Peace Corps News

Who's The Coolest Traveler?

Jeanne Leblanc writes: Who's The Coolest Traveler?
Americans who meet each other while traveling abroad almost inevitably fall into a kind of coolness competition, one-upping each other in conversations about where they have traveled, the scrapes they've gotten into and the things they have seen. I should know better than to engage in these contests because I inevitably lose.

I do believe, however, that I have discovered the winning strategies. I just don't have the actual experiences to back them up. Not yet. (With the words "Not yet," please picture me scowling and shaking my fist, Scarlett O'Hara-style, at the heavens.)

First, Peace Corps. If you can start a conversation with "Well, when I was in the Peace Corps in [insert exotic place] ..." you have won. This is a first-round knockout. Other strong contenders would be "When I was in the CIA ... the Special Forces, the Foreign Legion, that Turkish prison" etc.

Read more Peace Corps Humor.

Notes from All Over: Ethiopia, Dominica, Korea, Swaziland

Some 40 US Peace Corps volunteers are expected to arrive in Ethiopia soon to serve in the Amhara and Oromia regional states
Peter Parr, director of the Peace Corps office says that the volunteers will be working with the Ministry of Health, and will mainly be involved in efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. The Peace Corps volunteers will work with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. Parr said that at present the Peace Corps office is being set up and Ethiopian staff are being recruited for administrative positions and to help volunteers in their training of local languages and customs. There director said, however, that he could not at present stage provide details of the 40 volunteers or the exact time of their arrival. Read more.

Ronald Reagan thought Chris Dodd was "far out liberal and left winger" who served as a volunteer in Dominica
If your name is Chris Dodd or Lowell Weicker, please, read no further. It seems our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, was no fan of either Connecticut senator during his eight-year tenure in the Oval Office. Weicker may have been a Republican, but he was no Reagan Republican. And Dodd? Well, he was a Democrat and therefore part of the evil empire. Reagan kept up a public persona as an affable, polite, regular guy. Even on the campaign trail, he would refrain from attacking his opponents. When Jimmy Carter took shots at him, Reagan famously responded: "There you go again." And, in Berlin he firmly — but politely — told "Mister Gorbachev" to tear down this wall.

But that doesn't mean Reagan was without his private opinions. Those he kept in a daily diary for himself — until now. Just out in hardcover is "The Reagan Diaries," which features 693 pages of his daily observations while in the White House. From the Reagan Diaries: "Today named Dick Stone, former Dem. Senator as personal envoy to Central America. Sen. Dodd & other far out liberals & left wingers are all over the tube screaming foul. Dodd calls me ignorant. His claim to expertise on Central Am. is 2 yrs. as a peace corps vol. many yrs. ago in Dominica."

PCOL Comment: "Mr. President, Senator Dodd served in the Dominican Republic not Dominica."  "You mean they're two different countries?" (Overheard in the Oval Office in 1984)  Read more.

Christopher R. Hill considering visit to Pyongyang soon after it shuts down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor
Senior negotiators in the six-party talks with North Korea -- including U.S. representative Christopher R. Hill -- are considering a visit to Pyongyang soon after it shuts down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, diplomats said. Although no trip has been scheduled, they said, the visit would take place in conjunction with the next round of six-party talks in Beijing, probably next month. The North Koreans are delaying Yongbyon's closure until they receive $25 million that was frozen in a Macao bank in 2005. An American bank, Wachovia, said yesterday that it had agreed to consider accepting the transfer.

Mr. Hill, the U.S. negotiator, told The Washington Times last year that he would not rule out a visit to Pyongyang but said he would not go while the Yongbyon reactor was operating. "We would consider a trip if it would serve our interest to do so," he said. "But our concern is that North Korea is continuing to run a nuclear reactor whose purpose is to make bombs and to be talking to them while they are making bombs doesn't appear to be in our interest." Any visit to the North Korean capital by an American official is rare and could be used by officials there to further their pursuit of international legitimacy. Christopher R. Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon. Read more.

Chris Matthews says: Anybody who‘s ever been in the Peace Corps knows people don‘t like being taken over
"I do not accept the idea that the American people were snookered into Iraq.  I know it‘s a comfortable argument to make that we were all tricked into it, but back when we went into the war in 2001, I came across—or 2002, it was in the summer of 2002, the year before we went to war, the American people were asked whether they supported the war, and they said by 55 percent of so they were for the—or 57 percent, they were for the war.  But then asked if there were significant casualties involved, Are you still for the war, and a majority came out against the war. Well, who the hell thought there wouldn‘t be casualties?"

