Peace Corps Worldwide – promoting Peace Corps writers since 1989

Obituary for Peace Corps Writer Patricia Edmisten (Peru 1962-64)

Dec 15 2024

I first became acquainted with Patricia in 2019, when she reached out to me in my capacity as President & CEO of National Peace Corps Association, for help recruiting returned Peace Corps Volunteers to serve with the Annunciation House hospitality center in El Paso, where her nephew, Mark Seitz, is the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese. I was so compelled by her plea that I journeyed to El Paso and served the refugee community there for two weeks, as did dozens of other returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Patricia also corresponded with John Coyne and Marian Beil, reviewing some books and posting her own books on Peace Corps Worldwide. She was a gifted writer, spiritualist, and kind humanitarian. She was a close friend to many people and will be greatly missed. — Glenn Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Patricia S. Taylor Edmisten lived in Pensacola since 1977 when she joined the . . .

Congressional Gold Medal to former Peace Corps Deputy Director

Dec 15 2024

Excerpt from War History Online December 12, 2024 Hundreds of US service members were taken by the North Vietnamese (NVA) and held prisoner during the Vietnam War. What makes Everett Alvarez, Jr. unique is that he was imprisoned for eight and a half years, making him the second-longest held prisoner of war (POW) in American history. Now, decades after his release, the US Navy veteran is slated to receive the highest honor the US Congress can bestow upon him: the Congressional Gold Medal. Speaking about his survival later in life, Alvarez credited his faith in God and the support he had from other POWs. “We had a philosophy that you didn’t ever let your fellows down,” he said. “If they couldn’t take care of themselves, you took care of them because you knew darned well they would do the same. Alvarez served for another 20 years, before leaving the Navy with . . .

New Book: HALF LIFE: A Collection of A.R.T., by Andrew R. Tadross

Dec 14 2024

HALF LIFE: A Collection of A.R.T. By Andrew R. Tadross (Ethiopia 2011-13) Independently Published, November 2024; 103 pages Available for $42.00 on Amazon HALF LIFE: A Collection of A.R.T., by Andrew R. Tadross, is an evocative anthology spanning two decades of creative exploration. This collection transcends genres, blending pop culture, expressionism, nature art, abstraction, and surrealism. Featuring over 100 works, it delivers a vivid mix of satire, nostalgia, melancholy, and tension. Highlights include a fishy homage to Jackson Pollock, a chimp playing Russian roulette with a banana, and landscapers at sunset. Fans of cinematic and cultural nostalgia will chuckle at scenes like Colonel Kurtz losing at Tetris, Cousin Eddie navigating Downton Abbey, and a chess match between Darth Vader and “The Dude.” Drawing from personal experiences and far-flung settings—Ethiopia, the Everglades, and beyond—Tadross’s work captures both the iconic and the everyday. Portraits range from Willie Nelson to Mr. T, while . . .

Peace Corps Unveils New Strategy to Combat Sexual Violence on Human Rights Day

Dec 11 2024

WASHINGTON – Aligned with Human Rights Day and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, the Peace Corps today published its Sexual Assault Prevention Strategy and Implementation Plan: Fiscal Years 2025-2029, a guide to the agency’s next phase of action in support of sexual assault prevention. Central to the strategy and plan are measures to further cement the agency’s public health approach to prevent sexual violence before it occurs. The strategy and plan underscore the Peace Corps’ commitment to global, societal-level action to prevent sexual violence for the safety and well-being of volunteers and members of communities where volunteers live and work. “Sexual violence directly threatens the Peace Corps’ mission of world peace and friendship,” said Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn. “This new strategy adds a public health lens to more than a decade’s worth of sexual assault risk mitigation and response work. Today, we further dedicate ourselves to . . .

Book Review | Other Rivers: A Chinese Education, by Peter Hessler

Dec 10 2024

Other Rivers: A Chinese Education by Peter Hessler Penguin Press (July 9, 2024); 464 pages Available on Amazon – $19.21 (Hardcover) or $14.99 (Kindle) Reviewed by Clifford Garstang (Korea, 1976-77) I have been an admirer of Peter Hessler’s work since reading his first book, River Town, about his Peace Corps service at a Chinese university in the 1990s. I was particularly drawn to that book because of my own Peace Corps work in a Korean university twenty years earlier and also because my eventual professional life took me to China frequently. Hessler wrote eloquently about his Peace Corps experience in a way that I think any RPCV could relate to. Hessler’s subsequent books about China, Oracle Bones and Country Driving, written while he was a journalist in Beijing, were fascinating accounts of other aspects of life in China, in which Hessler himself was a prominent character. All three of the . . .

