Americans have a lot of preconceived thoughts about Colombia, which range from drug running narcos deep in the jungle to rolling verdant hills filled with coffee plantations. Yet, as with many things, Colombia is far more complex and dynamic than you may think. On this week’s episode, Jane Haines talks about her service as community economic development (CED) volunteer in the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Photos from Jane’s Service

Jane Haines’s Peace Corps Story

Where and when did you serve? What did you do?

I am a community economic development (CED) volunteer in the Caribbean coast of Colombia. I live in a pueblo of about 10,000 located an hour outside of the country’s third largest city of Barranquilla. I’m currently 8.5 months into my service and almost a year into living in Colombia. As CED volunteers, we work with a variety of groups on personal money management, business advising, and entrepreneurship projects. In my site, I’ve worked with agricultural associations, an artisan association, and a small sausage-making business. We also work in the high schools using a curriculum called “Construye Tus Sueños” that was originally created by volunteers in the Dominican Republic and is adapted to the Colombian context. We co-teach the course with local teachers, and at the end of the year students walk away with full-fledged business plans they can execute in their pueblo. I also have a GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) club.

I’m currently working with a nearby volunteer to organize a meet up of LGBTQ individuals from our sites. We both realized there are active LGBTQ communities in our towns but they don’t get a lot of formal recognition or funding for activities like other groups. Many also suppress their identities to be more accepted in their communities. When you don’t leave the pueblo very often, it’s hard to realize that there are individuals that share your identity and face similar challenges. So the aim of the project is to start building a network of LGBTQ activists and see what they can accomplish together. I’m really excited about this project, and I think it’s a great example of how PCVs can use an outside perspective to introduce new ideas.

What is one of your favorite Peace Corps memories?

Right around New Years, a group of my university-aged friends decided to take advantage of their time off from school and do something fun. They held a kite-flying competition on one of the highest hills in our pueblo. December and January are really breezy months, and the wind is extra strong in my site because we’re close to the ocean. Everyone came with handmade kites and some were awarded prizes for creativity and how high they could fly them. It was such a picture perfect moment as the sun was setting over the town with all the kits flying and the community coming together like that. That night, we returned to the hilltop for an evening of stargazing. We made “tinto” (black instant coffee loaded with sugar) and a big pot of popcorn. We spent the whole night up there and it is the only time I’ve ever truly been cold on the coast of Colombia. The wind blew the entire night and we all huddled together in blankets and sweatshirts with droopy eyes. I was so relieved to see the sun finally come up so I could descend the mountain and go home and sleep. It was just such a classic Peace Corps memory that made me feel really integrated and happy to be living here.

Another favorite memory has been getting to know a family that lives in one of the rural towns where I work. They have three daughters who are all so bright and amazing. They really took me in like another daughter, inviting me to the beach with them and cooking for me and checking up to see how I’m doing, despite living pretty far from the town where I live. On my birthday,

Michelle Long did not serve in the the Peace Corps. Yet, Peace Corps has become a big part of her life because she said yes to marrying me, Tyler Lloyd: RPCV and Peace Corps podcast host! We explore dating and relationships after Peace Corps, when your significant other isn’t a volunteer. When do you know you’ve talked to much about your service at one sitting or are too willing to talk about poop? Hard to say, but we discuss this and more on this week’s episode of the My Peace Corps Story podcast.

While some may think serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Caribbean is all white sandy beaches and coconuts, that’s not the case. On this week’s episode I talk with Megan Bordi about her service in St. Lucia. While she served 20 years ago, her memories are fresh and her fondness for her community is strong as the day she left the island.

Photos from Megan’s Service

Megan Bordi’s Peace Corps Story

Where and when did you serve? What did you do?

I served in the Eastern Caribbean on the island of St. Lucia, 1999-2001. Our group, EC66, was comprised of about 50 volunteers serving on 5 different islands – St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Antigua and Dominica. St. Lucia had about 15 volunteers across the island, working mainly in health and education. St. Lucia is a beautiful, lush island with mountains on the coast and rainforest in the center. Many may know this island as a holiday destination, and within the Peace Corps it’s often referred to as ‘Beach Corps,’ which is not at all accurate. The minute you leave that resort or that beautiful beach, you become aware of the poverty on the island. As volunteers, we had to secure our own housing and while we had electricity (most of the time), many people had no hot water, sometimes no water at all, and definitely no cable, AC, had to hand wash, etc.

