Afghanistan – Peace Corps Worldwide

Review | THROUGH GRATEFUL EYES: The Peace Corps Experiences of Dartmouth’s Class of 1967

Jun 23 2023

Through Grateful Eyes: The Peace Corps Experiences of Dartmouth’s Class of 1967 by Charles A. (Chuck) Hobbie (Korea 1968-71) — Compiler/Editor iUniverse Publisher 273 pages July 2022 $2.99 (Kindle); $39.99 (Paperback); $31.95 (Hardback) Reviewed by Evelyn Kohl LaTorre (Peru 1964-1966) • “Talk less and listen more.” “Accept the values of the population you’re working with.” “Adapt to being comfortable being uncomfortable.” These are a few of the sage learnings found in this 2 ½ pound, 8 1/2” x 11” tome that relates the Peace Corps experiences of 19 members of the Dartmouth class of 1967 and several of their spouses. All served in the Peace Corps in the late sixties and early seventies, and their exploits are a sampling of the 30 Dartmouth ’67 graduates who went on to join the Peace Corps. Their fascinating, and often humorous, stories are punctuated with 146 photos that show the youthful volunteers . . .

Some Early Peace Corps Books You Might Have Missed

Mar 16 2023

The Early Years of Peace Corps in Afghanistan: A Promising Time by Frances Hopkins Irwin and Will A. Irwin | Feb 13, 201 The Peace Corps: The Early Years by Charles Jones and Keith Jones | Feb 7, 2015 My Years in the Early Peace Corps: Nigeria, 1964-1965, Volume 1 by Sonja Goodwin | Sep 17, 2021 My Years in the Early Peace Corps: Ethiopia, 1965-1966, Volume 2 by Sonja Goodwin Eradicating Smallpox in Ethiopia: Peace Corps Volunteers’ Accounts of Their Adventures, Challenges and Achievements by James W. Skelton Jr. , Alan Schnur, et al. | Nov 26, 2019 I Miss the Rain in Africa: Peace Corps as a Third Act by Nancy Daniel Wesson | May 1, 2021 A Few Minor Adjustments: Two Years in Afghanistan: A Peace Corps Odyssey by Elana Hohl | May 6, 2021 Mariantonia: The Lifetime Journey of a Peace Corps Volunteer by Robert L. Forster | Sep 22, 2021 BUILDING COMMUNITY : ANSWERING KENNEDY’S CALL by HARLAN RUSSELL GREEN | May 16, 2022 Moon over Sasova: One American’s Experience Teaching in Post-Cold War . . .

SHOO DO GOOD Pants by Stacy Chong (Moldova)

Jan 21 2023

As a Peace Corps Volunteer Stacy worked with local NGO APIUS (Association for Moldova’s Fashion, Apparel, & Footwear Industries) as a Small Enterprise Development Consultant for Moldova’s fashion industry. Primary work centered around the development of Moldova’s first fashion center Zip House, a USAID CEED II project; accomplishments include: (1) the creation and launching of Moldova’s first Textile and Sourcing Center, won a $10K grant and developed the textile center with student volunteers, acquiring over 2000 fabric donations and books from international communities; (2) the implementation of three successful internship programs where over 54 youths, mostly girls, learned professional skills and received career guidance; (3) the development of numerous workshops/seminars for industry professionals and university teachers – recruited international specialists, working closely with them to develop seminars/trainings in pattern-making, branding, marketing & sales; (4) personally conducting workshops and seminars on marketing, forecasting, and small business development. Additionally, taught . . .

Review | BIKE RIDING IN KABUL — not written by an RPCV

Jan 06 2023

Bike Riding in Kabul is the story of Jamie Bowman, a woman who works as foreign aid in several post-war countries. The author’s story is a unique take on the travel memoir genre. We don’t just read countless stories of an individual eating world-class dishes and laying on the beach; we watch someone help entire countries find their own peace. Through it all, we learn about the invaluable pieces of wisdom she learned along the way. From learning how to truly help people and understanding how many of these countries found themselves in their situations, there is so much wisdom to devour. • A review published by Literary Titan January 4,2023 Bike Riding in Kabul: The Global Adventures of a Foreign Aid Practitioner by Jamie Bowman is a MUST READ for anyone working in the international development community or seeking a career there. Her book reads like a modern-day version of . . .

Another review — AFGHANISTAN AT A TIME OF PEACE by Robin Varnum

Sep 19 2021

Afghanistan at a Time of Peace by Robin Varnum (Afghanistan 1971–73) Peace Corps Writers June, 2021 201 pages $25.00 (paperback), $10.00 (Kindle) Reviewed by John Chromy (India 1963–65) • Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Robin Varnum (Afghanistan 1970-72) has brought to us a wonderful reminder of how Peace Corps operated in faraway lands 50 years ago.The Volunteers remembered President Kenndy’s “ringing call to service” and they were ready to go to the ends of the earth to serve, to learn and to teach. Ms. Varnum’s narrative begins with the three day PRIST (pre-Invitational Staging) program in Chicago in which the potential volunteers were briefed, provided with vast amounts of information on Peace Corps and Afghanistan, and given the choice to go to Afghanistan or not. If they said yes, two months later they were on their way to Kabul and three months of in-country training. The description of sights, emotions, excitement and . . .

