Peace Corps Archive

I got an email this morning from some freelance writer named Laura Vanderkam. She writes for something called The Washington Examiner and is looking to do a piece on "modern communication technology and the Peace Corps." Here's the email:

From: Laura_Vanderkam@XXXXXX.com
To: hechtic1@yahoo.com
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 11:56:07 -0500
Subject: Peace Corps, blogs

Hello- I came across American Idle in the course of researching a piece I've been commissioned to write for the DC Examiner on modern communication technology and the Peace corps. (I'm sending this from my Reader's Digest account, but this piece is for the Washington Examiner).

It looks like you managed to keep posting on your website during your Peace Corps service. Was that difficult? Or were you in an area that had ready access to the internet?

I'd love to interview you about your experience- let me know if you'd be willing to help with the article-
Laura Vanderkam
Laura_Vanderkam@XXXXXX.com
917-XXX-XXXX
www.lauravanderkam.com

For all sorts of reasons, I'm not really interested in doing an interview, and I told Laura so and pointed her in the direction of dozens of other PCVs with blogs that will probably all be willing talk about their experiences.

I will say this, and Laura, if you're reading, feel free to quote at will. Not all Peace Corps countries are the same, but Samoa was fairly well wired up for a developing country. I had internet access at work, at the Peace Corps office and even had a phone installed in my house and could get online whenever I wanted. The connection was often murderously slow, could cut out at anytime and the electric grid wasn't exactly stable, but it worked well enough for email, posting to a blog and uploading the occasional optimized JPEG. I got most of my news from the web. I bought stuff on Amazon, Half and eBay. I was the victim of a nightmarish identity theft plot. Through the internet and my website, I was in touch with volunteers all over the world from Nepal to Mozambique and just about everywhere in between. It was fascinating to me to see how other volunteers were living and what their lives were like, both with the local culture and the Peace Corps bureaucracy. I also really enjoyed being able to share my experiences online, get feedback from friends and family and not feel so isolated. On the other hand, I joined the Peace Corps to be fully immersed in the culture of another country and it far too easy to escape online. Even though I could always go back to the village and hang out with my host family whenever I needed to get away from the "modern" Samoan world, I didn't do it nearly enough. But a lot of that was less about my cultural needs and more about not wanting to leave my kittens alone, a whole other story.

If you want to check out a few interesting articles about safety and security of the Peace Corps volunteers, check out Casulaties of Peace on the Dayton Daily News wesbite.

This special section includes dozens of articles with commentary and letters the to the editor. It's fascinatiing stuff, even it is somewhat misleading. The first story, Mission of Sacrifice is subtitled "Peace Corps volunteers face injury, death in foreign lands". Well, some might. Many more face injury and death in this country.

Keep in mind when you read the article that there have been something like 250 PC volunteer deaths in the 40+ year history of the organization. (There have been two deaths amongst PCVs in Samoa since the PC arrived there in 1967. Thomas Barakatt drowned in an underwater cave in 1994 and Alan Banner was killed in a shark attack in 1972). Also keep in mind that volunteers are not serving in Switzerland. Everyone knows there is element of danger when they volunteer, just as people who sign up for the military are aware that they may see combat.

For what I experienced in Samoa, the Peace Corps does almost everything possible to ensure the safety of volunteers. The policies sometimes go way to extremes, but the Peace Corps has blanket rules which must be adhered to by every country, which is absurd, but that's they way it is. If the Peace Corps had it's we'd all be wearing bike helmets 24/7.

ALL PEACE CORPS ANNOUNCEMENT FROM DIRECTOR GADDI H. VASQUEZ

It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing to you that I have resigned as Director of the Peace Corps effective November 14, 2003. In my resignation letter to President George W. Bush, I wrote, " The Peace Corps is well positioned to expand and achieve even more in the 21st century. In my view, the Peace Corps remains one of the most viable means to train men and women in host countries and do so with effectiveness and positive outcomes of which we can be proud."

On February 15, 2002, I was privileged to assume the role of Peace Corps Director. The honor and opportunity to lead an agency with such a noble mission has been one of the great highlights of my professional life. During my time as Director, I have met hundreds of Peace Corps Volunteers who are engaged in remarkable work and are advancing the first and second goals of Peace Corps. I have traveled to 24 countries and all 11 recruiting offices and have enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with exceptional staff who are performing a great service in support of the Volunteers' work. I have also had the opportunity to meet RPCVs in many states and appreciate their continuing commitment to advancing the third goal of the Peace Corps. I am confident that the Peace Corps is well positioned to achieve much in the 21st century.

Yesterday, I had to go see a doctor for some standard Peace Corps close of service tests. Oh, what fun. The absolute best part was the Chlamydia test. I don't even know why Peace Corps requires this. Probably because the want they statistics.

