ewsmagazinesletitgo原唱

\SomeNot-So-BlandRepliestoQuestionof'BlandVolunteers'PresentedbelotvaresomeofIheletterstoTHEVOLUNTEERinresponse10anorliclein(heDecemberisslleen{if/ed"A,eWeGerting'BlandVo/-untee,s',byF.
K;"gsIo"Eerie,.
,Act-ingAssociareDirec(orforPeaceCorpsVolunteers,Wehaventte,,zp!
edtochoosearepreset,!
arib,exo,npling,sitlcespacedoes110(perjnitlIStocarryinfullallthosereceived.
Mr.
Ber[ewhasinfor)zedTHEVOLUNTEERhewillgivepersonalarrenrion10alllettersonthetopicse"IbyVolttnteers,o"d).
iilci,-ctilotethen7O,,IO,IEPeaceCorpssraflmen~bers.
—Ed.
TOTHEVOLUNTEER:Thanks10Mr.
Berlewforhisthought-provokinzarticleonthe"BlandVol.
.
-Ieec,,intheDecemberVOLUNTEER.
ItisahealthysigntoseePeaceCorpsdis-cussi"~itspossibleweaknesses.
Attimesduringmyfirstsixmonthsofcommunity-developmentw,orkhere,IhavefeltliketheC&BlandVolunteer,fornow,TomymindthisisexactlywhatIhadenvisionedthePeaceCorpstobewhen1joinedit.
IfthereisanythingwrongwithtakingajobsuchasEnglishteach-ing,a"dsettingo"ttodojust!
hatinthebeslpossiblewayuntilthehostcountrycanprovideitsownqualifiedteachers,thenI'dliketoaskwhyhethinks~mhere.
Ca"heq"estio"[hevalueofmak-inglifelongfriendswhosefeelingfor"shaslongsincecrossedthenationalbar-riemthatonceseparated.
sCa"heactuallyquestionusforbeinganacceptedandrespectedpartoftheevewdaylifeino"rcommunityIfso,histenetsforthisOrganizationarequitedifferentfrommine.
1plannomajorrevolutionsformytwoyearstayhere.
Attheendofmytime1knowthatIwillberememberedforgivingstudentsiwogoodyea=offoreignlanguagethattheywouldhaveneverreceivedwithoutmycoming.
Manyteacherswillrememkrmefors"gEesti"g"CWmethodsoftesting,teaching,andhandlingstudents.
Whatwillhavebee"learnedwillhavebeendonesobyimita-tionand"oti"sligation;andmanyques-2lionswhichIhaverai%daboutpro-cedureswillcontinuetoplayinthemindsofadministratorsuntiltheyhavere.
solvedtheirownproblems.
Theproblemsofthesecountriesareotdandwill"otbesolvedbysendingoveri"sta"tpackagesofrevol"tio"ortimebombsofpropagandai.
tbeformofnewVolunteers,asyousuggest.
Per-hapstheVol""teesshouldhavemoretosayabouttheirOW"orga"izatio".
Forlwoyears1havebeenhearing"b.
tto"-down',administratorstalkaboutandofcreatinggceatsocialrevolutions.
Per-hapstheyarerighti"theirfar-reachingideas.
Buttomanyof"sthisisnolwhywe,ioinedthePeaceCorps.
ThefirstVol""teerswhojoinedfo""daneedandsettoworktoelimi"aleit.
lt,sonlyfromtheirinitialsuccessthatwenowhavehigh-pressureadvertisingmentelling"swhatmakesagood.
Volu"teer,andwhatabadone.
Thesejobsareindividuallhin~s,Iknowwhatmineis,a"d~mmakingeve~attempttodothebest1can.
ButIco"ld",tcacelesswhetherthe.
.
fruitiof–myworkare-feltin-Wash~ingtonoranywhereelseintheStates.
MyrewardsarerightherewhenIseemystudentsspeakingEnglishdaily,A"dmyinterestsareforthema"dforthetom.
munityinwhichwebo[bare"OWIivi"g.
1"short,1wouldliketosuggestthatthsPeaceCorpsconcentrateitsselectionprocesso"obtaining"BlandVolunteers"toincreasetheeffectivenessoftheor-ganization.
Mr.
Berlewdidn,treadfarenoughwhenconsultingtheMerriam-Webster,Hadheco"lin"edtotheverbformoftheword',bland,+,hewouldhavefound"blandish"tomean"toflaltcr,coax,orcajoleThismostoftenistheeasiestif"otthemosteffectivewaytogetthingsd~"e.
Itcausesnoillfeelingsanddoes">tleavetbeimpressionof21-yea,r-oldstellingelderlymenhowtor"nthe,raffairs,astherevolutionarieswhichyousuggestmostcertainlyhavetodo,ThesideoftheC,Bla"~hasmerit,Bycausingthis"soothingeffectonthosearound"s,9,wearegettingthe"eedtdiobsdone.
ALLEND.
FIELDDizce,TurkeyuonToTHEVOLUNTEER:[submitthatEdwards,argumentsweren'tanswered.
Theselectionprocessdoeselimi"alethetypesthathespecified,Asideeffectisthattraineesoftent~tohidetheirINepersonalitiesa"doftensucceed,Inparticulartheyrecognizethattheymaynotcritici~evenabadnor.
lionofagoodtraj"ingprogram;s~uce(Co"!
i"ttedo,,poge22)-.
,IAVicePresidentHumphreyspeakstomeetingofNationalAdvisoqCounci1.
SeatedclockwisearoundtablefromleftareGeorgeH.
Gribben;Mrs.
RobetiKintneCtheVicePresident;PeaceCorpsDirectorSargentShrivecMrs.
JanetLeighBrandkMrs.
HaweySchechtecDr.
DavidRutstein;J.
PeterGrace(councillist,page4).
H.
H.
H.
TakesOverPresidentJohnsoninJanuarynamedVicePresidentHubeflH.
HumphreytobechairmanoftbeNationalAdvisoryCouncilofthePeaceCorps,anddirectedhimtoconveneanationalconferenceoffomerPeaceCorpsVolunteers.
ThePresidenthadkenchairmanofthecouncilsince1961,whenhewasVicePresident.
Thecouncilmeetstwiceyearly,andiscomposedof24membersdrawnfrommanyareasofAmericanlife.
ltsp"cposeistoconsultwithandadvisethePeaceCorpsandthePresidentonpoliciesandprogramswhichwot,ld,fur-therthepurposesofthePeaceCorps.
Membemservewithoutcompensation.
1.
alettertotheVicePresidenl,thePresidentsaid,"Over3000Volunteershavealreadycomebackfromlwoyearsofoverseasservice.
They,andthenearly10,000.
Volunteersnowservingin46PEACECORPSFEBRUARY196SVolumeIll,Number4p.
blishe~monthlybytheEvlsion.
fvolunteerSUPW*,PeaceWrp.
.
wastinson,D.
C.
~~.
.
Dea.
ewYfie.
edit.
fiJob"English,.
.
SIStant.
dt.
qs.
,.
GayEeacham,editorialassist.
ant:Pa.
!
Reed,afidirector.
countries,areamajornewnationalre-SO"CCC.
Itistimetoassemblearepre-sentativegrot!
pofthemtodiscusstheirroleinournalionallife,athomeandabroad.
"(Seestoryonconferencebelow.
)Inhisletter,thePresidenttoldMr.
Humphrey:"1willcountonyoutohelpcarrythemessageofthePeaceCorps'OPPOrtunitiestothefourcornersofthisco.
ntw.
AstbePeaceCorpsgrowsfrom!
0,000to20,000Volunteerstomeettberequestsandneedsofotherpeoples,itsperformancemuslcontinuallyimprove.
ThequalityoftheVolunteers—theirabilitytodotheworkandtoworkwithpeople,whetherinthescbooboomorintbecommunity,mustb.
the&slthatAmericacanoffer;W.
ystoEnsureFullUse1"addition,thePresidentaskedtheVicePresidentto"acceptasaspecialconcernthematteroff0rei6nstudentsinthiscountry,"andaskedhimtofindwaysforfurther=rvicebyreturnedVol-unteeninworkingwithforeignstudentsintheU.
S.
ThePresidentalsosaidhehopedMr.
HumphreyandtheNationalAdvisoryCouncilwouldproposewaystoensurethatthecountrymakesfulluseofformerVolun[ees.
~isnewusignmentisexceptionallyappropriateforYOU,"thePresidentsaid.
"YOUwerelb.
firstmemberoftheSen-atetoseetbevisionoftbePeaceCorpsandtoproposelegislationtoembodyit.
Moreover,thisnewassignmentdirectlycomplementsyourotherworkwithlbeWaronPovertyandthecoardinationofeffortstowardfullcivilrightsforallAmericans.
Theseeffortsareallcon-cernedwilhhumandignity.
Theyrepre.
sentthecentralpurposeofthisAdminis-tration:toopennewopportunitiesforpeople.
"TheVicePresidentmelwithmembersoftheNationalAdvisoryCouncilattheirJan.
27meetingatPeaceCorpsbeadqum-ters.
InacceptingthePresident'scharg=hesaid.
,.
1tr,dylookforwardtoworkingwilbye",1mustsaythatofall:heprogramsofourGovernmentthatexcitemeandinwhich1havezkeenandper-sonalinterestaswellaspublicinterest,noneismoremeanin~fulrhanIbePeaceCorps.
