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OTHER RIVERS, a Remarkable Panorama of Change in China

Sep 19 2024

Peter Hessler’s new book blends the personal and political in a perceptive exploration of schooling and generational shifts. by contributing editor Crawford Kilian who taught English in China in 1983 A former international correspondent and current staff writer for the New Yorker, Peter Hessler has written an extraordinary new book that is both brilliant reportage and an architectural feat of narrative. Other Rivers: A Chinese Education examines the current experiences of what Hessler calls China’s “generation Xi” university students. They are the cohort that came of age during the presidency of Xi Jinping, also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China. He contrasts them with the “reform generation” of the 1990s, a group that Hessler came to know well as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer during his first years in China. His book brings together a vivid personal account of education in China with perceptive political . . .

Peace Corps Volunteers in Naitasiri, Fiji

Sep 19 2024

PCVs in the news — 20 Peace Corps volunteer trainees from the US to conduct community engagement in Naitasiri, Fiji By Navitalai Naivalurua Wednesday 18/09/2024 The volunteers were welcomed this morning with a traditional kava ceremony at the Peace Corps Headquarters in Suva. Patrick Hodson, who is one of the 20 trainees, says he chose Fiji to serve because of the wonderful people, the wonderful opportunities and the wonderful culture it has. Hodson says he is looking forward to learning the Fijian culture and kava when he is with the community. USA Ambassador to Fiji Marie Damour congratulated the 20 trainees on choosing Fiji as their place to carry out their community work. Damour says their work in the Peace Corps is an important part of community building and urges the trainees to take in all the experiences they will go through. The US Ambassador also . . .

Paseo Maritimi (Majorca Poem)

Sep 18 2024

The woman in the hotel pool swam in steady lengths, Mindless of the Mediterranean, The yellow sun on harbor walls, The dance of docked white yachts. Mindless as well of my gin and tonic, Or Robert Graves, buried in the thick crust of Deya. Her blond hair combed the turquoise water. Beyond the high tips of palm trees, Palma de Malorca rushed by, While she kept pace in her wet world. Swimmers know nothing but their breath, The pull of muscles, coolness of flesh. She did not know us, watching her slight body, Tan limbs framed in red. I moved my drink with the care given antiques, Wanting to hold the yellowness of light Caught in the glass, Wanting to hold this last image Of the island, the woman, and the sea. Then she rose from the water with a rush, Spraying . . .

In That Time of Their Lives — Jeremiah Norris (Colombia)

Sep 18 2024

RPCVs in the news — by Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963-65) . . . The Peace Corps came into existence through an Executive Order from the President of the U. S. in March 1961. It had three complimentary goals, the 3rd of which stated: “To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans”. This Goal, often summarized as “bringing it back home”, has always been something of an afterthought—because it lacks documentation, though it is worth documenting …it represents a Return on Investment (ROI) that is unmatched by any other Congressional appropriation. In the decades that followed, it passed through two events of global consequence, either one which could have resulted in its organizational demise: the Viet Nam War and the Covid-19 epidemic. In the past several years, one would have to have been an expert in forensic sciences to find any article in the press or social . . .

Menorca (poem) | John Coyne (Ethiopia)

Sep 17 2024

John writes — MENORCA From the red tile terrace of the Port Mahón Hotel I watch the sun touch Spain. The harbor water is prickly white a painting by Matisse. Boats glide against the tide and disappear in dawn. Menorca, mucky with heat, wakes to the roar of Vespinos, and English tourists breakfasting. I walk to town in the shade of whitewashed walls. At the Plaça Reial I order café con leche, a sugary Ensaimada, and read yesterday’s news. The English follow, crowding the cobblestones, crowding me to the sea. In Playa de Son Bou, under a thatched roof I drink another cerveza and closely watch topless Germans. I swim to sea, float beneath an empty sky. It is August in the Balearics. But I am safe from Vespinos, tourists, and yesterday’s news. Time has stopped at Barcelona.

“What Do You Believe In?” | Kayla Kawalec (Thailand)

Sep 14 2024

by Kayla Kawalec (Thailand 2024-26) Sticky Rice Magazine Aug 2, 2024 “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 in America. . . .

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 . . .

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. . . .

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 . . .

Peace Corps Volunteers sworn in to serve in Kyrgyzstan

Aug 27 2024

New Volunteers — AKIPRESS.COM – Twenty-one newly sworn-in Peace Corps Volunteers will co-teach English with local teachers in secondary schools across Chui, Naryn, Issyk-Kul, Talas, Osh, and Jalal-Abad oblasts over the next two years. This is the 30th group of Volunteers to serve in the Kyrgyz Republic since 1993. Guests at the ceremony included U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Lesslie Viguerie, Peace Corps Country Director Hoyt Brian Yee, former Volunteers, as well as local teachers and directors of schools where the Volunteers will serve as co-teachers. “For more than 30 years, Volunteers and their communities have collaborated to increase student and teacher capacity in English and have built relationships that continue long beyond the two years of a Volunteer’s service. These relationships promote friendship and mutual understanding between the people of the Kyrgyz Republic and the United States,” said Ambassador Viguerie. By working alongside local English teachers, Volunteers . . .