions, including determin- jects in different developing countries. can be supplen~ented wirh classroom ing an organization's mission and pur- Useful material for Pre-Service Training strategies for environmental education. poses, selecting and overseeing its execu- of Volunteers. Also available in Spanish as ICE tive, ensuring cffccrive planning and adc- Publication No. FC206. quate resources, monitoring its programs YD008 - Leudership l)eveloprnern~: r\ and services, and enhancing its public Handhook rrom I'nuthBuild US)\ and SU173 - Ne~~~\\'orldol'Mierc~entcr- image. the Yaruth Action P~w*n.am. Dorothy prire Finunce: The lluildine Heulthy Stenemiln und John Bcll. (Ycwthlluild FinunDominican Republic. have a chance." Peace Corps may never be able to You've got Some doubts about loan control build a world-wide along the I same lines of the national svstem now nicchanisrns, so you go to the Peace in place. "It would be very complex," Corps office in town, log onto Internet says Jonathan McHugh, the IRM ,and post a message to the Peace Corps staffer who coordinated the nation- mailing list. You get a dozen or so wide effort. "The biggest obstacle is responses over the next week from that we would have to adapt our net- Volunteers and RPCVs who've already work to the technologies available in crossed that bridge and have some each of the countrics we serve-they helpful advice. each have different systems at varying To some Volunteers and staff, that levels of development, so connecting scenario might sound like a pipe dream each of our overseas posts in a global -either they don't have computer network would be an enormous task." access or internet has not yet been But left to their own deviccs, many approved. Yet to others already Volunteers and overseas staff are link- hooked up and logged on, Internet is ing up to the system rhat everyone with linking- RPCVs, Peace Cor~se~n~lov- . . internet access uses. Scveral of the ees, and some Volunteers in user Eastern and Central European posts groups that allow them to exchange IRM has been working hard to get have access due to the more advanced ideas and experiences. In addition, it's everyonc hooked up and online. For telecommunication infrastructures of no pipe dream that Peace Corps is one the past few years they have focused those countries. Ted Bongiovanni, a of the first federal agencies to link its primarily on developing the network, new TEFL trainee in Lithuania, is entire domestic staff in its own com- pulling nearly 20 miles of cable excited: "It is my understanding that puter network, providing electronic through the Peace Corps Washington most of the Small Enterprise mail (e-mail), software packages, and building, and another five miles in the Development Volunteers in Lithuania databases to Peace Corps employees area recruitment offices. This alone will be online, so e-mail should be a nationwide. took a year and a half, but staff in handy way to communicate. I've also "lnternet and e-mail have created a Washington are now all connected to a heard that there are excellent TEFL tremendous increase in the transfer of nation-wide net that lets them commu- resources online, though I haven't information beyond the use of word nicate instantly with their colleagues in found them yet." In Africa, only one processing," says Rick Lauderdale, Dallas, San Francisco, and anywhere post (Ethiopia) is online, and there are Deputy Director for the Network else Peace Corps has an office. When a few in Inter-America. David Wolfe Support Unit in information Resources e-mail goes down and people are sud- relates a story that reveals the possibil- Management (IRM), Peace Corps' denly cut off from one another, IRIM's computer department. Consequently, phoncs go crazy. rules and endanger your health, More Than an "Administrative Separation" turns from a warning into a red rubber stamp on your official file. "What I Apple a Day would like most to see more of among Volunteers is greater account- The Bottom Line is Excellent Health ability for personal actions and responsible behavior," said Michele Care for Volunteers Price, former PcMo in both Lesotho and Bulgaria. "My greatest worry is for the safety and health maintenance FONTANEZ BY ANDREW of Volunteers." OMS doesn't wait for you to get. in-country bcfore they start analyzing AREN WAS AS AN ENV- ,our well-being. Remember that med- ical clearance process you went ronmental education Volunteer in a qualify for Peace town about ten hours from the capi- Corps? Blame them. OMS staff are unapologetic about their strictness. tal city. While helping set up a water OMS places Volulltecrs in areas where thev will be able to perform system at a new housing project near pared to treat Volunteers for any- their assignment without putting her