2024 – Page 15 – Peace Corps Worldwide

What we want to do with our Website

Apr 03 2024

What I know is that RPCVs return home and tell their Peace Corps tales to family and friends and then move onto grad schools, marriage, children and careers. We want RPCVs to do just that. And we want our Peace Corps history to be told and retold. It is what we all did as Americans to help developing nations. We made friends, learned a new language and culture, and for a short period of time lived a life that was special to us and the people we came to help. Marian Beil and I want our website to be a place where RPCVs can tell their stories as they remember what they did to help people of another culture enhanced their lives. Peace Corps service is our contribution to the developing world. It was two years away from the U.S. where we met strangers with a smile and a hand . . .

Peter Hessler’s new book | OTHER RIVERS: A CHINESE EDUCATION

Apr 03 2024

An intimate and revelatory account of two generations of students in China’s heartland, by an author who has observed the country’s tumultuous changes over the past quarter century More than two decades after teaching English during the early part of China’s economic boom, Peter Hessler, an experience chronicler in his book River Town, returned to Sichuan Province to instruct students from the next generation. At the same time, Hessler and his wife enrolled their twin daughters in a local state-run elementary school, where they were the only Westerners. Over the years, Hessler had kept in close contact with many of the people he had taught in the 1990s, and by reconnecting with these individuals —members of China’s “Reform generation,” who were now in their forties — were teaching current undergrads, and Hessler gained from them a unique perspective on China’s incredible transformation. In 1996, when Hessler arrived in China, . . .

Review | THE NARROW WINDOW by Gary D. Wilson (Swaziland)

Apr 02 2024

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Philip Peters (Swaziland 69/70 & Botswana 75/76) • • • The shocking rape of a Peace Corps volunteer shatters the precarious balance of American idealism and hypocrisy in 1969 Swaziland, a newly independent country dealing with its own equally fraught post-colonial issues. Full of fascinating characters in exquisitely described exotic locations, where everyone has their own agenda, the new modernity mixes with native customs and spirits, and expats only think they know what’s really going on. Above all, Wilson’s heartbreaking novel exposes the irony of our country’s continuing desire to benevolently remake the world in one part of the globe while waging war in another and what happens to those trying to make it all work. A tale of identity and the meaning of belonging. The scars we leave behind and the scars we take with us. • • • Gary D. Wilson’s first novel, Sing, Ronnie . . .

Join in the conversation with Marnie Mueller (Ecuador)

Apr 01 2024

Mark your calendars for an April 11, 2024 at 7:00pm(et) set for a virtual program: In Conversation with Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65). Marnie’s new book is a stunning story, a combined memoir and biography (maybe a new genre?) about her own life and a life-changing friendship. The book, The Showgirl and the Writer: A Friendship Forged in the Aftermath of the Japanese American Incarceration, tells the remarkable true story of two women, one white and one Asian, who forged a deep friendship based on the secrets they carried. Marnie Mueller, a Caucasian, was born in a Japanese incarceration camp during World War II, because her parents had moved there to help make life more tolerable for the internees. Later, when the family moved to New England, Marnie was scarred by anti-Semitism and learned not to reveal her religion and her birth in the internment camp. Which of these experiences defined Marnie? It . . .

THE LIGHT OVER LAKE COMO by Roland Merullo (Micronesia)

Apr 01 2024

New book — The Light over Lake Como by Roland Merullo (Micronesia 1979-80) Lake Union Publishing June 2024 280 pages $14.89 (Paperback), $4.99 (Kindle), 1 credit (Audiobook) • • • Two lovers separated in war-torn Italy struggle to reunite in a riveting and heartrending historical novel by the bestselling author of Once Night Falls and From These Broken Streets. It’s 1945. The Nazi occupation of Italy is in its closing days. But risk is ever present. It’s been nearly two years since Sarah Zinsi found tenuous sanctuary in Switzerland. Unmoored in a foreign land, she heeds a rumor that her village on the Lake Como shore has been liberated. Clutching her young daughter, Sarah navigates the arduous mountain trek back home to be with Luca Benedetto, the father of her child. A resister to the end, Luca has one last assignment: assassinate Mussolini, the man who destroyed everything Luca cherished and who forced the love . . .

