Peace Corps: The Great Adventure

Peace Corps

an interesting collection of stories written by Returned PC Volunteers

Peace Corps The Great Adventure

The Peace Corps 1997

Twenty-eight first-person stories, recount the unique experience of being a Peace Corps Volunteer. Compelling, inspiring, sometimes funny, often poignant, these stories represent the breadth of Peace Corps work, the countries it serves, and its Volunteer diversity. Together, the stories reflect the adventure, the cross-cultural exchange, the personal growth, and the deep friendships forged as part of the Peace Corps Volunteers journey. The book begins with a Foreword by Peace Corps Director, Gaddi H. Vasquez that conveys the work of Peace Corps Volunteers and how they exemplify living a life inspired” Stories are presented within three themes: 
<ul>
<li>Making a difference</li> <li>Life is calling</li> <li>Window to the world </li>
</ul>

A Life Inspired: Tales of Peace Corps Service

Travel

Peace Corps (U.S.)

The history of Tanzania begins with the dawn of our species. Most experts agree that the earliest humans originated in fertile regions of East Africa. Cushitic-speaking people from southern Ethiopia migrated through the eastern part of the Great Rift Valley into north central Tanzania during the first millennium B.C. Early cattle herders found an unoccupied niche in the virgin grasslands and coexisted with the Khoisan hunters and gatherers who were already there. During the first millennium A.D., Bantu-speaking peoples originating from west central Africa filtered into western Tanzania and the fertile volcanic mountains of the northeast. These iron-working cultivators preferred wetter areas and thus avoided the dry savannas that were already occupied by hunters, gatherers and pastoralists. Early residents of Tanzania’s coastal region experienced heavy Eastern, rather than African, cultural influences, developing a different culture from the people living in the interior. Merchants from Egypt, Assyria, Phoenicia, Greece, India, Arabia, Persia, and China were already visiting this region during the first century A.D. By the ninth century, Arabs and Shirazi Persians were significant traders on the coast, and large numbers of them settled on the offshore islands. In time, the Arab and Shirazi communities intermingled with the Bantu-speaking mainland groups and a new culture — the Swahili — was born. During the late 19th century, European explorers and missionaries used Zanzibar as a point of departure for the mainland. Their travels helped define future colonial boundaries and paved the way for Protestant and Roman Catholic missionaries. In its desire to establish an economic and political foothold among other European powers, a newly unified Germany entered mainland Tanzania in 1884 and signed a series of agreements with local rulers that ceded administrative and commercial protection to Germany. With the onset of World War I, Germany lost control of mainland Tanzania. Great Britain took over and renamed the mainland Tanganyika. In 1922, the League of Nations consigned Tanganyika to the British Empire under its mandate system. It was not until 1961 that Tanganyika gained independence from Britain, with Julius Nyerere serving as the country’s first president. In January 1964, revolutionary forces overthrew the sultan of Zanzibar, and three months later, the mainland and the islands of Zanzibar joined to become the United Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzania: A Peace Corps Publication

Business & Money

Job Hunting & Careers

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

History and Future of Peace Corps Programming in ZambiaRural Aquaculture Promotion (RAP) ProjectVolunteers are helping the Department of Fisheries to develop fish-farming projects that will improve livelihoods inrural communities. After determining rural farmers’ needs and resources, Volunteers provide technical assistance inestablishing dams, furrows, fishponds, and integrated agriculture. In addition to providing an excellent source of nutrition for rural families, surplus fish and agricultural products are sold to provide substantial supplementary income. Volunteers provide training in small agribusiness skills to assist farmers in applying a business orientation toward their farming activities. Volunteers also help build the organizational development capacity of fish-farmingassociations.

Zambia in Depth: A Peace Corps Publication

To be eligible for service, you must be: •• At least 18 years old •• A U.S. citizen Volunteers have a variety of skills, work experience, and education levels—90 percent have at least an undergraduate degree. There is no upper age limit. The average age of Volunteers is 28. Currently, the oldest Volunteer is over 80. The benefits of being a Volunteer are many, including the following Peace Corps provisions: •• Student loan assistance •• A “readjustment” allowance of $7,425 (pre-tax) upon completion of service •• Language, cross-cultural, and technical training •• Travel to and from country of service •• A monthly living and housing allowance •• Medical and dental care •• 48 paid vacation days •• Leave for family emergencies •• Graduate school opportunities such as scholarships, credit for service, fellowships, and internships •• Transition and job support and social networking after service •• Advantages in federal employment The Peace Corps recommends that you submit your application as early as possible so we can match your skills to openings as they become available. Plan ahead and apply nine months to a year in advance of your desired date of departure.