1feelthatIbisprogramtiesinsobeatntifullywithmanyoftheotherthingsthatwearetryingtodoasagovernment,asapeople,andasanation.
"TheConferenceAtlherequestofPresidentJohnson,VicePresidenlHumphreylastmonthcalledforanationalconferenceoffor-merPeaceCorpsVolunteers,tobecon-venedinW:tshington,D.
C.
,March5-7intheweekofthefourthanniversaryoftheestablishmentofthePeaceCorPS.
Inasting[heVicePresidcnlandtheNationalAdvisoryCouncilofthePeaceCorpstocallsuchaconference,thePresidentssidhewantedformerVolun-teers10meet"withleadersofAmericaned.
cation,ofbusinessa"dlabor,ofcommunity-actionprograms,offederal,state,andlocalgovernment.
Inseriousworkshopscssio"sIbeyshouldconsidertheopportunitiesforft]rtherservicebythere[.
rni.
gVolunteersinallpartsofourp.
hliclife—intheWaronPovertyandintheForeignService,inourwork.
topromoteht,manrightsathomeandinottroverseasAIDprograms,inot,rschoolclassroomsandinourt)niversities,inourunionsandinprivateenterprise.
"'ResponsibilityfordetailedplanningoftheconferencewasgiventothePeaceCorpsOfficeofPlanning,Evaluation,andResearch,workingwithformerVolun-teersintheWashington,D.
C.
area.
Themeoftheconferencewillbe"TheReturnedPeaceCorpsVolunteer:Chi-zeninaTimeofChange,"according10HarrisWofford,DlrcctorofPlanning,Evaluation,andResearch.
Amongques-tionstbeconferencewillask,Woffordsaid,willbethese:.
Howcanthisgrowingresource[re.
turnedVoll,nleerslbestbeusedtoday.
WhatchallengesatlractVolunteers.
Whereistheirexperiencemostrele-".
"[.
WhatnewdirectionsdotheywantforAmericaathomeandabroad.
Whatca"bedonenowTheconferencewillexplorethesequestionswithparticularattentiontoPoverty,equalrights,andinternational.
nderslanding,Wofiordsaid.
Included3inworkshoptopicswillbesuchaspectsofAmericansocietyasthelocaltom.
munity,primarya"dsecondaryschools,highered"calion,b.
si"ess,labor,women,government,internationalservice,andforeignst.
de"ls,AOformerVolunteershavebet"i.
.
,,itedtotheco"fere"cei"letterssentbyVicePreside"lHt,mphrey.
Alimited"umberof'.
lravelfellowships>,will&availablefromfundsprovidedbyfo".
.
datio.
andprivategrantstohelppay(ravelexpensesofex.
Volunteerswhocannotaffordtocome10Washi"gto"attheirOW"expense.
Everyonewhocomestotheconferencewilltakepartinwork.
shopandotherdiscussions,Woffordsaid.
Theco"fece"cewillbeaddressedbyboththeVicePresidenla"dPeaceCorpsDirectorSargentShriver.
CouncilMembersMembersoftheNationalAdvisoryCo.
"cilofthePeaceCorpsi"cl.
deJosephA.
Beirne.
presidentoftheCommllnicationsWorkersofAmerica;Mrs.
,JanetLcichBra"d!
,actressandchar,ty-or~anizatio"executive;Ar[h.
rS.
Fleming,presidentof(h.
Universityof0re60n;J.
peterGrace,presidentofW.
R.
GraceandCo.
;Mrs.
AlbertM.
Greenfield,member-of-the'PbiladelpfiaBoardofEducation;GeorgeH,Gribbin,chairmat]ofYoungandRubicam,Inc.
;C,J.
Haggerty,presidentoftheBttildi"ga"dConstructionTradesDepartmentoflheAFL-CIO;RabbiBenjaminM,Kahn,"atio"aldirectorofB'naiBrithHillelFoundations;hirs.
RobertKi"t"er,asso-ciatedwi!
hUNICEFa"dIheUnitedNa-tionsHospitalityCommittee;Mrs.
E.
LecOzbirn,formerpresidentoftheGe"era[FederationofWome",sClubs;DonaldA.
Petri.
,chairmanoftheexec"ti,,ecom-mitteeofAvisKentACar;Dr.
DavidR.
tstei",headoftheDepartmenlofPre-ventivek[edicineofHarvardUniversity;andhlrs,HarveyB.
Schechter,adirectoroftheCouncilo"Mcxica"-America"Affairs.
OtherCouncilMembersAlsoontheCo".
cilareHarryBela.
font.
,enlertai"er;theRev,Job"J.
Considine,directoroftheLatinAmericaB"r.
a"oftheNationalCatholicWelfareConference;FredV.
Hcinkel,presidentoftheMissouriFarmersAssn,.
Inc.
;PalmerHoyt,publisherofT6eDenverPost:RalphLazarus,presidentofFed-eratedDepartmentS1ores,Inc.
;hf.
rrayD,Lincoln,presidentofNationwideht.
.
lualIns"ra"ceCo.
;BenjaminE.
Mays,presidentofMorehouseCollege;JamesA.
hfcCai.
,presidentofKansasSIatcUniversity;Franklinhqurphy,chancelloroftheUniversityofCaliforniaatLosAngeles;theRev,ClarenceE,Pickeo,executivesecretaryoflheAmtricanFriendsServiceCommittee;andtheRev.
JamesH.
Robinson,directorofOpera[ionCrossroadsAfrica,Inc.
ASpecialAssistantDr.
,CharlesS.
Houston,whohasdi-rectedthePeaceCorpsprogrami"Indiaforthepasttwoyears,hasbeenap-pointedSpecialAssistant10PeaceCorpsDirectorSargentShriver,Dr.
Houstonwillworkinco.
operationwithWarrc"W.
Wiggins,AssociateDirectorfocProgramDevelopmenta"dOperations,andDr.
JamesBanta,Direc.
[oroftbcMedicalProgramDivisionofthePeaceCorps,i"developinga"ewPrOgramwilbafioalofsendingmoreVolunteermedicalworkersoverseastoworkinthedevclopme"tofhealthedt,cation.
Thedrivefora.
expandedmedicalprogramwasannouncedinNovemberbyShriver,whooutlineds[epsthatwouldbelake.
(oencourageAmericandoctorsandothermedicalworkersto;OinthePeaceCorpsasVolunteers,Dr.
HoustonisC.
rre"tlyen~agedindevelop.
ing"CWtechniqueswhichwillenablethePeacecorpstoattractmoreVolu"tee,physicians;aspecialft,"disbeingcon.
sideredtohelpVolu"leerdoctorswitheducationalandotherdebtsincurredduringlongmedicallraini"g.
AsPeaceCorpsDirectorinIndia,Dc,HousIo"wovkedwith-themorethan350Vol""teerswbohavega"eto,becoun.
trytoworkinhealth,education,agri-culture,vocationaltraining,andtom.
munitydevelopment.
HecametothePeaceCorpsinOclo-bec,1962,from&pen,Colo,,wherehewasmedicaldirectoroftheAspenl.
sti-t.
te.
HewasalsoassociatedwiththeVeteransAdministrationHospitali"Den.
verandtheCleveland(Ohio)Clinic,workingprimarilyo"thedevelopmentofamechanicalheart.
HehadpreviouslypracticedmedicineinNewHampshire,a"dhaddoneresearchi.
high.
altitudephysiology,Heisalsoknownforhismo"ntain-climbi"gexperiences,andhaspublishedwithanothera"lhortwobooksonthetopic,K-2,Tit.
Sat,ug.
Af",t,,l"i,,,a"dFit,.
Mil,.
rJfig/,.
D,,Ha.
slo"hasade~reeinbiochem-istryfromHarvardCollegeandamedi.
caldegreefromColumbiaUniversityMedicalSchool.
Heismarriedandhasthreechildren.
HondurasAppointment1"a"ovemeasstaffappointment,JosephA.
FarrellbasbeennamedPeaceCorpsDirectorinHondt~ras,Farrell,.
Xec"liveofficerof(bePolariss"bmari"eWoodrowWilsonforthepasttwoyears,willoversee106Volunteerswhoareservinginurbanandruralcomm""ity-developme"tandheallhprojectsintheCentralAmericancountry.
AnativeofLongBeach,Calif.
,FarrellbeganhisNnvycareerin1948whenheenteredlheu.
S.
NavalAcademyatAn-4Dr.
CharlesHoustonJosephFar,ellNewdutiesinWashingtonandHondurasnapolis,Md.
,aftertwoyearnatBrow"Univemity.
HewasgraduatedfromAnnapolisin1952a"dlateralte"dedtheU.
S.
NavalSubmarineSchoola"dtheAdvancedNuclearPowerSchool.
AsaNavalofficer,hehastraveledexte".
sivelyinEurope,Asia,andNoflhAfrica,Heismarrieda"dhasthreesonsandthreeda.
~hters.
ThomasM.
DuganThomasM.
Dugan,fome,]nSpeCtOrGeneralofthePeaceCorpsa"drecentlyelectedsheriffofNassauCo".
ty,N.
Y.
,diedJa""aw.
11after.
.
a"apparenthear;—attack.