site, she was struck on the side of thing. Boils. Impetigo. Broken legs. themselves at potential risk of aggra- the head by a swinging pulley. She fell Snake bites. Ear infections. Dengue vating a pre-existing condition. For to the ground unconscious and was fever. Hookworms. And the most example, placing a Volunteer with i~nmcdiatelytaken to the local hospi- common problem among PCVs asthma in a location high in the tal. The hospital contacted thc Peace worldwide: diarrhca. "By the end of Andes or Himalayas would not be in Corps Medical Officer (I'CMO) with- service, almost every PCV will have his or her best interest. in 30 minutes of thc accident. had at least onc episode of acute diar" Medical Services also acts as the This scenario, presented during rhea," says Dr. Norecn Carus, an epi- liaison for Volunteers once they have health Training, has a happy out- demiologist in OMS. "It is the most completed their service. If, after leav- come, because the I'CV had followed common problem reported-four ing Peace Corps, a returned Volunteer the procedures issued by the Office of times more frequently than its closest has a health prohlem which may be Medical Services (OMS)-she was competitor worldwide, dermatitis." service-related, this office works to carrying her Peace Corps ID, had prc- Your PCMO has to be a cross ensure that proper care and benefits viously introduced herself to the hos- herween a country surgeon and are available to hclp them convalesce. pital staff, and had emergency phone Sherlock Holmes, able to diagnose You will learn more about this at numbers posted in her house. OMS is and treat tonsillitis, as \yell as solve your COS conference. If you can't a stickler about this kind of thing. the mystery of those funny spots that wait, ask your PCMO for details. They don't take chances with your were all over your legs when you So the next time your PCMO health, and they don't want you to emerged from your demonstration comes after you with a needle full of either. Ncver again after Pence Corps fish pond. Annoyed about getting gamma globulin to ward off hepatitis service will you be likely to have so busted for riding on a motorcycle and other infcctious diseases, don't many people nagging you to take without a helmet? You're not going roll your eyes-roll up your shirt your vitamins and get your vaccina- to get any sympathy from your sleeves! They're just doing their job tions on time. PCMO, pal. She's the one who has to so you can do yours. Keeping everyone safe and hcalthy, pick up the pieces if you'rc run into a considering the number of different ditch. And staff from OIMS back in Airdrew Fontairez, a forrirer Volrrrrteer locations where PCVs serve, is no Washington are likely to be even less 11, Hondrrras, works in the Office of small feat. OMS staff must be pre- sympathetic. When you break the Med~calSeruices. provide them with assurance that you have the materials and capability to They're Right on do your own taxes, even though you're "out in a small village in the middle of nowhere with no electricity the Money or running water five hours away from a telephone." Peace Colps' Keepers of the Books It's the problems and emergencies that make our work interesting. Keep You in the Black Every day we deal with the challenges of international mail (like figuring out that we should call Gabon to find a one-third check addressed to Benin), readjustment checks which have been lost, stolen, burned, or hid- OME OF YOU MAKE IT THROUGH YOUR den too well, and once in a while Peace Corps service without ever having to we'll have to drop everything for the day in order to prepare for a country deal with Volunteer and Staff Payroll evacuation. Although we try to keep every- Services (VSPS). Some of you rely on us to thing as consistent as we can, we 3 sometimes have to engineer excep- process the readjustment allowance tions to the rule. For example, in withdrawals and allotmrnts and cer- order to provide one-third funds to tifications of loan deferments that Volunteers in the "Stan" cour~tries keep you financially afloat at home (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz whilr you serve overseas. Republic, and Turkmenistan), where VSPS manages in excess of standard U.S. Treasury checks cannot $11,000,000 in readjustment allow- be cashed, we changed our proce- ances accrued by Peace Corps Volun- dures so that we do not automatical- teers in a year. The Trainee Registra- ly generate one-third checks; we tion and Readjustment Allowance authorize cash disbursements of withdrawal forms you fill out at funds at post instead. Staging are delivered to our office. When you complete service you Froin these we start your readjust- may end up calling us if your final ment allowance account and set up rcadjostment