I lived in the northern part of the island, about 20 minutes from the capital city of Castries, and worked in Youth Development with the Ministry of Education. I was assigned to a primary school in a community called Grand Riviere, to work with students ages 12-15 who were unable to attain the necessary entry requirements to secondary school, and who continued at the same primary school following a program of study that failed to prepare them for the future. These students often had little to no self-worth and lacked belief in their ability to achieve. I worked to increase their self-esteem and self-confidence, building on their reading and writing skills, while giving them marketable skills to help prepare them for the real world. I ended up doing a lot of small group reading and writing classes with these students, as their levels were about 2nd / 3rd grade when they were in 7th / 8th grade. I worked with them on job training skills, such as how to fill out job applications, and helped them identify their interests and passions to understand what types of jobs might suit them well. I also put together two job training programs, which were on-the-job internships, for the students to gain practical job training. My work schedule was quite regular, and I was expected to be at school every day from about 8:30 until about 3:30pm. Aside from my ‘regular job,’ as is the case with most volunteers, there were other side projects I became involved in, especially during the summer when school was not in session.

What is one of your favorite Peace Corps memories?

Oh, how could I possibly choose?! So many wonderful memories, but I would have to say that Christmas time in St. Lucia was one of my favorites. I loved how Christmas was not at all about gifts, but was truly about enjoying the good food and spending time with friends and family. So instead of spending money on gifts, people would spend it on fixing up the house, making it look nice and buying food and drinks to share. On Christmas day, it is customary to drive (or walk) around the community (we called this ‘making a round’) to pop in on all your friends and have a drink. Everyone is expected to have enough food and drink to offer to people who stop by. You might only stay 20/30 minutes and then on to the next. It’s wonderful and truly showed me how much the St. Lucians value their family and friends. Then of course the big meal of the day would be eaten at home with family.

My other favorite memory was carnival! Carnival is not just a day, but literally weeks of festivities and soca music competitions to determine the...

Alan Dockterman served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in northeast Brazil from 1968 to 1970. He discusses his opposition to the Vietnam War as a primary motivation for joining the Peace Corps. He also talks about attrition during his group training in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Brazil. As a lawyer and an accountant, Dockterman was first placed with Fecompipe, a federation of mixed cooperatives in Vicencia in the state of Pernambuco. (The U.S. invested heavily in co-ops as a counter-communist measure during this time.) He discusses his frustration with feeling isolated in this small city and the lack of impact he had during this assignment. He talks about his much more positive social and professional experience working with a legal aid program in the city of Fortaleza in Seara state during the second year. Dockterman also reflects on the positive impact Peace Corps service had on his personal and professional life and the many returned volunteers who have gone on to work in USAID, the State Department, and other international organizations.

Interviewed and recorded by Evelyn Ganzglass, August 13, 2018, as part of the JFK Library’s Oral History Project.

This week, I talk about calling your friends and family in your community of service once you become an RPCV.

I have been back almost five years now and I did a pretty good job in the beginning at keeping in touch. As the years progressed, however, the calls became less and less frequent. This wasn’t something that I was consciously doing, but I made excuses that my my life in America was too busy. As time went on, I became more and more guilty that I hadn’t called. It was a kind of a catch-22–I felt ashamed for not calling, so I didn’t call.

Over the past few days I’ve been calling my friends and family back in Burkina Faso and the conversations have been amazing. I thought we would have little to talk about but was quickly proven wrong.

If you are fortunate enough to have a way to contact members of you community, do so. Not a week goes by where I don’t think about my service and the deep connections I made in my community. They helped shaped me into who I am today, and I owe it to them to stay in contact.

Have you been able to stay in touch with your community after returning home?

Almost every time I do an interview with a Peace Corps volunteer, I end up wanting to travel to their country of service. Corey Jacobson’s interview was one of those interviews. We talk about the general sense of adventure that Peace Corps offers, the climate and culture of Azerbaijan, about his numerous projects, and much more. Sevindirir!

Photos from Corey’s Service

Corey Jacobson’s Peace Corps Story

Where and when did you serve? What did you do?

I served from September 2012 to November 2014 in Qiraq Kesemen, Azerbaijan. I was a TEFL volunteer, but spent the majority of my time developing youth programs in my village. I conducted a few conversation clubs every week, created a softball team, ultimate frisbee team, and constructed a basketball court with the help of a US based NGO. My village was remote, and resources were scarce, but I managed to stay busy.

What is one of your favorite Peace Corps memories?

My village was nestled between the Lesser Caucasus and the Kur River. The villagers lived life outdoors and exploration was common place. I spent a lot of time outdoors hiking and camping with my local friends. One of my favorite memories was learning to fish the “Azeri” way. It was a complete disaster. I accidentally released all the fish we had caught from a large net, and ruined the afternoon. We laughed about it for years.

What is one of your least favorite Peace Corps memories?

