By Admin1 (admin) on Sunday, May 18, 2003 - 12:25 pm: Edit Post |
I just thought of myself as being part of an adventure as a member of the first Peace Corps group that went to Peru
I just thought of myself as being part of an adventure as a member of the first Peace Corps group that went to Peru
The Nation Could Learn a Lesson From the Corps
To the Editor,
Many years ago, I found myself part of the alianza para el progresso at the beginning of the Kennedy administration. I just thought of myself as being part of an adventure as a member of the first Peace Corps group that went to Peru. I wanted to live in and learn about another culture. Oh, yes, I also wanted to escape the draft and the potential of becoming cannon fodder in Vietnam.
These were the early days of the Peace Corps, when it was experimental for the administration as well as the volunteers. We helped build the training camp in Puerto Rico, and our arrival in Peru was delayed many months because of an overthrow of a newly elected government by four generals, one of whom I subsequently met. He tried to eliminate the other three.
We all have intriguing, funny and sometimes sad stories to tell. Most important for me was an education about myself, about gaining perspective about people, cultures and language. And let's not leave out food! Also, it taught me about my own education. We were a different element of American life. We crossed class barriers, sometimes naively, but there was no reason to worry.
I gasp and even choke when I hear phrases such as "axis of evil," bring "a Democratic model to the Middle East" and "old European nations." I have the impression that risk analysis comes out of a computer model from people who have never lived outside their own culture. I also wonder about my nation's mental, moral and political health.
--Leon Haller