allowance check has your payments to everything from not arrived after four to six weeks, credit cards to dog-sitters. or for verification of your service During your time overseas, your for employers or student lending in-countrv administration keeos us agencies. We store copies of your updated on your status. As you Allowance and your service informa- DOS, if you write one and your progress from Trainee to Volunteer to tion. Our most common questions country director forwards it to us. transfer or extending Volunteer to are about student loans, taxes and (We don't keep originals! Don't lose \I COSing Volunteer, we make sure your payments (What payments are yours!) allotments continue and that your allowed? Where are they?). We love comments and suggestions one-third checks and W-2's reach you Your families and financial con- from all of you. We also collect and provide your service information tacts call us to explain the complexi- stamps, so please write to us! to lending agencies or others. ties of Peace Corps income. If these We also answer calls from your folks are your legal powers-of-attor- Marilyn Canzpbell works in the families, tinancial contacts, and orh- ney, rue provide them with your Office of Volunteer and Staff Payroll ers regarding the Readjustment duplicate W-2's, and if they aren't, we Services. ities. "Recently, the environmental sec- Volunteers Write tor needed to get their hands on nation31 ecotourism policies in order to develop guidelines for posts enter- ing this new program area; poking around on the Internet one night, I stumbled across Australia's policy. It trange and subtle sometimes are I never tire of marveling at the cam- the habits of courtesy. Water is a bination of strength and grace dis- was just what we needed, and it was Sprecious commodity out here in played by the women and girls who remarkable that 1 found it so quickly." the campo (countryside). So there is a carry five gallons on their head, with a I'eople intcrested in joining Peace Corps ore now able to peruse applica- tion questions on the I'eace Corps "home page," available on the World Wide Web. Returned Volunteers and anyone else interested in talking about Peace Corps can subscribe to the Peace Corps discussion group, which typi- cally delivers 20 messages a day into subscribers' mailboxes. The topics range from "Which ham radio should I buy to use in Kenya?" to "Does any- one know where I can hook LIPwith RPCVs from Zimbabwe Group 23?" "Hearing from other RPCVs and even if he bas to go through great best placcs to catch the latest gossip. I their experiences, staying in touch effort to get it. A good guest notices have concluded thatchismes (rumors) with other Togo RI'CVs, and having how difficult it is to get the water and 3re flying due to the occasional, "No limits her usage accordingly. Even me digas (Don't tell me)!" and access to West Africa-specific news has better, the guest helps replace the "jAsquerosa! (Gross!)" that escapes all been beneficial" wrote Steve water used. from their mouths while they are Johnson, a formcr Volunteer in Togo. Volunteers from water-poor commu- huddled over the tap. Steve is one of hundreds of members nities are often quick to notice the lavish T suppose that's what I like best of thc Peace Corps-L (list) who stay in habits of Volunteers from water-rich about the water collection process. conimunities. "I can'r believe she used It's one of the places where I fit into touch with Peace Corps via the threc full gallons to take a bath. You'd the co~nmunitybest. My Spanish is Internet. think shc wcre washing an elephant." what it is, and I do remain the gringo. Every day IRM gets calls and e- On the other hand, Volunreers from Yet, I understand the rules at the tap mails asking when Peace Corps will bi water-rich communities are struck by and even some of the subtleties. The fully online. "I want it now," is the cry the unreasonablestinginess of the water- community sees I am on even ground poor. "He hoarded water like it was with them and ask no privileges. It is IRM hears every day. Patience, ever a gold at Fort Knox, rationing it out drop a calm and orderly place. Maybe I Peace Corps virtue, is not a conipatible by drop." will fondly remember the communal bedfellow with the fevcrish pace of consider myself a decent host in tap when am reaching for the hot I I computer comnlunication. Rot IRM this area. 1 keep about 15 gallons in water faucet in the shower. And then my house almost all the time. Since again ... 19 keeps Peace Corps up to speed. the average Volunteer uses about three to four gallons a day, that's a Keith Talbot is a Volunteer in the Burton Reist works in the Director> I pretty good quantity. Do~r~illicanRepublic. Office. ROOKS, MUSIC,AND OTHERART OF THE PEACE CORPS WORLD

