April 2023 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Review | GOATS: AND OTHER STORIES by Martin Ganzglass (Somalia)

Apr 30 2023

Goats: And Other Stories Martin R. Ganzglass (Somalia 1966–68) Peace Corps Writers 2021 305 pages $10.00 (paperback) Reviewed by Regina DeAngelo (Ghana 2000-2002) • At age 76, Allison Murphy has found herself widowed and living at a home for retired military personnel in a suburb near Washington. In addition to the usual nuisances of aging, Allie has recently taken a fall on a throw rug. This placed her square in the crosshairs of the administration, who are monitoring her from the newly installed security cameras, as well as through the eyes of the smiley guard at reception, in case she takes another tumble. Then there’s her nemesis, Sergeant Trottman, who’d like to see her and her attitude assigned to the Memory Ward. Amid the mini dramas of life in a retirement home, Allie’s own story unfolds. Fifty years ago, we learn, Allie was flying fighter planes: “nimble P-51s and . . .

Diary of a Peace Corps Volunteer by Jack Maisano (Korea)

Apr 30 2023

Diary of a Peace Corps Volunteer By Jack Maisano (Korea 1971-73) Self Published 239 pages May 2020 $8.88 (Kindle); $9.98 (Paperback) It was a serendipitous day when I found my diary from my Peace Corps days in Korea. I was in the Peace Corps from the end of 1971 to the end of 1973. Somehow my diary – an old, red, five-by-eight inch, lined book, filled with addresses, phone numbers, stamps, and poems – had followed me…for nearly 50 years. It was filled with two years of youthful prose describing my life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Korea and a few years beyond. And now here it was, sitting accusingly on my desk, practically daring me to record it in print. The first task was to read it, something I had never done before. With some trepidation, I started on page one…and the memories came flooding back. . . .

New York Times “Literary Destinations” by Paul Theroux (Malawi)

Apr 29 2023

. New York Times by Paul Theroux (Malawi 1963-65) April 30, 2023 My father, like many passionate readers, was a literary pilgrim in his native Massachusetts, a state rich in destinations, hallowed by many of the greatest writers in the language. “Look, Paulie, this is the House of the Seven Gables — go on, count them!” What interested him — what interests me — was not a particular book but a literary intelligence, a Yankee sensibility enshrined in many local books. Boston does not, like Dublin, have a “Ulysses” — few cities do. The nearest novel to being essentially Bostonian might be Edwin O’Connor’s “The Last Hurrah”; its protagonist, Frank Skeffington, based on Boston’s flamboyant James Michael Curley, embodies Boston’s old political culture of blarney and bribery. Richard Henry Dana Jr. fascinated my father, not for writing about Boston but for his example as an admirable Yankee. After enduring the dangerous voyage . . .

Very Sad News: The Death of Pat Wand (Colombia) in Spain

Apr 28 2023

Pat Wand suffered a stroke this week preparing to hike the El Camino in Spain. She had arrived in Europe on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 and died on Thursday, April 27th. What follows is an article by Jerry Norris published on July 2021 on our site that sums up Pat’s amazing life and career, and her great contributions to the Peace Corps. She is a woman who will be missed by everyone that she helped here and around the world. — John The Volunteer Exemplar for the Peace Corps’ 3rd Goal–Pat Wand (Colombia) by Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963-65) Patricia A. Wand, Pat to her hosts of friends and associates across planet earth, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia from 1963 to 1965 after graduating cum laude in history from Seattle University’s Honors Program. As a rural community development and health education volunteer she taught nutrition, sewing, knitting, . . .

Connor H. O’Brien (Ukraine) Peace Corps Volunteer says: Choose violence

Apr 28 2023

Why words like ‘diplomacy,’ ‘ceasefire’ and ‘negotiations’ are such rubbish in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine The EAGLE American University I will never forget the day I arrived in Ukraine to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer. It was a cool September afternoon, several months after I graduated from American University. After landing in Kyiv, my fellow Americans and I were whisked off to the northern city of Chernihiv for orientation. On the bus ride, as we fought against jet lag and looked out upon expansive fields of wheat, a Ukrainian woman who worked for the Peace Corps addressed us. She explained that our orientation would be in an old Soviet-era hotel and that we needed to put our luggage in the basement upon arrival. She went on to explain that the basement was built to be a bomb shelter during the Cold War. . . .

