27-MONTHS on NPR Northern Community Radio

Joanne Roll (Colombia 1963-65) who blogs on this site, as you know, at Peace Corps: Public Records and does a wonderful job of keeping tabs on the agency sent me this link on an RPCV in Grand Rapid, Mn. who has on a local NPR station done a whole series about the Peace Corps entitled, 27-MONTHS. The newly returned RPCV David McDonald (Morocco 2012-14) during his tour interviewed over 40 fellow Peace Corps Volunteers as well as recorded the ‘sounds” of Morocco for his ten-part audio documentary..

The series looks back at being a PCV from his first day in Philadelphia for orientation to the close of service in Morocco two years later.

The NPR station says in its promotion of the program. “With a mixture of David’s narration, wide-ranging interviews with his colleagues, every day sounds from Morocco, and loads of different music, 27 MONTHS explores whether the Peace Corps is still relevant in the 21st century by looking at the good, the bad, the disappointing, and the fulfilling.

Northern Community Radio had the series on KAXE and KBXE from 12:00 to 1:00 PM starting Saturday, Nov 22, 2014 and each Saturday for 10 consecutive weeks until Jan 24, 2015.

The program was produced by David McDonald of DMcD Productions for Northern Community Radio KAXE and KBXE.

The ten part series is available in the archive at: http://kaxe.org/programs/27months.aspx

The entire program was also distributed in Minnesota to the 16 members of AMPERS(Association of Minnesota Public Education Radio Stations).

PART 1      OVER THERE
Initial one-day training in Philadelphia and then travel from New York to Morocco.
Over There

PART 2      TRAINING
First ten days in country as a Peace Corps Trainee.
Training

PART 3      INTEGRATE
Two months of intense language and culture training while staying with a host family.
Integrate

PART 4      SWEARING IN
Site assignment and the swearing-in ceremony to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Swearing In

PART 5      CULTURE
Living 24/7 in a foreign culture.
Culture

PART 6      HOMESICK
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Homesick

PART 7      LOVE
Serving as a married couple, falling in love, coping with loneliness, getting married.
Love

PART 8      UNWANTED
Learning how to deal with new gender roles, unwanted attention, and sexual harassment.
Unwanted

PART 9      TIME
Coming to terms with different ways to treat time.
Time

PART 10    SERVICE
Reflections on serving one’s country, international development, and volunteering.
Service

Here is the link: http://kaxe.org/programs/27months.aspx