"Well, the Iraqi people—look, anybody who‘s ever been in the Peace Corps knows this.  People don‘t like being taken over.  If you ask any African country, no matter how tough it‘s been since independence, Would you rather the white guys come back and run this place, they might run it a little bit better, maybe, maybe, maybe, they‘d say, To hell with that idea!  We want to run our own country.  Nobody likes to be invaded.  I think the president even said that a while back.  He must have known it intellectually, but he didn‘t act on it." Journalist Chris Matthews served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Swaziland in the 1960's. Read more.

Read more about Peace Corps Ethiopia.

Read more about RPCV Senator Chris Dodd.

Read more about RPCV Diplomat Christopher Hill.

Read more about RPCV Chris Matthews.

Tunisia RPCV Al Kamen takes an irreverent look at current events and Washington's powerful

Journalist Al Kamen writes the popular column "In the Loop" that appears twice weekly in the Washington Post. Kamen, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tunisia in the 1960's, takes an irreverent look at current events in his column focusing on the the foibles of Washington's powerful. He has an eye for the revealing detail about public figures that can recast how you think of them. See if you can read between the lines and see the Peace Corps influence in his writing especially the humor in his gift for understatement. A selection of his recent writing includes:

To the uninitiated, it might seem that administration spokesmen like to hide even the most ordinary bits of information
To the uninitiated, it might seem that Bush administration spokesmen like to hide even the most ordinary bits of information, resorting to an oft-comical double talk. Take for example new spokesman Sean McCormack 's response to a question at yesterday's State Department briefing.

"Who initiated today's meeting between Condoleezza Rice and the Turkish foreign minister?" a reporter asked.

"Well, meetings are typically set up -- it requires the agreement of both parties. So it is a mutually agreed-upon time and date," McCormack said. This is a practical step taken to avoid having one party show up in, say, Cleveland at 4 p.m. on one day while the other is waiting at 3 p.m. in Denver on a different day.

"So it was by Ankara or was it requested by the U.S. government?" the reporter tried again, not knowing we were now into goofy-speak.

"I would say that, whenever we have the secretary meet with somebody," McCormack explained patiently, "that it is through mutual agreement that we hold the meeting."

Again, absolutely correct. Foreign ministers are only infrequently brought in shackles to the seventh floor at the State Department. What obviously happened in this case is Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Secretary of State Rice picked up the phone at exactly the same time and called each other to meet. Happens all the time. McCormack, who wore snappy French cuffs to his briefing on Friday, is off to an excellent start.

Clinton fired Prosecutors too
Meanwhile, amid the controversy over the administration's firing of the eight federal prosecutors, little attention has been paid to the fact that President Bill Clinton, after first sacking all 93 U.S. attorneys appointed by Ronald Reagan or George H.W. Bush, also fired or "resigned" three or four of his federal prosecutors.

One was Larry Colleton, who resigned shortly after he was videotaped grabbing Jacksonville, Fla., television reporter Richard Rose by the throat. Unclear why that was such a big deal.

Another Florida federal prosecutor, Kendall Coffey, resigned "amid accusations that he bit a topless dancer on the arm during a visit to an adult club after losing a big drug case." (There was a strict Clinton policy against biting.)

A third Clinton firing, noted by a Congressional Research Service report, was of San Francisco prosecutor Michael Yamaguchi, who seemed to have crossed swords with local judges and Justice Department officials. Clinton replaced him with Bush I Justice Department chief of the criminal division, a fellow named Robert Mueller, whom Bush II appointed FBI director.

Talkin' the Talk in Texas
President Bush said Wednesday that he will ask Congress for $114 million to teach Americans little-taught languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Hindi and Farsi. The initiative is vital, he said, because "we need intelligence officers who, when somebody says something in Arabic or Farsi or Urdu, knows what they're talking about." Diplomats also need to speak the local language.

The new funding, he told the U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education, is needed to "defeat this notion" that the United States is "bullying" people. People who speak the same language feel more at ease with one another, he said, noting how much easier it is to conduct foreign policy with foreign leaders who've studied here and speak English.

"In order to convince people we care about them, we've got to understand their culture and show them we care about their culture," Bush said. "When somebody comes to me and speaks Texan, I know they appreciate the Texas culture. "I mean, somebody takes time to figure out how to speak Arabic, it means they're interested in somebody else's culture," he explained.

You know, people study for years to speak fluent Texan. 

