That sense of obligation to a “global village” is what, in part, inspired Timah to get involved with the Peace Corps, this time as an American citizen serving in Guyana, South America.

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Guyana: Peace Corps Guyana : Web Sites for Guyana RPCVs: That sense of obligation to a “global village” is what, in part, inspired Timah to get involved with the Peace Corps, this time as an American citizen serving in Guyana, South America.

By Admin1 (admin) on Saturday, July 07, 2001 - 3:37 pm: Edit Post

That sense of obligation to a “global village” is what, in part, inspired Timah to get involved with the Peace Corps, this time as an American citizen serving in Guyana, South America.



That sense of obligation to a “global village” is what, in part, inspired Timah to get involved with the Peace Corps, this time as an American citizen serving in Guyana, South America.

In return for all his work around the house, Stanley helped Timah by purchasing necessary school supplies and tutoring him in English and math. His visits to her home became more frequent as the friendship grew ever stronger. Stanley posed the question of adoption up to Timah’s mother. He recalls, “Mom was hard working and taught me good values like respect for elders, honesty, and the ethic of giving your best. She recognized what a chance ‘Auntie’ Rosalie could provide me to give my best to the world; so, she didn’t step in the way of my future.”

Timah’s journey eventually lead him to the “white man’s country” of his childhood imagination. The airplane was like a spaceship for him, taking him to a totally different world where even the rain came down in white flakes. “I was just beginning to grasp that the world truly is a complex place,” he remarked. “While there was hot weather in Africa, there was this cold white dust in America that turned into water when you touched it.” With the cold weather of Nebraska settling in, his first days were also marked by his first glimpses of snow.

Other aspects of American culture continue to mystify Timah. His boyhood experiences in Anong taught him that the notion of family overrides nearly any other life consideration. He feels that Americans define families “too narrowly” in terms of husband and wife because the African idea of family encompasses “the whole community.”

That sense of obligation to a “global village” is what, in part, inspired Timah to get involved with the Peace Corps, this time as an American citizen serving in Guyana, South America. Despite the daily challenges of isolation, bats, and poor water quality, he found his health education work at three clinics to be very personally rewarding. He added, “I can never forget the smiles I put on all the babies’ faces at the clinics,” reminding himself at the same time that sometimes the “simple” things become our greatest accomplishments. The Peace Corps and Community Fellows Program at Western Illinois University seemed like the next logical step in Timah’s life. He reported being attracted to the program because of the way he was received by staff during the application and interview process. “I really felt like I was at home here,” he asserted, “and I have to say that Carolyn Lawrence [Fellows Administrative Liaison] was instrumental to that.”

“My only concern with joining the program is how I will be welcomed by rural communities during my internship as a Fellow from another ethnic background,” he stated. “If I’m not well-received, it could make my work tough.”

Timah continues to trek forward along his remarkable journey, but now he carries a different kind of backpack and has a whole new sense of perspective to guide him. He attributes his approach to life to these words of Hannah More: “To whom much is given, much is expected.”

Timah shrugged, “That’s how this child from Africa sees his role in life. It has, after all, brought me this far.”



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