“Photos from Afghanistan” by Bonnie Thie Cowart

Mar 31 2024

Picture the way it was — My husband, Randy Cowart, and I taught English in Faizabad, Badakshan province for two years, 1972–1973. In 1974, we extended for a third year to teach English to employees of Ariana Afghan Airlines in Kabul. It was difficult to select only 8 photos, but we wanted to share the special beauty of Faizabad and the surrounding area, as well as hint at a few adventures.

Glenn Blumhorst (Guatemala) Reports on Peace Corps Park

Mar 30 2024

I am excited to write today with some great news on our latest fundraising effort. Last month we announced a $500,000 gift commitment for Peace Corps Park from Ms. Jacqueline Mars, provided that we raise an equivalent amount to match. In the four weeks since, we have met the first $250,000 of the challenge and are well on our way to matching Ms. Mars’ entire gift! The Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation board of directors and advisory board led the way, with dozens of others responding enthusiastically and giving our campaign heightened momentum. Meanwhile, Foundation board directors and our Peace Corps Park design team convened in Washington, D.C. with the National Park Service, as the final design is refined to perfection. Details like the placement of inscriptions on the granite benches, selection of lettering font, and accessibility measures are now nearly finalized. We anticipate approval of the final design by the National Park . . .

Talking With P.F. Kluge (Micronesia)

Mar 29 2024

When P.F. Kluge (Micronesia 1967-69) finished his Ph.D. he wasn’t sure what would come next. Then, one of his professors at the University of Chicago suggested the Peace Corps. He applied and dreamed of exotic locations, perhaps in North Africa. But he was assigned to Micronesia, a collection of 2,100 tiny islands in the northern Pacific. That assignment turned out to be a life-defining adventure. It was his Walden Pond. About Kluge’s New Book WORDMAN is Kluge’s 14th book, his fourth book of nonfiction. According to Kluge it is his most personal book, a memoir told largely through published materials that demonstrate, in real-time, how his career developed. There were lucky accidents, like his Peace Corps assignment to Micronesia, which came to influence his fiction as well as his nonfiction. In Wordman Kluge offers a behind-the-scenes look at how his books happen, where the ideas come from, what he . . .

Sara L. Taylor (Bangladesh) | Asia Foundation representative in Mongolia

Mar 28 2024

In the news Sara L. Taylor is the Asia Foundation’s country new representative in Mongolia. She formerly served as country representative and deputy country representative in Bangladesh. The Foundation, with headquarters in San Francisco, is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Prior to rejoining the Foundation in 2023, she had more than two decades of experience in the field of international development in complex, fragile, and post-conflict contexts in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with particular focus on women’s leadership and empowerment, civic engagement and citizen participation, and governance. Sara was the country director and legal representative in Colombia for Partners of the Americas during a period of historic political transition. From 2009 to 2014, she served as a democracy and governance officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she worked across a broad range of . . .

Peace Corps make its Overseas Offices a Voter Center for U.S. Elections

Mar 27 2024

Peace Corps Pushes Expanded Overseas Voting Fred Lucas / @FredLucasWH / March 25, 2024 The Peace Corps says it will comply with President Joe Biden’s order for federal agencies to help get out the vote by boosting voting overseas in U.S. elections. Pictured: A Peace Corps contingency marches last June 25 during the 53rd annual San Francisco Pride Parade and Celebration in San Francisco. (Photo: Miikka Skaffari/WireImage/Getty Images) FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—To comply with an executive order from President Joe Biden, the Peace Corps pushed to make its headquarters a voter registration center, upped efforts to register U.S. citizens abroad, and moved to supply multilingual voter registration forms. The Peace Corps, a federal agency, assigns volunteers to provide services and meet needs in over 60 countries. The agency released its plan to implement Biden’s order late last week in response to a request by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project under the Freedom of . . .

Review | TALES OF AN IKUT SWAMI by Cristina Kessler (Honduras, Kenya, Seychelles)

Mar 25 2024

Tales of an Ikut Swami Cristina Kessler (Honduras 1973–75, Kenya 1975–76, Seychelles 1976–78) [Cover design Frank Welffens; Photographs by Cristina Kessler] Self-published $12.00 (paperback) Reviewer — Leita Kaldi Davis (Senegal 1993–96) • • • Cristina met her husband, Joe, in 1973 during training in Puerto Rico. As a volunteer, he was assigned to Peru and she to Honduras. Six months later he transferred to Honduras. Peace Corps told them they could only serve together if they were married, so they agreed to risk it for a year. That was 50 years ago this August! They served from 1973 to 1978 in Honduras, Peru, Kenya and the Seychelles. Joe was later hired by CARE and they were sent to Sierra Leone. As an Ikut Swami — Malay for one who follows her husband — Cristina . . . and Joe spent twenty years in Africa, seven years in Latin America and two years in Asia, living . . .

