2024 – Peace Corps Worldwide

What Do You Believe In?

Sep 14 2024

What Do You Believe In? Sticky Rice Magazine Aug 2, 2024 Kayla Kawalec (Thailand 2024-26) “What do you believe in?” asked in America, can be close to a threat. You can proudly display your beliefs like a bumper sticker or wield them like a flamethrower, burning lines in the grass – sometimes, at the same time. You don’t have to scroll too far down your preferred social media feed (where it seems like most people get their news as of late) to find a story about beliefs bringing some of us tightly together and sharply dividing others – and not just in America, but globally. Joining the Peace Corps meant relocating from America, a racially, religiously, culturally, and ideologically diverse country of 330 million, to Thailand, a comparatively homogeneous one of 71 million. This isn’t to say that there isn’t diversity within Thailand – because there is, but it’s much more subtle than . . .

Poem: Lakes of Darkness

Sep 13 2024

Lakes of Darkness by John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64) He came here to this green shore From loneliness of bachelor nights, Empty Sundays, A life of shattered hopes Mirrored into tragedies. From semesters of faculty treachery, Misdemeanors in the hall, Months of silly students, Who tore wide his heart With youthful gall. A little man, He wears his age with grace; He brought to me A spirit bent from A course of use. We slid the books aside; Fished for trout off the point. I caught a fighting rainbow Who arched my pole when reeling in The perimeter of its time. In this cruel scene He saw his own tangled metaphor. Caught, he knew, in a shrinking scope Where strong men fight artificial Wars with words, To die unnoticed as commas on a page. A trout (free on the sunset of the water) Flipped in space for flies, Then slid again . . .

$75,000,000 donation from Lin Lougheed (Turkey) to Art Institute

Sep 12 2024

RPCVs in the news — CHICAGO (CBS) — The Art Institute of Chicago is getting a new addition thanks to a $75 million donation. The gift is courtesy of Aaron I. Fleischman and his husband, Dr. Lin Lougheed (Turkey 1968-70) —who have been art collectors for many years. The Aaron I. Fleischman and Lin Lougheed Building will showcase modern art from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as contemporary art. The design and location of the new building have yet to be finalized, but it will be on the campus of the Art Institute that spans from Michigan Avenue east to Columbus Drive at Adams Street downtown. It will be designed to have views of Millennium Park, the downtown Chicago streetscapes, and Lake Michigan. The gift from Fleischman and Lougheed is the largest single naming gift in Art Institute history. “We are beyond grateful to collaborate with Aaron and Lin . . .

Bill Owens: Photographer, Author, Brewer & Distiller

Sep 11 2024

This iconic photograph from the Altamont music festival jumped out at me whilst visiting Kunsthalle Praha earlier this year. I found it in the gift shop, in the form of a postcard. I don’t normally buy postcards in the city I live in, but this picture spoke to me. It stayed on my desk in my office for several months, until it finally dawned on me to reach out to the photographer, and ask for his permission to publish it in this blog. Little did I know at the time that Bill Owens (Jamaica 1964-66) is not only a renowned photographer, he is also a giant in the brewing and distilling world. Bill was born in San Jose, CA September 25, 1938. He is known as the foremost chronicler of Suburbia, made famous with the publication of his book by that name in 1972. In 1983 . . .

A Peace Corps Constitution by Ben East (Malawi)

Sep 11 2024

By Ben East (Malawi 1996-98) John Coyne’s reflection ‘Saying “Goodbye” to the Peace Corps’ generated a buzz here that proves the vitality of both our community and the agency that brings us together. Data supports this outlook: the organization’s most recent congressional budget justifications reveal an upward trajectory in volunteer levels and funding for all years since the end of the pandemic. The fiscal year 2022 budget, for example, supported 700 trainees and volunteers. That figure more than tripled for FY23 with 2,290; grew in 2024 to 3,620; and is poised to increase again with plans for 4,590 volunteers and trainees in FY25. The record on funding for this growth is harder to interpret, but it appears that the levels from FY21-23 increased as follows: $367 million, $410 million, and $463 million. The agency appears to be funded at least to $467 million for FY24, with plans to . . .

