The Peace Corps Crossroads     


(Back to the Home Page.)

1. Peace Corps Related Web Sites

A. National and Special Interest
B. By Peace Corps Country (In Alphabetical Order by Country)
C. By U.S. Geographic Location
D. Educational Programs of Interest to Potential and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
E. Information on Active Peace Corps Countries (maintained by the Peace Corps)
F. Peace Corps in the News
G. Miscellaneous Peace Corps Sites:

I. The "Hidden" Official Peace Corps Pages
II. Other Sources of Info About the Peace Corps
III. Fiction by or about Peace Corps Volunteers
IV. Sites Critical of the Peace Corps, or Foreign Aid in General.
V. Really Miscellaneous

The following are the other Crossroads pages:

Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page
2. Third World and Eastern Europe Related Web Sites
3. Just for Fun Sites


A. National and Special Interest

Official Peace Corps Home Page... spend some time exploring these pages. There's a lot of good stuff here, some kind of hidden away. (In my Miscellaneous Peace Corps Sites section I provide some direct links to several of the pages.) Take the time to thoroughly explore this fine site, and you'll find all sorts of good info for both prospective and returned PCV's.

National Peace Corps Association... not much here for those interested in joining the Peace Corps, but lots for RPCV's. This page has moved to a new location, and has added some neat new features, including a section devoted to helping you find lost friends.... so check it out!

HOT! Peace Corps Information Network... I created this site to help those who have been accepted by the Peace Corps and have been assigned to a country, but who haven't yet left the US. It's an online database where soon to be departing volunteers can find others who are preparing to go to the same country, as well as RPCV “mentors” who have already served in the country (or, in a few cases, are currently serving) whom they can contact via email with any questions.

HOT! Here's a resource similar in some respects to my Information Network (above), but one I can't claim credit for: it's the Yahoo Peace Corps Club, described as the place where prospective PCVs & RPCVs can come together.

HOT! Once upon a time, there was a newsletter called The RPCV Writers and Readers Newsletter, edited by John Coyne. The newsletter didn't get nearly the distribution it deserved, and died.... only to be reborn on the web as PeaceCorpsWriters.org! This fine magazine style site (frequently updated) will help you find books by Peace Corps writers, and will encourage you to become one yourself. It also has some fascinating profiles on various RPCV authors. I rank it a “must visit”!

HOT! Peace Corps Story Teller... is a web site for a list server (i.e., you send and receive email to a self-selected group). As the name implies, it's for RPCVs who want to swap stories. At the web site, you can read past issues and get details on how to subscribe to the list server.

HOT! The Royal Pages' Peace Corps Online Discussion Site, where RPCV's can discuss various subjects. Be there or be square! And while we're on the subject of the prolific Peter Jones, Moms and Dads of PCV's should be sure to stop by the...

HOT! The Peace Corps Family Support Group website: The name says it all!

HOT! And if you want to yak online about the Peace Corps, don't miss the Royal Pages Peace Corps Chat Page! There is a scheduled chat every Mondayat 9pm EST. Please feel free to join!

HOT! The Unofficial Peace Corps Bulletin Board ....yet another Peace Corps web page from that crazy geek in Pittsburgh (me). You can use this bulletin board to post or read announcements, “In Search Of....” queries, and Peace Corps Questions.

Peace Corps Friends of Free Markets... now newly reborn as an email discussion group! HOT! ... if you believe that “the development of the nations of the world is best served by free trade and open markets.” (I do happen to believe this, but then, what do you expect... this is another one of my web pages!)

HOT! If you have a Peace Corps web site you want to promote, be sure to check out the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer WebRing (and of course, email me with info on your site!)

The Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual RPCV Home Page invites inquiries about Peace Corps life from gay, lesbian and bisexual prospective PCV's. You'll find info on how to join, stories, links, and more. The group has chapters in San Francisco, Southern California, Seattle, and Washington DC.

Here's information on the Global Awareness Program, through which Returned Peace Corps Volunteers donate their time, money, and energy to visit schools and to talk with students about their experiences in other countries.

Pedals for Progress is a non-profit organization formed by RPCV David Schweidenback that sends unwanted used bicycles from the US to third world nations, where they are sold very cheaply as a means of empowering the locals.

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page


B. By Peace Corps Country (In Alphabetical Order by Country)

 A, B, C

 D, E, F

 G, H, I

 J, K, L

 M, N, O

 P, Q, R

 S, T, U

 V, W, X, Y, Z

Back to the  Top of Page

Back to the Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page


Countries A though C ...Back to B. By Peace Corps Country

Here's a brief Friends of Afghanistan page.

As a Pittsburgher, I am well aware of O'Bannon's rug shop. But not until I read this article, The Peace Corps and the Making of a Rug Dealer, did I learn of the owner's background as the Associate Director of the Peace Corps in Afghanistan in February, 1966.

Terry Dougherty was a Peace Corps volunteer in Afghanistan from 1972 - 1975. This site has several photos and some Afgananistan links.

Here's information on the Friends of the Baltics.

The Friends of Benin site has some great pictures (including one of an open sewer!), recipes, art, and of course information on the organization and how to join.

Marcus Chance's Unauthorized Benin RPCV Web Site provides information on the Friends of Benin and some news from the nation once called "Dahomey".

HOT! This site promises that it will become “a resource center for anything and everything related to Peace Corps Bolivia”. It may not be there yet, but it has some good photos and even a few videos, as well as a place where you can sign up for email announcements.

HOT! Jeffrey Lovelace, Jr was a PCV in Bolivia. If you never before realized what a beautiful country it is, a visit to this site (which consists mainly of photos) will open your eyes.

Los Gatans agree: Peace Corps was the toughest job they ever loved is an article about Peace Corps life in Botswana.

This small but attractive site from John Smith tells a little about his service in Botswana, along with several fine photos.

Jeff and Kerry Ploetz were married Peace Corps Volunteer, 1997-1999, in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. This site has pictures and notes Jeff wrote home....

... and this site has pictures and notes Kerry wrote home!

HOT! Here's a top notch Burkina Faso site from Cathy Seeley, a self described “grandmother who decided to pursue a challenge that has been percolating in my mind for 30 years, by joining the Peace Corps after my daughters were grown”. Some great photos and more.

My Peace Corps Burundi Album... ... four photos with a paragraph describing each photo, from ex-PCV Jeff Smeding. (Jeff has a similar page for Senegal.)

I don't think I've ever seen this before: a combined country affiliate group. The group is the Friends of Burundi & Rwanda, and here's their website.

Charles Plager was a PCV in Cameroon and the Central African Republic. His site doesn't have much to say, but he's got some nice pictures of both places.

The Friends of Cameroon will tell you how to join, and has a few pictures of projects it is sponsoring.

The Dr. Moses Memorial Page is a tribute by RPCV Ted Johnson to an unusual Cameroonian musician.

Peace Corps Cameroon Commelinaceae Project: this site has brief info and an e-mail address to contact for more info.

Here's a text only article based on an interview with Steve Frodl, an RPCV who taught in a high school on the Comoros Islands.

This Friends of Colombia page has information on the group's activities, three message boards, news about Columbia, and even a private log in section for members only (??!).

Here's an unusual page from Darrell Swarens: the names and pictures of the volunteers in the summer of 1967 Colombia staging, called Peace Corps Training for Colombia '67.

