Russia – Peace Corps Worldwide

Review | ST. PETERSBURG BAY BLUES by Douglas Buchacek (Russia)

Nov 26 2023

St. Petersburg Bay Blues Douglas Buchacek (Russia 2001-03) Independently published 201 pages April 2021 $15.00 (paperback) review by Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96) St. Petersburg Bay Blues is a lively and engaging account of the author’s experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Russia, and a member of Russia 9, the last Western Russia (Moscow-based) group before the program closed. Of note is the author’s impressive recall, without notes, of people, places, and events. He tells us, “Everywhere I went I carried a composition book, which I titled St. Petersburg Bay Blues. In it I wrote songs, poems, and the odd note or observation.” Unfortunately, the notebook was stolen. “I scrambled to write what I could remember. That’s what I have here, my attempt to document an experience that seems simultaneously alien and essential to my life.” Expectations are dangerous for a book reviewer, and I was looking forward to a . . .

Review | THE 2022 WORLD CUP IN QATAR by Steve Kaffen (Russia)

Sep 26 2023

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar by Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96) April 2023 $5.99 (Kindle) Reviewed by Sue Aiken (Ethiopia 1962-64) • This digital book regales us with all the beauty and memorable moments of the seventh World Cup the author attended in Qatar! Striking photography and vivid descriptions tell the reader about the great soccer being played, upsets, a remarkable final, controversies , as well as the effort of a small Middle Eastern country. Qatar is in the middle of a sprawling sand desert hosting perhaps the world’s most important sporting event! Having been a Saturday morning soccer mom for about 10 years of my life, but growing up completely unaware of the existence of soccer, this is truly an eye opening book told only as someone with extensive knowledge, excitement and experience could tell. Kaffen takes the reader along on his travel experiences ,teaching as he goes. . . .

THE WORLD CUP IN QATAR | Steve Kaffen (Russia)

Apr 15 2023

It was a World Cup like no other. And author Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96) should know,this being his seventh. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar had everything: great soccer, memorable moments, surprising upsets, a remarkable final, plus controversies and a sustained effort by a small Middle Eastern country of sprawling sand desert to host the world’s most important sports event. The grand display of exciting matches and outstanding performances, day after day, captivated the world and brought to the sport a new generation of enthusiasts. It was also a World Cup of camaraderie for the fans in Qatar and those who gathered at homes and in venues all over the world to share the soccer experience. The author takes the reader to the event as a fan, attending matches with some of the best teams, taking in the 24-hour energy, and exploring Qatar’s rich history. Some 400 original photos . . .

New books by Peace Corps writers | November-December 2022

Jan 11 2023

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 include a brief description for each of the books listed here in hopes of encouraging readers to order a book and/or 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 she will send you a free copy along with a few instructions. P.S. In addition to the books listed below, I have on my shelf a number of other books whose authors would love for you to review. Go to Books Available for Review to see what is on that shelf. Please, please join in our . . .

Review — OWLS OF THE EASTERN ICE by Jonathan Slaght (Russia)

Aug 24 2020

Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl By Jonathan Slaght (Russia 1999—02) Ferrar, Straus and Giroux August 2020 358 pages $28.00 (Hardcover) Reviewed by Fuller Torrey, MD (Staff/Ethiopia 1964-66) For those of us whose Peace Corps experience involved villages in countries such as Bolivia, Ethiopia, India and Thailand, placing Peace Corps volunteers in Russia seems like a disconnect. But indeed between 1992 and 2003 722 Peace Corps volunteers served there, including Jonathan Slaght, the author of this most interesting book. He spent three years in Russia’s Far East, 4,000 miles from Moscow in remote villages, a full day’s drive north of Vladivostok. In fact, he was among the last volunteers to leave when Russia kicked the Peace Corps out after accusing it of using volunteers as spies. The only disappointing thing about this book is that the author writes almost . . .

Review — VODKA DIARIES by Richard Sayette (Russian Far East)

Apr 04 2019

The Vodka Diaries: A Peace Corps Volunteer’s Adventures in Russia Richard Sayette (Russian Far East 1994–95) Peace Corps Writers May 2018 330 pages $16.00 (paperback), $9,99 (Kindle) Reviewed by James W. Skelton, Jr. (Ethiopia 1970–72) • I jumped at the chance to review Richard Sayette’s Vodka Diaries: a Peace Corps Volunteer’s Adventures in Russia because I made well over 120 business trips to Russia between 1989 and 2007, working on various international transactions as a lawyer, plus I served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia in the early 1970s. Since the time I spent in Russia was almost totally dedicated to working on oil and gas deals while residing in hotels in Western Russia, I was fascinated by the prospect of finding out what it was like for Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) to live and work in Eastern Russia in the mid-1990s. I was surprised when I . . .

Richard Sayette (Russian Far East) publishes THE VODKA DIARIES

Jun 27 2018

• The Vodka Diaries is my account of living and working in the Russian Far East as a Peace Corps Volunteer during the tumultuous, post Glasnost years of 1994 and 1995. It was a period in which people watched in shock as the economy collapsed under the weight of hyperinflation, and lawlessness eroded any sense of personal security. I had joined the Peace Corps for two reasons. The first was that I wanted to make a difference in the world and the second was that I wanted one last adventure prior to entering a career in corporate America. My inspiration stemmed from an NPR segment in which a recently returned Peace Corps Volunteer discussed serving in Moscow as a Business Volunteer. She had been assigned to a team that created and managed the Moscow Stock Exchange. She exuberantly explained how she was able to contribute and make an immediate impact . . .

John Flynn (Moldova 1993-95) English Language Fellow in Khabarovsk, Russia

Apr 26 2015

John Flynn (Moldova 1993-95) is currently an English Language Fellow with the US State Department in Khabarovsk, Russia. He is living in Khabarovsk, the capital of the Far East, a city of about a quarter of a million people, and teaching at the Far Eastern State University of the Humanities. He believes he is the only American living in Khabarovsk. His fellowship program is run by Georgetown University and funded by the State Department. John writes, “The program salary is more than adequate and the teaching expectations are higher than if I were just on my own teaching privately. Diplomacy is required and I think my background in the Peace Corps has served me well. I have met other Fellows in other countries and some of them, too, are RPCVs.” There are today five English Language Fellow in Russia and while the risk is always there, none have been deported, though these . . .