Dugan,38,joinedthePeaceCorpsstaffinJanuary,1963,andservedasInspectorGeneral""(il.
lastAp,ilcon-ductinginspectiona"dinvestigationpro-gramsofPeaceCorpsopcratio"sasapersonalrepresentativeoftheDirector.
HewaselectedsheriffofNassauCo""tyinNovembera"dhadbee"inornceonly10days.
Duringtbaltime,hehaddraftedlegislationtoeliminatehisownjob,hadfiredseveraldeputies,a"dwasplanning10makethelargea"dseldomusedsheriffsprivateofficesavailablefortheuseofinmatesunderanewDepartmentofCorrcctio"program.
Dug.
"issurvivedbyhiswifeandthreechildren,Amemorialfundhasbeenestablishedbyfriendstopayelectio.
-Campaig"expensesa"d10fi"a"cethechildren'seducation.
NigeriaArtsFestivalVolunteersservingi"lbada",WesternNigeria,heldabnefitfestivalofartsinDece"ber.
Thefive-dayCUI1.
F.
Iexhibitionwasheldi"thePeaceCorpsornced"ri"~IheChristmasholiday.
Theexhibi[io"presentedfilmsofAmericanandNigeriantraditionalandcontemporarydancesandtape-recordedfolkso.
gqsevemlVolun.
teersreadoriginalpoems.
Localartistsdonatedmorethan100worksofartwhichweresoldtoraisemoneyforiheWesternRegionDayCampCommittee.
TheCommitteeraised$350foruseinitsvacationprogramsofsponsoringrecreationala"deducationalactivitiesforNigerianchildren.
Newsletters,'Semj'and'Non'~MosquitoesIthasbeensaidthatwhereverthreeormoreAmericanscongregatetheywillwastenotimebeforeelectingleadersandappointingcommittes.
Next,theywillprobablystafipublishinganewsletter—andhere,atleast,PeaceCorpsVolun.
teenhavenotbeenlaggards.
Insome20oftbe46countrieswhereVol"nleersare"OWatwork,thereexistnewsletterofonesortoranother,pub-lishedbytheVolunteersfortheVolun.
teersinthatcountry,andbearingsuchexoticnamesasTheBitshReviet.
(Tanmnia),4ngBolunf.
vo(Philippines),andBorisGontilli;leri(Turkey).
Mostaremimeographedofferings,somestapledandsomebound,thoughseveralarepti"tedandmoreformalinformat.
Theyseweavacietyoffu.
c-tions,keepingVolunteenintouchwithactivitiesinothersectionsofthehostcountry,reprintinganiclesfromothercount~newsletters,supplyingeditorialsandcommentaryonU.
S.
andlocalnews,andpresentingarticlesrangingfromhow-to-do-ittotouringinformationandsatire.
Theirhumorisoftenesoteric,withrefece.
cestosituationsandper-sonalitiesthatonlyVolunteersinthecountryarefamiliarwith.
Thecountrynewslettershavevariedpublishingschedules,rangingfromregu-larmonthlyissues10.
'semi-occasiona~appearances,.
sconfessedinthemastheadoftheNigeriaprojectnewsletter,Tilleyh"p(namedafteracommontypeofkerosenelamp);someevendenytheirnewsleuecstatutiabohShorn),claimsitis"Thenon.
newsletteroftheSabahVolunteer,,,~eNamesAreVariedName~areusuallyimaginative,thoughafewhavepickedgarden-varietyflags—TheNewsLerrerispublishedbyJamaicaVolunteen,andtheTh.
ilarzdPeaceCorpsJot,,nolbyVolunteersinIhatcountry.
Attbeotherextreme,Poly>>t.
g!
.
awaschosenasthenameforlheDominicanRepublicVolunteers'newsletter,afterthenameofapopularremedyforin-testinalailments.
EthiopiabasThelm.
ge;Tunisia,TheDe.
ertSot'nds;SierreLo"e,TheK,iopofilan:IvoryCOS1,EttP,i,zcipe;andLiberia,TheRevie.
,.
InColombiait,sElGrilo(thecry);Umg"ay,TheVolley;Brazil,Triangle;Malaysia,Sitb$;slence;andMormco,Harko.
Vol""teeminChileproduceEfPiscori"o(Spanglishfor,,L,llI.
PeaceCorpsVolunteer,>),aprintedpublicationwhichi"cl"desnewssuppliedbyUnitedPressI"ter"atio"al,inordertocompen-sateforthelackof"ewsmagazinessuchasTi,tzei"tbecount~,Forsimandvatiety,[hetwotopcoa-te"decsareprobablytheEasfPakis(anPeaceCorpslottr"ala"dIndia,sChotv-kidar(watchman),boundmimeographedvolumeswhichusuallyr""2Jto30pages.
Cho$vkidarhasfeaturedsomeofthemostartisticnewslettercoven,drownhyVoiunteecsRobeflIsbikawa(SanJose,Calif.
),whorecentlycom-pletedservice;andHollisArnold(Eunice,La.
).
Thegraceful,stylizedsketchesofLyndaByam(Whitehall,Mich.
)haveaddedtotheThailandPeoceCorpsJottrna[,andtheclevercartoonsofJonEpstein(BeverlyHills,Calif.
),whohasalsofinishedhisservice,haveIighte"edAngfjolttnto,yointhePhilippines.
Mostof(henewslettersadvertiseopenlyforco.
tributions—A"gBoh,n-Ioryostltes,inatwislo"afamiliarslO-ga.
,"AlltheNewsthatFitsWePrint";Polymogt,tostatesflatly,"Weacceplanything.
"AWUteofTimeNotallPeaceCorpsRepresentativesandstaffmembersshareintheVol.
n-leem'enthusiasmforthenewsletter—i"o"ei"sta"ceaRepresentativesus-pendedtheprojectpublicationas"awasteoflime,"andinanothertheRepresentativesuspendedthenewsletteraftertheeditorrananeditorialdamningAmericanforeignaidinthatpartoftheworld.
ButforlhemostParl,tbenewslettersseemtoserveausefulfunction,keepingVol""teersi.
fomedofadministrativepoliciesanddecisions,offeringjobandtraveltips,passingi"formalionofotherprojects,,a.
d,presentingstories,pcetry,andart]nsptredbythecultureofthehostcountryandtheworkoftheVolunteers.
1awokeinthenight1"aterriblefrightFormyearswereunpleasantlyringing,AndovermyheadAs1layonmybedSixdozenmosquitoswerewinging.
AstheycircledmytoesAnddive-bombedmynoseIdbee"rudelywakedupbytheirwbi"i"g,AndIknewbytheitchesThose———Hadalreadybeenwininganddining.
IhurledafewthingsAtthesoundoftheirwings,Whichcouldnothavebeenutteredmoresweetly.
Then1jumpedup&causeHadIstayedwhereIwas1mightwellhavebee"eatencompletely.
1could"ott,"derstandHowthatravenousbandHadslippedthroughthestrandsofmynetling,ButtherewithoutdoubtMorewithinthanwithoutAconditionmosthighlyupsetting.
NowVvegonethroughmalariaWithoutmuchhysteria,Denguefeverandencephalitis;UsedavirtualoceanOfcalaminelotionAndrepellentforthisparasitis.
ButwhenthedoctorbeginsToe.
"meratethesinsOftheweightthatI'mlosingthisseason,Iwillnothesitate,IwilljustterminateWithathousandandoneitchingreasons.
—BySueHall(We.
atchee,Wash.
)ReprintedfromThailandPeaceCO,DSJoi,r.
ol.
Rep,intedwithPermissionfromLOOK"I'llbealifflelate,darling.
IranintoanoldPeaceCorpsbuddy.
"5'SomeDays,IJustTalk7CulIobsewesasahenisweighed;10villagersformedcooperativetobuildcoopaftervisittonearbytow"toseesimilarproject.
AnotherprojectundertakenbyviIlagerswasconstructionofwater-sealtOilets;hereoneiscementedinposition(above)a"dcompletedwithfootblocks(below);inphotoabove,sheetsofcruderubberd~insun,Inmanyways,BillandCarolCullarerepresentativeofthenearly10,000Vol.
untee,satworkin46countries—bothareintheirmid.
20s,asaremostVOl"n.
teer%bothgraduatedinliberalarts(heinanthropology,sheinpoliticalsci.
ence),asdidmostVolunteer%bothattendedtheU"i.
ersityofCaliforniainBerkeley,whichalonehassuppliedmoreVolunteersthananyotherU.
S.
campus;andbothareresidentsofCali.
for"ia,which14percentofallVolun-teerscallhome,TheymetoneanotherwhentheywereStudentsatBerkeleytandweremar,iedin1962.
TheybecameinterestedinthePeaceCorpsinthewaythatmanyotherVolunteersha"ebee"drawntoit—throughpriorparticipationoffriendsandrelativefiCarol)ssister,Kathi,wasaVolunteerteacheri"thePhilippinesfrom1962-64.
BillCulIgraduatedinAuRust,1963,andwentto-workfortheUfS.
'PublicHealth-Service-inSanFranciscmhis-wifewasamid-yeargraduatethefol.
lowingFebruary,aftercombininghe,studiesforseveralsemesterswithnearlyfull-timeuniversityemployment.
TheywereinvitedtotrainforaMa.