Story of a Volunteer describes Steve Frodl experience in the early 1990's in the Comoros Islands.

From the Smithsonian Institute, Nesting Sea Turtles and Costa Rica's Tropical Rainforest briefly mentions two Peace Corps volunteers with whom the photographer stayed. This site has some gorgeous photos.

David S. Kitson was a ex-PCV in Costa Rica who died in 1993. Read here about the project to establish a library in memorial to him.

HOT! Kelly Barnum is an ex-PCV living in Iowa and Costa Rica (where she served). She runs a tour company called Kelly Tours, which specializes in “trips you won’t receive from a travel agent”, including homestays. Although this site says nothing about her Peace Corps experience, it has a lot of good pictures of the country that will make you want to visit.

Countries D though F ...Back to B. By Peace Corps Country

Democratic Republic of the Congo: see Zaire. (I suppose I should change it one of these days.)

HOT! Megan Pfeltz is on her way to Dominica where she'll be a Youth Development Worker, and in advance of her departure has created this web site. So far, she explains things like what the application process is like and provides info on Dominica. She promises to add journal entries once she arrives in late July 2000.

The Friends of the Dominican Republic is an RPCV group that has put together a fine web site, which includes information on how to join as well as some nice photos of this lovely Carribean isle. (They also have an older Geocities site which they have not yet taken down.)

The Fondo Quisqueya is a non-profit foundation, founded by RPCVs, whose goal is to provide grants for educational and training for low income Dominicans in the Dominican Republic.

Here's a brief page I put online for some former Dominican Republic volunteers.

HOT! Jared Dunkin was a PCV in the in the charming town of Puerto Plata. (I speak from experience; I went there once on vacation.) This site has lots of photos as well as some descriptions of his projects there.

Steve Ayala and his wife were Peace Corps volunteers in Ecuador. The Steve Ayala Home Page touches briefly on his experience there, and provides an e-mail address, so you can find out more if you want to. Not much about his Peace Corps activities, but still an interesting page.

Well Preserved is the story of one PCV's post-Peace Corps service as director of Maquipucuna Reserve high in the mountains of Ecuador.

Here's the story of a third year PCV's Encounter with HIV in Ecuador.

From Penn State to the Peace Corps: Journal of a new Volunteer tells a different kind of Peace Corps story: the process this particular student went through (with dates) from when he first spoke with a Peace Corps recruiter to the point at which he became a PCV in El Salvador

HOT! Ethiopia & Eritrea Returned Peace Corps Volunteers has photos, announcements, links, and more. Too bad the nations can't get along the way these groups have!

HOT! Eric Knepper was a PCV in Fiji, and created this site with photos, text, and even tips for tourists!

HOT! This fine looking site from RPCV John Caldeira tells about his experiences as a beekeeper in Fiji.

... and while we're on the subject of Fiji, check out this Friends of Fiji site.

Countries G though I ...Back to B. By Peace Corps Country

Here's a series of letters from Leslie Sheppard to a friend of his stateside about his experiences as a PCV in Gabon. His friend (Jeff Jenkins) has given the letters catchy titles describing key events, like “A Dead Guy in the Road”, and “I Think My Pig Gave Me Fleas”. A fun and honest site.

HOT! Here's a great looking site about Heather Nix, a PCV in Gabon, created by her friend, Scot Korth. It has photos, narrative, letters from Heather, links, a guestbook, and more.

Maison Monhidi is a site from Gabon RPCV's Glen and Jenifer Payne. This site has a guest book / message board, an address book of RPCVs, photos, links, and more. An excellent resource for Gabon RPCV's.

HOT! Letter from the Gambia contains several brief excerpts from a PCV.

HOT! How do you go from a career in phone sex (her spiel: “I am about 5'6" tall and I have long blonde hair, large breasts and clear, smooth skin. I wear a 32 DD...”) to being a PCV in The Gambia? Well, for one thing, you write your own recommendations.... This has to be one of most unusual PC sites you'll come across, since it tells not only about a portion of what Wendy (no last name provided) did in the Peace Corps, but discusses her pre-Peace Corps life, including the phone-sex gig and her ex-con boyfriend.

The Friends of Ghana Web Page... Ghana photos, back issues of the newsletter, and officer e-mail addresses.

My Trip to Ghana is the story of 10 year old Alima Abubakari's trip to Ghana. Alima is the child of a Ghanaian father and RPCV mom.

HOT! The U.S. Embassy in Ghana has set up this site with information for new Peace Corps volunteers. There are good insights and advice for soon to be PCV's no matter where they are headed. Included are letters from current volunteers. This is a text intensive site, so don't expect pretty pictures.

HOT! Navrongo & Lawra Home Page Two former Ghanaian volunteers showcase their towns in Northern Ghana. A fine, award winning site. This site also has many nice links to other Ghanaian and African web pages.

Thomas Anderson was a PCV in Ghana, where he met his wife. This site provides a picture and some brief information on the town of Wa where he served.

HOT! Tim Fritschel recently returned from Ghana, and this web site has a few great photos from Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

Here's a web site from Ghana RPCV Craig Vickstrom, who returned to work in a Ghanaian hospital in the summer following his first year of medical school. This site tells about his return visit, with several quicktime videos that you shouldn't even dream about downloading unless you have, at least, a cable modem.

HOT! Dan Bergert recently finished a tour of duty in Dekpor-Horme, Ghana. This single page tells the story of his service there, with pictures. His end of tour summation: “You are glad to leave your village and floundering projects but sad to leave the people you lived with and worked with.”

Maureen Cantwell - Ghana briefly discusses the positive and negative aspects of Peace Corps life in Ghana, with several photos as well.

Mel Siegel has some great pictures of Ghana and environs on his personal web page.

Peace Corps Volunteer, Health and Sanitation is an extensive interview with a volunteer in Ghana.

HOT! This simple site from Steve Griffith, who was a Peace Corps health volunteer in Ghana, has some great photos as well as the story of an event that confirmed his desire to become a doctor.

From the same web site as the interview above comes this interview with the director the Ghana program of an international agricultural development agency, who is a former Peace Corps volunteer.

Janet Getchell was a volunteer in Guatemala, and this page features information about, and some beautiful pictures of, her Peace Corps country. It also includes succinct descriptions of her unusual assignments. By the way, this was one of the earliest RPCV web sites.

My Peace Corps Experience in Guatemala is a brief discussion of her service by Donna Renee Shanklin, with one picture.

Jeanette Bettes is currently a volunteer in Guatemala. Here's a few comments on what she's doing, as well as some photos, posted by friends.

Allan Oliver served as a PCV in Guatemala in 1998 and 1999. This site has some of his letters home, advice to new PCVs, and a bizarre game that will make sense to anyone who has travelled in the third world called “Chicken Bus Bingo”.

Jennifer is currently a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala. This site shows some pictures she has sent back.

HOT! RPCV Stephanie Chasteen has set up this fine Friends of Guinea page, with pictures, letters she sent while a PCV, and more.

HOT! Corona Freitag was a volunteer in Guinea-Bissau from 1991 - 1994, and returned two times subsequently. This unusual site documents a military junta that lead to widespread fighting in 1998 and 1999. Corona had purchased tickets two days before the war broke out, and decided to visit anyway. The site has many superb photos, letters she wrote while there, commentary, and more.