Casablanca is favorite of Condoleezza Rice
Reporters know that once the deadly dull policy-wonk questions are asked and evaded by administration officials, some off-the-wall inquiries can be most revealing. This is especially the case when the subject is as sharp as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. So last weekend in Beijing, after the obligatory chat about serious matters -- North Korean nukes and the deadly terrorist attacks in London -- Fox News Channel's James Rosen asked: "What movies have you watched the most . . .?"

"There are probably a couple," Rice said. "'Casablanca' I watch whenever it comes on. . . . 'Here's looking at you, kid' -- who doesn't love that line? I love Humphrey Bogart . I love everything about that movie. It's in many ways my favorite movie."

Who isn't thrilled at that scene where the French all stand in Rick's bar and sing "La Marseillaise" to defy the Germans who are to steal France's personal colony, Morocco? (Unclear how Moroccans react to this.) "But I'll give you a real scoop," Rice said, warming to the inquiry. "I've also watched 'The Way We Were,' the Barbra Streisand - Robert Redford flick, and  'Trading Places,' the Eddie Murphy - Dan Aykroyd comedy, many, many times."

"I generally don't watch movies of redeeming value," she said. "I tend to take them as entertainment."

Read more about Al Kamen.

Read more about Peace Corps Tunisia.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers: Wine, Wild Women, and Song

Drink With Paraguay RPCV Philippe Newlin For a Solid A
For two nights every week, Philippe Newlin holds forth at the Business School and SIPA on the more exciting parts of the vinous world: the political economy of Spain, the open rebellions in Australia, the terroir-istes in Burgundy. As the tasting director for Wine & Spirits magazine and a long-time instructor at New York's International Wine Center and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust of London, Newlin has a story or two to spin.

A fast-talking native of Manhattan, who would be mute without his arms, Newlin knows how to relate the complexities of wine to just about anyone. At age 42, he has been a Peace Corps volunteer in Yhu ("blackwater"), Paraguay, a cab driver at the height of the crack epidemic, a waiter at Brasserie Les Halles ("back when the celebrities still went there"), and an investment banker with Swiss Bank Corp., now UBS. He speaks five languages and is leading the IWC's first courses in Spanish this spring. He doesn't come across as a wine geek, and his classes are more about enjoying what's in the glass than figuring out what rootstock a vintner's using.

He feeds off the raw wackiness that comes from mixing people and alcohol, even as he tries to maintain order and focus. The format of the class helps, with everyone seated in a semicircle around him, and the assistants only pour two wines at a time. There are notes on the blackboard, but the lecture is extemporaneous and always passionate. "If you like strawberries, gamay is your wine," he says, twirling a Beaujolais Villages. "Put this one in your lunchbox." For pairing food with a Volnay: "You have those garlicky snails, and then you have that bright cherry fruit, and then you're like, oh yeah. Or you're like, yuck, because it's snails."

Surprisingly enough, this light approach wasn't born from childhood familiarity with great wine, though his mother is from France. "Growing up, I spent every summer in the Loire Valley drinking bad wine mixed with water," he says. "It was only as a banker visiting South Africa that I had really good wine, and chucked the beer in favor of this stuff." Despite the loose structure, most of the course is focused on the practical side of things. After pouring the third and final round, he gives the temporarily restrained class his tips for enjoying wines as delicate and fragrant as pinot noir. Read more.

If wild women are said to wear red, then Namibia RPCV Toddre Monier must have a closet full of the hue
The owner of the "Wild Women Wear Red" shoe boutique knows a fashionable, comfortable pair of shoes when she sees them, and she knows how best to sell them. "I wanted to create a store that would not only be a sanctuary and communal space for women, but would also be a place of inspiration featuring shoes that comfort the soul," Monier says.

As a Peace Corps volunteer, Monier was on assignment in Namibia when she dreamt she owned a shoe store with a name that represented the fire, passion and wildness that exists in every woman. Upon returning to the United States in 2000, she and her husband opened the boutique, which owes its success to serving a specific niche market. The business was profiled in the Washington Post in May 2002.

"Washington, D.C., is a walking city, and we carry what no one else in the area has," says Monier of her stylish, functional footwear and handmade crocheted bags. "Although our clientele comes from all walks of life, our main customers tend to be professional women and graduate students." Based on her shop's steady business, Monier hopes to open another shoe boutique in the area and someday buy a home overseas. Until then, she is content to empower women to be both fashionable and comfortable in their footwear. Read more.