If I had Chlamydia, the symptoms would be obvious, right? Apparently not. You can have it and not even know. According to my doctor, about 20% of the sexaully active adult population has it and don't even know. Hence the test.

The test is a swab which requires you to stick something like a q-tip, albeit a little smaller, inside your urethra. Didn't I say what fun this was? You have the choice of having the doctor do it for you or doing a self-swab. I chose the latter. No big deal, since I regularly stick large objects up my urethra. NOT!!

This is the title of story that appeared recently in Jane Magazine. It's about females and their safety in the Peace Corps.

"Before I left for the Peace Corps, I was enamored with my own benevolence," laughs Katy Backes, 25, who spent most of her life in northern Minnesota and North Dakota. "I thought I was really great for going." Three months into her assignment as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in Mozambique in 1999, reality set in. "Local men used to yell in Portuguese, 'White pussy, white pussy!'" she says. "The locals had a hard time understanding what a young foreign woman would be doing living alone. They know I got money somehow and they started to think that I was a prostitute. A lot of men on their way back from the bars would stop outside my house and holler, 'We know you want to come and party with us!'

You can read the entire article on PeaceCorpsOnline

>The GAO Report on Volunteer Safety and Security

There's another interesting story about volunteer safety that appeared in USA Today a few year's back:

Peace Corps security in question

The problem with articles like these is that they don't exactly tell the entire story. I'm certain these women quoted in the article didn't think they were joining Club Med. And anyway, most places PCVs live and work are far safer than the downtown area of many American cities.

W wants to double the size of the Peace Corps by increasing the number of PCVs in the field from 7,000 to 14,000. Sounds like a good idea, right? Well it might be if so many of the volunteers already in the field didn't have jobs of marginal success working with staffs and budgets that are stretched thin. Peace Corps does some great things, but one thing it doesn't do well is support it volunteers and make sure they are working and living succesfully.

Staffers in DC are struggling to find new countries to place PCVs. I heard Eritrea and Djobouti bandied about. I'm every country that currently does not have volunteers is in play and on the radar screen. So muh for the old line of the Peace Corps only going into countries where it has been invited. It's frightening.

Here's the transcript of from a discussion on CNN's Money Line:

President Bush's plans to drastically inflate volunteer numbers around the globe got a kick in the pants today with the launch of a new ad campaign complete with an overhaul of the Peace Corps website. The theme of the new campaign is "Life Is Calling. How Far Will You Go?"

The Peace Corps is committed to doubling its ranks within five years. Current enrollment totals about 7,000. Actors Matthew McConaughey and Eduardo Verastegui provide voiceovers in English and Spanish, respectively. If Matthew McConaughey can't convince people to sign up, who can?

The new website, with the same theme, was redesigned by Threespot Media. You can read the full story about the redesign here.

Here is the full story about how the new commercial was created by Omnicom's BBDO in Atlanta.

The new group of trainees officially became Peace Corps volunteers today in a ceremony at Coconuts Beach Resort. The very nice ceremony was highlighted by a funny speech by one of the new PCVs recounted all hilaious events of training.

Ambassador Charles Swindells was on hand to administer the oath and present the new volunteers with their treasured ID cards. He's the distingished gentleman to right, one of the few people in the picture who doesn't look like he just arrived on Fantasy Island.

The new group will all be working in Village Based Development, Intercoastal Management and the Future Farmers program. Welcome aboard and best of luck to all of you in the next two years.

I almost didn't make it to the ceremony. I was woken up right before 4am with a searing pain in the middle toe of my right food. When I tried to touch my, the pain was excruciating. I wasn't sure what happened, but my first thought was that I was bitten by a centipede. I hobbled out of bed, opened the med kit, sucked down some antihistamene and 4 Aleve. Even with the pain didn't go away for several hours and I couldn't get back to sleep.

I needed to get back to sleep if I was going to be at coherent the next, even if it was only for a few hours. The alarm didn't wake me up, but I popped up out of bed with a few minutues to spare before the last bus arrived which would get me into town to the hotel where the trainees were staying.

I was tired I almost fell off the bus when I tried to get off. I sucked a cup of tea at the hotel and somehow managed to get through the day.

The worst part about this is I couldn't catch the centipede and kill it which would have mad me feel a hell of lot better. Of course, the kittens were totally useless. They slept through the whole thing.

Faitala. Faitala. Faitala.

Faitala means gossip in Samoan, both the verb and the noun. It's also the name of the bimonthly newsletter put out by Peace Corps volunteers here. The newsletter is a conglomeration of news, stories, tips and humor (sort of).

The last issue had a story about "Crisis Corps" arriving in Micronesia, tips on fighting body odor, horoscopes, a profile of Bob Marley amongst other items. Most of it was actually good.

However, there was also a story inside entitled "Who Remembers When?: Good Time in Samoa." This article about the misadventures (mostly drunken) of a few PCVs is just plain offensive.