THIS SALTED SOIL by Jamie Kirkpatrick (Tunisia)

Apr 27 2023

This Salted Soil, by Jamie Kirkpatrick, tells the story of the North African Campaign in World War II, America’s first, but often-overlooked, involvement in the war against Nazi Germany that helped to shape and ultimately secure the Allied victory in that bloody conflict. Using both historical and fictional characters, This Salted Soil, is the story of the battle for Tunisia that took place between November, 1942 and May, 1943. The novel also explores two other related themes: Tunisia’s struggle for independence from France, and the role of Third World countries in the ideological struggle between East and West in the post-war era. Jamie Kirkpatrick served in Kasserine, Tunisia from 1970 to 1972. He was also the Associate Peace Corps Director in Tunisia from 1974 to 1976. Now retired after careers in international service organizations and education, Jamie is a writer and photographer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, . . .

One Day in Ethiopia

Apr 26 2023

This is a letter I wrote when I was a PCV in Ethiopia. It was published in the collection Letters From The Peace Corps in 1964, selected and edited by Iris Luce. She wrote in her introduction to her book. It was my good fortune one evening to be seated with the wife of Senator J. William Fulbright, whose daughter was working here in Washington at Peace Corps Headquarters. Mrs. Fulbright suggested that someone should compile a collection of letters from Peace Corps Volunteers in the field to give Americans a firsthand report on the triumphs and the hardships that these people have experienced while working in the Corps “One Day in Ethiopia” was a letter I had written home to my family and friends, several at the agency in Washington that Iris Luce found and included. In her introduction to the chapter, “One Day in Ethiopia,” she wrote: . . .

Harry Belafonte, Cultural Advisor to the Peace Corps

Apr 26 2023

Journalist, author and Kennedy family member Maria Shriver spoke to Belafonte’s relationship and shared humanitarian work with her father, Sargent Shriver. “Harry Belafonte wasn’t just a singer, he was an architect of change. He was an activist of the Civil Rights Movement, and he was also the first appointed Cultural Advisor to the Peace Corps,” she wrote on Instagram. “His whole life was devoted to making a difference, whether it was raising the awareness of justice or the HIV/AIDS crisis or women’s rights. Today, I hope you will not only listen to Harry Belafonte’s music, but learn a little more about what he fought for throughout his life, who he was as a man, and get inspired.”

Catherine Trevathan (Bulgaria) | New school superintendent

Apr 25 2023

RPCVs in the news Meet Catherine Trevathan, Hillsdale Local’s new well-traveled superintendent By Linda Hall MOHICAN TWP. OHIO − Catherine Trevathan will bring a world of experience to the Hillsdale Local School District when she becomes its new superintendent in August. She has crisscrossed the globe as an educator since graduating from the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati, having held positions in Bulgaria, Turkey, the Hopi reservation in Arizona and most recently, the Little Miami Local Schools in Ohio. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of interesting experiences,” Trevathan said. She recalled sitting outside on a starry night with her dad when she was in eighth grade and telling him she wanted to join the Peace Corps. He may have considered it a youthful dream and been a bit surprised following her college graduation when she said to him, “Guess what? The Peace Corps accepted me.” . . .

Review | Finding Kony by Robert E. Gribbin (Kenya)

Apr 24 2023

Finding Kony by Robert E. Gribbin Self Published 248 pages November 2o22 $3.99 (Kindle); $15.99 (Paperback) Reviewed by Alan G. Johnston (Kenya 1968-70) Note: Both Robert Gribbin and Alan Johnston were in the Peace Corps group that arrived in Kenya in October 1968. They both spent many years in Africa. • On March 5, 2012 a U.S.-based NGO, Invisible Children, Inc., released a short documentary film called Kony 2012. The intent of the film, meant for world-wide distribution, was to make the infamous Ugandan warlord, Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), so famous that he couldn’t hide. The goal was to have him arrested and brought to justice by the end of 2012. The film quickly went viral, garnering more than 100 million views and becoming the most “liked” video on YouTube. The film highlights the announcement by Barack Obama in October 2011 that the U.S. . . .