Korea RPCV Cris Groenendaal has played the role of the Phantom in the hit musical "The Phantom of the Opera" more than 860 times on Broadway
After Groenendaal graduated from college, he joined the Peace Corps and spent two years in South Korea. Then he returned to Erie, got a job in a bank, and auditioned for local theater productions. "There was a lot of local really wonderful community theater," he says of Eerie. "I started doing all these different roles, from Shakespeare to Eugene O'Neill. I got a lot of wonderful experience." In July 1975, a stint with a summerstock theater in Ohio helped Groenendaal earn membership with Actors' Equity -- the national union for performers and stage managers in professional theater. By September of that year, Groenendaal had decided to move to New York to pursue acting full-time. "There were a lot of unknowns, but I wouldn't have taken such a plunge if I didn't feel like I could do it," he says of the transition.

There were plenty of challenges in New York, from finding an apartment to auditioning for four years before finally landing a role in the Broadway show "Sweeney Todd." "You go with a little bit of money, and you just start to learn the ropes by talking to the right people, auditioning and taking the right classes," he says of starting out in New York. Groenendaal says his "big break" came when he was hired as a chorus member and understudy for the lead male role of Anthony in "Sweeney Todd" in 1979. Victor Garber, who originally played Anthony, left the show after six months, leaving Groenendaal to take over the role.

In the 26 years since then, Groenendaal has performed in a myriad of other productions -- including "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway, where he started with the role of Monsieur Andre and later went on to play the phantom -- and produced two albums with Anderson. The couple also has performed together across the country. He has soaked up the limelight in a slew of other roles on Broadway, including the original Monsieur Andre in "The Phantom of the Opera;" Miles Gloriosus in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum;" Major Rizzolli in "Passion;" Louis in "Sunday in the Park with George;" and Anthony in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Read more.

Read more about the Peace Corps and Small Business.

Read more about the Peace Corps and Fashion.

Read more about the Peace Corps and Music.

Read more about Peace Corps Humor.

Peace Corps Hippies

Poland RPCV Troy Headrick writes: Peace Corps Volunteers have historically been viewed as eccentrics or idealistic, hippie types who were out to save the world
I call myself a freak because that's what I am. According to Dictionary.com, a "freak" is "a person or animal on exhibition as an example of a strange deviation from nature." Lots of people who know me and are familiar with my way of living would argue that my lifestyle is certainly unnatural (to say the very least).

Here's the deal: Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) have historically been viewed as eccentrics or worse by far too many Americans. This is perhaps due to the fact that the organization, early on, was made up of idealistic, hippie types who were out to save the world, and thus they were seen to epitomize the sort of bleeding heart liberals that your average Joe and Jane American Citizen, with their tendency to be fairly conservative and isolationist, find so repulsive.

This general attitude about Peace Corps Volunteers still exists and has been made clear to me on any number of occasions, but never so blatantly as the time Mike Wilson's parents came to visit him in Poland. Mike was my closest PCV buddy during those two glorious years of service. He was stationed in a town not too far away from Tarnów, the city where I was living. During our second summer as volunteers, his parents flew over from Kansas to visit him and have a look at his adopted home. As might be expected, my best friend was keen for me to meet his folks; thus, on a warm afternoon in August, I hopped on a train and traveled to Krakow where the three of them were sightseeing. After disembarking, I met Mike and his parents in the main market square in the city center and then we all went out for dinner.

Suddenly, in the middle of a wonderful meal of traditional Polish food, Mike's mother, a nice woman in every respect, turned to me and said, "You Peace Corps people are just a little different, aren't you? I mean, it takes a very unusual kind of person to live like this, all the way over here, in these conditions. Let's be honest, it's just not as modern here as it is back home. I mean, there are easier and more lucrative things you could be doing in America. Know what I mean?"

I certainly did understand what she was saying. There was nothing ambiguous about her message. And she was right. There were other easier and more lucrative things that Mike and I could have been doing, but neither one of us wanted easier and lucrative.

What we wanted, on the other hand, was the struggle, the sense of mission, the feeling of being personally and professionally fulfilled, and the authenticity of the experience of building bridges across national and cultural divides. And, on top of all that, we felt wonderfully purified by our simple (i.e., materially poor) lifestyles. Mike's parents -- though I have to give them credit for honestly listening to me that evening -- just found it impossible to get their minds fully around all that I was saying.