IaysianvilIage.
developmentproject,andinFebruary,1964,theywenttoDeKalb,Ill.
,andthecampusofNorthernIllinoisUniversity,wheretheyjoined40othertrainees,After10wint~weeksofclass-roomandfieldtraining,theywenttothePeaceCorpscampatWaipio,ontheislandofHawaii,forsomewarmercon-ditioningundertheauspicesoftheUniversityofHawaii.
Inmid.
May,with25othersselectedtobecomeVolun-teers,theydepartedforMalaysia.
TheyhavebeenassignedsincetheirarrivaltoKampongSungeiSeluang,asmallvillageofabout500peoplelo-cated15milesinlandfromtheoffshoreislandofPenang,nearthenortheastcoastoftheMalayPeninsula,"ldecidedwhenIcametoMalayathatIwasnotcomingheretosellAmericanculture,andIwasnotcomingheretobringAmericanvalues:'CuIIsays.
"1wascomingheretohelpthesepeoplesolveanypaticularproblemstheymighthave.
Butwefoundthecultureoftheindustrializedworldiscreatingallkindsofproblemsandnewvalue%soitamountstothefactthatthecultureischangingan~ay.
Whatwearetwingtodoishelpthechange.
SomedaysIjustsitandtalk+lldaylong.
AndIfeelasifIsverealIygottensomewhere~sifthepeoplehavereallygottentounderstandthei,ownproblemsalittlebetter.
"KampongchildrencometotheCulls:houseforreadingsessions;hereCarolexplainsananimalstory.
BehindherISIife.
sizedwoodenstatueofMalayman.
Visitinginthekampong,Caroltalkswitha.
ilIagehousewife,whositsonthefloor.
TheCUIIStalkwithkamPongmen"earwater-sealjamban(privy)model(above).
"yOUfindthe,innovator'inacOm-~"nitya"dgethimtoworkonaproject—ifit'ssuccessfulhisfriendsseeitandrealizehedidit—thatthePeaceCOrPS'outsiders'didn'tdoit,thegUYdiditonhisown:CullSaYS.
Atleftisthecouple'smetal-roofedhouse,withkitchenshedatrear.
Their.
serviceendsnextFebruarwBIIIhopestoteachcollege,anthropology,carolisconsideringlawschool.
LAf$0>-.
:.
A".
\(.
;BOLIVIAImpetusistoEastinLandBesetbyGeographyByRichardGrkcomToe"visio"Boliviao"emustlhi.
koftwoseparategeographicregions,tworegionswhichareinstarkcontrasttoeachotherbutwhichtogethercomprisethis"alio"ofjustunderfourmillionpeople.
TheAltiplano,traditionally[hemoreimportantofthetworegions,isacold,forbiddingplateau"eslledat12,000fee[betweenthelwomagnificentA"deanrangesthattraversetheco""tryfrom"or[htosouth.
Itishere!
hatBolivia,sAymara.
l"diansekeo"taliv.
ingo"theirfarmsi.
muchthesamewaythattheyhaveforhundredsofyean.
HerealsoareIheco""try,stinandothermineralresources,whichfirstdrewtheSpaniardstoBoliviaandwhichstillproduce90percentoftheco""tryssexports.
Theseconda"dlesserknownregionstretchesfromtheCordilleraorientaltotheBrazilianfrontier—thevalleysa"dlowplainswhichwerelargelyneglectedbytheSpanishsettlersbutwhichnoworeassuminganevergreaterimportanceintheco"ntryordA.
G,i~co,n,ofMarl:o",N.
],,heco,rleDcp!
ityPenceCorpsDirector;"Boli,,ialostNovember,Jollo,.
i,,gd!
tt;csosAclingPea.
,CorpsDirectori,,ElSalvadora"dosDept,vPeaceCorpsDireclorillVenez:lelo.
BeJorejoi.
inztheLaIi!
:AntericoRegionofice01thePeaceCorpsi,,1961,he1.
.
soIotvs[ovedfromcura[ivehenllhprojectstoagreateremphasisonpreventivemedicine,andhadaddedcommunity-developmentwork.
Inmid.
Ja",tarytherewerel16vol""1eerswork-inginhe.
bhprojectsi"practicallyallV!
rtsofBolivia.
fromtheAltipla"ointhewest,toTarijai"Ihesouth,a"dtheBenii"lhenorth.
Theyh>,vcbeenworkinginIalrinccons(rucfion,""rsi"~aideducation,welldriilinc,cookin~stovede,,elopme"t.
a"dinorga"izatio"OfGirlScoutlroops,boysleadersontheAltipla"o.
Thevillageleaderswillbebro"ghl10acenteratBele"z,"dwillbegive"aco"ccnlratedco"nei"Comm""ilyde.
eiop"ent.
Aflertrai.
i"gthey,villretc,r.
totheirbo,,ioza"dwill3.
1asCounterpartsto40Vol.
t,"reerswhowillhelrai"ingtbisspringataU.
S.
"nivemity,Planscallfor80moreb,,rri"leaderstobetrainedi"tbeSpringintheCochabambaarea,10workwith80Vol,,nteersscheduledtoarriveinOctober.
Event,,allywehopetoba,egreaterin[egratio"oflbefourareasofVol.
.
.
!
ccrinvolvement,sothatthehe:dlh.
agricul[t,re,and~rniversityVol"ntecrswillbeabletogivetechnicolback-stoppingtoVolunteersworkingi"ruralandurbancom"ju"itydevelopment.
Je{"Chilebe,v.
.
vdi,e.
lor0/1/,.
NC,,,Mc.
ricoCo,,,rci/0,,Eco!
lo!
,!
icEdttc"ti",z,bc,.
~.
di,rA/b,,.
q,,.
rqt{e.
.
Itd/rot,1957101959hc,,.
sc,,,pioycdosco-pilotf.
,t""der.
stand.
Shethenpulledab""dleoffherbackandhandedittome.
11washerbaby,abou[amonthold.
Allkindsofthoughtsracedlhro"ghmymind:IsitapresentWhalwillthePeaceCorpsinWasbinglonsaywhentheyhearabo"lthisWillthiswoman,sfeelingsbehurtif1refusethebabyIfIdo",trefuse,whatwillIdowilhhim-rhe,While1pondered,sheremovedhertopthreeblousesandpreparedtogivethebabys~!
pper.
Sbemotionedtogivelhcinfantbacktoher,tomyrelief,andfinallysaidthreewordsi"Spanish:,,G,oci"s,scflorxri,tgo.
,-EricfzS,"itfz,.
/CherryVolley,N.
y.
,JP.
,Zthisfi,stycc,ri,zBoliviaselti,t~!
,Pad"iq-,ecordprogro,,ti,tIf!
.
Cocbo-battzbs.
sc,ior,Thepeopleareindifferent.
Billwithvourzt]ida.
ce.
wecanovercomeIbis.
"-AfterDonRominhadshowed"sare.
"dtheneighborhoodandexplaineditsproblems,1acceptedhisinvitationtoattendacouncilmeetingIhatwasscheduledlhenextweek.
AngelandIlhenwalkedbacktothecenteroftownandstoppedatasidewalkcafeforaCUPofBolivianespressocoffee.
Aswesatdownalasmalltable,someofAngel'sfriendscameover10meetthisnewgringo.
Theywereamusedatmybarriodevelopmentplan.
Onestudentargued.
"Ye"'rewastingyourtime,Eduardo.
Thosepeopledon'tknowwhattheirproblemsareanddon'tcare.
Ofcourse,you'reanAmerica.
Wilhalotofmoney,soperhapsyoucanbuildthemabettercommunity.
"Thesewordsi"f"riatedme,but1con-trolledmyangerandtoldhim,"Thesepeopledoknowwhattheirproblemsareandtheycare.
Naturally,theydon'tviewsuch!
hi"gsasthelackoflatrinesorpoornutritionasproblemsaswe%ethem.
Butifthesepeoplearegoingtotakeprideintheirneighborhood,theywillhavetodealwilhtheseneedsastheythemselvessensethem.
Therighttodecidewhatis'good'fortheirtom.
m.
"ityistheirs,notours,F.
tihermore,asanAmerican.
Iwillnotobtainot,tsideaid.
If(hepeoplecannotresolvelhcirproblemswith(heirownmaterialrc.
so,,rcesandwilhtheirownhands,thetaskwillnotbedone.
"Thesl.
dentIat,ghedsaying.
.
'Yot8~ri,,c05aretoOidealistic.
NOonecanworkwiththoseIndians.
"hlaybe1was100idealistic,bc,t1hadtoprovehimwrong.
Fornxo"thsIattendedcouncilmeet-ingsi"VMaChnrcas.
TheneighborsdiscitssedandplannedhowtheytiotddimprovelheirCommunily,hLltnorhingcameofit.
Ipatientlyguidedthemto-wardsdiscussingonesmallproject,theinstallationofafirst-aidslatio".
hlonicaShutls(WestPalmBeach,Fla.
),whoalsoattendedthosemeetings,sugsestedthat[heyhavearaffle10raisemoneyforthedrugsandmedicinecabinet.
TheneighborsacceptedtheideaanddecidedtoholdIherameo"thesaint'sdayoftheb-(12a6p~Ora5deOficinoJUevesSharonVonEuw(Chino,Calif.