Why I do I need to read about volunteers falling over themselves, making fools of themselves and being embarrasing American idiots? I don't. No one does. Maybe this stuff happens sometimes, but so what? It's neither funny nor poignant, so I don't need it. This is personal stuff. It doesn't need to be broadcast to other volunteers, to the Peace Corps staff or anyone in Samoa who should happen upon a copy of Faitala.

If it's not bad enough that this story never should have seen print, there's a discaimer at the bottom which states, "Please do not take this article to mean that all PC Samoa volunteers are “drunks”". The insuation that any volunteers are "drunks" is not only insulting, it's asinine. You'd think volunteers were waking up in the morning, taking the day's first swig of hooch, falling asleep in the street in the middle of the day and spending their last sene on gutrot. Isn't that what drunks do? PCVs like to drink, some might even be alcoholics, but drunks? I don't think so.

I wrote an email to the editors letting them know how I felt. If I felt like this, think how the volunteers who were named in the story felt. The response was less then enthusiastic, as you can imagine.

One of the editors wanted to have a "little" talk with me, which is fine, except I didn't think I had anything more to add. I was curious, however, to see what she would say. She tells me that they are so happy to have submissions, that they'll print just about anything, which is both sad and pathetic. What If I wrote a story about how foul and obonoxious some volunteers are? Would they print that? I suppose they would.

She claimed Faitala was an open forum, which it's not. It's a closed forum. What are they going to do, print a retraction or an apology in the next newsletter 2 months from now when people have forgotten all about it. I don't think so. On the other had, this is site is an open forum. Feel free to comment away and tell me I'm ass. Go ahead, make my day.

She then went on to blame me for not saying anything before since I happened to be in the room when she was doing the final edits on the newsletter. As if I had any clue what stories she was working on. This is a very sad reality here of people not taking responsiblity for their actions.

The only thing she apologized for was taking the writer's word that all the volunteers mentioned in the story had been contacted and were ok with the contents. Of course, this turned out to be a complete load of shit.

Apparently the author was told that she had to get approval of all the mentioned volunteers. Not only did she not ask everybody, when she did ask them, at least on one occasion, she refused to share the contents of the story, was subsequently denied permission to run it by the volunteer, and went ahead and did it anyway. Could you be more disrespectful to your fellow volunteers? I suppose you could, but it would take concerted effort.

Meanwhile, the author found out about my objections to the printing of her story, and is none too pleased. I don't have a problem with her (at least until I discovered her "approval" methods). She can write all the stupid, offensive drivel she wants. The editors have the responsiblilty to make the judgement about what does and what does not belong in a volunteer newsletter. Anyway, this author has been telling people that I have no business making comments about her article because (apropos of nothing) I'm a bad volunteer.

Even if I am a bad volunteer (does she know what I do? does she know what my motivations are? I think you know the answer to that) what difference does it make if I have problem with her story? I think if anyone her criticized her story would be labeled a "bad volunteer" the same way anyone criticizes the current administration is "anti-American."

On top of all this, the story also commits the horrible sin of trying to be funny and failing miserably. You don't have to take my word for it. You can read the whole thing below (names withheld out of respect, which is more than I can say for Faitala.

Another group of volunteers left the fair shores of Samoa and headed home tonight. They join ranks of the thousands of RPCVs (returned Peace Corps volunters) who've left their country of service and began the adjustment to life at home.

There are RPCV organizations all over the country and the world. The groups are specific both to region (RPCVS of Northern California) and country (Friends of Samoa). They serve to contunie the great service and perpetuate the mission of the Peace Corps through fund raising, awareness raising and hell raising. (well, I made up the last one.)

Bon Voyage to all departing PCVs.

I found out some bad news today. The grant I wrote to bring ICT equipment nd training to a local telecenter in Samoa was turned down by the Global Knowledge Partnership. [Apolima Telecenter Project (30K)]

It might not have been the quality of the grant that determined the outcome. There were 540 applicants and only four were selected. The winning grants were for projects in Nigeria, Cameroon, Mexico and the Solomon Islands. The successful grants also all orginated from non-governmental organizations whereas mine came from a government ministry. I don't know if this had anything to do with us being considered or not, but it is interesting.

I'm very disappointed since I put in a tremendous amount of effort into the grant and it would have provided me with some very meaningful work over the duration of my Peace Corps stay in Samoa. I'm going to press on and try to find another source of funding.

If you're wondering what other volunteers are doing around the world, check out the Peace Corp Blog Web Ring.

I set it up to gather as many web logs by currently serving volunteers in one place. So far there are only 8 other sites listed, but we're just getting started and the ring is growing steadily.

There are member sites at the moment from Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Krygyzstan, St. Lucia, and Bulgaria.

It's ineresting to think how different my life would be right now if I had taken a different assignment...