HOT! Wendy Goodman was and perhaps still is a PCV in Haiti, with the nebulous assignment of being a “small project advisor” (whatever that means.) She started this site and maintained it for a while from Haiti, although it hasn't been updated since September of 1999. Still, it has some great photos, and provides a glimpse of life as a PCV in that troubled nation.

Andrew Brower recently returned from a stint as a “Natural Resources Management” Volunteer in Honduras. This one page site has pictures and notes he wrote home while he was there.

Teaching English in Hungary with the Peace Corps... one volunteer's experiences. A thoughtful text only essay on what it's like to teach and live in Hungary.

Lyndle Lindow created this Hungary site, with photos and news of other Hungary RPCV's.

The India IV Web Site has a listing of where some of the volunteers from the 1963-1965 group can now be found (click on the flag.)

Chuck Clark was a PCV in India from 1965-1967. This site lists the email address of some of his fellow PCVs, and solicits info on others.

HOT! Here is a fine new site from the Friends of the Ivory Coast - pictures, music, and more.

 

Countries J though L ...Back to B. By Peace Corps Country

Journey of the Heart tells the story of Joan and Irving Lowell's experiences as PCV's in Kazakstan.

HOT! Kazakhstan 1999 documents the Peace Corps experience of Joan and Rich Bailey, with loads of letters from both of them, as well as photos and even “important packing information”!

The Friends of Kenya site tells about the organization, its projects, and events. It also has Kenya news and links.

Science Geek is a magazine created and written by Kenya RPCV Doug Larkin. Early issues contained mostly Doug's writings about teaching high school and music reviews and interviews, while later issues focused more on Doug's adventures in Kenya, where he was a Peace Corps volunteer teaching science. This site includes some samples of illustrations from various issues.

Karibuni Peace Corps Kenya 1983-85 has several Kenya photos.

The Personal Initiative of Mungai Ng'ang'a is a brief but interesting essay about how Michi Vojta, a PCV in Kenya, inspired a Kenyan to build himself a solar cooker.

Karen Beardsley's Hut Page has a few pictures from her days as a PCV in Kenya.

Lisa Williams was a Peace Corps teacher in Kenya from 1995 to 1997. This site has a few photos and some descriptive text.

Not too many people get a domain name for themselves, but Courtney Brown has. He's a former Kenya PCV, and this site includes “A Pictoral Recollection of My Service to America as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa”.

HOT! All Things Kenyan is a well organized site from RPCV Jeanne Daigle, with info, pictures, links, and more. (Now with a new URL.)

HOT! Mary Bednarski was a secondary school “maths” teacher in Western Kenya from 92-94. Here you'll find her essays and recollections about her “two years of trying to get that dumbfounded, lost, impatient, frightened look off my face”.

The K-24 Korea Peace Corps Volunteer Website recalls a group of volunteers that was in Korea from July 1972 to July 1974, working in the Korean tuberculosis control program. Lots of mostly black and white photos, especially notable for those strange early 70's Brady Bunch clothes.

The Kyrgyzstan Opinion Page was created by an RPCV and includes facts and pictures about this former Soviet state.

HOT! Here's a novelty: a web site (with some beautiful photos) created by current PCVs, and hosted by an internet server in their country of service. It's the Peace Corps Kyrgyzstan Home Page, and if you never thought of Kygyzsatan as a country of scenic beauty, you'll change your mind fast after a visit to this site.

The Best of the Black Flag Newsletter is a chuckle-filled look as a PCV in Latvia.

HOT! Here's a Friends of Lesotho site, with photos, maps, news, and more!

HOT! Martin was a teacher in Liberia, and this page has a brief essay about his experiences there, along with some truly outstanding photos of the people and way of life in a Liberian village.

Friends of Liberia now has their own web page, and even their own domain name.

HOT! Philip Waite was a PCV in Liberia in the 1970's. His site provides both a history of Liberia as well as a description and lots of photos of his Peace Corps experience.

Walter McCabe was a PCV in Liberia.This unusual site has photos and brief vignettes from his time there.

Countries M though O ...Back to B. By Peace Corps Country

Amy Collick, a recent Michigan Tech graduate, is currently a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar. Here's a brief discussion of what she's doing, along with two photos.

HOT! The Friends of Malawi Home Page has evolved from a simple text only site to a sophisticated site with photos and music!

HOT! Adam Wolkon was a Peace Corps volunteer in Chitipa, Malawi from 1996-1998. This site has pictures and descriptions of his village, his projects, and the country in general.

I never heard of Sarawak until I visited Ted Pack's site... Sarawak is on the island of Borneo, and is part of Malaysia. Was Ted really almost tattooed by headhunters? Read all about it here.

The Veza International Home Page describes the Village Enterprise Zone Associations International, a non-profit private voluntary organization founded by a former PCV, that works only in Malawi.

This Friends of Malaysia site has info on the affiliate group, some stories that focus on the traditional cultural aspect of Malaysia, Malaysia links, recipes, and more.

Anne Cullen is another current PCV in Mali. Here's a site maintained by her brother.

Colleen Currie and her husband Ethan were and perhaps still are in the Peace Corps in Mali. This site has both photos and letters home. (The first letter, on their arrival, is dated September 19998, while the last is March 19999.... which is why I'm not sure if they are still there.)

HOT! This beautifully designed Friends of Mauritania has some stunning photos as well of course as the usual information on how to join, projects, etc.

The World in Its Extreme, an article that appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 1991, spends some time discussing the problems of the Peace Corps in Mauritania.

HOT! My Peace Corps Mauritania Experience, from RPCV Trey Carr, is an extensive discussion with many photos of his experiences as a volunteer from 1994 to 1996.

HOT! Patrick Michael Sommerville was a PCV in Mongolia. This fine site has stories and some stunning photos of Mongolia as well as Tibet. He is also starting to add some photos from his sister, currently a PCV in the Ukraine.

And here's a Friend of Mongolia site, with membership information and more.

Here's a Friends of Morocco page, including membership information, links, and more..... Not to be confused with the...

The Peace Corps Morocco Network describes its purpose as “to provide a permanent place for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, -- who served in Morocco at any time, for any length of time during the years: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, or 1980 -- to network and stay connected”. The site has a guestbook, volunteers lists, information on reunions, and more.

HOT! Jeffrey Tayler was a PCV in Morocco. In this narrative, entitled Lost in the Sahara, he tells how “a freak sandstorm turns a simple desert excursion into a desperate drive.” From the pages of the Salon, a top notch literary web 'zine.

HOT! Also from ex-PCV Jeffrey Taylor, “Save Me, Wild Qahba” tells of his wild night -- and the “fallen women” -- in a Morrocan hash house. Also from Salon.

HOT! Here's a fine web site from RPCV Scott Estergard, with essays on his life in Morocco (including his marriage to a local woman) as well as photos and some good Morocco links.

Mike's Morocco Page has a brief discussion of Mike Toler's PCV experience.

HOT! Kimberly Chulis's Along the Banks of the Okavango tells the good and the bad about her experiences in Namibia. Some great photos, too.

This site, from the American Embassy in Nepal, has info on Peace Corps projects in Nepal, plus some photos.