My least favorite memory was witnessing my host mother’s cancer diagnosis. Life expectancy is much lower in Azerbaijan, like much of the developing world. Preventative treatments and routine check ups rarely take place. Diets are poor, unbalanced, and other aspects of life are more dangerous there than they are here in the US.

What do you miss about Peace Corps?

THE ADVENTURE. Something happened everyday in Azerbaijan that blew my mind. I lived in the country for two years and never fully grasped all of the settle nuances and cultural norms. I miss being surprised about what my day would entail. Also, the weddings. Weddings in Azerbaijan were as spectacular as they were bizarre. I attended about 30 in several different regions during my service. Great events.

What is something you learned in the Peace Corps?

The Peace Corps expanded my horizons like no other experience I’ve ever had. I matured a lot during my service. I gained a great deal of patience and respect for other cultures. I had traveled internationally a few times before my service, but the Peace Corps instilled a sense of adventure in me that will never dissipate.

Do you have a favorite quote or local saying that you’d like to share?

Ot Koku Uste Biter – The direct translation is grass grows on it’s roots. It was a very common saying in my region. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, basically. I liked it so much I got it tattooed on my arm.

 

 

 

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Sena Woldetensay wanted to serve in the Peace Corps since middle school. Born in Ethiopia, she originally had her sights set on Latin America, but when an earthquake changed her plans a month before she was to leave for Ecuador, Sena was reassigned to Zambia. We talk about village weddings, poaching, and serving in Africa as an African volunteer.

Photos from Sena’s Service

Sena Woldetensay’s Peace Corps Story

Where and when did you serve? What did you do?

I served as a Community Health Improvement Specialist in Central Province, Serenje District, Zambia 2016 – 2018.

What is one of your favorite Peace Corps memories?

One of my fondest memories was when my mom came to visit and ended up bonding really well with my host mom.

What is one of your least favorite Peace Corps memories?

My least favorite memory and regret was the absence of my host father during my service due to his imprisonment for poaching.

What do you miss about Peace Corps?

I will miss and cherish the family and community gatherings over an open fire while exchanging American and Zambian foods.

What is something you learned in the Peace Corps?

I learned that I am adaptable and can live and thrive on minimal resources.

Do you have a favorite quote or local saying that you’d like to share?

My favorite and most often used saying in Bemba translates as “You, Respect Yourself!”.

 

 

 

 

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Photos from Kenji’s Service

Kenji Yamada’s Peace Corps Story

Where and when did you serve? What did you do?

Albania, 2007-2009. I served as an English Education volunteer in Peshkopi, a town in mountainous northeastern Albania. I worked with English teachers at Peshkopi’s elementary schools to improve their English grammar, conversation, and understanding of their assigned curriculum, as well as co-teaching English classes at one of the local high schools, Nazmi Rushiti.

I worked with another PCV to train Nazmi Rushiti’s team for Model UN Albania. Our team represented Burkina Faso. I worked on a side project of trying to start a community radio station for Peshkopi and our local region. There had been attempts at a similar idea before me, and there were several residents and many students very interested in the project, but we did not succeed in getting together a Board of Directors willing and able to stick with it.

What is one of your favorite Peace Corps memories?

My favorite memory is coming home to Albania from a winter vacation in Macedonia.

Short version: Albania felt like home to me after being in Macedonia.

Long version:

Macedonia is a majority Slavic country and its majority language is a Slavic language, but its western part, closest to the Albanian border, has a majority of ethnic Albanians who speak Albanian (“shqip”). It’s not identical to the Albanian spoken in Albania, but the differences are small enough not to impede understanding very much if you’re a native speaker. I am not, but at this point in my service I could speak Albanian well enough to communicate pretty decently on the other side of the border too – provided I was talking to an ethnic Albanian and not a Slavic Macedonian.

There is a lot of political and cultural tension between the Slavic Macedonians and the ethnic-Albanian Macedonians. As a result, speaking Albanian to a Slavic Macedonian is best avoided. When buying a bus ticket in Skopje, the capital, I made the mistake of referring to my intended destination as “Dibra e Madhe”, the Albanian name of the town whose Macedonian name is “Debar”. The ticket lady scowled and corrected me. But she did sell me the ticket.

I got on my bus and all was well until we reached a small town called Mavrovo. There, I was told, with gestures and a few words I could understand, that I would have to get off the bus. As best I could understand, the bus was turning around to head back to Skopje, and I would have to wait in Mavrovo for another bus to take me the rest of the way to Debar. I figured I had no choice and there would probably be another bus along soon, so I got off. The bus turned around and headed back.

This was winter, so it was getting cold by this point. There was snow on the ground. I got worried.