),center,assistsindemonstra-tionofdairyproductsforwomenofTiraque,Cochabamba.
SucreUniversityAddsTechnicalArtsByLomninGddingsTheuniversityinSucre,tberenownedUniversityofSanFranciscoXavier,wasfoundedbyaJesuitpriestin1624,86Yeanafterthefoundingofthecity.
Thei"stit"tion,todayconsideredtheoldestu.
ivemityinSouthAmerica,islargelyresponsibleforthecontinentalandworldwidereputationofS"cre.
1.
itsearliestdays,theuniversity'semphasiswasonreligion,butitlaterbecameknownforlawandmedicine.
NOWtheuniversityhasawidevarietyoffacultiesanddepartments,butuntilthreeyearsago,ithadnotechnicalschools.
PeaceCorpsVolunteersarepresentlyservingasteachersandassistantsinthefacultyofmedicineandschoolsoflan-guage,finearts,nursing,chemicalengi.
"eeri"g,andthenormalschool.
ThreeVolunteers,includingmyself,areworkingfulltimeandonepart-timei"thenewschoolofchemicalengineer-ing,Thisfactisrelatedtotheneedwhichcreatedtheschool,ThroughoutSucre'shistory,humanitiesandmedicalartshavebeenemphasizedtotheneglectoftechnology,Tohelpcurethelackofskilledtechniciansandincome-producingindustriesinIhecityandprovidemoreopportunitiesforthearea'syouth,thechemical-engineeringschoolwasfoundedin1961.
ThelackofindustryinSucrealsosignalledthesevereshortageofprofes-sionaltechnicalpeopletoteachintheIocatschools.
ThePeaceCorpswasaskedtohelpeasethesituation,andatpresentfOUrVolunteersserveasphysi.
ctst,chem~cale.
gi"eer,microbiologist,andchemistryteacherintheschool.
Thereappearstobeaneedformoretechnicalassistanceinthefuture.
TherearefewproblemsofVOl.
Rteelacceptanceamon~Bolivia"students,Weareprimarilyconcernedwithproblemsarisingfromthelackoftechnicalequip-mentusedasteacbi"gaidsandtheneedofadditionalspacetobuildanewschool.
Weareattackingsomeproblemsbyin-troducingself-helpprojects,suchastheconstructionoflaboratoryapparatususedintheclassroom,andtheconstructionoflaboratorybtlildings.
Otherproblems,suchasfindingmorecampuslandandgettingaIargcrbudget,arebeingsolvedbytheuniversityitself,astheschoolmaturesandshowsitsstandardofeduca-tiona"dvaluetothecommunity.
Anoriginalmotiveforthetechnicalschool,tostimulateSucre'sindustrialdevelopmenta"dtherebycreatenewoP-poflunitiesfocitsyoungpeople,promisestoproduceresultssoon.
Anewtechnicalenvironmentisalsoleadingtoan.
ware-nessoftheuntappednaturalresourcesoftberegion.
Volunteersareworkingonseveralprojectswbicbshoulddevelopintosmallindustriesinafewyears.
Duringtherecenttwo-monthsummervacation,wetaughtstudentremedialprograms,spe-InpatiooflawschoolatuniversityinSucre,BilIGargaro(Vicksburg,Miss.
),aphysicsandmathinstructor,talkswithstudents.
FourVolunteers,includingGar-garoandLorrainGiddings(stowatleft)areassignedtotheuniversity.
Gargaroisa1960graduateofMississippiStateUniversity,holdingaB.
S.
inphysics.
cialpre-engineeringcourses,summercoursesforgrammar-andhigh-schoolstudents,andworkedonoLlrequipment-constructionprogram.
WealsohelpedVol"ntccrsengagedincommunitydevel-opmentbycoachinginsummersportsprogramsandbysupplyingtechnicalas-sistancetoanumberofbarrioprojects.
Lo,rosetrtagedi,t,7,0/ec,dcIr.
peclroscopy,e,se.
rcb.
'LittlebyLittle,YouUnderstand'BYMonicaShuttiLoad-extensionreadingsaretakenonaspringduringexperimentinphysicsclasstaughtbyStephenStark(TalIahassee,Fla.
)atUniversityofSanAndres,LaPaz.
cerioclcanYOUreallybegintowork,LookingbackonmyfirstyearinthePeace-Corps,I-candefine-periods-through-ofthe-~eonle.
'LwhichmostVoh]nleersmustpass.
Firstthereislhetimeoftrialwhenitisastr1!
g81etot,nderstandtheI;ingl,age,Thisislhcmostdifficulttime,fortherearesomanythingsYO(Iwol]ldliketosayanddo,btltcan'tfor(belackofcom-.
I.
.
icalion.
Inafewmonths,Iitllcbylittle,youbegintounderstand,a"dwilhthisgain:Inl,nderstandi"gofthepeoplelhcm.
selves—theirthoughts,lheirhopes,theirsorrowsandjoys.
Thesefirstmonthsareadj.
slmentmonths,bothphysicallyandpsychologically.
Onlyafter[hisinitialforO.
IVthen"canVO.
"wintheconfidence.
.
.
.
1"reviewingmypastsevepmonthsinS,,cre.
1canseethz[1havelearnedmorefromIheBoliviansthantheyhaveIear"edfro.
>me.
[thasbeen.
i"fact,aculturalexchange.
Ifwedon,taccom-plisha"ylhingmorethanthat,ilwillhavebeenenot,gh.
Ihaveseenbitteranti.
Americansbegintotakeaninterestinot,rPeaceCorpsprograms,andeven-tuallyjoinin.
Ihaveseenthebadim-prusionsleftbytouristsandAmericancontractorseffectivelycountered.
Mostofall,wcourselveshavechanged.
Wecameheref~dlofmiscon-GayleStandring(SanJose,Calif.
),herehelpingastudentnursetakebloodpres-sure,recentlycompletedsemiceasanursinginstructorinaLaPazhospital.
cep!
ionsandmisgivings,andhaveen-counteredawarmandwonderfulpeople.
Th7yhnve—taught'.
7patienc~-charily,a"dself-esteem,Wehavelearnedfromthemyoudon'thavetohaveacarormoneytobehappy.
Theyshowasimple,sincereloveoflifeandneighbor,adeepandcompellinggratitudeforenoughfoodandaplacetosleepO"rvaluesarecomplicated,theirsaresimple,Anotherdayoflife,.
fewmomentswithgoodfriends,that,salltheyask.
1stheren"yoneofuswhowould"o(feelbumbleintheirpresenceWehavecomeheretoserveourcountryaswellastheirs,andweare.
Thethingswewilltakebackwillbeofgreatbenefit101ssa"dAmericaforyearstocome.
Neverhave1feltclosertomycountry,norsocherishedtbepri.
ciplcsfOrwhichshestands.
OnlYnowdo1fullyunderstandwhatwehaveintheUnitedSlates—thepreciousgiftgivenk,sbyourforefathers.
Forallwehavelearned,wehavealsocontributed,Themostimportantthingwewillleavebehindisnotvisible;itisanidea—theideathatthereisdignityinworkandambition,andsatisfactionindoingforyourself.
Ifweleavethemwithjustonething—someself-confidence—itwillbemorethanworththetimewespendhere.
Mo,ricaSht,rIs,ofHo"zcstead,F/a,,cnr"eda,,R.
N.
COp.
1S(,MOV'SHOS-pital,WestPal",Beach,F/a.
,i,tSep-Iember,/96/,ondst,,diedforoyen,o"dnholf.
1dteU"ivers;tyofMiamiinop,e-,rledicn[progronz.
Shehasbe,n)vo,ki,zgi,zaSt!
c,ehoxpitolandzeach-i,t~P(,blic-heohh"tt,si"~tofot'rth-yea,"r,rsingsti(de"ts.
.
4'WhentheRightHandWashestheLeft'AVolunteerwhoservedinNigerialooksbackonhisPeaceCorpsexperienceByDavidSctdckele~efavoriteparlorsportduringthePeaceCorpstrain-ingpropamwasmakingupcockyanswerstoaquestionthatwasputtous17timesadayhytheprofessionalandidlecuriousalike:WhydidyoujointhePeaceCorpsTothePeaceCorpstrainingofficial,whoheldthepowerofdecidingourfutures,weansweredthatwewantedtohelpmaketheworldabetterplaceinwhichtolive;buttootherswewereperhapsmoretruthfulintalkingaboutpokerdebtsorafeelingthattheBronxtiowasn'tenough.
Weresentedthequestionbecausewesenseditcouldbeansweredwellonlyinretrospect.
Wehadnoideaexactlywhatweweregettinginto,anditwaslesspainfultobefacetiousthantorepeattheidealisticclich&stowhichthequestionwasalwaysaveiledinvitation.
Iamnowwhatisknownasancx-Volunteer(thereseemstobesomediffidenceabouttheword"veteran"),havingspent20nlonthsteachingattheUniversityofNi-geriaatNsukkainWestAfrica.
AndnowIamreadytoanswerthequestion,MylifeatNsukkaborelittleresenlblancetothepub-licizedimageofPeaceCorpsstoicism—thestrawmatandkerosenelampsyndrome.
Theuniversity,though50milesfromanythingthatcouldbecalledametropolis,wasalargeinternationalcommunityuntoitself,fullofEnglish-men,Indians,Pakistani,Germans,Americans,and,ofcourse,Nigerians.