Peace Corps Plans Return to St. Kitts

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (AP) - The U.S. Peace Corps is resuming service in St. Kitts before the end of the year following a five-year interruption, officials said Thursday.

Three Peace Corps officials traveled to the twin-island Caribbean federation to discuss new education, health, computer and business development projects.

On Wednesday, discussion with government officials focused on where volunteers could be placed to help St. Kitts and Nevis the most, said Peace Corps official Andrew Tonks.

Peace Corps volunteers had served in the country from 1964 until 1998, when the agency left because an arts education program had ended there.

More than 70 volunteers are currently serving in the eastern Caribbean countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Carriacou, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to the agency's Web site.

Since 1961, more than 170,000 volunteers have served in the Washington, D.C.-based Peace Corps, working in fields including education, health, the environment and agriculture.

St. Kitts is a former British colony with 38,000 residents, which has overcome five hurricanes in six years, a major flood, and low world prices for its banana crop.

This email comes from a recently COS'ed volunteer from Samoa. Shawn was working at "second chance" school in Savai'i teaching basic compuers skills in an environment can only be described as "primitive".

Shawn applied for an extension and was denied. Now here he is working hard to get more and better PCs for the school.

It's really interesting to me that at time when the Bush Administration seems hell bent on increasing volunteer numbers that PCVs should be denied extentions.

Personally, I think that if you can make it through two years of service then if you want to continue, you should have every right to. If there was some kind of problem that would keep the Peace Corps from wanting you in country, they should dealt with it long before the end of service.

Hello all,

This e-mail is all business and no faitala (sorry).

Anyway, I'm hoping to start up a little project here in Hawaii but I need help from all of you. I have computers that need to be taken to Samoa. Let me explain.

I went to an RPCV gathering the other night. There was like 40 people there. Many of the people I talked to work for big companies like hospitals or government departments. A big topic of conversation was on how the RPCV group can do some service projects.

So I was thinking that with all these RPCVs in so many companies, that's a ton of contacts for finding old computers that companies are going to get rid of. Old computers would be VERY valuable in the computer lab of my old school (the Marist Center for Special Learning) in Savaii.

So I sent a mass e-mail to all the RPCVs in Hawaii asking them to check out their workplace and see if there are any surplus computers that just taking up space. If so, then just tell me and I;ll come pick them up. I've gotten a big response and currently have 5 computers with the possibility of many more.

So the next problem is the eternal problem of shipping. It's all well and good to get all these computers but then how the hell to I get them to Samoa. Well, Hawaii is a really popular place for current PC Samoa volunteers to visit. PCs come here for vacation or when they are transiting to go home.

So, what if everytime a PC Samoa volunteer comes through Hawaii, they agree to take with them some computer equipment back to Samoa. Considering volunteers don't have much stuff anyway, they should have a considerable amount of excess allowable backage weight that can be used to take computers back to Samoa.

SO here is what I'm asking from all the volunteers (and even staff). If anyone plans to either visit Hawaii or is transiting through Hawaii to Samoa, could you please be so kind as to lug some extra stuff on the retun leg. If you let me know when you are coming, I can meet you at the airport (or go out for a few drinks). I can then give you the computer stuff (all boxed up) to take back to Samoa where Vic can pick it up and bring it to the school.

What do you think?

So this method is inherently limted in its scope. Volunteers can only take so much computer equipment in excess baggage. But with a steady stream of volunteers I think we can get a fair number of computers over there. Who knows, maybe with some funding for shipping we can expand to include other schools.

Thanks for reading this and let me know if you are flying through Hawaii and are willing to take stuff back....and if you just want to faitala and catch up, defintely e-mail me.

MARISSA MIKA
This an interesting story I found on the Daily California written by Marissa Mika who is about to embark on a Peace Corps adventure in Africa.

I really love the part about the nightmare of the medical evaluation process. It brings up such fond memories of my 16 months of Peace Corps application hell

Welcome to the club, Marissa.

It's a good read. Check it out.

There's a great story in the New York Times that I came across via my fellow PCV Kris Rush's website

The story, written by a former Peace Corps volunteer Avi Spiegel who served in Morocco, suggests that the Peace Corps is both too hasty in pulling volunteers from dangerous situations in places like Jordan and Uzbekistan, for example, and not fast enough in placing in the field in places where they can be a of maximum assistance such as Iraq and Liberia.

I definately echo Mr. Spiegel's concerns. While no one wants to see volunteers coming home in body bags, it's really a shame that in places like Iraq and Somalia, all the locals ever see of America is a guy in desert cammos with a high powered machine gun.

I suggested in an email home back in April (see "more" below) that I would love to serve in Iraq. It's the exactly the type of situation where the Peace Corps can be effective by aggressively meeting the needs of people at the grass roots level. I'm sure I can do a hell of lot more good, not to mention interesting, work there than I can sitting on my tuchus in Samoa.