In Aarna in America: A Pilgrimage of the Heart Broughton Coburn mergjes his two worlds

n 1989, Vishnu Maya Gurung, an 84- hilarious, and always revealing- year-old subsistence farmcr who lived of a 12,000 mile geographical and Ijust below the majestic Himalayan spiritual journey. Coburn records mountains of Nepal, was the subject of a their conversations while visiting a coming-of-age ceremony in her village. Catholic sanctuary, Disneyland, Thc ritual marked the fulfillment of a life- I.as Vegas, Old Faithful, kissing a time of worldly obligation and the begin- killer whale, and riding a wheat ning of her spiritual preparation for combine, to name just a few of their death. During the ceremony, the priest prescribed a pilgrimage for Vishnu, and Broughton Coburn, her "adopted American son," seized the opportunity to invite her to see thc world he had come from. Not only would this help lit a store on "Main Street," a young her receive religious merir from the Disneylarrd ambassador leaked offi- priest, but Coburn felt that he might also be ablc to fulfill a part of his cia1 word that Mickey Mouse would own "worldly obligation." Vishun, be making arr appearance shortly. who was affectionately known as "Aama, we're oing to meet an animal Aama (Nepali for "mother"), accepted considered to be an America~~deity," I tation and, with Broughton and his companion Didi, left said, groping as usual for a sensible Nepal for the first time in her life ro embark on a 25-state coasr-to-coast tour of the United States. trartslation. "He's like the king of the mouse and aizi- Broughton Coburn had lived and worked in Nepal for ma1 caste." more than 15 years, initially as a Peace Corps Volunteer Through a forest of balloorrs and cotton candy, we teacher and later as an overseer of rural development and cotrld see Mickey Mouse in front of the castle, walking wildlife conservation for the United Nations and the and tvaving like a politician. We pushed forward, and World Wildlife Fund. Aama was Coburn's landlady when he stopped regally in front of Aama. She tried to clasp he was a PCV, and during that time rhe nvo formed a spe- cial bond since she had no son of her own and Coburn's his oversized gloved hands in hers, then lifted and low- mother had passed away. Coburn documented their ered his hands with each point of recited incantation. unique kinship and the meeting of two very different cul- She passed her fingers across the surface of his artificial tures in his first book, Aama; Portrait of a Nepalese Hill face, feeling each ridge and depression as she spoke, Woman (Anchor Books, reissue; May 1995). In Aanra in trying to force her blessing through his malleablebrrt America: A Pilgrimage of the Heart (Anchor Books, May impervious rubber skin. "I apologize for coming impre- 1995), Coburn recounts Aama's rollicking American adventure and simultaneous philosophical odyssey. pared, hiit with humble words I offer my respect and A true life experience that reads like fiction, Aama in blessings, and pray that your wishes and desires, and America is a vivid chronicle-sometimes profound, often those of the children who love you, be fulfilled. " .-RPCV - - PR0FII.E. - - . . - -