Ilivedinasingleroominastudentdormitory,amoderniftreacherousbuildingwithrunningwateratleastfourdaysaweekandclec(ricitywhentheweatherwasgood.
IatcprimarilyWesternfoodinacafeteria.
IownedaIittlcnlotorcycleanddidmyshareoftravelingandroughingit,butthebulkofmylifewaslittledifferentfromuniversitylifeinlhcStates,withafewimportantexceptions.
Inthefirstplace,theuniversitywasonlyayearoldwhen1arrived,andaspiritofimprovisationwasrequiredatalltimesandinallareas,particularlytheteachingofliteraturewithoutbooks.
Thelibrarywasstillprettymuchashell,andorderedbookstookaminimumofsixweekstoarriveifonewaslucky,andInevertalkedtoanyonewhowas.
Thehappiersideofthisfranticcoinwasthatintheabsenceoforganizationmanyof"shadpracticallyunlimitedfreedominwhatandhowweweretoteach,andwemade"pourcoursesaswewentalongaccordingtowhatmaterialswereavailablea"doursenseofwhatthestudentsneeded,ThiswasatrickyfreedomwhichIstillblame,inmyweakermomc"ts,formyworstmistakes;butitalloweda"organicapproachtothepursuitofa"ideawitha]fitsnooksa"dcrannies,a"approachlongoverdueforst"de"tstrainedi"the""questioningacceptanceofrigidsylfabi,Thefonger[wastherethemore1becameinvolvedwithanucleusofstudents,a"dtheweakerbecametheimpulsetodisappearovertheweekendo"mymotorcycleinsearchofexternaladventure.
Mysociala"dprofes.
sio"allivesslowlyfusedintooneandthesamething.
Ishareda"officewithanotherVolunteer,andwewerethereafmost~VeVeveningfromaftersupperuntillateatnight,preparingclassesandtalkingtostudents,whoIcarnedthatwewerealwaysavailableforhelpintheirworkorjustbullingaround.
Wesponsoredpoetryandshort-storycontestsandfoundedaliteraryclubwhichwastheliveliest:indnlostenjoyableorganization~vceverbe-longedto,joyfullysubjecttotheimperativeofwhichallremoteareashavetheadvantage:ifYOUwanttoseeaChekhovplay,youhavetoputitonyourself.
Insomeways1wasnlorealiveintellectuallyatNsukkathan1wasatSwarthmorc,dueinpart10thefactthatIworkednlttchharderatNsukka,I'nlafraid,than1didatSwarthmore,andtoIhcfactthatonelearnsmorefromteachingthanfron>studying.
ButprincipallyithastodowiththekindofperspectivenecessaryintheteachingofWesternIitcrature,toapeopleofadifferenttradition,andtheen>pa(hyandcuriosityneces%~ryinteachingAfri-canliteraturetoAfricans.
Itisalwaysanintellectualex-periencetocrossculturalboundaries.
At(henlostelementaryIcvel,itisachallengetoseparatethoughtfrommechanicsintheworkofstudentswhoarenotwritingintheirnativeIanguagc.
Take,forexample,thefollowingparagraph,written,1wouldemphasize,notbyauniversitystudent,bt]tbyacleaningmanatthettni-versityinaspecialcourse:TITLE:Ienjoycertaintasksi".
,Yworkbutothersarenotsoenjoyable.
Itsings:*melodyinmypoormind.
whenafriendcametomeandsaidthal:Ienjoycertaintasksinmywork.
b"tothersore"01soenjoyable.
IIa(!
ghcdandc~lledhimbyhisname,thenIaskedhimwhalis[betaskinyo~lrwork.
Heansweredmc:!
ndthenadded.
foraperiodoffiveyears,Ihavebeingseriouslyconsideringwhattodotoassisthisselfasanorphan,inthisfieldofprovision.
Thathcshouldneverplaywiththetaskofhiswork.
B"totherswhoareno!
soenjoyablecouldnott,ndcrstandthebitternesstohisorphanship.
Hesaidtotboscwboarenotsoenjoyablethattheyhavenobo"ndi"gwhichhangstheirthoughtsi"adarkroom.
Iregardthispassagewithjoy,nottosayaIittlcawe,butbeneathitsexoticandlargelyunconsciouspoeticappealS;IIC.
becotlpletedirisPe[!
ceCorI>.
v.
$erviceillN;geria,Do,zidScb;ckelebnsbee,,Ii.
i,lginSri,lsonBelyselfbecause1feareditmightbcinsomewayintellectuallyoutofline.
ButmostofmyNsukkastudentshadnoideawhatwasinoroutofline,whatwasaclich~andwhatwasnot,whatcriticalattitudeswereforbiddenorencouraged(though1didmyshare,1confess,offorbiddingandencouraging).
Theywerenotatallcalculating,inasocialsense,intheirthought;Theyspokewhalwasintheirheads,withtheresultthatdiscussionhadIIlively,L!
nadultcratcd,andper-sonalqualitywhichIfoundarelieffromthenloresophisti-catedbutlessspontaneouslysinceremannerofnlanyyoungAmericanintellectuals.
11w:tsalsoalittleinfuriatingattin>cs.
Janl,afterall,aproductofn>yownculture.
But—one'ha-sonly"tS-looka~a1908–P);oenix(theSwarthnloKstudentnewspaper)[orealizehownluchsophisticationisathingofstyleandf:]shion,andhowlittleanyonefashionexhauststhepossiblewaysinwhichtheworldcanbeconfrontedandapprehended.
InNigeria,literaturebccan:ethelineofconlmerccbe-tweenmeandn>ystl!
dentsaspeople,acommoninterestandprimemoverintheconlingtogetherofwhiteAmericanandblackAfrican.
Ourswasadialoguebetweenequals,articulaterepresentativesoftwoarticulateandinmanywaysopposingherit~ges.
Becallscliteraturedealsmoredirectlywithlifethanotherartfornls,throughitIbegantoknowNigeriaasacountryandn>ystudentsasfriends.
Anidealizedcasehistorymightreadsomethinglikethis:Astudentbringsmeastoryhehaswritten,perhapsautobiographical,aboutlifeinhisvillage.
1harrumphmywaythroughanumberoffornlalcriticisms,andstartaskingquestionsaboutcustomsinhisvillagethathaveabearingonthestory.
Soonweareexchangingchildhoodreminiscencesortalkingaboutgirlsoverabottleofbeer.
Eventuallywetraveltogethertobishome,whereImeetbisfamilyandliveinhishouse.
Andthenwhatbegan,perhaps,asaratherbookishinterestincomparativeculturebecomesarealinvolvementinthatculture,sothateachnewinsightdoesnotmerelyaddtoone'sstoreofknowl.
edge,butcarriesthepowerofgivingpainorpleasure.
Ifthereisanylessoninthis,itissimplythatnorealin-tellectualunderstandingcanexistwithoutasenseofidenti-ficationatsomedeeperlevel.
1thinkthisiswhatthePeaceCorps,whenitislucky,accomplishes.
Thissenseofidentificationisnotamysteriousthing.
OnceatNsukka,afterstrugglingtoexplainthesocialandintellectualbackgroundofsomeclassicWesternliterature,IbeganteachingamodernNigeriannovel,Achege'sNoLongerAtEase.
Jwasstruckbytheconcretenessofthefirstcomnlen:sfromtheclass:"ThatplacewheretbeLagostaxidriverrunsoverthedogbecausehethinksit'sgoodlucki!
'sreallylikethat.
.
"Itseemsthatthejoyofsimplerecogni[io"inartismorethananacci-dentalattribute—nottherecognitionofuniversals,butofdogsandtaxicabs.
BeforegoingtoAfricaIreadanotherbookbyAchebc,TII;ngsFallApar{.
Ienjoyedit,andUtasgladtolearnsomethingaboutIboculture,butIthoughtitamediocrcworkofarl.
Ireadtbebookagaina[theendofmystayinNigeriaandsuddenlyfounditanexceptionalworkofart.
Itwasnolongeraculturaldocu-ment,butabookabouttrees1hadclimbedandhousesJhadvisitedin.
ItisnotthatInowignoredartisticdefectsthroughsentimentality,butthatnlyen>pathyrevealedartistic\tirtuesthathadpreviouslybeenhiddenfromme.
Wei"An>ericaknowtoomuchabouttherestoftheworld.
Subjectedtoaconstantbarrageofinformationfrombooks,TV,photographers,weknowhowEskimoscatchbearsandbowpeoplecomeofageinSamoa.
Wegatherourimagesofthewholeworldaroundusandsuccumbtotheiltusionofbeingcosmopolitan,WestudycomparativeliteratureandreadbookslikeZenatldTIIeArIOJArcl]eryandthinkofourselvesascitizensoftheworld,wbc"actuallyvastreadingissimplythehallmarkofourparochialism.
NomatterhowmanyYogakickswegoon,wcslillinterpreteverythingthroughthepatternofourownAnlericanexistenceandintellectualtraditions,gleaningonlydisembodiedideasfromothercultttres.
lf,astbecriticsh~veit,ideasareinseparablefromtheirstyleofexpression,itiscquollytrue,intbecultur~tsense,that_ideasare–inseparablefrom_themannerand.