HOT! Jill Chaskes is currently a PCV in Nepal. This site, maintained by her brother, consists of letters and emails she has sent since her arrival in August. Jill has a nice, upbeat attitude, and this is a fun site. Note that the letters are in reverse chronological order, with the most recent ones at the top of the page.

Cliff Maxwell was a PCV in Nepal. This site has a brief discussion of how the experience changed him.

HOT! Mark Ludwick is currently a PCV in Nepal. This site contains his letters home, pictures, and more.

Nepal 28 was an American Peace Corps group of math-science teachers who served in the early 1970's. Their website includes pictures, memories, a guestbook, and links.

HOT! A Window Into Nepal is a joint effort of four RPCVs who served in Nepal between 1993 and 1996. It has some great photos of this beautiful nation, along with maps, general information, links, and photo essays on subjects like how the Nepalese make paper. A trip to this site will leave little doubt in your mind as to why Nepal has always been considered a dream Peace Corps assignment!

Ken Pumfords is a former PCV in Nepal, which is where he met his wife. Read all about it, along with pictures from a recent trip back and info on the child they are sponsoring through Childreach on the Pumford/Shakya Home Page.

HOT! The Tibetan Frontier has five stunning black and white photos taken by Daniel Miller, who spent five years in Nepal as a PCV in the 1970's, and who now works as a rangeland specialist out of Kathmandu.

Here's an article about Peace Corps Nicaragua entitled Building Economies is Now a Big Part of Peace Corps Job.

HOT! The Friends of Niger have put together a nice looking site, which includes information on joining, links, several essays, and excerpts from their newsletter.

HOT! Jill Jupiter Jones was a PCV in Niger from 1985 - 1988. At this NPR site, she is part of a fascinating discussion of Africa with Washington Post journalist Keith Richburg, author of Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa. You'll need a sound card and RealAudio to listen to this interview.

HOT! Focus on Niger has many great photos and news from Niger, from RPCV Joel Mayer.

Help Me, Old Man! is an essay about by RPCV Gordon Dalbey about the way Nigerians respect their elders.

The Friends of Nigeria site has information on how to join, a list of members, and all FON newsletters!

HOT! Rich Piazza was one of the first Peace Corps volunteers: serving in Nigeria from 1961 to 1963. African Journey tells his story with words and pictures. The title of the site refers to the motorcycle trip he took a the end of his service: a fascinating adventure, with some great accompanying photos. To see the full story of his African journey, just keep clicking on the “Next Page” icon. A five star site - not to be missed!


Countries P though R ...Back to B. By Peace Corps Country

Here's a nice site from the Peace Corps Panama Friends.

Joel Alexander was a PCV in Papua New Guinea. His site contains pictures, stories, and links of places he have visited, including, of course, PNG.

Michael Jacobson was a reporter for the Paynesville Press before joining the Peace Corps, where he served in Papua New Guinea. This is a collection of columns he wrote while there (many, but not all of which appear to be missing - i.e., dead links.)

The Friends of Paraguay site tells how to join and has the newsletter online.

Alex Wild was a beekeeping extensionist in a small community in Canindeyú, Paraguay. This page has some photos and a letter he has received since his return.

This site from Scott Whoolery entitle Peace Corps Paraguay doesn't have much content yet, but it looks to have the makings of a good site when he finds the time to work on it.

Robert Roberg was a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, who has subsequently found God and folk art. This site says almost nothing about his Peace Corps experience, but is worth visiting to take a look at some of his compelling paintings.

HOT! Dang Nguyen is (as of this writing) currently a volunteer in the Philippines, serving as a Water and Sanitation Volunteer. This fine site has some beautiful pictures as well as a series of letters he wrote home, and more.

Meg Hall is currently a Peace Corps volunteer working as an environmental educator in Maragondon, the Philippines, where she's been since April 1999. This attractive site has several pages of text and pictures discussing her Peace Corps experience.

Peace Corps Alumni Foundation for Philippine Development was founded in 1983 by former volunteers, staff, and friends of the Peace Corps in the Philippines. The foundation provides scholarships for exceptional Filipino students to attend college in the Philippines.

HOT! Is the motto of the city of Rzeszow really There are worse places in Poland? A fine site, with the story in words and pictures of one volunteer's experience.

Here's a Friends of Poland page.

HOT! Louisa Edgerton was a PCV in Poland. She doesn't have a lot to say about her experience on this site, but there are quite a few good pictures.

The sister of PCV Jessica Beck, in Poland, posted some of her early letters and pictures on this site. You wonder as you read them: did she stay? By the last letter posted, she was feeling pretty homesick.

HOT! Wayan Vota was a PCV (briefly) in Russia. He's still there, and in fact this website is hosted by a Russian server. This site explains why he quit the Corps, and includes his journal (which he is continuing to maintain) as well as many observations and some photos.

Peace Corps in Russia, from the United States Information Agency, is a comprehensive albeit rather dry discussion of the Peace Corps' history and role in Russia.

Togliatti - The Russian City on the Volga is a web site “brought to you by the United States Peace Corps”. Look under the heading Expanding Your Business in Russia for some info about Peace Corps activities in Togliatti.

I don't think I've ever seen this before: a combined country affiliate group. The group is the Friends of Burundi & Rwanda, and here's their website.

 

Countries S though U...Back to B. By Peace Corps Country

Peace Corps Senegal Photo Album... eleven photos with a paragraph describing each photo, from ex-PCV Jeff Smeding.

HOT! Daniel Owen's Senegal Page... this is a fantastic looking page, worth visiting even if you don't have any interest in Senegal. (And yes, this page is online now.)

Futa Toro: Memories from the Desert's Edge, from Senegal RPCV Paul Greenspan, has photos, stories, recipes (well, just one so far), and even music from Senegal. Paul is apparently still working on this site, and I look forward to seeing how it develops.

HOT HOT HOT! Peter Andersen's Sierra Leone Web has evolved into an extraordinary site, and Peter's committment to it, and to the people of Sierra Leone, is awesome. Among its many features are proverbs, stories, news, an e-mail directory, and links.

The Sierra Leone RPCV Network is a site dedicated to helping Sierra Leone RPCV's find each other.

HOT! Peace Corps Days is Lisa Walker's account of her Peace Corps experience in Sierra Leone, up through her early termination. This set of pages (with a total that is book length) contains a series of well written vignettes based on letters she wrote over the course of her service, including a few pictures. For anyone interested in a first-hand account of Peace Corps life (and why else would you be here?), I rank it a “must visit”. By the way, if you'd like to read this site offline, drop me an email and I'll email you back a version you can read on your PC without going online.

Bernie Dodge was a volunteer in Sierra Leone... his personal page includes pictures and recollections of his Peace Corps days. (This is one of the earliest PC sites out there.)

Here's a good site from the students of April Miller. She used to teach them and is now a Peace Corps volunteer in Slovakia. This site features her letters and some great photos.

HOT! Matt and Carole's Peace Corps Experience: Solomon Islands, '98-2001 is an unusual page. Most PCVs build pages after their service.... this one was built before! It is full of advice that Matt and Carole have received as they prepare for their Peace Corps experience, some of which is specific to the Solomon Islands, and some of which will be worthwhile for prospective PCVs going to other destinations. The authors promise to add montly communications once they get to their site: let's hope they do. (P.S. Well.... Carole lasted four months, Matt six. Visit the site and find out what went wrong).