Kinky Fried Wild Man from Borneo

WENTY-FIVE YEARS AFTER THE fact, the blue tattoo of a dog is still chiseled on his left forearm, an TA ever-present reminder of two years working in the jungles of Borneo. The destination was described in his duced the kids to the all-American Kinky Friedman, the mystery writer invitation packet as "exotic," with sport of frisbee. He also spent a fair cunr jukebox hero cum ex-Peace jungles, cobras, alligators, and bright- amount of time strumming his guitar. Corps Volunteer points at it with his ly-colored birds. "You will see indige- Kinky was dclighted to learn that cigar stub as just another interesting nous peoples," it read, "some covered some Borneans had picked up a few facet of his kaleidoscopic life. head-to-toe with blue tattoos." country and western songs from "They did it with a hammer and Kinky's site was remote, in the Australian paratroopers, including nails while 1 chewed betel nut and northern territory of Sarawac, where music of his idol, country music leg- drank rice wine to relax," says the farmers used old fashioned (i.e., four end, Hank Williams. walking, talking, spitting image of or five-cefrturies olds) techniques that "They even knew 'Waltzing Texas macho. brought in poor yields. He tried to Mathilda,"' he says. "It hurt like hell," he admits, teach them some of the modern meth- "We visited Richard in Borneo," adjusting his black Stetson. ods that he learned in training; meth- recalls his father, Tom, a retired pro- No kidding. ods that weren't so much difficult as fessor of psychology. "It was ...." Richard Friedman (the "Kinky" they were different. "Very primitive!" Kinky shouts out came later) signed up for Peace Corps It was a tough row ro hoe. from across the porch where we are right aftcr graduating from the "You're asking people to plant all talking. His father smiles indul- University of Texas in 1966. seed a certain kind of way when gently at this son who has tracked so "My friends all thought I was they've been doing it another kind of many adventures over the years into crazy," he recalls. "They were all way for a thousand years," Kinky his house. going to medical school or law school says, shaking his head. When Kinky got out of the Peace and couldn't understand going to His secondary project fared better. Corps, he turned his attention back to work for eleven cents an hour for "I got a multi-racial boys' club his music and formed his second two-and-a-half years." going on over there between the band, which went by the unlikely Sound familiar? Chinese and the iungle kids and the moniker the Texas Jewboys in defer- Kinky (it's his hair) was offered an Malaysians." ence to his religious and geographic Agriculture Extension assignment in Jrrr~gle kids? Political correctness heritage. (His first hand, King Arthur Borneo, a Malaysian island nation apparently hasn't made a dent in this and the Carrots, had recorded a between Australia and the guy. record when Kinky was in college, but Philippines, twice the size of Texas. Among other things, Kinky intro- fizzled when he joined the Peace Corps.) Certain tunes gave him a mea- sure of notoriety (not to mention hate mail), including: "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore," "Get Your Biscuits In the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed," and "Wild Man from Borneo." During their brush with fame throughout the seventies, The "Jewboys" toured with the likes of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell, and they recorded four albums. The ballads and music of the Jewboys wasn't enough to launch them into the Hank Williams or even Garth Brooks (whose music Kinky detests) galaxies, and when the music finally faded in the late '70s, Kinky erable garden. Surrounding all this are President Clinton, who picked looked around for another gig. acres and acres of hills, valleys, LIP a copy during a recent stop in "When the horse dies, you get off," streams, and secret hiding places where Michigan. Kinky fans are not corralled y,h: says, with characteristic blitnmrss. countless kids have run around, toast- into the United States, though. His He found anothcr gig, oddly ed niarshrnallows, made macrame, and mysteries have been translated into enough, as a mystery writer. fallen in-puppylsOff-season, the German, French, and Japanese. L~ink~'sfirst novel, Musical ,,.place i- looks like a ghost town)'ist the "The Kinkster's very big in \ ~hhrs,p;blished in 1972, met with1 place to kick back and write mystery, Germany," hgtioasts. \ \ / '\ enough success that he was encour- novels. The Kinlister is also very big in Texas. \ \ / aged to'.continue: He is touring the It is here that the novel's hero, coin- ~us(in,Kinky is a rlebriry, a \ country \for his\ eighth' novel, cidentally named Kinky Friedman, folk hero. Over drinks at \ / Arnfadillos aird Oid'La.cc, and has comes home each night to discuss lat- ~ezz\alen?) a to"?i restaurant in completed the\ manuscript for his est developments in "the case' of the Austin, Kinky, dressed in full on-rhe- ninth. With his\ own fan club and an mysterious deaths of eight old ladies town regalia, is/' approached at the \ i eclectic following t$at keeps him in with his father, Tom; sister, Marcie; bar by a waiter, three customers, and coffee and cigars, Kinky shows no and a sweet young camp coitnselor he the owner for autographs.\ He gains sign of stopping. i has an eye for. an instant rapport\with each of Arv~adillosand 012 Lace, like the Armadillos, in which Kinky returns them, asking their\. nadY and chat- \ rest of his mysteries, stars,a character from Greenwich Village to Echo Hill ting amiably for aminutc-or two. named, who else, Kinky Friedman, a for the Summer and gets mixed up in . , "It's not always like,this,"~helies. \ Jewish, ex-country and western the mysterious deaths of eight little-old - .' Then he turns a;&nd greet singer iron1 Texas who at o"e rime ladies is $fast, funny read. The book anqrher fan-a woman wearing an \ \' was a Peace Corps Volunteer in is selk&ike hotcakes across the coun- en&mous Texas beehive. , .', \. \ i ,'. Borneo, and who now lives part-r~pe try. The black-h?rted author has made -- After;76e'jve all,gone, the man on rhe family ranch. The crimes,'in appe+rances in \hain stores like whose second act is in fu'lLswing, pulls, Armadillos, as in all the Kinky mys-, Borders and Crdwn ad3 in smzll of his mouth.\ teries, are pure fiction. Many of the \, regio1;al stores like Bob's Books in as hell to have\ a career' \ .I orher characters are as real as he is: Auzt~n.His fans/range from a sixty- family members, friends, neighbors, seven year old giandmother who stood The blue (og from Borneo, mysteri- and pets (two cars, two dogs, and, of in line for a" hour ar the Jewish ous and\ silent>seems to grin. course-an armadillo) appear on the Community ,Center bookstore in i..\\ pages with very little in the way of Rockville, &+land, 'yo have the Sarah Bott is\ th\e\ Editor of Peace disguises. He doesn't bother chang- author inscribe, "See you in hell," to Corps Times. \.,