It was partly because while I was speaking they were thinking that you can't put self-fulfillment in the bank and partly because the vast majority of mainstream, middle-class Americans believe in something called "the American Dream," which teaches all good boys and girls that they should clamor after all the things that Mike and I seemed to have rejected, thus making us first-class weirdoes.  Read more.

Judy Henry moved from New York City to Rowe, New Mexico in 1970 to become a hippie on the advice of her friend, Helen Thompson, with whom she had been in the Peace Corps in Ecuador
Caption: Judy Henry sings with friends Kate Moses, right, of Santa Fe, and Bee Zollo, left, of Eldorado at a hippie reunion at Henry’s home in Rowe. The event marked the 34th anniversary of the arrival of hippies in the community southeast of Santa Fe.

Judy Henry moved from New York City to Rowe, New Mexico in 1970 on the advice of her friend, Helen Thompson, with whom she had been in the Peace Corps. “She said, ‘Come to Rowe. It’s just like Ecuador but there is running water in the house,’ ” Henry remembered. So she came, driving a mail truck across the country with her then husband, getting hassled by the cops in every state along the way. She was 25 years old. “They called us hippies, but I never called myself a hippie,” Henry said. “We were just trying to get away from a crazy world. I was sick of what was going on. Like I am now, but I’m older now.”

She’s since learned to embrace the term. Saturday — on her 60th birthday — she threw a party. The flier said: “celebrating 34 years of hippies in Rowe.” It had all the markings of a hippie celebration. Bumpy dirt road to funky adobe house? Check. Potluck spread? Check. Peace, love and hot tubbing with your friends? Check. Many of the women wore their “hippie costumes:” denim cutoffs, braids, flowers in their hair. “I saved this dress from 1976,” one said. “I saved this body since 1976 and I’m still wearing it,” joked another. “My breasts too, nothing added, nothing taken away.”

“It was hard when I moved to Boston. There was a whole hippie fad and it was all based on what you where wearing,” she said. “I used to get really aggravated because I knew being a hippie was about living on the land and living simply, not jumping out of your Range Rover with your handmade clothes and your patchouli.” Henry is a Hospice nurse. She lives part time in Santa Fe, but still cooks on her wood stove when in Rowe. She doesn’t have any regrets about being a New Mexico hippie. Like many of the people at the party, Henry sees parallels between the political climate of the late 1960s and the political climate now. “If I was the same age now as I was then, I would do the same thing,” she said. “ I would drop out. Take myself away from the mainstream. I don’t like it. I don’t approve of it. I don’t want to be part of a war machine.” Read more.

Help! Our son wants to join the Peace Corps! As we recall from the 1960s, that's mostly a bunch of hippies or druggies wasting time instead of working.
Wow, it sounds as though your son was born about 30 years too late, for when the Peace Corps was first on the scene, it was thought of as a terribly important and generous way to help less fortunate people while at the same time seeing the world -- or at least an unfamiliar and interesting community. Now, in the face of a greedier time, we are expected to gravitate toward the higher-paying, prestige-loaded job at the expense of doing good.

I think it would be very big of you to support your son's decision. Remember, the Peace Corps is a limited assignment, and it might help him clarify his life's path, as there are valuable lessons to be learned in this type of foreign affair. After his service is done, there is plenty of time for him to go the corporate route, if that is the right one for him. I think you should be proud of your son for his independent thinking and altruistic spirit. Regardless of what first job he chooses, it will be a time of learning and self-discovery, as well as a period of forming values. He obviously doesn't care much for yours. And perhaps you should take a look at why not.  Read more.

Aaron Kase writes: Moon over Africa

Burkina Faso Peace Corps Volunteer Aaron Kase writes: Moon over Africa
Night falls around 6 p.m. throughout the year but the noise continues for several hours. Radios come on, animals grow restless, conversation, maybe over a beer or two, grows more animated. It isn't until later, 10 or 11 p.m., when the people and animals start falling asleep, when things start getting almost eerily quiet, broken only by the odd lovestruck cricket or dog whose sleep has been disturbed.

Nightfall, as well, brings a whole new visual perspective, or rather a lack thereof. The red of the day is replaced by pure black. When the moon is up one can still see surprisingly well even without a flashlight, but during the new moon even the best lights fail to penetrate more than a few feet into the night. The stars are visible, with an incredible clarity and depth rarely found in more developed countries, but terrestrially speaking almost nothing can be seen at all. Once familiar and distinct paths take on a sameness and for one not used to the dark and the terrain it becomes quite easy to lose the trail.