“Traveling Through Guatemala with Granddaughters,” by Mark D. Walker

Dec 09 2024

“Traveling Through Guatemala with Granddaughters,” by Mark D. Walker (Guatemala 1971-1973) is part of The Yin & Yang of Travel Series and was published by The Wanderlust Journal. Although Walker took his granddaughters to the Peace Corps site where he met his wife, this story is about more than what happened over fifty years before. According to Walker, “Over the last fifty years, the why and where I travel have changed radically. In 2013, my wife Ligia and I took two of our three children, along with their significant others, to Guatemala to reintroduce them to the country they were born in and to their extended family. We covered a lot of ground, as my children spoke fluent Spanish and were already global trekkers. But ten years later we had eight grandkids, some of whom only spoke English and had never traveled outside the continental U.S., so Ligia and I . . .

Rowland Scherman: A 17th Century Etching Becomes a Book

Dec 06 2024

A 17th Century Etching Becomes a Book The story of “Love Letters” Rowland Scherman (PC/W Staff photographer 1961-64) was like any other PCV as he traveled the world, photographing PCVs at work. I met him in 1962 in Ethiopia. He would go onto become a nationally known photographer, famous for many of his photographs. This gallery of photographs by Rowland includes images of iconic figures from the 1960s, from musicians Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan, to public figures Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. He has now created a website. Here is one of his first publications with a few of Rowland’s famous photographs.. John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64) The year was 1975. I had been living in London for five years, having abandoned any desire to travel to Pondicherry, India to meditate—which at one time, was the whole idea of leaving New York and the USA. I did, indeed, continue . . .

Glenn’s List for Giving Tuesday – Amplify the Peace Corps Community’s Global Impact

Dec 03 2024

Today is Giving Tuesday. I encourage you to participate by supporting your favorite charity. Below are those that I personally support in 2024 and to which I hope you will join me in making a generous donation. They are all (except NMCS) founded and led by returned Peace Corps Volunteers: Peace Corps Foundation* – It’s time to tell the rest of America’s story of our ongoing commitment to service and global citizenship by creating Peace Corps Park on a National Park Service site near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The long-term mission of the Foundation is to support Peace Corps community projects. Chijnaya Foundation – Working in partnership with rural communities in Southern Peru to design and implement self-sustaining projects in health, education, and economic development. CorpsAfrica* – Building the next generation of African leaders and changemakers, connecting rural communities, and nurturing entrepreneurs. Volunteers work in host communities to . . .

Peace Corps Park Featured on Global Connections Television

Dec 02 2024

View GCTV Interview Now Since my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala (1988-91), I have had the privilege of serving the global Peace Corps community in a variety of leadership roles. These days, I am spearheading the creation of Peace Corps Park, a commemorative work to be established on a National Park Service site near the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Journalist Bill Miller (Dominican Republic 1968-70) recently interviewed me for his Global Connections Television (GCTV), an independently-produced, privately-financed talk show that focuses on international issues and how they impact people worldwide. Bill has interviewed several returned Peace Corps Volunteers on his program. Click here to view the 20-minute GCTV interview. More about Peace Corps Park: Peace Corps Park is envisioned as an enduring commemorative to the spirit of service and global community fostered by the Peace Corps since its establishment in 1961. Authorized . . .

