Peace Corps Worldwide – Page 120 – promoting Peace Corps writers since 1989

“Return” by Kathleen Coskran (Ethiopia)

Jan 05 2021

Notes from the Editor: Kathleen Johnson Coskran (Ethiopia 1965-67) taught in Addis Ababa her first year, then transferred to Dilla, a small town in the far south of the Empire. She wrote “So This Is Paris” about Dilla, an essay Marian Beil and I published in our newsletter, RPCV Writers & Readers in 1994. For me that essay is one of the finest written about the Peace Corps experience. I republished it in a collection I edited titled, Peace Corps: The Great Adventure. In 2007 Peace Corps Writers.com publish “Second Time Around” that subsequently received the 2008 Peace Corps Writers Moritz Thomsen Peace Corps Experience Award. Kathy has continued to write and continues to win awards. This is an essay she wrote about when she and her husband Chuck returned to Ethiopia and traveled for ten hours by bus through the Rift Valley to see Dilla one last time. Here is . . .

A Writer Writes — “The Other Immigration Crisis” by Charles Fortin (Brazil)

Jan 05 2021

The Other Immigration Crisis Charles Fortin (Brazil 1968-70) “Cocaine . . . is typically available in urban, suburban, and rural drug markets throughout the United States . . . and cocaine supplies are relatively stable at levels sufficient to meet current user demand.” United States Drug Enforcement Administration, National Drug Threat Assessment The heavily-accented voice on the line said she was acting on a tip. A friend of mine with whom I had worked in Bulgaria had given her my name. She was calling to get my help with drugs in Latin American and the Caribbean. I took a deep breath. Then, I relaxed as my caller explained she wanted to hire me as a consultant to report on the drug trade, not to participate in it. In the Balkans, my friend had called on me to give a training module to doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators on . . .

“From Addis to Nairobi” by Wayne Kessler (Ethiopia)

Jan 04 2021

Preceding Paul Theroux: from Addis to Nairobi by Wayne Kessler (Ethiopia 1964-66) As I age, I’m finding that memories have become a larger part of my life than I want them to be. I’d rather be thinking and planning something new than being caught up in the past. Regardless, memories happen, so when I read Paul Theroux’s (Malawi 1963-65) “The Longest Road in Africa” from Dark Star Safari about his journey in Ethiopia from Addis Ababa to Moyale, I was instantly caught up in my own memories of the same trip 36 years before his. My wife Laurie and I left our Peace Corps village in the northern Eritrean Province of Ethiopia on July 1st 1966, with mixed emotions: sad to leave our Eritrean friends but excited about a vague idea of traveling by road from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, . . .

In 100 New York TIMES Notable Books of 2020 — OWLS OF THE EASTERN ICE by Jonathan Slaght (Russia)

Jan 03 2021

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Janet Lee (Ethiopia 1974-76) Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl BY JONATHAN C. SLAGHT (Russia 1999–2002) $28.00. Farrar, Straus & Giroux NONFICTION Slaght is a wildlife biologist with a singular mission, to conserve an elusive and enormous raptor in the eastern wilds of Russia. The book is an ode to the rigors and pleasures of fieldwork in hard conditions. — NY Times OWLS OF THE EASTERN ICE – National Book Award longlist 2020 – New York Times Notable Book 2020 – Wall Street Journal 10 Best Books of 2020 – The Times Nature Book of the Year 2020

KARIN MCQUILLAN (Senegal) — “What I Learned in the Peace Corps in Africa: Trump Is Right”

Jan 02 2021

Note from the editor: Karin McQuillan is a novelist (one novel) who was a PCV in Senegal. (She ETed after a year. ) We published a few blog items about her back in January and February of 2018. This article has just been republished on-line by the American Conservatives. (They loved it.) Karin is a nice woman and a true believer in Trump and the Conservative element of our society. She is like our current (for two more weeks) Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen (Tunisia 1966-68) who, I’m told, is a great believer of President Trump and will follow him anywhere, do whatever he asks, so Jody may be back in the government if Trump rallies his base. Maybe as Secretary of State! (I’m told she even has a crush on him, but I don’t believe it.) Meanwhile, Right Wing RPCV Karin McQuillan is making her case that Trump is . . .

12 New books by Peace Corps writers — November & December 2020

Jan 01 2021

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 now include a one-sentence description — provided by the author — for the books listed here in hopes of encouraging readers 1) to order the book and 2) to 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 we’ll send you a copy along with a few instructions. • What is Ethiopia? Artwork by Biniyam Alazar, text by Andrew Tadross (Ethiopia 2011-13) Independently published 43 pages November 2020 $8.00 (Paperback) A coloring book for all ages, What is Ethiopia? attempts to show Ethiopia as the sum of its parts with . . .

Alana DeJoseph (Mali) wins Best Director Award at Mumbai Film Festival

Dec 31 2020

From 1992 to 1994 Peace Corps Volunteer Alana DeJoseph was an enterprise development advisor in a small town in Mali, West Africa, consistently one of the 10 poorest nations in the world. Being a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer she understood that as walls are being built and nations are turning inward, a comprehensive documentary of this globally engaged American agency was urgently needed. Alana says: “In a time when the American public either has a very antiquated notion of the Peace Corps, informed by an almost mythological awe of the 60s, or is not even aware that the agency still exists, it is high time to bring this unique organization back into the public discourse, to raise the level of the discussion from quaint to crucial.” Alana has worked in video and film production for nearly 40 years. She began her career as a 10-year-old actress. Since then, she . . .