.
place.
in.
whichtheyarelived.
This,tome,isthemeaningofthePeaceCorpsasanewfrontier.
Itistbecalltogo,notwherenlanbasneverbeenbefore,butwherehehasliveddifferently,thecalltoexperiencefirsthandtheintricaciesofadifferentculture,tounderstandfromtheinsideratherthantheoutside,andtotestthelimitsofone'sownwayoflifeagainstanotherintbcsamemannerastheoriginalpioneertestedtbelimitsofhisenduranceagainsttheele-ments,Thisisperhapsanimpossibleideal,surelyim-possibleinibenarrowSCOPCoftwoyears;butitwasanadventure,justtbesame,Itwasanadventuretorealize,forinstance,towhatextentironyisanattribute,evenacondition,ofWesternlifeandthought,andtolivefornearlytwoyearsinasocietyinwhichirony,asaforce,ispracticallynonexistent.
Butthatistoocomplexathingtogetstartedonrightnow.
Hundredsof23-Vear.
OldSpiesL!
featNsukkawasnotalwaystheeasiestthingintheworld,andthefriendships1talkofsocavalierlywerenottheworkofaday.
OurgrouparrivedatNsukkashortlyafterthePeaceCorps'firstbgpublicitybreak,thefamousPostCardIncident,whichwasstillverymuchonNigerianminds.
Wewerealwaystreatedwithasenseofnaturalfriendlinessandhospitality,buttherewasalsoquiteabitofunderstandablemistrust.
Nigeriabecameanationonlyin1960,andthepresentuniversitygenerationisonebredonthestruggleforindependenceandtbeappropriateslogansandattitudes.
Itendedtofeelguiltyratherthandefensive,exceptwhentbeaccusationswerepatentlyridiculous,suchastheideathatwewereallmasterspies—hundredsof23-year-oldmasterspies+rwhenfactswerepurposefullyignored,asinthestatementthatthePeaceCorpswasrunbytheCIA.
Americaisalarge,rich,powerful,feared,andenviednation;Nigeriaisanewcoun-trynaturallyjealousofitsindependenceandautonomy.
18AtNsukka,DavidSchickele(left)poseswithtwoNigerianfriendsandfellowVolunteerRogerLandrum(ReedCity,Mich.
).
Allthingsconsidered,1alllalittlea">azedattheopennessandfranknessofourreception.
Therewereotherproblems.
ManyNigerianshaveanoverdevelopedsenseofstatusandfoundithardtobelievethatwewerepaidpracticallynothing.
Manyreasonedthatbecausewelivedinthedormitorieswiththestudentsinsteadofinbighousesas[herestofthefaculty,wemustbesecond-raters,ormisfitsthatAmericawasfobbingoffonthem,Butinsofaraswemadenamesforourselvesasgoodteachers,andmadeourselvesaccessibleaspeople(somethingthatfewofmyfriendshadiverknownawhitemantodo),oureventualacceptanceintothecommunitywasassured.
ShortlyafterourarrivalapetitioncirculatedamongthestudentsaskingtheadministrationtodismissthePeaceCorps.
Monthslater,sludentgrievanceseruptedintoariot(hatforcedtheschooltoclosedew"formorethantwoweeks,buti"thelonglistofgrievances,thePeaceCorpswasnotnowmentioned.
Idonotwishtoimplythatwesawo"themover,,;indeed,1thinktheywonusoverinthefinalanalysis,It'sjustthattheintrasigenceofourpreco"ceptionsofourselvesandothersgraduallydissolvedintoakindofaffectionatecon-fusion.
IdeasoftentrytolivealifeoftheirOW",in-dependentofandseparatefromthepeopleandobjectswithwhichtheysupposedlydeal.
Intheintellectalonetheyareself-proliferating,likefungusunderglass,withoutregardforwhattheweatherisdoingoutside,ButthekindofpersonalcontactwehadwithNigerianshelpedbreakupthefalsebuttressingofformalthought,andwhenthathappens,personalfrictioncreatesawarmthconducivetofurtherunderstanding,andnotaheatwithwhichtolightincendiaryfires,Aglassofbeerca"makethedifferencebetweenfanaticsandworthyopponents.
.
1wasatfirstsurprisedbyhowlittle1feltthepresenceofanyracialfeelinginNigeria.
WhatlittleIdidnoticehadakindofsecond-handquality,asifitweremerelyaprincipledidentificationwiththeAmericanNegro,orahistoricalcommitment.
Thoughwell-informedaboutcivilrightseventsintheUnitedStates,,mostNigerians1talkedtoshowedlittleunderstandingofthestateofmindoftheAmericanNegroasdifferentiatedfromthemselves.
MostNigerianshavehadlittlecontactwithhardcoreprejudice19backedbysocialforce.
Theyhavegoodreasontoresent,sometimestohate,thewhitemaninAfrica,buttheyhaveneverbeensubjected,asapeople,tothekindofdaily~dlifelonginjusticethatconfrontstheAmericanNegro.
Racialfeelingsometimescropsupinstrangecircurn.
stances.
Afriendwritesme,"BeforeNsukka,theonlywhites[hadeverknownwerereverendfathersinschmlwhointerpretedeverythingIdidasasuresignoffast-appro~chingeternaldamnation.
.
"inAfricaaSi"Anlerjcaallwhilesare,toacertainextent,guiltyuntilproveninnocent,butinaveryshorttimewewerejokingaboutourrespectivecolorswithafreedomandlevitywhichisnotalwayspossibteinAmerica.
Colorhasitsownpurepower,too;and1soonfeltashamedofmychalky,pallidskinagainslthesplendoroftheAfrican's,MuchhasbeenwrittenrecentlyaboutthecontradictoryfeelingsoftheNegrotowardthewhiteman—hatinghim,andyetbuyingfacialcreamstobenlorctikehinl,and1thinkthesamesortofcontradictoryrelationshipexistsinNigeria,butwithaculturalratherthanaracialbasis.
TheAfricanstand:inaverydelicatepsychologicalpositionbe-tweenWesternindustrialcultureandhisown,Heisdrivendifferently,thecnlltoexperiencefirsthandtheintricaciestoaconlparativeevaluationandmustbuildasocietyoutofhisdecisions.
Americaisnotsonluchinterestedinchangingasexportingilssociety;Nigeriaisinterestedinchange,andisofnecessitynluchlessparochialthanour-selvesinthesourcesofitsinspiration,TheOnlyThingThatCutsaLittleIce"Africacaughtbetweentwoworl~'—itisaclichi,butitisnojoke,ToIheraceproblenlitisatleastpossibletopostulateanidealresolution:racialequalityandtheeliminationofintolerance.
Butinitscultural.
aspect—thestrugglebetweenAfricantraditionsandtheheritageoftheWest—thereisnoindisputableresolution,noteveninthemind.
If1havelearnedanythingfromlivinginNi-geria,itisthettnenviablycomplexanddifficultpositioninwhichtheyoungNigerianfindshinlselkandif1havelearnedanythingfromthepoemsandstorieswrittenbymystudents,itistheincrediblegrace,honesty,andsome-timespowerwithwhichmanyNigeriansareexaminingthemselves,theirpast,andtheirfuture.
1don'tknowhowfriendshipfitsintoallthis,butsomehowitdoes.
Myinstinc[srevoltagainstthewholeideaofhavingtoprove,insomemechanisticorquantita-tiveway,thevalueofthePeaceCorps.
Iftheaimistohelppeople,1understandthatinthesenseoftheIboproverbwhichsaysthatwhentherighthandwashestheIefthand,therighthandbecomescleanalso,E,M,Forsterhassaidthat"loveisagreatforceinprivatelife,"butinpublicaffairs,"itdoesnotwork,Thefactiswecanonlylovewhatweknowpersonally,a"dwecannotknowmuch,Theonlythingthatcutsalittleiceisaffection,orthepossibilityofaffection,"IonlyknowthatwhenIaminfuriatedbysomearticleinaNigeriannewspaper,IcansummonupcountlessimagesofdustycyclerideswithPaulOkpokam,readingpmtrywithGloryNwanodi,danc-inganddrinkingpalmwinewithGabrielOgar,anditsuddenlymattersverymuchthatIgobeyondmyannoy-ancetosomekindofunderstanding.
ThatmyNigerianfriendstrustmeisnoreasonforthemtotrustWashington,orforgiveBirmingham;butsomethingistherewhichwasnottherebefore,andwhichtheworldisthebetterforhaving.
CareerOpportunitiesEachmonth,thePeaceCorpsVol-unteerCareerInformationService,abranchofthetivisionofVolunteerSupport,sendstoVolunteersabullttinlistingpost-servicecareeropportunities.
Volunteersintheirlastyearofservicehavebeenaskedtosendinregistrationcards(availablefromRepresentatives)inordertoobtainindividualassistance.
InquiriesshoutdbeaddressedtoCISincareoftheDivisionofVolunteerSupport,PeaceCorps,Washington,D.
C.
20525.
FollowingisaselectionfromthecurrentCareerOpportunitiesBulletin,whichshouldbecons.
ltedforcompletelistings:EducationVolunteersAroundtheWorld~AININGCostaRica61DominicanRepublic49ElSalvador.
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36India.
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39LatinAmerica.
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38Liberia.
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47Pem.
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63Thailand110Turkey.