Reader Content Survey (2-3 minutes)

Nov 30 2024

Dear Worldwide Friends, We at Peace Corps Worldwide are committed to providing you with the most relevant and engaging content. To help us better understand your preferences, we’ve created a brief survey using SurveyMonkey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us. By taking a few minutes to complete this survey, you’ll help shape the future direction of our blog content. And please feel free to forward this survey to others in your Peace Corps network. Take the Peace Corps Worldwide content preferences survey. Thank you for your continued support and readership. Yours in service, Glenn PeaceCorpsWorldwide.org

Rethinking Romania as a Tourism Destination: TEDx Talk by Andy Trincia (Romania 2002-04)

Nov 29 2024

Andy Trincia (Romania 2002-2004) recently gave a TEDx Talk, “Rethinking Romania as a Tourism Destination,” in Timisoara, Romania, which was also his Peace Corps site. Watch the TEDx Talk now. In the talk, Andy makes the case for Romania to start thinking of itself as a sustainable and eco-tourism brand and destination. He also recounts the story of arriving as a PCV 22 years ago, seeing the evolution of change in Romania over the years, and returning later to make his life there. Andy is a writer, editor and communications consultant. A former newspaper reporter and communications executive, he did Peace Corps in the middle of his career, which has spanned journalism, Fortune 500, C-suite corporate communications and government relations and PR agency management. His passion for travel and adventure – to nearly 60 countries and 49 of the 50 U.S. states – led him to become a longtime expatriate. He’s . . .

Pacific Policy Pulse: Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn

Nov 27 2024

Carol Spahn, Director of the Peace Corps, joins Pacific Policy Pulse to discuss her trips to Fiji and Tonga, the challenges the Peace Corps faces, and why she’s reading Chris Voss’ “Never Split the Difference.” Click this link to watch the four-minute video on YouTube. Carol Spahn was sworn into office as the 21st Director of the Peace Corps on December 21, 2022. Director Spahn has more than 25 years of public and private sector experience and has worked in countries around the world on issues ranging from small business development and infectious disease prevention to women’s empowerment. Carol Spahn She most recently served as the Peace Corps’ chief executive officer and, prior to that, as acting director. Previously, Director Spahn was also the Peace Corps’ chief of operations in the Africa Region and the country director of Peace Corps/Malawi. Director Spahn’s Peace Corps roots extend back to when she . . .

When Small Things Make Great Things Possible, by John Chromy (India 1963-65)

Nov 25 2024

A little over a year ago, John Chromy (India 1963-65) began a project to gather narratives on at least ten programs where the cumulative efforts of Peace Corps Volunteers and their host country counterparts either initiated, expanded or laid the groundwork for future expansion of programs that over a half century have become permanent elements in improving the lives of millions of people. It was his intent to share these great narratives with a wide audience and to make these achievements a historical hallmark of the Peace Corps concept and its inherent belief in the value of “bottom-up community-based development.” I helped John identify these programs and also committed to helping disseminate the product of his work. Sadly, John passed away on October 19, 2024, just after delivering his report. Published posthumously, “When Small Things Make Great Things Possible” shares a 50-year perspective on 10 Peace Corps programs that enabled . . .

Hometown Heroes: Patterson, CA Honors RPCV For Her Service

Nov 23 2024

As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) how many of you have been asked to stand and be recognized for your service at a sporting or other public event? How many of you have been thanked for your service? How many of you have been honored by your hometown for your Peace Corps service? Patterson, California City Hall recently honored their “Hometown Heroes,” and among the several members of the armed forces, first responders, and frontline defenders recognized for their service was RPCV Kennedy Cassidy. Ms. Cassidy was a Community Health Volunteer in Madagascar (2023-2024). Each honoree received a banner that will be mounted on a streetlight pole in Patterson. See the entire piece and list of honorees in the article by Jessica Wilkinson in the Patterson Irrigator. PS Help lead the way forward for Peace Corps Worldwide by taking this three-minute survey on content preferences.

The Volunteer Who Became the U. S. Ambassador to Indonesia

Nov 22 2024

The Volunteer Who Became the U. S. Ambassador to Indonesia, by Jerry Norris (Colombia 1963-65) Joseph R. Donovan attended Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, earning a B. S. Degree in Foreign Service in 1993. After graduating, he served for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Seoul, South Korea. He then went on to earn an M. A. in national security studies from the Naval Post Graduate school in 1993. He would spend most of his professional career as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) dealing with East Asia. His early assignments with the U. S. Department of State included stops in Taiwan, China, South Korea and Qatar. In 1997, he was named Chief of the political/military unit in the Embassy in Tokyo. His next posting was in Taipei, Taiwan as the political section chief in the American Institute in Taiwan., which represents U. S. interests in that nation. . . .