That is how this new Peace Corps Volunteer got lost at eight o'clock trying to find my way home my first week in village. Following paths I thought I knew well but at a loss without the familiar landmarks of visible trees and houses, I became entirely disoriented until I was forced to ask a pair of girls walking by if they could help me find the way. I didn't understand why they were laughing at me until they pointed out that we were standing mere yards from my own house.

I've got to learn to use my other senses. I should have recognized the agonized braying of the neighbor's donkey.

Read more about Peace Corps Burkina Faso.

Photo: Flickr: icopythat Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0

RPCVs - Believe it or Not

RPCV living in Oregon refuses to heat his house
Guatemala RPCV Dave Kaplowe and his roomate Stuart McDougall try to use as few resources as possible, such as keeping the heat off in their Portland Oregon house. Girlfriends Andrea Walter and Katy Daily do their best to humor them.

“We’re not burning fossil fuels,” Kaplowe says, “and we’re very efficient thermoregulators.” McDougall laughs at this. He’s wearing a T-shirt and is barefoot on the hardwood floor. “The no-heat thing started in college when we didn’t have the money for it and then realized we didn’t need it anyway,” Kaplowe says. The household heating bill from NW Natural arrived Nov. 1. The total due was $6.54. The men are so pleased they present a hard copy while Daily rolls her eyes. The women may wish for warmer digs, but Kaplowe says there can be no compromise.

Kaplowe manages fish and wildlife mitigation projects with the Bonneville Power Administration in Portland. The University of Oregon graduate was drawn to the BPA after serving nearly four years with the Peace Corps in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. While in the Peace Corps he helped rural communities, nongovernmental organizations and trinational government organizations adopt sustainable forestry and watershed management practices. Instead of working on watershed management in three Central American countries, he now works with very similar issues in the four states that make up the Columbia Basin — Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. “I believe hydroelectric power is a renewable resource and a great alternative to the burning of fossil fuels or nuclear-derived power,” Kaplowe says. “The BPA demonstrates environmental stewardship and public responsibility.”

Bolivia RPCV plays Mozart concerto on a garden hose
Howard Pink learned of the unique musical instrument while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia in the late 1960s. At that time, he found a recording of noted horn player Dennis Brain playing a piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's father, Leopold Mozart, on a garden hose. "A garden hose is nothing more that a French horn played in the technique used in Mozart's time when they didn't have valves. I thought it was a really good idea," he said. At that point, he ran out and bought a standard variety garden hose in a market and went on tour. He soon reached some level of regional acclaim on a South American television show — similar to The Ed Sullivan Show — as "the man who played the hose."

Pink was a French horn player for the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for more than 25 years, where he continued his garden hose show for local school groups and libraries. His program, "Howard Pink and His Musical Garden Hoses," isn't just entertaining, it's also educational. Pink goes into the history of wind instruments and hopes to instill a love of music, if not creativity, with the younger members of the audience. "By the time I'm done, you should have a good idea of what it takes to play not only the French horn but members of the entire brass family. But if nothing else, I hope they learn to appreciate music and want to become a member of an audience. Maybe go to a symphony concert sometime," he said.

Costa Rica RPCV sells Coconut water imported from Brazil
Mark Rampolla decided to sell coconut water, imported from Brazil and marketed as a high-potassium, sugar-free alternative to Gatorade and other sugary sports drinks. The product, Zico, is now sold for $2 per 11-ounce container in yoga studios, health food stores (including Whole Foods) and other outlets.

Because the Rampollas want to support economic development in Latin America, Zico is produced and packaged in Brazil. That creates factory jobs, not just the agricultural work of harvesting the young coconuts. The company has also pledged to give 5 percent of its net profits to improve health and education in the communities where the product is produced. The marketing budget is small, so the approach is "grassroots and guerrilla" - no advertising, but a lot of free samples at health stores and athletic events. There have been anxieties and some scary moments, as in any new business. Soon after Zico got started, a paperwork problem with U.S. Customs halted shipment of the product from Brazil, a mess that took two months to untangle. And living without a reliable corporate paycheck has required some adjustments by the Rampollas, who have two young daughters. But the company is growing, and Rampolla hopes to hire five people, mostly in sales, in 2007.

Having lived as both a poor Peace Corps volunteer and an affluent executive in the Third World, Rampolla has a different perspective on business ups and downs. "We always know if things really go south, we'll wind up on a beach in South America, and as long as I have my wife and kids, I'll be happy," Rampolla says. "I just really enjoy everything that's involved in trying to make this happen."