Another Peace Corps Rhodes Scholar — Jackson Willis (Guinea)

Dec 31 2020

Yale Undergrad Drops Out of School For Peace Corps Response Assignment By Divya Kumar Tampa Bay Times When Jackson Willis was a junior at Yale University, he regularly scouted postings for Peace Corps positions. Many required a college degree and professional experience. One night, on a whim, he applied for an opening that excited him — to work on youth unemployment in Guinea. He didn’t expect to hear back, but the Peace Corps called to say a position had opened. Yale granted Jackson a one-year leave between his junior and senior year to serve with the Peace Corps Response working in the politically destabilizing youth unemployment crisis in Guinea, West Africa. There, his team operated the country’s leading employment incubator and small business accelerator, testing the limits of social franchising for both emergency and long-term employment gain. Willis, 24, had already signed up for his senior year classes and moved into . . .

New — AMERICA’S BURIED HISTORY by Kenneth R. Rutherford (Mauritania)

Dec 30 2020

Despite the thousands of books published on the American Civil War, one aspect that has never received the in-depth attention it deserves is the use of landmines and their effect on the war and beyond. Kenneth R. Rutherford rectifies this oversight with America’s Buried History: Landmines in the Civil War, the first book devoted to a comprehensive analysis and history of the fascinating and important topic of landmines. Modern mechanically fused high explosive and victim-activated landmines were used for the first time in the world’s history on a widespread basis in the American Civil War. The first American to die from a victim-activated landmine was on the Virginia peninsula in early 1862 during the siege of Yorktown. The controversial weapon, which was concealed on or beneath the ground, was built for one purpose: to kill or maim enemy troops. The weapon was the brainchild of Confederate General Gabriel J. Rains, . . .

The Towering Task Newsletter: Updates

Dec 29 2020

Dear A Towering Task family, We know it had been a few months since we last wrote, and in case you missed our recent email, we wanted to make sure you get this one. We have been very busy, as you can see from our updates below. We also have work yet to do to make sure that the story of the Peace Corps reaches far more people. It’s a story of success and challenges, of relationships and common purpose. We want to express our deepest gratitude to you and the rest of the Peace Corps community for helping us make it through this challenging year and sharing this story of the Peace Corps. Your continued support is humbling. In solidarity, Director Alana DeJoseph & the Documentary Team Updates on our documentary Click here to play the trailer Here’s a snapshot of the past few months: Over 7,000 viewers: We’re thrilled to have reached so many . . .

New York Peace Corps recruiter established the Franklin H. Williams Award in 1999

Dec 28 2020

The Peace Corps recently awarded the 2020 Franklin H. Williams Award that honors returned Peace Corps Volunteers of color who continue the Peace Corps mission through their commitment to community service and who further support the agency’s third goal of promoting a better understanding of other peoples and the countries they served through this work. The award was named for one of the first staff of the agency, former Peace Corps regional director for Africa, and U.S. ambassador to Ghana, Franklin H. Williams. And, what many people don’t know is that while this ceremony resides at Peace Corps HQ in Washington, D.C., the very first awards were given in 1999, at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. It developed from an idea by RPCV Recruiter Leslie Jean-Pierre (Guinea 1994-96.) Leslie was a community development and health Volunteer in Guinea and he strongly believed that something . . .

2021 AIA Gold Medal Award To RPCV Edward Mazria (Peru)

Dec 27 2020

The Board of Directors and the Strategic Council of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) are honoring Edward Mazria (Peru 1964-66), FAIA, with the 2021 Gold Medal. The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. Mazria is being recognized for his work sounding the alarm on climate change and motivating the profession to take action. A native New Yorker and graduate of the Pratt Institute, Mazria received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the school and played on its basketball team, garnering attention from the New York Knicks. After being selected in the 11th round of the 1962 NBA draft, Mazria opted to serve in the Peace Corps in Peru, where he uncovered the notion that responsible architecture is the key to both social and environmental improvement. When he returned stateside to work in . . .

President Trump signs legislation funding the government through September

Dec 27 2020

UPDATE: Sunday Night, December 27, 2020. President Trump has signed the measure which funds the government through September 2021. The bill also provides pandemic aid. A government shutdown has been averted. The National Peace Corps Association reports the budget includes funding for the Peace Corps and will: “Maintain level funding for the agency at $410.5 million, as it makes plans to begin redeploying Volunteers in 2021; this was the route recommended by the House of Representatives.”

A Writer Writes — Reflections from a Simpler Time (Philippines)

Dec 25 2020

Reflections from a Simpler Time By Ted Dieffenbacher (Philippines 1967-69) The covid-19 pandemic has forced people all over the world to change — to simplify daily living, to isolate themselves from friends, favorite places, and gatherings that had always enriched their lives. What follows is an odd COVID comparison, about a time when I had to make a dramatic lifestyle change during my time in the Philippines as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) from 1967 to 1969. Single and 22 when I arrived in Santiago, Isabela, I was suddenly challenged to change not only my daily routine but also my way of thinking (and what language to think it in). Peace Corps gave each PCV a cardboard book locker — a few shelves in a sturdy cardboard box. Each had about 60 books in it, and because no two lockers had an identical selection, I was able every so often . . .

Learning the Joy of Giving in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains

Dec 25 2020

This short letter was posted yesterday by Rick Steves on his Travel Blog. It is a perfect Christmas Season Story. The writer is George Gorayeb, a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, and now a realtor in Annapolis. George is an Arab-American Christian whose family emigrated from Syria. _____ Hello Rick, In this season of gift-giving, I would like to share a personal story about the humblest yet most-appreciated gift that I have ever given to anyone. Back in the spring of 1972, I was blessed to be serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, high school English teacher in Marrakesh, Morocco, in North Africa. One day, a half dozen of us volunteers went hiking in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. This scenic mountain range separates the city of Marrakesh from the northern edge of the Sahara Desert. For half of the year, these mountain peaks are covered in . . .