HOT! Michael Maren is an RPCV and noted author. His NomadNet site is a great source of information on Somalia.

Ron Bracy's With the Peace Corps on St. Vincent has both text and photos, and discusses about his experiences as an older volunteer on this Caribbean isle.

John and Gina Corpening were already married when they joined the Peace Corp, where they served in Suriname and El Salvador.... starting in Suriname, and then transferring to El Salvador when they became dissatisfied with their Suriname experience. This site has information about (including letters home)and pictures of their Peace Corps experience.

HOT! Swaziland - Mon Amour is a slick site by web-site creating artist Lowell Boileau. He was also a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer teaching woodworking and technical drawing at Salesian High School, Manzini, Swaziland, from 1968-1970. Not much information, but some great photos.

HOT! The improbaly named Omnibus Surrogate Tanzanian Experience/Hypertext Wonderland Page is a series of ten letters from a PCV (Mike) in Tanzania to his friend, Casey Vise, in the United States. Although there are no pictures, Vise makes extensive use of links to tie different parts of the letters together. The letters provide a good glimpse of Peace Corps life.

Here's a brief newspaper article about Clay Bazzel's PCV experience in Tanzania.

Here's a web site from the Friends of Tanzania. I look forward to the promised photo gallery, which is not to be confused with...

 The Peace Corps Tanzania Returned Volunteer Web Site features a message board, email lists, and links to other Tanzania RPCV sites.

HOT! Abby Gustafson is a PCV in Tanzania, where she teaches “maths” at a girl's secondary school. This site has her letters home since 1998, photos, and even some “postcard art”. Meanwhile, her sister Jordana spent five months in Vietnam (not with the Peace Corps), and this site has her letters home, along with some pictures, as well.

HOT! Cheryl's Tanzanian Experience tells of Cheryl Perkins life as a teacher in Kenya, including both the good (the warm relationship she had with many Tanzanians) and the bad (the string of robberies she experienced, including one at gunpoint.) Her narrative is well written, and illustrated with some fine photos.

HOT! A Personal Epic is an unusual and intriguing site from Kirk Greenway, consisting of stories from his days as a PCV in Zaire and Thailand. More than just simple narratives, Kirk's tales range from descriptions of a volcano in Zaire (“Obscure, subtle, misty against a hard twilight she looked like death herself....”) to his attempts to seduce women by posing as a Peace Corps doctor. A fascinating (but somewhat fanciful) vision of Peace Corps life, not to be missed. Note: this site is not currently available. However, I am leaving the link up to encourage Kirk to reinstitute it!

Here's an account of a bicycle trip through Thailand led in part by a RPCV, entitled Bikes, Boats & Elephants.

(Please note: The Gambia is listed under G)

HOT! Friends of Togo Fufu Bar... authored by yours truly. Lots of fun stuff, including a whole section of Togo memories by me and others, another section full of reviews of books about Africa, a much visited guestbook, Togo links and more. I've recently added some great Real Player highlife links, so that you can listen to such fine hits as Prince Nico's classic “Sweet Mother” while you surf the net, plus other information on African music. In the manner of a third world dictator, I've decided to award myself the coveted “hot” label for this page.

HOT! Speaking of Togo, here's a top notch site about Togo called Fait Comme Moi (which, other than the title, is in English). It's full of great photos and journal entries from Erika Kachama-Nkoy, who was born in Zaire and who travelled through Togo with her husband, Brian Anderson, who had served in the Peace Corps in Liberia and Namibia. For those interested in Togo, I rate it a must visit.

Serendip's Togo connection is a site about Susan White, now an Associate Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department at Bryn Mawr College, who was a Togo PCV from 1978 to 1981. This site has some photos, as well as information on her attempts to find US schools with whom to start a "sister school" arrangement with schools in Togo.

HOT! Here's a fine site with some spectacular photos from Charles Danforth, who visited his sister, a Togo PCV, and created this web page entitled Song of the Yovo: A White Man's Travels in Black Africa.

HOT! Fish Farming in the Plateau Region of Togo, West Africa is a marvelous photo essay by Pamela Riley Miklavcic, an RPCV from Togo, that shows the step-by-step process of creating a bountiful harvest of a “tasty, fast-growing , hearty fish known as tilipia nilotica.”

HOT! From recently returned Togo PCV Roger Burks comes The Griot in Kansas: A Collection of Imaginations and Opinionations. Now at a new location.

Amy Lester was a Community and Youth Volunteer in Tonga. This page has eight photos and accompanying text.

Ralph (Lolo) Masi was a PCV in Tonga in the late 70's, and now lives in Japan. This site has several essays about life in that exotic isle.

Sandy Mackintosh describes himself as “a working stiff who is also an aspiring writer and whose Web site constitutes a venue for exposure”. He's also a Tonga rpcv from the early '70's, and this site has two essays about Tonga.

This web site for the RPCVs of Tunisia has pictures, links, news, a guestbook, and poses that controversial questions: Schnuwwa jdid? (Hey, don't ask me; all I know is what I read in the papers.)

HOT! The Unofficial Peace Corps Turkmenistan Camel Stop has info on the country and the Peace Corps there.

Greg and Carol Lastowka's Peace Corps Turkmenistan Page has some brief info and links to the country where they taught English together.

Fred Denker's “One of the 5%” describes his experiences as an older volunteer (he was 57 when he joined) in Uzbekistan.

Countries V though Z ...Back to B. By Peace Corps Country

Here's a brief discussion of one volunteer's experience in Western Samoa in the 1960's.

HOT! Cindy Chu's Peace Corps Yemen Journal... fascinating and heavy stuff.

This Friends of Yemen Page is mostly inoperable, except for the page entitled Turbah Lab, which describes a Peace Corps project in Yemen.

The Ponds of Kalambayi: An African Sojourn is a book by Mike Tidwell, RPCV about his service in Zaire. Here you'll find a brief description of the book, as well as info on how to order it.

HOT! Nicholas Hobgood was a volunteer in Zaire from 1987 through 1991, and apparently still lives there. He has created and is still developing this fine Welcome to CONGO-PAGES!! site, with some great photos and text about life in that vast and troubled nation.

HOT! A Personal Epic is an unusual and intriguing site from Kirk Greenway, consisting of stories from his days as a PCV in Zaire and Thailand. More than just simple narratives, Kirk's tales range from descriptions of a volcano in Zaire (“Obscure, subtle, misty against a hard twilight she looked like death herself....”) to his attempts to seduce women by posing as a Peace Corps doctor. A fascinating vision of Peace Corps life, not to be missed. Note: this site is not currently available. However, I am leaving the link up to encourage Kirk to reinstitute it!

HOT! Jenny Gronefeld was a “fishhead” in Kiobo Kuimba, a village in Zaire. This site tells a part of her story, with some fine photos (click on them to see the full sized versions.)

Basenjis, you of course know (just kidding), are the “barkless dog from Africa”. Here, from the Basenjii Companion (an online 'zine devoted to Basenjis) is an interview with a Zaire RPCV and Basenji owner. It includes some fine black and white photographs.