Peace Corps/Afghanistan Books

Aug 19 2021

Lessons from Afghanistan David Fleishhacker (Afghanistan 1962-64) DF Publications, 2002 Little Women of Baghlan The Story of a Nursing School for Girls in Afghanistan, the Peace Corps, and Life Before the Taliban Susan Fox (Afghanistan 1968-70) Peace Corps Writers, 2013 Lessons of Love in Afghanistan: A Lifelong Commitment to the Afghan People Susanne Griffin (Afghanistan Staff Spouse 1968-70), Peter Bussian (Photographer) Bennett & Hastings, 2014 Letters from Afghanistan Eloise Hanner (Afghanistan 1971-73) Branden Publishing Co., 2003 The Early Years of Peace Corps in Afghanistan: A Promising Time Frances Hopkins Irwin & Will A. Irwin (Afghanistan 1966-67) Peace Corps Writers, 2014 My Time in Afghanistan Henry Intili (Afghanistan 1968-three months ETed) A Land Without Time: A Peace Corps Volunteer in Afghanistan John Sumser (Afghanistan 1977-78) Academy Chicago Publishers, 2006 Afghanistan at a Time of Peace Robin Varnum (Afghanistan 1971–73); photographer: Juris Zagarins (Afghanistan, 1971-1974) Peace Corps . . .

Review — AFGHANISTAN AT A TIME OF PEACE by Robin Varnum

Jun 30 2021

Afghanistan at a Time of Peace by Robin Varnum (Afghanistan 1971–73) Peace Corps Writers June, 2021 201 pages $25.00 (paperback), $10.00 (Kindle) Reviewed by Will Irwin (Afghanistan 1966–67) • Robin Varnum tells the story of serving as a PCV in Ghazni, Afghanistan in 1972–73 with her husband Mark and another PCV, Juri Zagarins, fluidly and with engaging detail, from beginning to end. Afghanistan at a Time of Peace (Peace Corps Writers, 2021) is a nicely-designed volume, liberally illustrated with color photos taken by Juri when she was in her early 20s and newly married. Robin tells her story chronologically, from the invitation she and Mark received to go to Afghanistan in December 1971 as TEFLers through training, their assignment to teach in Ghazni, and the quotidian and unusual experiences they had living and teaching there until their departure in December 1973. A sampling of each: Bouts with amoebic dysentery for all . . .

Talking with Robin Varnum (Afghanistan)

Jun 27 2021

In June, Robin Varnum published her Peace Corps memoir Afghanistan at a Time of Peace. Peace Corps Worldwide asked Robin about her service, and about the writing and promoting of her book. • Robin, where and when did you serve with the Peace Corps: I served in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan (1971-1973), and taught English (grades 8-12) in a girls school. Where did you live and work? I lived in Ghazni, a small city around 85 miles southwest of Kabul. I taught at Lycée Jahan Malika, the only girls school in either the city or the province of Ghazni. At the time, it served around 400 girls from kindergarten through 12thgrade. What kind of work did you do? I taught English. Although I did not understand initially why my students needed to learn English, I soon saw that a knowledge of English could open doors for students with serious ambitions. It was necessary, for example, for those who wished . . .

Review — POSTED IN PARAGUAY by Eloise Hanner (Afghanistan 1971–73, Paraguay 1999–2000)

May 09 2014

Posted in Paraguay: Adventures Below the 20th Parallel by Eloise Hanner (Afghanistan 1971–73, Paraguay 1999–2000) A Peace Corps Writers Book $14.95 (paperback); $4.99 (Kindle) 262 pages 2014 Review by Leita Kaldi Davis (Senegal 1993-96) “Nobody goes to Paraguay,” asserts Hanner in her opening sentence of Posted in Paraguay: Adventures Below the 20th Parallel. But, of course, Peace Corps does. And so did Eloise and Chuck Hanner, They are among the rare people who become bored with making money and playing golf, and seek broader horizons outside their comfort zones. They are the kind of people who become Peace Corps Volunteers. Eloise and Chuck had already served in Afghanistan from 1971-73, shortly after their marriage, and Eloise published that story in Letters from Afghanistan. They then spend decades building their own little empire as stock brokers in San Diego, before they felt the need to move on. They did a long . . .

Review — THE EARLY YEARS OF PEACE CORPS IN AFGHANISTAN by Frances and Will Irwin

Apr 07 2014

The Early Years of Peace Corps in Afghanistan: A Promising Time By Frances Hopkins Irwin (Afghanistan 1964–67) and Will A Irwin (Afghanistan 1965–67) Peace Corps Writers Book 294 pages $17.00 (paperback), $6.00 (Kindle) February 2014 Reviewed by John Sumser (Afghanistan 1977-78) What struck me as I read the Irwin’s account of the early days of the Peace Corps in Afghanistan is how little anything changed. The problems faced by the initial Volunteers and their director (then called a “representative”) were the same as those faced by my cohort fifteen years later: What is the proper role of a Volunteer? Is the Peace Corps a CIA front? Should Volunteers have servants? What should our social lives look like? I felt, after reading the book, that the Peace Corps is never established anywhere as much as it is continuously invented and negotiated on a daily, face-to-face basis. The Irwins have created an . . .