NUMRFK TWO 1995 39 ~.- LIFE AFTER PEACE CORPS

all about. Laura Bayne (Dominican Republic, Working at 1989-91) startcd working at headquar- ters as an unpaid intern when she started college in Washington, D.C. She's now a Peace Corps film and video production assistant in the Office of Comrnunica-tions. "I'm very Looking for a Job? Don't Rule Out Washington interested in documentary film-making, and working at Peace Corps has given mc an incredible experience. It means a lot to me to still be connected to the I'eace Corps world." Bayne is the assistant pro- ducer of the video "Come Back EVEN YEARS AFTER MARY LOU WEA- Healthy," which tells the stories of five thers left Benin she started working for Peace Volunteers who contracted HN while serving overseas. Corps-on the other side. "Working here is Scott Phillips (Africa, 1992-94), a desk officcr for Nepal, offers some definitely different from Volunteering," the important advice. "Washington is expensive, so if you can find someone personnelS specialist says. "When I was overseas and some years later. All bring to stay with at first, you're berter off." in Benin 1 didn't care for all rhe rules with them distinct opinions of how the Phillips says his job on "The Desk" is and regs regarding Volunteer service. bureaucracy should function, based about 75 percent related ro communi- Howcver, after taking the job here I largely on their own experiences. cations. "They tend to be very quick became part of the establishment that Peace Corps employs about 1,000 transactions," he says. "A call from a makes the rules!" people around the world, the highest parent about their son or daughter. A Wcathers and thousands of returned concentration in its Washington head- clarification needed by another office Volunteers like her havc made thc tran- quarters (509). on a request from one of the countries. sition from PCV to smff--some imme- "We do everything here," says A littlc proactive lobbying to insure a diately after serving Personnel Director, Sharon Barbee post gets an in-Service Training funded. Fletcher. "Wc send cablcs to .oosts. . Talking to a Trainee about what to research new ways to smoke bees out bring. A quick capsule briefing to senior of hives, process paychecks, find the rcgional staff on why this or that issue least cxpensive vendor of computer is being handled this or that way." diskettes, ship toilet paper, arrange for Whar every former Volunteer who Volunteers to give radio interviews, works for Peace Corps will tell you is and sort mail." that timing, along with persistence and The forms hopeful would-be a little luck, is everything. Like every- Volunteers fill out-general applica- where in the federal gosernmenr, com- tion, medical survey, and referenccs- petition for jobs at Peace Corps is are sent to Washington from Peace intense. However, since Peace Corps Corps' 12 recruiting offices around staff are subiect to the "five year rule," the United States for cvaluation and (written into thc Pcace Corps Act as an processing by people like Caroline anti-bureaucracy clause) turnover is Slade (Benin 1991-93). "As an evalu- high and there are alivays a lor of ator, I help decide who will make a opportunities. good Volunteer." Slade and nine col- If you're interested in applying for a leagues spend their days checking job with Peace Corps, we sugest you rcferences, contacting applicants to start by contacting the Office of Returned discuss issues and concerns regard- Volunteer Career Services. BL ing their suitability for Peace - Corps service, and answcring Bttno~tRekt tvorkr irt the Directori 0fLe a~td v questions on what being a Volunteer is Sarah Bott is the Editor of Peace CorI! s Times.