23 year-old Zachary Merrill serving in the West African country of Mali was found dead earlier in the week near his village.

At the moment, the cause of death even remains a mystery and it is not known, at least according to the Peace Corps website and other media outlets, whether this was an accident, if there was any foul play involved or if Zachary might have died of natural causes, though that seems very unlikely considering his age and the intense medical screening that the Peace Corps enforces.

There is an investigation underway by the Peace Corps along with the U.S. embassy in Mali and police. This investigation is probably not made any easier by the fact that Zachary's village was 8 hours from the capital and has no electricity or running water.

It's always disturbing when you hear news of a Peace Corps volunteer death. Of course there are dangers living abroad in such a high profile position in the community as a PCV, but the Peace Corps does a decent job of preparing for almost every aspect of the safety & security of its volunteers.

No one should panic or anything or even spend a spare second worrying about my safety. It's not as if death is a common end for PCVs. I don't feel endangered, nor do I think most volunteers around the world do. In fact, I feel safer here in Samoa that I have in many places in the States.

It's just that in such a small community of volunteers, this death is a highly visible reminder of the dangers that lurk out there just beyond our perception.

My thoughts go out to the Merill family and the volunteers of Mali.

This is not a joke. This email was sent out by our Commander in Chief, W.

On July 4, 1776, our Founders adopted the Declaration of Independence, creating a great Nation and establishing a hopeful vision of liberty and equality that endure today. This Independence Day, we express gratitude for our many blessings and we celebrate the ideals of freedom and opportunity that Nation holds dear.

America’s strength and prosperity are testaments to the enduring power of our founding ideals, among them, that all men are created equal, and that liberty is God’s gift to humanity, the birthright of every individual. The American creed remains powerful today because it represents the universal hope of all mankind.

On the Fourth of July, we are grateful for the blessings that freedom represents and for the opportunities it affords. We are thankful for the love of our family and friends and for our rights to think, speak, and worship freely. We are also humbled in remembering the many courageous men and women who have served and sacrificed throughout our history to preserve, protect, and expand these liberties. In liberating oppressed peoples and demonstrating honor and bravery in battle, the members of our Armed Forces reflect the best of our Nation.

We also recognize the challenges America now face. We are winning the war against enemies of freedom, yet more work remains. We will prevail in this noble mission. Liberty has the power to turn hatred into hope.

America is a force for good in the world, and the compassionate spirit of America remains a living faith. Drawing on the courage of our Founding Fathers and the resolve of our citizens, we willingly embrace the challenges before us.

Laura joins me in sending our best wishes for a safe and joyous Independence Day. May God bless you, and may God continue to bless America

GEORGE W. BUSH

(from the Samoa Observer)
Fifteen new Peace Corps volunteers from the United States of America are in Samoa and undergoing an 11-week training course – on Samoan culture, language and living.

Ten have been posted with families in the rural areas, living as sons and daughters of the families and experiencing everyday village life.

The volunteers will then be posted to the jobs they will do to help national development in Samoa during their two-year assignments.

After a crazy week of research and writing I finished and sent off the grant proposal for the Apolima ICT Telecenter. Money from the grant will be used to set up something like a cybercafe in the village of Apolima on the west end of Upolu. Computers, a photocopier, and printer and digital imaging tools will be added to the existing telecenter run by the Women's Commitee.

It's a very cool roject. If it gets funded, I'll have lots of work to do, acquiring, installing and then training. It's going to be a challenge to get everything done out in this remote village, but it should be fun as well.

The grant was sent off to an operation known as the Global Knoledge Partnership out of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The organization is dedicated to improving information communication technology access for rural women. This project should be right up their alley. I have no idea, though, if they will fund it. I suspect that if they don't, we can find the money ($24,702) somewhere else rather easily. It's a very good idea.

Once up and running, this telecenter will be a role model for the rest of the village and Women's Committees in Samoa and should push Samoa a little further along towards its goal of information technology for every Samoan.

I just checked online and the flight with the trainees is late, about a half an hour behind schedule. It's not a big deal. As if I have something better to do.

Remember "Ginger"? Do ya? Let me refresh your memory.

"Ginger" was the over-hyped invetion by the wacky genius Dean Kamen. Ginger has been marketed as "the Segway", the evolution in mobility.

Why am I bringing this up to you now, you might be asking. I was talking to another Peace Corps Volunteer about our transportation woes. The rule about not being able to drive a car or a motorcycle makes getting around something of challenge. Then I remembered "Ginger."

How perfect would this be? Legions of Peace Corps Volunteer lending a helping hand to developing nations and getting around by means of the snappy looking "Segway." It's the transportation solution for the new generation.

Today, I was on my way to work, taking a different route that usual near the house of Malietoa, the Head of State, when I felt a searing pain in my right foot.

I looked and there was some mutt clamped onto my foot. I shook him off and managed to get in a solid kick to the snout before I sped off in agony.