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: More questions you were afraid to ask about the Peace Corps

Can I be a vegetarian in the Peace Corps?
Peace Corps Applicant "Peaceful Core" writes: "So it all started when I had my first conversation on Monday with Placement Officer J about me being a vegetarian. After 15 minutes it was apparent that the Peace Corps does not appreciate vegetarians and that being one during your 27 months service is not a good thing. She kept asking me how I was going to explain why I was a vegetarian to people in my host country, which will be in Africa. I tried to explain myself. She then said that with the language barrier, I would not be able to be understood. I got the feeling that she was basically asking me to eat meat. She then tells me that another Placement Officer, P would call me later this week. And that I should meanwhile think about how I will approach this."

Answer: They're not lying when they say that it's not culturally appropriate to turn down food that is offered to you. I'm sure that's as true in Africa as it is in Latin America, where I've studied and traveled. PC has told me several times that I'm perfectly welcome to try to keep any type of diet that I'd like, but that I should recognize how difficult it might be, both in terms of food availability and cultural norms. When it comes down to it (and it may), will you choose to eat meat to integrate into your community, or ET and come home? That's what PC wants to know. They want to know that if you were faced with that situation, your desire to serve is stronger than your desire to keep vegism." Read more.

Can I be terminated for being away from my site without permission?
Costa Rica Peace Corps Volunteer Gringa Perdida writes: This week we've lost a volunteer. Saturday, Mike is leaving on a jet plane. This is nothing less than tragic. Actually, I believe 'ironic' would be a better describer. Mike was faced with 'administrative separation' for not calling Peace Corps to tell them that he would be passing the night out of his site. He was working in San Jose, and simply forgot to call in. It's something I, in my gnat-like attention span and attention to detail, have done more than once. Peace Corps found out and he was given the option to quit or be fired. So he had 24 hours to pack his things, say goodbye to his community and get out of the country. There is a policy, of course. The new policy is 'zero tolerance' and he is being made an example of. Anytime subjectivity is removed from punishments, it always seems to fall on the people that deserve it the least.  Read more.

What is Peace Corps' policy on Tattoos and Piercings?
A Romania RPCV writes: "It has sadly come to my attention that Peace Corps is looking to become more discriminatory of applicants based on their artistic expression. Applicants who have tattoos will be heavily screened if not totally rejected from going to Asia, Central Asia and Eastern European regions because PC wants to give the world "a more professional view" of Americans.

According to Peace Corps, countries in Central Asia and also Ukraine have a view of tattoos as a sign you have been in prison. I know this is true to a certain extent because I know a few returned volunteers who have served in Central Asian countries. But as a lot of you RPCVs out there who have served in EE/CA regions can attest to is that tattoos are growing within the region in popularity with host country nationals, as are piercings. As a returned volunteer from Romania, I certainly can say this. Volunteers got facial piercings in-country, tattoos in country, did it compromise their job and the respect they had gained while there? No, not at all. Some of these volunteers ended up extending.

So my big issue here is where will Peace Corps draw the line? If there is a totally qualified primary education teacher trainer, certified with experience, who has a tattoo on her ankle, and then another primary education candidate with no certification and 6 months primary tutoring experience, with no tattoo, who are they going to choose? Is it about physical professionalism now in PC instead of what skills you can bring to your Peace Corps country?"  Read more.

Read more questions about the Peace Corps for Miss Lonelyhearts.

Guatemala RPCV RJ Harper Produces Award-winning film "Typecasted"

Guatemala RPCV RJ Harper Produces Award-winning film "Typecasted"
Shine-Box Productions, LLC. is very proud to announce that their latest short film: “Typecasted”© has today been awarded “Best Comedy Short Film” at the 2006 NY International Independent Film & Video Festival (NYIFVF). Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Guatemala), Robert "RJ" Harper co-produced and acted in the comedy short entitled: "Typecasted." The award-winning film stars Frank Fata, Adam Piacente and RJ Harper.