.- . REMEMRRANCE

Lucille Raimondo

hile walking along a trail in the Highlands of Guatemala on the afternoon of May 22, 1995, PCV Lucille Raimondo was killed in an accident. She was 40 years old and had been a Volunteer since September 1994. Lucille was a nutri-

wtionist and worked with rural indigenous people, More than 200 Volunteers and the staff continue to mainly women and children. She already spoke mourn this terrible loss. In this country, where all of Spanish well and was learning Mam, thc language of Peace Corps' efforts are rural, PCVs walk similar the communities in the area of her assignmcnr. paths rn work in small villages a11 the time. We still ask each other atid ourselves how such a tragedy could have happened to Lucille. What we know is that it could happen to any of us, anytime. William James wrote, "The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it." From our perspcctive here in Guatemala, it is both fair and proper to say that Lucillt: Kai~iiondorepresented the best manifestation of an exceptional Volunteer. Lucille died directly involved in her work. She had spent much of the day, as do the brst PCVs, living the obligations, frustrations, and joys of a development worker, of a nutrition extensionist in rural Guatemala. Lucillc had left her home to trek to the village of Nim5, many kilometers and almost a couple of hours away. As with Volunteers everywhere, hers was a sort of migration, one rhat she made regularly to towns near her site. It was her iob; it was hcr role; it was her duty. We will remember Lucille walking through the beautiful mountains of Huehuetenango to visit, to work with and train the people of those commu- nities. Her work and her efforts, her dedication to, and affection for, small farm families deep in the Hiehlands- of Guatemala are examoles bv which we all can live and in which we all can take @ pride.

Peter Lara is the Country Director in G~fatemala. REMEMBRANCE

Donald Lee Weber

n June 18, 1995, 64-year old PCV Don Weber died of a heart attack while par- ticipating in a wedding reception in the 0small Hungarian village of Csokonyavisonta. Friends say that Don was dancing and singing with resources, foreign the all-Hungarian wedding party up until the moment trade promotion, he died. and presentations on Don was a Business Management Volunteer who the latest technologi- arrived in Hungary on September 22, 1993, after a cal advances in agri- successful career as an investment banker and financial cultural equipment, advisor in Missouri and Wisconsin. He was sworn in planting methods, as a Volunteer on December 22,1993, and served in the and animal hus- town of Pecs, in southern Hungary not far from the bandry. Last Croatian border. Don's host organization was a busi- August, Don partic- ness center, the Baranya County Local Enterprise ipated in the inau- Agency, which responds to requests for services from guration of the first the Pecs small business community. Renewed Farmer's Day in the village of Szenrlorinc. Don worked very closely with his Hungarian This month the second Farmer's Day will showcase the counterpart, Dr. Tomas Peterfia, to make the cen- best of Baranya County's agro-products to western ter's programs relevant to its clients needs. He brokers and investors who will travel to Hungary from helped plan a strategy to make the business center several neighboring nations. financially self-sufficient. He assisted in establish- In recognition of Don's service, Peace Corps ing regular business seminars on topics ranging recently granted a third year 'extension of his PCV from banking to computer networking to financial status. He was intending to use the time to intro- investment strategies. He worked to establish an duce the Junior Achievement program to a local interactive business library at the center, complete high school. with bilingual resource materials. At a memorial service held in Pecs, Don's friends and Don's untimely death cut short his stewardship of colleagues eulogized his work, his cross-cultural sensitivi- perhaps his favorite project, the revival of Baranya ty, his language skills, and his communiry service. He was County's traditional Farmer's Day. Begun in the 1930's, active in all of Peace Corps Hungary's training programs this annual agricultural fair was canceled after the and was al\va)rs quick ro lend a hand to staff, other vol- Communists assumed power in Hungary following unteers and, especially, to his Hungarian colleagues. Don's WWII. sharp wit, warm smile, generous heart, and gentle manner Conscious of Hungary's deep-seared respect for its will be noticeably missed when his group celebrates its own history, Don helped local agriculturalists and civic Close of Service this December. @ leaders re-initiate the event to include exhibits of live- stock and farm products, seminars on agricultural Carl Swartz is the Country Director in Hbtngaq?