A minibus (we call them “furgona” in Albania) came along with a “Debar” sign in the window. I flagged it down. It was full. The driver would not let me on, and I could not ask any questions or communicate the urgency of my situation because he was a Slavic Macedonian and I had about five words of Macedonian. He drove on without me.

I waited an hour more and did not see another bus or furgon. Sundown was approaching and it was getting colder. I went into the one cafe-looking place left open to try to get warm. The man in there was nice, even though we could not communicate beyond me asking for a coffee and paying for it. I sat by the window for an hour watching for a bus and did not see one. I saw he was shutting the place down and needed to leave. Told him thank you (one of my five Macedonian words) and went back outside.

By now it was dark and very cold. I was very cold. I was 40 miles and an international border away from home. I began to think, “Maybe I will get hypothermia and die on the side of the road in Macedonia.”

Some time later,

Weather is often a notable aspect of a volunteer’s Peace Corps service. From snow to rain to lack-there-of, precipitation shapes the life of a volunteer and the communities they call home for two years. For Chris Maxwell-Gaines, weather continues to shape his life. On this week’s episode, we learn about Chris’s service in Suriname, his work with rain collection and water access, and how his service helped create his career.

Photos from Chris’s Service

Chris Maxwell-Gaines’s Peace Corps Story

Where and when did you serve? What did you do?

I served in Suriname, South America, from 2000 to 2002. I served with my wife as a married couple. We lived in a small village, deep in the interior of the country which is the northern Amazon rain forest. The only way to access our village was via a 2-day boat trip up river from the coast or a 2 hour single engine plane trip.

Our job titles were “Rural Community Development Specialists”. We took that to mean, anything and everything related to human and resource development that the village wanted to pursue. Our main goal was to assist the community in drilling a water well. While we helped the community receive grant funding to drill a water well and set up a water distribution system, it was not completed by the time we left our service. About 3 years after had come back to the US, our main counterparts from the village contacted us to assist them in obtaining the funding again so that they can complete the water well. We are very happy to say that they completed the water well system on their own, without any Peace Corps volunteers present. Talk about capacity building!

In addition to working on the water well project, we also did many smaller projects:

* Painted a world map and map of Suriname on the walls of the school

* Raised funds to purchase books for the school library as well as solicited for donated library books. Books were both in Dutch and English.

* Organized a Project Design and Management training in our village for many of the village leaders in the various village organizations.

* Organized a sewing training for the village women’s group. Through the SPA program, we were able to purchase foot treadle sewing machines for the women’s group.

* Taught English classes to adults in the village.

* Consulted with local entrepreneurs about developing their individual business ideas.

* Held an after-school program from 2pm to 5pm each day in order to provide the village kids more structured educational time.

What is one of your favorite Peace Corps memories?

One of my favorite Peace Corps memories was a project that was actually initiated by a Baptist missionary group stationed in a surrounding village. They had funding to install a radio tower on a nearby “mountain”. While I knew the underlying reason for the radio tower sponsored by a missionary group, I also saw the potential in the villages of this area being able to receive radio signals from the capital, Paramaribo, as well as future cellular signals. We were transported up to the top of this mountain and spend a week, living in the bush, clean-cutting a large area where another team would come to set up the radio tower. We slept in hammocks in make-shift shelters. We hunted each day for our meals. We bathed in small rain forest creeks. It was like going back country camping here in the US but without any of the camping “luxuries” that we have here. It was an amazing experience!

What is one of your least favorite Peace Corps memories?

My least favorite Peace Corps memory was actually me looking forward to my future after Peace Corps. Being young, you have a huge future ahead of you and it is hard to not think about it and try to plan it out. I remember being awake at night, in my hut, in the middle of the rain forest in South America,

John W. Bing served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Afghanistan from 1964 to 1967 as an English teacher. Afterwards he worked on the Peace Corps staff in Afghanistan (1967), and at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., as Regional Training Officer for the Middle East (1967-1968). Bing was part of the Afghanistan III group. During his first year of service, he taught English at the University of Kabul. In the second year, he taught English at an agricultural middle school in Baghlan. In both places he used the oral aural-oral method of instruction plus textbooks developed by Columbia University specifically for Afghanistan. Much of the interview is focused on Bing’s views on and activities to promote cross-cultural understanding. Bing was a co-author of the first draft of the Peace Corps’ first cross-cultural training manual. In addition, he has worked in the field of international education and cross-cultural training in numerous positions during his post-Peace Corps career. He ends the interview by discussing a project of the Friends of Afghanistan RPCV group, funded by Afghan RPCVs and Afghan-Americans, that supports weavers in Bamayan, Afghanistan. Interviewed and recorded by Evelyn Ganzglass, November 5, 2018

Find this interview and more at the JFK Online Library: www.jfklibrary.org.

 

 

 

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