Guatemala RPCV RJ Harper co-stars as the zany Vietnam War veteran turned eccentric film casting director. Director Robert Roberts (Lion’s Gate Entertainment) latest film is on its very successful film festival run and will be headed to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for international feature film development consideration. The multi-talented cast and genius directing team have received rave reviews from film critics on both coasts. “Typecasted”© was shot on High Definition (HD) and is a cinematographer’s paradise of lush imagery. Typecasted’s© team of producers have generated major indie buzz and are now slated to begin work on a major feature film. Watch the film online at: www.Current.Tv/watch/13498343

In the search for top-quality comedy, there is truly only one short film to see that single-handedly represents the Italian streets of New York and it is the undisputedly hilarious short film: “Typecasted©.”  The film demonstrates a complicated and comical series of internal connections to both the fictions and the reality of that popular Hollywood subject, the stereotype of Italians and the Mafia in film. Rated the 2006 “Best Short Film” at NYIFVF, the film marks the “unofficial official silver screen debut” for actors Frank Fata, Adam Piacente and RJ Harper. Through allusion and parody, “Typecasted©”  practically hits on the whole history of the Italian stereotype in film, quite literally following the form through generations of Italian actors from Little Caesar through The Godfather to “The Sopranos” to “Meet the Gottis.” 

Read about other RPCV Filmmakers and Movies by RPCVs.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers dispute Borat image of Kazakhstan

Ryan Morris who volunteered with the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan from 2000 to 2002, said he never saw anti-Semitism there
"I don't recall them ever having any sort of difficulty at all about their religion or their heritage," said Morris, now a photographer and Peace Corps recruiter in Tampa, Fla. In an ironic turnabout, many Kazakhs have misimpressions about life in the U.S., he said, such as their tendency to believe that all Americans are rich, fat and happy. Ultimately, said Morris, the countries share similar patterns of regional variation. "Just like Appalachia, you find communities and families (in Kazakhstan) that don't have everything that's up to modern times," said Morris. The former Peace Corps volunteer said he was "humbled, almost intimidated" at times by Kazakhs' knowledge of history and geography. "By no means are they an uneducated group of people at any level," Morris reported.  Read more and leave your comments.

Kazakhstan RPCV Bob Kellett says: I wish Borat would have chosen a fictional place instead of giving a bad name to a country that doesn’t deserve it
"I am saddened by it. Most people know next to nothing about Kazakhstan and after they watch the movie they will think it is a backwards place with ignorant people. Nothing could be further from the truth. The country has its share of problems but it also has a 99% literacy rate. The people are warm, compassionate humans who in no way resemble the stumbling fools you see in the movie. I wish Borat would have chosen a fictional place instead of giving a bad name to a country that doesn’t deserve it."  Read more and leave your comments.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: Questions you were afraid to ask about the Peace Corps

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: Can I ride a motorcyle in the Peace Corps?
"No PCV ANYWHERE can operate a motorcycle unless it is a life/limb/sight emergency. Some PCVs in certain places are allowed to ride motorcycles if no other transportation is readily available...some Cameroonian PCVs and a lot (maybe all) Beninois PCVs have that privilege. Peace Corps provides them with motorcycle helmets. For most PCVs world-wide, riding a motorcycle is grounds for immediate administrative separation due to the HUGE safety risk. I cannot tell you how many motorcycle accidents I witnessed as a PCV in Chad. Bad ones too. Some volunteers choose to risk being ad-sep'd and take motorcycles, but it really is a pretty big risk." Read more.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: How did 'Kumbaya' become a mocking metaphor?
An extensive (and we do mean extensive) search of databases of newspapers, magazines and other sources turned up what may be the first ironic reference to "Kumbaya" in print, from Aug. 16, 1985. The line is from a Washington Post review by Rita Kempley of the comedy movie Volunteers: "Tom Hanks and John Candy make war on the Peace Corps in Volunteers, a belated lampoon of '60s altruism and the idealistic young Kumbayahoos who went off to save the Third World." How did she settle on "Kumbaya?" Had she heard others mocking it? Was it something about the cynicism felt by liberals under Reagan? A commentary about the religious theme of the song, at a time when the Moral Majority was making its name? Ms. Kempley can't remember. "I guess that song was the ultimate expression of people in the '60s who really cared," said Ms. Kemply (who accepted a buyout last year from the Post). "And then everyone decided, Let's just make fun of that."  Read more.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: Has anyone had issues with blogs or personal websites in the peace corps, or do they really only care about what you say about them?
Here is PCs official blog policy, garnered using the FoIA: http://peacecorpsjournals.com/rules.html. It's basically "you're welcome to maintain a blog/personal website, but you should do so with cultural sensitivity, discretion for private information/etc/etc". They don't care if you have a blog/website, but if you do, they want to know about it, and they want to make sure you're well, playing nice. Peace Corps maintains that it owns everything you create, write, design, or communicate during your service. They also maintain the right to kick you out if you reveal too much information about where you are posted, your work, etc. Read more.