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–-.
-----30TOTAL3NTRA3N3NG.
—473TOTALOVERSEAS.
–-.
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8099GRANDTOTAL.
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93723519.
FimreswofJn.
31,1965.
20ARosterPreparedforAntipovertyEmploymentArosierofVolunteersinterestedi"employmentwiththefederalandlocalagencieswhichwilladministerthePresi.
dentsantipovertyprogramisbeingpre.
paredbythePeaceCorpsVolunteerCareerInformationService.
Tobelistedo"theroster,Volunteersshouldsubmitapplicationsthro.
gbtheCareerlnformalio"Service.
Applicalio"blankswerecarriedi"arecentC.
I.
S.
B.
1.
)elin,andmavalsobeobtainedbvwrit-ing10C.
I,S,,"PeaceCorps.
Wasb~"gton,D.
C.
20525.
Employmentisavailableinsixpro-grams:.
CommunityActionprogramsi"cities,ruralareas,andIndianreservationswilloflerjobsaste.
cbers,literacyi"-slructors,curriculumplanners,recrea-tionalandvocationalinslr"clors,em-ploymentco.
"selors.
andalso~e"eral.
Omm"nity-developmentpositions.
.
JobCorpsRuralCenters,enrollingyoungmenfrom16to12,willhavepositionsformenasguidancecounselorsandbasiced.
ca[io"a"dco"secva!
ionin.
structors.
PeaceCorpsteachingexperi.
Otherence,oramaster,sdegreearerequiredforemployment.
q10bCorpsUrbanCentenformenwillneedi"stmctorsi"vmationalskills,physicaled"ca!
ion,a"dacademicsubjects.
.
JobCorpsResidentialCentersforwomenwillhaveemploymentopport""i-tiesforinstructorsineducation,occupa.
tionaltraining.
home-andfamily-lifeeducation,health,[hearts,recreation,andpostsi"guidanceandcounseling.
h{arciedcouples,whowouldliveatthecenters,areespeciallyencouragedtoapply.
.
Work.
trai.
ingprograms,todevelopworktrai"i"gunderlocalnonprofitage".
tiesforyoungmena"dwomenwholiveathomewhileatte"din~courses,haveemploymc"tope"i"gssimilartotheCommunityActionprograms,.
VISTAhasstaffopeningsforworkwithvol.
"teersassignedwithmigrant-laborcamps,India.
reservatio"~,me"tal-heal!
hprograms,andi"U.
S.
1,.
s1tec-rilories.
Someadministrativepositionsqrealsoavailablei"programplan"i"ganddevelopment.
selectionandplace.
mc"t.
lrai"ingandvol,,"teersupport,CareersinWorldAffairsVolunteersinterestedinexploringworldwidejobopport""itiesmayfindusefula"CW52-pagedirectoWon.
.
Ca-reeminWorldAflairs,"publishedasaspecialfeatureofInlerco"a,handbookof(heForeignPolicyAssociation.
Thehandbookisi.
cl"dedinc"rre"tLPeaceCorpsbooklockersandCareerUbraries.
Addi[io.
alcopitsmayb.
ob-tainedbywritingtheCareerl"forma-tionService.
DivisionofVol""teerSup-port,PeaceCorps,Washington,D.
C.
20525.
21,,,,'LettersExamine'BlandVolunteer'(CO,tliptited/rort,page2)thiswouldcertainlybethe"wrongatti-tude"(andthisisfrompersonalexperi-ence).
1wonderifJohnKennedycouldhavepassedselectionPerhapstheSelectionofficiolsfeelthatthisabilitytoplay-acltoavaguelyunder-stoodnormisagoodcriterionof"flexi-bility:butIsubmitthepriceistooheavyingoodVolunteers.
Atanyrate,theresearchersinSelectionmightal1,.
s1reqi,irethmtsomeofthese"extremepeople"bepassed,followingsuggestionsoftheRepresentatives,toseehowtheyactuallydostackupinthefield.
IsLls-pecttheirfailurera!
ewouldbenohigherthantheaverageandtheiraccomplish-mentrateconsiderablyhigher.
Ithasalwaysbeentbe"extremelyoe"thatchangedoursocietybyhiswrceptionandaction,andwesholddn'tdenyhim[othecountriesthatneedhim.
LORRAING!
DDINCSSucre,BoliviauDUToTHEVOLUNTEER;-The"BlandVolunteer.
'dcsc7ibed"in-Mr.
Berlew'sarticleis,intheopinionof(hiswriter,verylikelytobetypicalofamajorityoftheVoh,nteersservingabroadtoday.
Theremustbeanunderlyingcauseforthissituationsomewhereout-sideofthecontributingfactorslistedinthear[icle.
Panoftheblamemustbeassignedtoourincreasinglyblandsocietywhich,asitbecomesmorecomplex,putsanin-creasedemphasisonthedesirabilityofconformityasoneoftheprimeattributesforst~ccess.
Thistrendiscertainly"otrevecsedinthepresenrmethodsofselec.
tion,training,andfieldadministrationofPeaceCorpsVolunteers.
However,evenwithalloftheserathernegativeinffu-e.
ces,mostVolunteersprobablywouldn'tbesoblandiftheagencycouldfinallymakeupitscollectivemindastowhetherthefirsldulyoftbeVolunteershallbetohisjobortohisimage.
**.
ThePeaceCorps'ambivalenceregard-ingprimarypurpose,principalmission,chieffieldsofemphasis+allitwhatYOUwill—mustcertainlyhamperRepresenta-tivesintheday-to-dayoperationoftheirprojects.
HowcanheproperlyevaluateorsupporttheperformanceofhisVolun-teersunlessheknows,positivelyandunequivocally,wbelbertheyaresuP-,,posedtobeattemptingtosolveproblems(oratleastcausingtheproperauthoritiestobecomeawareofthem)ormerelylearninghowtolivegracefullywith!
heseproblemsAfterall,thebureau-cratsinalltheareasinwhichweworkdotbelatterwellandhavebeendoingit,oftenforcenturies.
IftheRepresentativedecidestooptforimagehewillendupwithahighdronepercentage,tbelowesleemofsomecowcientiousVolunteersandlocalofficiatsandtoomanyblandVol.
nteem.
Ifhegoesintooheavilyforperformanceheisinforevenmoretroublesinceeveryonefromthetraininginstitutionto(helocalempire-builderwitlbeunhappy.
LackingclearanddefiniteguidelinesisilanywonderthattbeRepresentativemayerrmcasionallyin[hedireclionwhichoffersthefewestproblemsFromanotherangle,andthisagaingoesbacktoambivalenceatthetoP,iftheagencyreallywantsdoersandnotblandexistersthenitmighthwelliftheVolunteersweretreatedasadults.
TbeBigBrothersystemmayprotectthevin"eofafewsusceptiblefemalesandthehealthofsomedrive.
inCasanovas;itmightevensavealifenowandthenamongthena'iveorlhestupid.
Onethingcerv.
in,however,isthatitirritatesanddisguststheremaining98percentoftheVolunteers.
WithBiEBrotherwatchi.
syou,whatcanyo~bebutblan~–—.
—AnimatedCAREPackageftmaywellbethaleventhePeaceCorpspolicyonin-countrylivingallow-ancescontributestoVolunteerblandness.
IfaVolunteeristobesomethingmorethananinterestedandvaguelyusefulspectatorduringbistourofdutythenhemustbcprovidedwithallthetoolsneces.
sarytoenablehimtodohisjob.
Whetherwelike10admilitornot,moneycanoftenbeaveryusefwithoutpayingforil—[ha"asameansofuprootingoldntti.
ludesandopeningminds.
Thesameco"secvatism,orpra~matism,affectsAmerica"officialsaswell.
PeaceCorpsstaffmemberslookforevidenceofchange,butchangesinpeople,satlit.
desa"dmolivalio"s,arehardtoide"fify.
Toooften,then,theyselfleforam"repalpable'amongVol"ntecrsandstaffcalledforinBcrlew.
sarticle.
BlandVolunteersmakeforblandtalk-speciallyiftheyarecontinuallybewitchedbytheimageoftheBlandVol"nleer,—ByEFREk(StatenIsland,N.
Y,)ThirdAnnualRepotiThethird.
.
.
".
1PeaceCorpsReport,a92-pagebooklet,is"OWbeingdistrib.
utedtoVolunteerhouseholds.
ThedocumentisthePreside"t'sreporttoCongressforthePeaceCOrPs'fiscalyearendin~J.
"e.
1964.
ReportsandpholograpbsfromVolunteersi"thefieldandthosealreadyreturnedtotheU.
S.
areincltjdedinthisyear'sprese"talion,Thereporthasbee.
translatedinto,,"SpanishandFrencheditions.
TameToupeefinyplaceyouhangyourhatishomefortheMalaysianslowIoris,a"a~~om.
modati"gfellow.
Dr.
CharlesW.
Parton,DeputyPeaceCorpsRepresentativeinSabah,tendstobusinessinJesseltonashispet,aIa"guidmemberofthenocturnalIernurfamily,snoozes,Dr.
Parto"isfromGlastonbury,Corm.
CHANGEOFAOORESSPOSTAGEANOFEESPAIOPEACECORPSWASHINGTON,O.
C,20525NameAddressCity,State,ZipCode.
,