Fortunately, the bite, albeit painful, wasn't as nasty as the first time. Only one canine broke the skin, but it still hurt like a mutherfucker. It's never fun to get bitten by a dog.

I went into the Peace Corps office to tell the Medical Officer and get it cleaned up. Now I'm just another Peace Corps statistic: Unintentional Injury. The government certainly has a way with words, don't it?

So I finally met with the principal (pule), Nome, of Lefaga Junior Secondary School to talk about the SPA (Small Project Assistance) Grant that I had taken over from a departed Peace Corps Volunteer.

The purpose of the meeting was to determine their commitment level and thereby acertain the sustainability of the project, which is in question.

The project involves support of 4 computers that were donated to the school by the Vitaly Juice company in Florida.

After talking to Nome, I have many doubts about the long term sustainability of these computers. The school is right near the ocean and the salt air is very damging, in fact it has already KO'd three monitors, so only one of the four computers is operational. There haven't been covers on the computers any of the three times that I have visited. This is the minimum that you would expect for protection.

Ambassador Swears-In 25 New Peace Corps Volunteers

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 12, 2003 - Last Thursday, US Ambassador to Haiti, B. Dean Curran, swore-in 25 new Peace Corps volunteers during a ceremony at the Ambassador’s Residence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The ceremony marked the official completion of the volunteers’ three-month training program, where they have been immersed in Créole language training and cross-cultural study. Sixteen of the 25 new volunteers will be serving in small business development, and nine will be working in rural health education.

The 16 business volunteers will spend their next two years of service working with micro-credit institutions and community organizations to strengthen their financial management systems. They will also help women’s groups develop income generating projects, and create market linkages for agricultural cooperatives and artisan groups. The business volunteers will also incorporate information technology training into their work.

Yesterday I got a frantic call from Father McGuire, the principal of Chanel College. He's got the computer room ready, all wired for 20 PCs, but half of them aren't working. I said, tell me what the problem is. He said, when the computers start up, there is an error message. I said, don't worry, just follow the instructions, hit F1 and everything should be fine. He said, OK, but can you come up here anyway and have a look. I said, no problem, I'll be there in 45 minutes. I'm thinking, how did I get myself into this. Good question. How did I get myself into this?

I went back to Lefaga today to work on the SPA grant that former volunteer Kelliann had setup to bring computers to the school.

In case you don't recall, there is no phone at the school, so there is no way to get in touch with the principal (pule) to set up a meeting. You just have to go and hope for the best. I went the first time right before Easter and found the school completely deserted.

THE COMPUTER ROOM AT LEFAGA

Today there were people at the school, a definite improvement, but the pule was unavailable. He was in a meeting with the pules of Samoa College, Lefifi College & Vaipouli College, three of the best secondary schools in the country. There was no chance to even drag him out of the meeting for 5 minutes.

Instead I talked to Pulu, a teacher at the school. Fortunately, he's the teacher that knows the most about the computers. He's even taken a few classes at NUS, National University of Samoa.

Update from the Peace Corps Office of Medical Services, Washington D.C.

SARS is caused by a mutated virus related to the corona virus (the corona viruses cause the common cold).
The virus originated from animals.

Statistics
From May 1, 2003, 5865 probable cases of SARS reported worldwide since November 2002. (Cases need confirmation by laboratory detection of the virus)
391 infected people have died. Fatality rate of 6.6%.

WHO Travel recommendations
Avoid non-essential travel to Hong Kong, China and Singapore.

I just signed up for an online course, Development and the Internet, that is being run by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. It should be extremely interesting and I'm really looking forward to the readings. Plus it's free, and as we all know, offering freebees to a Peace Corps Volunteer is like giving dope to a junkie.

A link to a website of a Peace Corps trainee in Guyana was sent to me today:

On August 23, 2002, my Peace Corps service in Guyana abruptly came to an end. Called an Early Termination, I was separated from the Peace Corps less than three months from when I began.

My separation was officially considered a non-administrative Early Termination/Interruption of Service due to "no viable assignment in-country for which the trainee or volunteer is qualified."

I maintain, however, that my service was wrongfully terminated. This is my story.

http://jason.pearce.net/peacecorps/cos/index.html

Today I got to ride down the Lefaga Junior Secondary School in the far Southwest corner of Upolu. The mission: Meet with the pule (principal) to discuss their computers. The problem: I arrived at the school and no one was there. No teachers. No students. No janitors. And. most importantly, no pule. I'll try again next week.

The deal is that I am taking over a SPA (small project assistance) grant that another PCV, KellyAnn Roberts, had set up for the school. When KellyAnn departed Samoa prematurely, I stepped up to fill her role.

Tonight I'm starting my first secondary project, teaching an Introduction to HTML course at one of the local universities, Samoa Polytechnic.