Talking With Children’s Book Award Winning Writer Cristina Kessler

Mar 25 2024

John interviews . . . Cristina Kessler Cristina Kessler is an award-winning author of nine books set in Africa, where she lived for 19 years. She’s received the 2015 Lumen Award, given for “excellence in nonfiction for young readers” with Hope is Here!; She’s received the Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award from the ASPCA for Excellence in Humane Literature for Young Readers; the Africana Book Award, from the African Studies Association, honoring outstanding books about Africa for children and young adults; and has been included many times on the Notable Books for a Global Society list. She writes about nature and cross-cultural topics. I asked Cristina what she did before the Peace Corps. I graduated from California Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo, CA in 1972. I majored in Criminology and minored in Political Science. My first job upon graduating was working as a mushroom sorter in the Santa Cruz . . .

RPCV Phil Lilienthal (Ethiopia) holds gala for his Global Camps Africa

Mar 24 2024

In the news — Phil Lilienthal’s (Ethiopia 1964-66) Global Camps Africa will be holding its annual Sizanani Gala on Sunday April 20 at The International Spy Museum in Washington DC from 6-10 pm. This year’s gala honoree is Dr. Anthony Fauci. Also, on hand will be 2022 Honoree MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, who will introduce Dr. Fauci. For those of you not familiar with Global Camps Africa, here’s the back story. After the Peace Corps, Phil and his late wife Lynn more than met the Peace Corps’ Goal Three of Bringing the Peace Corps Home. They managed his family’s famed Camp Winnebago in Maine, where they prioritized the recruitment of underprivileged and international students. Then in 2003, they decided to something more visionary, and launched Global Camps Africa, a non-profit organization providing thousands of South African children from the townships surrounding Johannesburg with a summer camp experience that includes AIDS education and life skills training. For more than 20 . . .

Sargent Shriver Peace Institute on ZOOM Monday!

Mar 23 2024

A Conversation about The Call with Jamie Price & Judith Guskin Join author Jamie Price and Judith Guskin in a dialogue followed by Q&A The Call looks at the role of the spirit in the life and work of one of the most accomplished American peacebuilders of the 20th twentieth century, Robert Sargent Shriver (1915-2011), founder of the Peace Corps and architect of the War on Poverty. Author Jamie Price knew Shriver personally and served as the Founding Director of several programs dedicated to understanding and advancing Shriver’s approach. On Monday, March 25 at 12:00 PM ET, we’re joining forces with Insight Collaborations International for a conversation about SSPI Founding Director Jamie Price‘s latest book, The Call: The Spiritual Realism of Sargent Shriver. Try clicking https://icischedule.as.me/schedule/5ea46a71 Judith Guskin (Thailand 1961-64) Judith Guskin holds an MA in Comparative Literature and a PhD in Educational Psychology with a focus on history, anthropology, linguistics, and cultural . . .

Review | WORDMAN by P. F. Kluge (Micronesia)

Mar 22 2024

Wordman by P.F.Kluge (Micronesia 1967-69) Peace Corp Writers 204 pages January, 2024 $22.00 paperback Reviewed by Stephen Foehr (Ethiopia 1965-66) • • • So, you want to be a writer, despite the warnings of school counselors, parents who advise to train for a day job, and the realism of making a living in the creative arts. Okay. It may be a long shot, but it’s possible. But, first read Wordman, the memoir of P.F. (Fred) Kluge’s career as a journalist and an acclaimed writer. He took the well-trodden route from journalism to nonfiction to fiction. His first job out of college was editor/writer for The Micronesian Reporter as a Peace Corps volunteer (Micronesia 1967-69). He went on to write features and travel articles for prestigious magazines. Two of his novels became films, Dog Day Afternoon and Eddie and the Cruisers. Kluge’s memoir is a useful primer for making that journey, . . .

Archive - 2024