Peace Corps | A career gateway for post-grad students

Sep 10 2024

Life-changing experiences await for the creative, adventurous and resilient The mission of the Peace Corps is to promote world peace and friendship. It was founded by John F. Kennedy in 1961. The Peace Corps program amplifies the power of human connection in more than 60 countries around the world. Americans apply to one of the six sectors — education, agriculture, environment, community economic development, health and youth in development — that they specialize in. The Peace Corps provides about two months of training before you are living side by side with a foreign community, exchanging knowledge and culture and working on prioritized projects. Here are 10 reasons Peace Corps post-grad is beneficial: 1.Free program that provides benefits The Peace Corps supports you financially your entire journey. They pay for travel and include an accommodation upon your return of $10,000 to help get back on your feet after two years of volunteering . . .

Saying “Goodbye” to The Peace Corps

Sep 07 2024

John writes — The Peace Corps was our great gift to the world back in the Sixties. President Kennedy asked not what America could for us, but what we could do for the world. We answered by giving the Third World our time, talents, and friendship. We went overseas not to war but to help others in the developing world. For all of us, it was a challenge and an opportunity. In the first days of the agency, the Peace Corps was overwhelmed with letters, telegrams, and in-person visits to the Maiatico Building, headquarters for the new agency on Lafayette Squire across from the White House. All of us wanted to be in the Peace Corps. All of wanted to be one of Kennedy’s Kids. We began with the first Volunteers going to Ghana and Tanzania in August of 1961. They went to these two African countries not with weapons, . . .

Francie Scott (Zimbabwe) | Dean at Wake Forest Law

Sep 06 2024

RPCV in the news — Francie Scott Assistant Dean of Career and Professional Development Francie Scott is the Assistant Dean of the Office of Career & Professional Development, where she counsels students on all aspects of professional development and career planning and maintains oversight of the law school’s mandatory 1L Professional Development course. Francie is a 2004 cum laude graduate of Wake Forest School of Law and graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Philosophy and French. Following law school, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Samuel G. Wilson, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. She practiced labor and employment law for several years with an international law firm based in Richmond, Virginia. In 2008 she left the practice of law to obtain a Master’s in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her concentration was . . .

WHAT DEATH REVEALED by Jonathan Lash (Dominican Republic)

Sep 05 2024

A new book – What Death Revealed: A Story of Virtue, Vice and Violence Jonathan Lash (Dominican Republic 1967-69) Austin Macauley Publishers July 2025 378 pages $23.95 (paperback); $$4.50 (Kindle); $38.95 (hardcover); to come (audible) . . . In a tale that spans two disparate worlds within one city, this gripping novel dives deep into the divide between the glistening capital of the Free World and its neglected districts, home to 700,000 citizens mostly of color. Eight years after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sparked riots that shattered the city’s core, the scars of racial fury and systemic injustice remain as evident as ever. Amid this backdrop of crime and burnt-out neighborhoods, Jimmy McFarland, an earnest young District Attorney, stumbles upon evidence of corruption tied to a six-billion-dollar Metro subway project aimed at reconnecting the city’s fractured communities. Though clearly a matter for the FBI, McFarland embarks on a . . .

New books by Peace Corps writers | July through August, 2024

Sep 03 2024

New books — To purchase any of these books from Amazon.com — CLICK on the book cover, the bold book title, or the publishing format you would like — and Peace Corps Worldwide, an Amazon Associate, will receive a small remittance from your purchase that will help support the site and the annual Peace Corps Writers awards. We include a brief description for each of the books listed here in hopes of encouraging readers to order a book and maybe VOLUNTEER TO REVIEW IT. See a book you’d like to review for Peace Corps Worldwide? Send a note to Marian at marian@haleybeil.com, and she will send you a free copy along with a few instructions. PLEASE, PLEASE join in our Third Goal effort and volunteer to review a book or books!!! Songs of Mali by Ruth Gooley (Mali 1980-81) Peace Corps Writers May 2024 102 pages $15.00 (paperback) Songs of Mali . . .

