Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007 - (Page 27)

When I go to Maun, I sometimes ride in an official vehicle driven by Puso, Snoop, Philip, or Robust. ey are remarkable teachers in cultural mythologies and politics, and their eyesight for spotting wildlife is like none I’ve ever experienced. en there is the bus. When I’m not sitting, I am standing and struggling with balance, space, and fresh air like everyone else in the aisle for three to four hours depending on the frequency of stops and for elephants, donkeys, cattle and goats standing in the road. Every 60 days or so, I receive a care package from my loving family and friends filled with a variety of delights, an ever-present reminder of the two dramatically different worlds I straddle. As I revel in the French roast coffee, organic tea leaves, candied walnuts with cranberries, Velveeta cheese, music and photo CDs, spiritual reading material, dried sage, body butters, a jar of jalapeno jelly, a New York Times and Mardi Gras beads, I imagine what my loved ones were thinking while packing it up. I’m usually quite tearful, feeling swathed in a veil of love as I empty the box on the dining room table for a personal thanksgiving. My children support this venture unconditionally. After all, they had heard me talk about the Peace Corps most of their lives, knowing I would someday submit an application to follow my heart’s leading. Yes, the timing of my service sucked, conflicting with my second grandson Aidan’s first year of life; he was only five weeks old when I left. But we all agreed that it would be better for me to go while my grandsons were young because we all have plans about the role their Nana will play in their future. Patience is the key to life in Okavango. Waiting is a fundamental way of daily living from hitching a ride, waiting your turn in the hospital queue, or purchasing stamps, to getting office supplies, your phone call returned, or a meeting started. However, waiting also provides a great opportunity to practice my formal greetings, meet new people, and catch up on the local gossip. Reports will show up on my desk when officials or their assistants do them, rarely when they are due. People show up when they’re ready. ere is a knowing when it’s time to begin and when it’s time to end, regardless of what it says on the clock. It’s a way of life to which I am adapting. Paula Kaye has worked for more than 30 years in conflict mediation, behavorial health and consulting for non-profits and businesses. Letter from Ridder BIG LETDOWN A naturalist’s preserve in Kazakhstan M by Robert Robles y Peace Corps experience began in 2005 with the dreaded 50-plus medical clearance exam, a very traumatic experience involving an invasive rectal exam. After a couple of failed medical exams, some tooth extractions and a few self-imposed lifestyle changes to meet Peace Corps’ health and fitness requirements, I ended up going to Kazakhstan as a naturalist in a town near the West-Altai Nature Preserve. It was early in the morning and still dark in Kazakhstan when 80 trainees and our luggage were loaded in very old buses and driven through the dark and bumpy streets of Almaty. It was surreal. We were excited, tired, dazed and confused, disorientated and suddenly in a strange country. I struggled to get a glimpse of my new home, but to no avail. To my surprise, all I could see was a lot of people walking like zombies through the dark streets at such an early-morning hour. It was like being kidnapped, blindfolded, herded into buses, and swiftly transported to an unknown place. e big letdown began before reaching Almaty. When we gathered in Philadelphia I realized I was an older volunteer sitting through an endless array of useless training and orientation seminars designed for young college grads with no real professional or personal life experience. In Almaty, I eventually came to realize that I was the only baby boomer in our group. e average age of most volunteers is about 23. Suddenly, I understood that there was no other choice than to patiently wade through painfully boring lectures of pre-service training. I began to feel a little alienated and under-represented for my age group, and, as cool as I think I am, there was a definite generation gap between me and my fellow volunteers. I was under the impression, as stated by John F. Kennedy, that “the Peace Corps would send only people who were qualified to do the jobs requested by host countries.” e big letdown was over as soon as we reached Ridder, an old mining town of 70,000 that was once called Leninogorsk. My vision of landing in a town in dire straights was suddenly dashed. My expectations of living in hardship and surrounded by needy people turned out to be a joke. Ridder, which is about 20 hours from Almaty–13 by train, three by taxi and Northwest Medical Teams) This Christian organization sends licensed professionals to work around the world in medical, dental or disaster response capacities. Nonmedical teams address chronic poverty and other community development issues. Except for emergency response teams, whose expenses are covered, volunteers must pay for their typically two- to four-week service. www.medicalteams.org. Partners of the Americas Volunteers with experience in such areas as agriculture & natural resources; civil society & governance; gender & equality; youth & children; and other programs must locate their local U.S. chapter and work through its partner in Latin America or the Caribbean. Assignments are usually two to three weeks; special arrangements can be made through the national office. Benefits: airfare, travelrelated expenses, lodging, in-country transportation, meals, insurance, some supplies. www.partners.net. United Nations Volunteers Humanitarian aid specialists, senior business leaders and professionals from various other sectors target Millennium Development Goals worldwide. Competitive applications are sought in the fields of public policy, human resources, environmental studies, micro-credit, medicine, crisis prevention and more. Benefits: living allowance, insurance, resettlement grants, airfare. www.unv.org. Visions in Action Both entry-level and experienced volunteers work in many fields, including agriculture, education, architecture, youth and more. Placements require six to 12 months in Mexico, South Africa, Tanzania, Liberia or Uganda. Program fee covers housing and insurance; long-term volunteers also receive small stipend. www.visionsinaction.org Volunteers for Economc Growth VEGA specializes in WorldView 27 http://www.medicalteams.org http://www.partners.net http://www.unv.org http://www.visionsinaction.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007

Worldview - Fall 2007
Contents
Presiden'ts Note
Lafayette Park
Introduction
Interview
Commentary
Editor's Note
Letter from Rumbek, Sudan
Listings
Letter from Yekaterinburg, Russia
Letter from Codaesti, Romania
Letter from Catia La Mar, Venezuela
Letter from Gumare, Botswana
Letter from Ridder, Kazakhstan
Letter from Rincon, Cape Verde
Letter from Port Au Prince
Another Country
Community News
Giving Back
Opinion

Worldview Magazine - Fall 2007

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