December 5, 2023 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Review | THE COUSCOS CHRONICLES by Azzedine Downes (Morocco)

Dec 05 2023

The Couscous Chronicles Stories of Food, Love, and Donkeys from a Life Between Cultures by Azzedine T. Downes (Morocco 1982-85) Reviewed by Julie R. Dargis (Morocco 1984-87) An old friend of Azzedine and his family, and a close friend of mine, devoured the Couscous Chronicles over a weekend, munching on each story as if she were a guest at a coveted Friday couscous lunch invite. Every Peace Corps/Morocco volunteer can recount various faux pas that ensue during such a visit, but soon enough all volunteers learn the lessons that have been maktub (written) over centuries: only eat from the triangle in front of you, wait for the host to offer you the prime real estate from the center of the mound, say the word sha’bet (truly, I’m full) only when you are ready to burst, and NEVER EVER eat with your left hand! When I began reading my . . .

Caleb Rudlow (Zambia) runs For U.S. House from North Carolina

Dec 05 2023

In the news — State House member seeks to run as a Democrat for U.S. House Dec 3, 2023 On Nov. 28, the Democratic member of the N.C. House held a press conference in Asheville to announce that he is running for the 11th District seat, now held by Republican incumbent Chuck Edwards of Hendersonville. Surrounded by supporters and elected officials at the event, Rudow said “WNC deserves representation that works for working families and, after serving the people of Buncombe County as a state House representative for the past two years, I am excited to announce that I am running for Congress in the 2024 election. Too many people in WNC feel left behind by the last few representatives and they want change,” according to a news release. A native of Buncombe County, the 37-year-old Rudow is the third generation of Rudows to call these western North . . .

Establishing the Peace Corps

Dec 05 2023

Establishing the Peace Corps by John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64) Let me start with a quote from Gerard T. Rice’s book, The Bold Experiment: JFK’s Peace Corps: In 1961 John F. Kennedy took two risky and conflicting initiatives in the Third World. One was to send five hundred additional military advisers into South Vietnam; by 1963 there would be seventeen thousand such advisers. The other was to send five hundred young Americans to teach in the schools and work in the fields of eight developing countries. These were Peace Corps Volunteers. By 1963 there would be seven thousands of them in forty-four countries. Vietnam scarred the American psyche, leaving memories of pain and defeat. But Kennedy’s other initiative inspired, and continued to inspire, hope and understanding among Americans and the rest of the world. In that sense, the Peace Corps was his most affirmative and enduring legacy. Historical Framework . . .

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