FALLING SEVEN TIMES by Mark G. Wentling (Honduras, Togo)

Sep 03 2024

Falling Seven Times by Mark G Wentling (Honduras 1967-69 & Togo 1970-73) Archway Publishing August 2024 318 pages $24.99 (Paperback);$47.99 (Hardback) . . . Falling Seven Times is about a young Ethiopian woman, Alya, struggling to be a migrant worker to support her family. Her story is one of tens of thousands of people going abroad in search of jobs: that pay a livable wage so they can send money home. Her sacrifices and the many ups and downs she experiences communicate what migrant laborers suffer. Alya’s particular travels to the Gulf States and Middle Eastern countries illuminate the many desperate pitfalls of migratory labor. This book also highlights the foreign environments, including the different languages and cultures, Alya encounters and how they contrast with her customs. Alya's case is of such interest that it keeps the reader engrossed in learning what happens next. The reader keeps asking if Alya will . . .

A compelling novel | MISSING PARTS by Diana B. Roberts (Tunisia)

Aug 30 2024

Novel — Missing Parts by Diana B. Roberts (Tunisia 1966-68) Austin Macauley Publishers July 2024 219 pages $4.50 (Kindle); $15.95 (Paperback) Acclaimed fundraiser and seasoned storyteller Diana B. Roberts, affectionately known as Dina, invites readers on a deeply moving journey through the complexities of friendship, resilience, and life’s unpredictable twists in her latest novel, Missing Parts. This powerful standalone fiction weaves the tale of Lacey Pierce and Mimi Faraday, whose lives take divergent paths only to intersect again under the most unexpected of circumstances. Set against the backdrop of the transformative 1960s and 70s in a charming New England town, Missing Parts explores the enduring power of friendship and the profound impact of life’s choices. Lacey and Mimi, once inseparable during their youth, find themselves worlds apart — Lacey is serving in the Peace Corps in Africa, and Mimi is dedicating her life to community service in Newfoundland. . . .

Gary Bergthold (Ethiopia) died on July 20, 2024

Aug 29 2024

Obituary — Gary Bergthold was born in 1938 in Bakersfield and was proud of it. Although his life and work took him all over the world, he never forgot his roots and the humor and food brought to America by generations of his immigrant family. The oldest son of Glenn and Viola Bergthold, Gary spent his early years in Bakersfield, before leaving to attend UCLA where he received a BA and MA in Psychology. His brothers always marveled at his ability to absorb books through osmosis as they lay on his chest while he napped. At UCLA, he met his wife Linda Carlson, by sitting next to the pretty blonde girl in music class and asking if she could tutor him. They married in 1961 and set off on a lifetime of adventure around the world. In 1962 they joined the Peace Corps, and spent two years teaching secondary school . . .

RPCV Sculptor | Joel Shapiro (India)

Aug 29 2024

How Joel Shapiro ‘Retains the Intimacy’ of His Staggeringly Large Sculptures Ahead of a solo exhibition at New York’s Pace Gallery, we step inside the studio of the seasoned sculptor. by Tim Brinkhof — August 27, 2024 Share This Article Ever since he participated in the 1969 “Anti-Illusion: Procedures/Materials” exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art, Joel Shapiro has been a fixture in the world of modern American sculpture. The 82-year-old artist traces the genesis of his career to his experience serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in India 1964 to 1966. There, in between teaching villagers to dig latrines and build smokeless ovens, he became enamored with Indian sculpture, which introduced him to the medium’s psychological dimension. “India,” he later said, “gave me a sense of… the possibility of being an artist.” Born in Queens, New York, in 1941, Shapiro studied at New York University, earning . . .

THE LOST TREES OF WILLOW AVENUE by Mike Tidwell (Zaire)

Aug 28 2024

new book — The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street by Mike Tidwell (Zaire 1985-87) St. Martin’s Press March 2025 288 pages $14.99 (Kindle); $29.00 (Hardcover) — Pre-order Price Guarantee A riveting and elegant story of climate change on one city street, full of surprises and true stories of human struggle and dying local trees – all against the national backdrop of 2023’s record heat domes and raging wildfires and hurricanes. In 2023, author and activist Mike Tidwell decided to keep a record for a full year of the growing impacts of climate change on his one urban block right on the border with Washington, DC. A love letter to the magnificent oaks and other trees dying from record heat waves and bizarre rain, Tidwell’s story depicts the neighborhood’s battle to save the trees and combat climate change: The . . .

Archive - 2024