Sally Martinez (Ethiopia) with Mariposa Yosemite Symphony Orchestra

Apr 24 2023

RPCVs in the news After a 40-month COVID hiatus, the Mariposa Yosemite Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) is back in action with concerts on Saturday, April 29th and Sunday, April 30th in Mariposa (CA) and at Tenaya Lodge in Fish Camp, led by its Founding Music Director and Conductor Les Marsden. Meet Sally Martinez (Ethiopia), Oberlin-trained longtime MYSO Concertmaster and Yosemite National Park’s Volunteer Program Manager . Sally Martinez was introduced to the violin at age 3 and began taking lessons in her home state of Massachusetts. She grew up performing with the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras before attending Oberlin College in Ohio. At Oberlin, Sally pursued a degree in Environmental Studies, but continued to participate in music lessons and performances with students and faculty at the Conservatory of Music. In her adult life, she has had the opportunity to perform with many community and professional orchestras, in concert halls across . . .

The Volunteer Who Became a Well Published Novelist | Richard Wiley (Korea)

Apr 21 2023

A substantial portion of this profile was drawn from an October 2000 interview with Pif Magazine. Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963-65) Richard Wiley, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Korea, 1967-69, is an American novelist and short-story writer whose first novel, Soldiers in Hiding, won the 1987 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Since then, he has published seven other novels and a wide variety of short stories. His subsequent novels, Fool’s Gold, Festival for Three Thousand Maidens, and Indigo received favorable notice in America’s flagship book periodical the New York Times Book Review, and elsewhere. Despite this, only his more recent book Ahmed’s Revenge, published by Random House remains in print. Richard holds a B. A. from the University of Puget Sound and an M. A. from Sophia University in Tokyo. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he studied under the . . .

Peace Corps Country Director Conner (Macedonia) visits ZIP Institute

Apr 21 2023

From Facebook April 13 — We had the pleasure of hosting Ms. Deborah Conner, Country Director of the Peace Corps North Macedonia, at ZIP Institute It was an inspiring and informative meeting where we discussed the impact of the Peace Corps’ volunteer program and our role as a receiver of volunteers. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Peace Corps and to have dedicated volunteers contribute to our organization’s mission. Thank you, Deborah, Mirlinda, and the entire Peace Corps team, for your partnership and commitment to making a difference in our community. • Established in 2011, ZIP Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, public policy organization geared towards producing and disseminating high-quality, objective and comprehensive ideas and analyses central to the democratization and EU Integration of Macedonia.

Kimberly Flowers’ (Bulgaria) career in development

Apr 20 2023

RPCVS in the news Kimberly Flowers (Bulgaria 1999-01) is the executive director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where she advances the institution’s engagement with public policy issues across academic disciplines. Previously, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), she was named the first full-time director for the Global Food Security Program in 2015, and created and directed the Humanitarian Agenda program in 2017. During her time at CSIS, she primarily analyzed the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance programs and policies that impact global hunger and malnutrition, and became a frequent speaker, moderator, and author on issues ranging from the global food system to humanitarian aid. Ms. Flowers has published in Forbes; Georgetown University’s Journal of International Affairs; and has been quoted in congressional testimonies, Foreign Policy, and the Washington Post. She led a high-level task force on humanitarian . . .

US Senate News: Peace Corps Reauthorization Act

Apr 20 2023

April 19, 2023 WASHINGTON, D.C. –– U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) reintroduced the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Peace Corps for the first time in over two decades. Passed unanimously out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last year, the bipartisan legislation raises Peace Corps Volunteers’ readjustment allowance, expedites return-to-service opportunities for those impacted by COVID-19 and future comparable emergencies, and increases transparency as it relates to the agency’s Sexual Assault Advisory Council, among other provisions. “Our Peace Corps volunteers represent American values and serve communities throughout the world in exemplary fashion,” said Senator Young. “Reauthorizing the Peace Corps will provide better support for our volunteers as they continue to work in the field.” “The Peace Corps is long-overdue for reforms to improve the safety and security of Peace Corps volunteers in the field. Last year, the committee . . .

Archive - April 2023