HOT! Jess Moore is a fisheries PCV in Zambia. His father is maintaining this site, and posting letters from Jess as well as some photos.

HOT! Lara Weber is currently a PCV in Zambia. Her brother is posting her letters home, as well as pictures she sends. Zambia is not an easy Peace Corps assignment, and it will be interesting to see how her assignment goes.

HOT! Tom Chambers had one of the more unusual Peace Corps assignments that I've ever heard of: he was the Art Conservator/Curator for the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in the capital city of Harare. At this stylish site, he tells about his work there, as well as some of his other projects. Also included are some fine black and white photos.

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page


C. By U.S. Geographic Location

Note: Alphabetical order doesn't work terribly well for this section, as some groups are city groups, others regional, and others by state.... if you are looking for a group near you, it makes sense to read through the whole list.

Atlanta Area RPCVs

RPCV's of Southern Arizona. A nice page, that includes a listing of all members by country of service. Look for your old compatriots here! (I found one.)

The Greater Birmingham (Alabama) RPCV web site.

In the past, I've slandered the Boston Area RPCV Organization for not having a nice site.... well, looks like I can't slander them anymore.

Here's a well maintained site from the Central Ohio Returned Volunteers Association.

Chicago Area Peace Corps Association. A fine site.... these folks even have their own domain name!

Cincinnati Area Returned Volunteers (CARV)

The Columbia River Peace Corps Association is an Oregon and SW Washington group, with a fine site, that even includes job postings!

The Columbia (Missouri) / Jefferson City Area Peace Corps Association

RPCVs of Greater Gainesville, Florida

The Gulf Coast Council of the Houston and Galveston area.

Hawaii Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

Iowa Peace Corps Association

Peace Corps Alumni/Los Angeles

Maryland Returned Volunteers

"SEMIRPCV" sound like someone who's kind of (but not really) a returned PCV. But really it stands for the Southeast Michigan Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Association.

Here's a little info about The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Minnesota.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of New Jersey

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Greater New York (now with their own domain name!)

North Carolina Peace Corps Association.

The Northern California Peace Corps Association, a.k.a. “NorCal”. Not only is there a lot of info on what this fine organization is doing and who's involved, but this site is also home of the soon-to-be-infamous Bowel House Blues site! Pay it a visit, and leave a little something behind, if you're not too shy.

Philadelphia Area Peace Corps Association

Pittsburgh Area Peace Corps Association.

The Rhode Island Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

The Sacramento Valley Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Home Page.

The San Diego Peace Corps Association

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Carolina

Peace Corps Volunteer Alumni of Utah

RPCVs of Hampton Roads, Virginia. “Hampton Roads is comprised of Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk and surrounding areas. More than 100 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers call Hampton Roads home and this is their site.”
Washington State Peace Corps Association

RPCVs of Washington DC

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page


D. University Programs of Interest to Potential and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

I. College and University Information on the Peace Corps for Potential Volunteers.

II. Educational Programs of Special Interest to Returned Volunteers

I. College and University Information on the Peace Corps for Potential Volunteers.

Note: Almost all colleges and universities now have web pages, and quite a few have a page on their site with information on how to contact the campus Peace Corps recruiter. I'm not going to list all of these sites, but if you are a student you might want to check your school's web site out... (use Yahoo! to find it...) or just call your placement office. In this section I've included several sites which are more than just a single page on how to contact a Peace Corps recruiter.

HOT! Over twenty universites now offer Master's International Program, through which students serve as Peace Corps Volunteers as partial fulfillment of a graduate degree. Programs are offered in disciplines where there is a shortage of skilled people who can serve as Volunteers. Programs include public health, agriculture, business, agribusiness, forestry, environmental education, civil and environmental engineering, urban planning, non-profit management, and teaching English as a foreign language. The site to which I provide a link above is on the Peace Corps web page, and provides information on the programs offered by many different universities. If you are careful about researching the program, and how it has worked out for its graduates, this could be an excellent way of serving in the Peace Corps while better preparing yourself for a full time career.

Peace Corps at the University of Maine is an excellent resource for potential volunteers.

Second only to the above site comes the fine Penn State Peace Corps Site from the folks in State College, PA.

The US Peace Corps and The Loret Miller Ruppe Peace Corps Master's International Program in Forestry at Michigan Tech University have teamed up to design a program for students with an undergraduate degree in any discipline who are interested in a career in forestry, environmental sciences and policy, and natural resource management.

Michigan State University has had more than 1,800 of its alumni serve in the Peace Corps. Their site promises to have letters from PCVs in the near future.

Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the United States Peace Corps have formed a joint program which offers students a unique opportunity to earn either a master of science in public health (MSPH) or a master of public health (MPH) degree, with Peace Corps service as part of the program.

The Boston University School of Public Health has a similar program.

The US Peace Corps and Michigan Tech University have teamed up to design a program for students with an undergraduate degree in any discipline who are interested in a career in forestry, environmental sciences and policy, and natural resource management. The program allows students to incorporate Peace Corps service into a graduate program in forestry. The program involves nine months of intensive forestry education at Michigan Tech and two years of field work with Peace Corps.

Here's another Michigan Tech University program: a Master's International Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering that builds upon the programs descibed above.

Peace Corps at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Peace Corps related information for members of the UIUC community... somewhat out of date.

Peace Corps at Oberlin... a brief article about the success Peace Corps recruiters have at Oberlin.

Ohio State University has several graduate Peace Corps related programs.

Peace Corps at Purdue University... brief info on contacting the Peace Corps reruiter at Perdue. I'm breaking my own rule by including this one, but it's such a pretty page.

II. Educational Programs of Special Interest to Returned Volunteers

In my perhaps overly cynical view, much of what RPCV's call “culture shock” on returning to the States is really unemployment and status loss shock. A good graduate school program can help you qualify for a good job... at least, it worked for me. Here's information on a few programs that should be of special interest to RPCV's.

You should probably start by checking out the Peace Corps Fellows Program. To quote from the page, “Whether you are preparing to return home from your Peace Corps assignment or considering a mid-career job change, if you have satisfactorily completed Peace Corps service, you are eligible to apply to one of 25 diverse Fellows Programs across the United States. The Fellows Program is an innovative combination of graduate school and paid employment in fields experiencing a shortage of professionals. As a Fellow, you will share with underserved Americans the experiences and skills acquired while living overseas as a Peace Corps Volunteer.” This page is part of the Official Peace Corps site. It contains a brief description of all 25 Fellows Programs.

I won't even try to list every school with an international or public policy program... there are far too many. I haven't been able to find any web based indices based on the content of graduate school programs, but there are certainly books out there with such lists. Anyway, here are a few that might be of special interest to RPCV's:

George Mason University offers a Geneva (yes, the one in Switzerland) based program in International Humanitarian Relief Management.

The Peace Corps Pathways Scholars Program at the University of Texas at El Paso was designed to provide a two-year teacher preparation training for returning Peace Corps volunteers.

Ohio University's interdisciplinary program in Communication and Development Studies is jointly administered through the School of Telecommunications and the Center of International Studies. A majority of their next year's applicants are former Peace Corps participants.

The Coro Foundation is dedicated to providing training that "embraces the complexities of the public arena and challenges individuals to become creative problem-solvers and active citizens." An RPCV is now the director of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs.