The course manual just arrived here at the Peace Corps office. It's something I hashed together out of resources that I found on the web. I didn't actually have much time to put it together, so it's amazing for me to see it published and bound.

I'm very excited to get started. This is exactly the sort of work I expected to be doing when I signed up for the Peace Corps. There are 13 students registered who have each paid 200 tala for the privilege of attending my class which runs 6 weeks. The classes are Tuesday and Thursday night, so I don't have to worry about schedule conflicts. Hopefully I will be able to impart some of my knowledge to these interested students.

...We need skilled professionals. And we need them now.

Such is the call for service of the VSO , the Volunteer Service Ogranization based in the UK. If you want to volunteer, but don't want to commit to the 2 years of the Peace Corps (or have other issues with the Peace Corps), this is a good place to look.

If you want to read up on one volunteer's experience, check out the dispatches from an IT volunteer sent to Kenya.

Peace Corps Suspends Program in China

Washington, D.C. April 5, 2003 – Today, Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez announced the temporary suspension of the Peace Corps program in China.

“The health and safety of Peace Corps volunteers is the highest priority of the Agency. After a thorough assessment of growing concerns with regard to the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), it was determined that it would be in the best interest of the volunteers to temporarily suspend the program in China,” stated Director Vasquez. “We will continue to monitor developments and look forward to returning Peace Corps volunteers to China when conditions permit.”

The Office of Medical Services (OMS) at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. is in daily contact with Peace Corps medical officers in China. OMS also consults frequently with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to stay apprised of the latest developments.

Families are encouraged to contact the Peace Corps’ Office of Special Services with any questions or concerns they may have. Special Services maintains a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week duty system. The telephone number during standard office hours is 1-800-424-8580, Extension 1470; the after hours number is 202-638-2574. Special Services may also be contacted via e-mail at ossdutyofficer@peacecorps.gov.

For recent updates from the CDC and WHO please consult the corresponding websites: www.cdc.gov/travel and www.who.int/en.

Peace Corps Suspends Program in Morocco

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 3, 2003 -- Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez today announced the temporary suspension of the Peace Corps program in Morocco.

Peace Corps volunteers in Morocco were consolidated on March 20 to allow Peace Corps staff in country and at headquarters in Washington, D.C. to evaluate the political and public climate in Morocco as a result of the events in Iraq. Peace Corps also offered volunteers the option of Interrupted Service for those who preferred not to continue their service.

“After a thorough assessment of safety and security issues it was determined that it would be in the best interest of the Peace Corps volunteers to temporarily suspend the program in Morocco. Moreover, the uncertainty of a date or time for the volunteers to return to their job sites has proven to be a disruption to the continuity of their work,” stated Director Vasquez.

The Moroccan government has been extremely supportive of Peace Corps volunteers and programs in their country and very attentive to the needs of the volunteers during these difficult times. The Peace Corps values the relationship that has been established for more than 40 years and looks forward to returning volunteers to Morocco in the near future. Peace Corps staff will continue to operate the Peace Corps office in Morocco.

Family members may make inquiries about Peace Corps/Morocco by contacting the Peace Corps’ Office of Special Services, which maintains a 24-hour a day, 7 days a week duty system. The telephone number during normal business hours is 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470. The after hours number is 202-638-2574. Special Services can also be reached via e-mail at ossdutyofficer@peacecorps.gov.

One third of the world could be left behind if more is not done to provide developing countries with the skills, knowledge, and access to markets necessary to compete. In globalizing developing countries, per capita income increased 5 percent a year in the 1990s.

So starts the webpage for the DFI, or Digital Freedom Initiave. There is pilot program in the works for Senegal. Somoa could really use something like this.

I'm working on convinving the Peace Corps to find a government agency that will allow me to open and run a computer community to help bridge the ever widening digital divide that exists in Samoa between rich and poor and city and kua.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 31, 2003 -- The Peace Corps understands the concerns that volunteers and their families may have regarding the effects of the current military action in Iraq. We continue to monitor the events in Iraq, as well as the political and public climate in all Peace Corps countries.

The Peace Corps is prepared to take any necessary actions needed to ensure the safety and security of its volunteers. Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. is in constant communication with the State Department, U.S. Embassies, and staff in each Peace Corps country.

Each Peace Corps post has an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) specific to that country and developed in cooperation with country staff, the U.S. Embassy, and Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. The plans are tested frequently and information updated constantly. Volunteers are thoroughly trained in their role and responsibilities in the EAP.

Families are encouraged to contact Peace Corps’ Office of Special Services with any questions or concerns they may have. Special Services maintains a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week duty system. The telephone number during standard office hours is 1-800-424-8580, Extension 1470; the after hours number is 202-638-2574. The Office of Special Services may also be contacted via e-mail at DutyOfficer@peacecorps.gov.