By about 1700, the ancestors of today’s Batswana (citizens) were established as self-sufficient herders, farmers, and hunters. Their first contact with Europeans was through missionaries in the early 19th century. After hostilities broke out between the Batswana and expansionist Afrikaners from South Africa in the last quarter of that century, the tribal chiefs asked the British for assistance. The British responded and, in 1885, proclaimed a protectorate in what was then called Bechuanaland. They retained colonial control until 1966. Bechuanaland played a prominent role in the British penetration of Central Africa in the 19th century. Cecil Rhodes called the region the “Suez Canal to the north” and considered it vital to his plans for territorial expansion. British interests in Bechuanaland were primarily strategic, and internal affairs were handled with more or less benign neglect.  Under British authority, local tribal governments were allowed to continue, with chiefs retaining much of their authority. With the establishment of separate advisory councils representing Africans and Europeans in 1920, the evolution of modern self-government began. In 1951, a joint advisory council was formed, consisting of both European and African members. Over the years these advisory bodies were consulted on a constantly expanding range of matters.  By 1964 the British were prepared to accept a system of internal self-government. Seretse Khama, the British educated heir to the chieftainship of the Bangwato (which he forfeited) and a former enemy of the British Empire, was elected as the first prime minister and, subsequently, first president. He is revered for his nonpartisan politics and for leading the country to full independence in 1966. Botswana has had orderly presidential transitions, beginning with Quett Ketumile Masire, who followed Khama, then Festus Mogae, and currently Lt. General Seretse Khama Ian Khama (son of the first president), who took office on April 1, 2008.

Botswana in Depth: A Peace Corps Publication

Madagascar, as the fourth largest island in the world, is often called the “eighth continent.” Madagascar has been settled in the past 200 years by people from Asia and Africa, yet its culture is neither African nor Asian, but an intriguing blend of the two that is uniquely Malagasy. With thousands of species of plants and animals that exist only on this island, Madagascar is considered a global environmental “hot spot.” From an evolutionary perspective, it is “the path not taken” and is justly considered by many to be a world treasure to be preserved for future generations. While Madagascar supports a fairly large human population whose presence often threatens the environment, the Malagasy work hard at conserving their natural heritage while maintaining their culture and lifestyle.

Madagascar in Depth: A Peace Corps Publication

Africa

Panamá’s early history was shaped by the ambitions of European powers. In 1501, Rodrigo de Bastidas of Spain conducted the first European exploration of Panamá. One year later, Christopher Columbus visited Panamá and established a settlement in the Darien province. In 1513, Vasco Nuñez de Balboa discovered that the isthmus was indeed the path between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Panamá quickly became the crossroads of Spain’s empire in the New World, serving as the transfer point for gold and silver being shipped from South America and Spain.

Panama in Depth: A Peace Corps Publication

Central America

Almost no archaeological research has been done in Paraguay, and the pre-Columbian history of the country is poorly documented. What is certain is that the eastern part of the country was occupied by Guaraní Indians for at least 1,000 years before the Spanish conquest. Evidence indicates that those indigenous inhabitants developed a fairly sophisticated level of political autonomy, with quasi-sedentary, multi-village chiefdoms. The first Spaniards settled in the territory in the 16th century. They were predominantly young men, as few women followed them to the relatively unpromising region. Following the Spaniards’ assumption of power, a mixed, or mestizo, population developed that spoke the language of their indigenous mothers but adopted many of the cultural norms of their Spanish fathers. The country’s colonial history was one of general calm punctuated by turbulent political events. The colony was economically unimportant to the Spanish crown, and the distance of its capital from other new cities on the continent virtually ensured the territory’s isolation. Paraguay declared its independence from Spain in 1811. From independence onward, the country has had a fascinating history of dictatorial governments, from the utopian regime of José Gaspar de Francia (El Supremo) to the suicidal reign of Francisco Solano López, who nearly devastated the country in warfare against the combined forces of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay from 1865 through 1870. The so-called War of the Triple Alliance ended in the near annihilation of Paraguay and set the stage for the formation of a two-party (Colorado vs. Liberal) political system that continues today. Following political turmoil during the first three decades of the 20th century, Paraguay went to war again, this time with Bolivia. From 1932 to 1935, approximately 30,000 Paraguayans and 65,000 Bolivians died while fighting over possession of the Chaco region. Modern-day Paraguayans look with pride on their history of surviving devastating wars and rebuilding their country in the face of great odds. On the other hand, initiative and creativity were stifled for many years during the rule of a series of dictators. From 1870 to 1954, Paraguay was ruled by 44 different men, 24 of whom were forced from office. In 1954, General Alfredo Stroessner took advantage of the strong link between the armed forces and the Colorado Party to overthrow the government; he ruled until 1989. Although there is little ethnic strife to impede social and economic progress, there is social conflict caused by underemployment and the enormous gap between the rich and the poor. Positive steps to correct these inequities have occurred since the 1989 ousting of the last dictator, and the country is moving toward a fully functioning democracy. However, the tradition of hierarchical  organizational structures and generous rewarding of political favors prevails.

Paraguay in Depth: A Peace Corps Publication

South America

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