Carnegie Mellon's Heinz School of Public Policy... no, they don't teach you how to make ketchup... and they don't have an international emphasis... but they'll can turn someone with a limited math and computer background into a quant computer jock in a couple years, which may sound like an awful fate but which opens all kinds of doors to you. (All right, I'll 'fess up... it's where I went. And where I met my wonderful wife.) Just remember: do-gooders are a dime a dozen... but do-gooders with math and computer skills are as scarce as hen's teeth.

Back to Top of Page....

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page


E. Information on Active Peace Corps Host Countries, maintained by the Peace Corps.

Peace Corps Volunteers in Africa (with separate pages by country).

Peace Corps Volunteers in Inter-America and the Caribbean (with separate pages by country).

Peace Corps Volunteers in the Pacific (with separate pages by country).

Peace Corps Volunteers in Europe and the Mediterranean (with separate pages by country).

Peace Corps Volunteers in Central and East Asia (with separate pages by country).

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page Table of Contents.


F. Peace Corps in the News

I've decided to create this new category in the Peace Corps section as the number of news stories about the Peace Corps on the web has grown. I may still put some news stories that relate to a particular Peace Corps country in the Section B (Peace Corps by Country.) Unless otherwise noted, these articles are text only (i.e., no pictures.)

Here's a Washington Post article about Mark Schneider, the Peace Corps' new director.

This article tells about Schneider's targeting of information technology development as his main concern for 2000 to more effectively monitor and assist existing Peace Corps programs such as agriculture and urban development.

This story tells of the sad death of Philippines RPCV Neil B. Raab.

I had a chance to hear Paul Tsongas speak at the Peace Corps' 25th anniversary, and to meet him briefly, and was impressed by his style and wit. Here's an obituary of Tsongas, one of the Peace Corps most politically successful graduates.

Mystery of the Mummies may sound like a tale from the crypt, but actually it tells of the attempts of an RPCV to determine what a group of Caucasians were doing living in the heart of Asia over 1,500 years ago.

Here's a good article on what the Peace Corps is trying to do to deal with the environmental disasters left by Communism in Eastern Europe.

Here's the story of a PCV who went on to become the the associate director of the Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Program.

The title of this article says it all: Peace Corp looks for new crop of experienced, older volunteers.

Air Force Col. Brenda Hollis, assigned to The Hague helping to prosecute alleged war
criminals from the former Yugoslavia, has had an interesting career that includes a stint as a PCV in Senegal.

Ramos Orders Probe into Shooting of Peace Corps Volunteer describes a recent non-fatal shooting of a PCV in the Philippines.

And here's the story of a Peace Corps instructor and a volunteer who recently drowned in Honduras.

And here's a press release on Illinois Peace Corps Fellows Program.

FOCUS ON VIETNAM: Poverty in the midst of run-away growth tells about the work an RPCV is now doing in Vietnam.

Can a PC doctor be insufficiently PC? Read Peace Corps Doctor Fired for Promoting Abstinence and decide for yourself...

And here's the story of a woman who is suing the Peace Corps for violation of the ADA.

Here's a June 1996 story entitled BUDGET-STRAPPED PEACE CORPS IS PULLING OUT OF SOME COUNTRIES.

A friend of David Shippee, a PCV who was killed in South Africa, has set up a page dedicated to him.

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page


G. Miscellaneous Peace Corps Sites

I. The “Hidden” Official Peace Corps Pages
II. Other Sources of Info About the Peace Corps
III. Fiction by or about Peace Corps Volunteers
IV. Sites Critical of the Peace Corps, or Foreign Aid in General.
V. Really Miscellaneous

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page

I. The “Hidden” Official Peace Corps Pages

Official Peace Corps Home Page - How to Volunteer (The Peace Corps changed the URL on this one; I've now changed my link so that it works.)

Peace Corps Information for RPCV's... what your country can do for you after you get back.

World Wise Schools is Peace Corps' global education program. Each year WWS links about 4,000 U.S. classrooms to Peace Corps Volunteers overseas.

You can buy videos from the Peace Corps that show life in several nations, including Honduras, Paraguay, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Marshall Islands, Senegal, Cameroon, and Lesotho. This site has brief descriptions of each video, and a one minute real video clip from each for internet download.

Back to Miscellaneous PC Site Table of Contents.

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page

 

II. Other Sources of Info About the Peace Corps

HOT! Here's a well written description of the Peace Corps process from a website with the unlikely domain name of "soyouwanna", as in so you wanna join the Peace Corps? It tells you about what you get paid, the application process, what to pack, and even talks a bit about what to expect, although of course I think you're better off exploring my site if you want a variety of insights into Peace Corps service.

The Peace Corps Alternative is an online magazine article with some good basic information on joining the Peace Corps.

This page has a brief history (with dates) of the Peace Corps.

Here's a more comprehensive history of the Peace Corps, from the Peace Corps website.

Who really thought up the Peace Corps? The answer (from the Atlanta Journal- Constitution) may surprise you.

The Encyclopedia Britannica is now online, and has a brief article about the Peace Corps.

Here's a list of the mailing addresses and telephone and fax numbers of the local offices of various Peace Corps offices in Central and Eastern Europe, including Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Karakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia / Far East, Russia / Moscow, Slovak Republic, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan,

Here's an extensive (though now somewhat dated) Bibliography of Peace Corps Books, Articles, and Newsletters, courtesy of Elliot Parker and Kent Lind. For another good bibliography of Peace Corps books, check out Peace Corps Writers Home Page .

Teachers, especially: check out the National Audio Visual Center's Collection of geography films produced by the Peace Corps' World Wise Schools. Do a search on “Peace Corps”.

And here's an ad for a book entitled Alternatives to the Peace Corps. (This link is now fixed.)
While I'm on the subject of Peace Corps alternatives, here's info on the Volunteers for Peace International Workcamps.

Here's another PC alternative program: Cross Cultural Solutions. I don't know anything about it, except that they asked for a link... I must confess, however, to having my reservations about this group: in one of their itineraries, they describe a planned visit in one dictatorship with members of “a leading women's rights group”. Well, guess what? The head of that group is the wife of the minister of the armed forces... who also just happens to be the brother of the dictator of the country!

Back to Miscellaneous PC Site Table of Contents.

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page

 

III. Fiction by or about Peace Corps Volunteers

HOT! Peace Corps Writers has put a list of 334 RPCV authors on the internet, sorted by the country of their service. Many of the books have links to Amazon.com. (While some of these books are related to the Peace Corps, many are not... just because the author is an RPCV does not necessarily mean that all of his or her books will be Peace Corps related.)

HOT! John Y. N. Cho was a PCV in Sierra Leone from 1986 through 1988. He's currently a Research Scientist in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at M.I.T. He's also the author of a number of travel essays and short stories. Cho is an excellent writer, and I highly recommend taking the time to read his online works. They include:

Mistah Lee, a fictional account of the experiences of a PCV in West Africa.

Kadi and the Dog

The Late Todd Morse Joins the Peace Corps....

Freetown Bicentenary, 1987

Denizens of the Eldorado Youth Hostel in Khomasdal, Namibia

Here is a complete listing of Cho's online fiction, and here is a list of his online travel essays. He is also an afficianado of world music, and here is a list of his online world music reviews and articles.