Just recently we discovered a website from a Peace Corps Volunteer from Mozambique who was Administratively Separated (i.e. kicked out of the Corps) for comments made on her wbsite.

So why is it that I'm home? Peace Corps was opposed to my web site and its content and so they felt it better that I end my service, or they would end it for me. What, exactly, did they have objections with? They gave me a list, so I've copied that list for you here.

On November 21, a PC vehicle came to my house in Massaca, while I was preparing to go to the Joaquim Chissano secondary school to observe exams. A memo was dropped off which I had to sign for. That memo stated that there was content on my web site that Peace Corps staff wanted to discuss with me.

Here is the link:

THOUGHTS FROM MOZ

Here's the story from the Samoa Observer about the computers donated to the DOE by ANZ. I love the part about the computers being in "very good condition". That's sort of like saying someone who's dying of cancer is in very good condition. It's an absolute joke. The compters were a complete mess, full of dust, no cd-roms, about a third of the hard drives were hosed. It's a feel good story for ANZ and the Samoan government, but in truth, these computers will likely do little good other than giving ANZ a fat tax write off.

I was walking home tonight from dinner at Mina's. Mele had cooked some veggie stir fry with garlic and ginger that I had picked up for her at the new market. When I reached the top of the little where my three unit fale sits, my neighbors two huge dogs were barking at me furiously.

I picked up a couple of rocks and walked cautiously towards the house. I didn't really want to use them and make a bad impression on my first night. The dogs didn't calm down, but instead increased their intensity as I edged forward. I could hear my neighbors laughing at me.

As I neared the step up to the porch, the dogs split and I thought I had a free and clear path to my door, but one of the dogs rushed me and bit fiercely into my right calf. I let out a little yelp of pain (probably more like "sonofabitch!).

I bet you didn't know it was International Volunteer Day. Who the fuck cares? To honor this day, we dragged our asses out of bed at some ungodly hour so that we could get to Apia by 7:30 for the march from the fire station to the government building with all the other volunteer groups in Samoa (VSO from UK, AVI from Australia, VSA from New Zealand, YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, etc, etc.) I don't know who's bright idea this, but I wasn't thrilled about it.

The procession was led by the police marching band which was, I must admit, very cool. I'm curious how such a small police force is able to muster an orchestra. You must be able to become a police officer automatically if you can play the tuba, the oboe or some other obscure palagi instrument. However they manage it, there they were marching and belting out tunes.

The march was followed by a ceremony at the large Samoan fale near the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was, typically, a dull, boring affair with speeches by the faife'au and all the usual suspects. I spent most of time outside chatting with Cherelle Jackson, reporter for the Samoa Observer and girlfriend to a PCV named Nathan who's about to COS.

It's lunchtime and I'm sitting here in Matautu in my fale surrounded by four kids, Lelefu, Sala, Fala and Timu.

Lelefu is my youngest brother. He has long hair and all last night I thought he was a girl. We walked down to the store (fale'oloa) after dinner and I was tickling him the whole way. Of course, the entire time I'm thinking he's a she. Common mistake.

Sala is my cousin. He's my little buddy. He likes to follow me everywhere.

Fala is his brother. He's 3 years old. He is naked all the time.

Fofoa, my youngest sister, arrives wearing a blue dress with a white collar. I'm surprised that the kids' clothing is so dirty.

Staging is over and the 12 of us from Group 69 boarded the bus for the short trip to LAX. At the airport, Neil and Laurie, the staging coordinators, gave us our "Peace Corps" passports and walking around money for the day we are going to spend in New Zealand.

When we arrive at the airport, there's lots of confusion. The first 6 trainees have checked their bags all the ways through to Apia before the fuckheads at United realize that they made a mistake and it's not possible. We're all bummed because we thought we weren't going to have to deal with our luggage in Auckland, but it turned out to be a false hope.

I don't understand why the Peace Corps is routing us through New Zealand when there is a direct flight from Los Angeles. Typical government bureaucracy money wasting.

Hey Gang-

After pulling my hair out for the last six months dealing with the US government, I finally got some good news from the Peace Corps.

I've got an assignment. I'm leaving the second week of October and I'm going to Samoa. It's a bit of shock after thinking I was headed for Africa all this time, but I'll get over it. I'll be on the front lines on the War on Mosquitoes.

Anyone wanting to visit is, of course, more than welcome (Michael - I don't think there's a Four Seasons in Apia, but there might be a Hilton).

I'm going to be down in LA this weekend to meet up my brother (he's taking the bar this week in Pasadena) to celebrate our birthday. Hopefully we can hook up at some point. Too bad you're so far away, Jeeves, but I'm going to try to make a trip out to NYC before I leave.

Well, well. Two years from now, I'll probably have some good stories and a nice tan. Maybe I'll even have figured out what to do with my life. I'm tempted to say, "god willing", but that's blasphemy for an atheist.

cheers,

Andrew