Talking with Fran and Will Irwin about their book: The Early Years of Peace Corps in Afghanistan: A Promising Time

Mar 10 2014

What happens with two young kids who meet, say, in a place like Kabul, Afghanistan, when they are 23 or 24, as Volunteers in the Peace Corps? Let’s say they’re PCVs helping to develop a city newspaper; let’s call it the Kabul Times, and then they fall in love. (Sounds like a movie, right?) They finish their tour and marry, and have long and productive years together, one with a career as an NGO environmental policy analyst (that’s the girl), and the boy, well, he becomes a lawyer (don’t they all?), and then (of course) next he is a judge. (With every sentence this sounds more like a movie, or better yet, a Netflix film.) They retire and are living happily ever after in leisure. Then they happen to go to a Peace Corps Conference, let’s say the 50th Anniversary of the agency. They hear PC/Afghanistan’s first director Bob Steiner . . .

Fran Hopkins Irwin and Will Irwin publish The Early Years of Peace Corps in Afghanistan with Peace Corps Writers

Feb 25 2014

This month Frances Hopkins Irwin (Afghanistan 1964–67) and Will A. Irwin (Afghanistan 1966–67) published The Early Years of Peace Corps in Afghanistan: A Promising Time with Peace Corps Writers. Here’s what they say about their book: The Peace Corps in Afghanistan The first four years of Peace Corps in Afghanistan was a promising time. Nine Volunteers, perhaps the smallest Peace Corps program around the world, arrived in 1962. They were greeted with skepticism and all placed in Kabul. What skills could they contribute? Wouldn’t their presence cause trouble in this country bordering the Soviet Union? The Early Years tells how within a year the five teachers, three nurses, and a mechanic had demonstrated their skills, how they and the following Volunteers connected with the Afghan community through jazz, folk music, and basketball and used sawdust stoves to avoid paying for oil. By 1966, over 200 Peace Corps Volunteers were serving . . .

Review — LITTLE WOMEN OF BAGHLAN by Susan Fox

Nov 29 2013

Little Women of Baghran: The Story of a Nursing School for Girls in Afghanistan, the Peace Corps, and Life Before the Taliban by Susan Fox, with Jo Carter (Afghanistan 1968–70) Peace Corps Writers $16.00 (paperback) 2013 344 pages Reviewed by Susan O’Neill (Venezuela 1973–74) Sometimes, when a country’s name is touted in the news as a synonym for disaster, we forget that it once had a “Before” — and that nothing stands still, so there will someday be an “After” as well. So it is with Afghanistan. Afghanistan, before the political upheaval that led to the Russian invasion of 1979 — and our intervention, and current war, was a backwater where the beat of modernizing cities far outpaced the languor of the countryside. Life in its small villages was defined by extreme weather-long, frozen winters; torrential rains; cloudless, and baking summers, as well as close community, isolation, and lack of educational opportunity, . . .

Peace Corps Writers publishes LITTLE WOMEN OF BAGLAN by Susan Fox

Nov 03 2013

Little Women of Baghlan: The Story of a Nursing School for Girls in Afghanistan, the Peace Corps, and Life Before the Taliban is the true account of Joanne – Jo – Carter who answers the call to service and adventure during an extraordinary time in world history. Her story rivals the excitement, intrigue, and suspense of any novel, unfolding against the backdrop of changing social mores, the Cold War, the Peace Corps, and a country at the crossroads of China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran. When John F. Kennedy delivers a speech in the Senate Chambers on a hot July day in 1957, a young Jo Carter listens from the Senate gallery. In 1967 Jo remembers the now-deceased President Kennedy’s words and is inspired to join the Peace Corps. As a new Peace Corps Volunteer she flies into Afghanistan on March 21, 1968 with her training group. From her plane . . .

“Once in Afghanistan”

Jan 13 2011

RPCVs of Colorado are sponsoring an Anniversary Film Series to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps. Tonight the film is “Once in Afghanistan.” The website for the Colorado Returned Peace Corps states: Synopsis: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers recall their experiences as female members of Afghan male vaccinator teams in the late 60s.The women vividly recall trying to convince the women to be vaccinated and their dependence on the Afghan counterparts and the people in the villages. Their stories and photographs go behind the walls where people of completely different backgrounds could recognize one another in spite of their differences. In a world in which messages of hate travel faster than ever before, this is a message of understanding. There are materials available on line that helps to understand the context of Peace Corps/Afghanistan. These include: Walter P. Blass was the first Peace Corps Director in Afghanistan and this . . .