Peace Corps Archives

10 March 2005Modern Communications & the Peace Corps
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:...
11 November 2003Casulaties of Peace
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...
23 October 2003Vasquez to Step Down
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...
18 October 2003Oh, What Fun
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...
12 October 2003"The Peace Corps Never Warned Me what I was Really in For"
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,...
11 October 2003Expanding Like a Bloated Pig
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...
25 September 2003Matthew McConaughey Is Calling. How Far Will You Go?
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...
27 August 2003Congrats, New Group!
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...
26 August 2003Who Remembers When? Who Cares?
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...
25 August 2003More PCVs Head for Home
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...
13 August 2003Grant Denied
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...
08 August 2003Wonder What Other PCVs Are Doing?
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...
31 July 2003Peace Corps Plans Return to St. Kitts
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...
30 July 2003Computers from Hawaii
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....
29 July 2003Crazy White Girl
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...
24 July 2003Does that Kevlar Vest Come in Blue?
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...
17 July 2003PCV Found Dead in Mali
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...
04 July 2003July 4th Message from the Big Boss
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...
02 July 2003New Peace Corps learn the Samoan way
(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...
27 June 2003Grant Proposal Finished
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...
11 June 2003Late flight
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. Flight Details En Route Map: View Airline: Air...
19 May 2003Welcome to the Evolution in Mobility
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,...
16 May 2003Bit by Another Dog
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...
13 May 2003Third Trip to Lefaga
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...
12 May 2003Peace Corps in Haiti
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...
07 May 2003Trouble in Paradise
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...
06 May 2003Return to Lefaga
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...
05 May 2003SARS Update
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,...
18 April 2003Development and the Internet
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...
15 April 2003Separated in Guyana
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...
10 April 2003Mission to Lefaga
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...
08 April 2003Introduction to HTML
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...
05 April 2003We Don't Need Your Tears...
...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...
05 April 2003Peace Corps Leaves China
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...
03 April 2003Peace Corps Program in Morocco Put on Hold
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...
02 April 2003Digital Freedom Initiave
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...
31 March 2003Statement on Iraq
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,...
06 March 2003Thoughts from Moz
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...
15 February 2003But Seriously Folks
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...
19 December 2002Dog Bites Man
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...
05 December 2002International Volunteer Day
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...
22 October 20021st Full Day in the Village
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...
12 October 2002Depart for LAX
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...
30 July 2002Good news
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...