Here's some epic new age poetry from RPCV John Ashbaugh, entitled The Gathering of the Tribes of the Earth.

The Washington Post described Richard Dooling's novel White Man's Grave, about the search for a missing PCV in Sierra Leone, as "Satiric and sometimes rollickingly funny". It was also a National Book Award Finalist. Me, I wasn't that crazy about it, although I did read it all the way through. The writer, by the way, spent some time in Sierra Leone but is not an ex-PCV. If you want to try before you buy, the entire First Chapter of the White Man's Grave is online. Or, you can read a briefer review by me in the The Friends of Togo Guide to Books about Africa.

Here's an ad for, and excerpts from, a soon-to-be released bang-bang-boom sci-fi eco-thriller by Laura Mixon, a Kenya RPCV, and her husband, to be called "Greenpeace/Greenwar". It sounds dumb, so I suppose a Hollywood movie is sure to follow.

Thavrith J. Bunkasem was a PCV in Chad. Here's a little on his interesting life, and a link to a journal he founded called Khmer Voice in Poetry: The Cambodian Literary connection.

 

Back to Miscellaneous PC Site Table of Contents.

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page

IV. Sites Critical of the Peace Corps, or Foreign Aid in General.

Here are some sites critical of the Peace Corps:

Knowledge, Disillusionment, Imperialism: The Peace Corps In the Philippines is an article by critical theorist Rena Diamond, in which she describes her visit to a sexist male PCV friend in the Philippines. He says things like “That's a nice piece of meat” when describing a Filipina woman. She writes things like "Firstly, the idea of “development” implies an entrenched and non-reflexive belief in science and technology, in the redeeming nature of “rationalist” thinking." She also uses terms like “hegemonic power”, as in her description of what the Peace Corps represents the worst sort of. (And you wonder: how did these two ever get together???)

Peace Corps as a foreign policy tool is a column by an Iowa State senior in which he argues that “the Peace Corps is an arm of U.S. foreign policy, and its primary aim is to make the world safe for multinational finance capital”. He quotes dimwits like Noam Chomsky and Michael Parenti to support his case.

Peace Corps from a first-hand experience is a rebuttal to the above column by the Iowa State Peace Corps representative.

General Accounting Office Report on Peace Corps in Eastern Europe. This report was issued in December, 1994, and I would be curious to hear whether you think its criticisms of the Peace Corps have a validity beyond the time and place of the study.

This Interview with Author Marnie Mueller discusses her experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador. She describes Peace Corps volunteers as “evil”.

Communist Michael Parenti disses civilization in general and the Peace Corps specifically in this interview entitled Dirty Truths.

Libertarian author James Bovard saves most of his ammunition for Food for Peace and AID in his article entitled The Continuing Failure of Foreign Aid, but he does describe the Peace Corps as having good intentions, but now “largely providing bureaucrats and technicians for foreign governments, thereby reinforcing political control over development.”

The Food-Aid Racket, by former PCV and Catholic Relief Services worker Michael Maren, is highly critical of foreign aid programs in general (although he does not criticize the Peace Corps). Agree or not, it's a fascinating read.

The Big Lie of Foreign Aid and International Charity is an interview with former PCV Michael Maren (see above) in which he further blasts all foreign aid, including (to some extent) the Peace Corps.

Here's a review of Michael Maren's excellent book, “The Road to Hell”. And here's one from Foreign Affiars.

Feeding Africa's Crises is an article by RPCV Michael Maren from The Nation on the subject of aid and peace-keeping missions.

Speaking of peace keeping mission, here's a Bibliography of books on the subject of military peace-keeping missions.

Here's a similar bibliography, entitled Military operations other than war.

Masters of Disaster has several stories of disastorous foreign aid projects - and the story of one “hugely successful” project run by a Peace Corps volunteer.

Doug Bandow of the Cato institute thinks that “Washington can do much to help poor nations by abolishing the U.S. Agency for International Development and.. instead of disbursing foreign aid... open its market to the the developing world's goods” in A New Aid Policy for a New World.

What's So Bad About Being Poor, by noted social theorist and RPCV Charles Murray, is a reflection based in part on his five years (!) as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand.

Here's a similarly iconoclastic piece from Slate entitled In Praise of Cheap Labor, by Paul Krugman.

 

Back to Miscellaneous PC Site Table of Contents.

Back to Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page

V. Really Miscellaneous

Hey there, prospective PCV.... wondering what to bring? Check out the soon-to-be-famous What to Bring web site, from those fine folks at the Columbia River Peace Corps Association.

HOT! Norbert and Carol Hoffmann's Peace Corps Journal is a work in progress from a married couple approaching retirement who have decided to join the Peace Corps. They have been accepted, but haven't been able to get assigned to a suitable country yet. It will be interesting to follow their experiences at this well designed site.

Wanna buy some Peace Corps merchandise? Check out the RPCV Market.... “your one-stop shop for Peace Corps related merchandise”. The site explains that the RPCV Market is owned and operated by Randy Merideth and Kevin Burns, two returned Peace Corps volunteers who live and work in the Minneapolis area. It is not affiliated with or otherwise endorsed by the Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any Peace Corps-related alumni membership organization.

The Peace Corps Store web site is another source of “authentic Peace Corps gifts and collectibles from around the globe”. This site may be connected with the Peace Corps somehow, since they have a physical store in the Peace Corps building in Washington DC.... but then again, maybe not.

HOT! Karin Muller was a PCV in the Philippines, who went on to make a PBS documentary called Hitchhiking Vietnam. This site tells her story, with loads of pictures.

HOT! The Corcoran High School Peace Corps Partnership site describes an inspiring program run by the International Relations club as a Syracus High School, in conjunction with Roberts Elementary School. The group has raised over $65,000 for small-scale development projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America for 14 years. If you want to support them, you'll find info on this site about ordering notecards, t-shirts, or their video.

Dianne E. Folkerth is a Bolivia RPCV, who is currently the Education Coordinator at the Texas Memorial Museum in Austin, Texas. She set up Kidscribe, a bilingual site for kid authors. They answer the question “what does peace mean to you?”

Here's an offbeat item: an interview with a prospective Peace Corps volunteer from an online surfing magazine.

Here's a page that describes “a special program that promotes multicultural appreciation in support of Federal Title IV requirements”, run by RPCV Rudy Sovinee, which he calls One World, Our World. You'll find some diversity links here as well.

Overseas Adventures describes the experience of Asian-Americans in the Peace Corps.

Paging all TEFLers: here is a site that provides information on subscribing to country- or area-specific email discussion lists for teachers of English living abroad.

Read about underarm hair and conga lines in this article from Salon, by a traveler visiting the Czech Republic with an RPCV.

Here's Loret Miller Ruppe's speech at the 35th anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps

Here's an unusual project: the Eurasian Odyssey. "Returning PCVs John McGown and Sonja Raub will bridge the expanse of Eurasia on their mountain bikes to produce a comprehensive photo documentary in 14 countries highlighting the every day challenges facing volunteers and the communities in which they serve."

This article, entitled Surviving Salvation, by Doctor Ruth Westheimer (yes, that Doctor Ruth!) describes the resettlement of Ethiopian Jews in Isreal. One of the Isrealis discussed in the article is Dr. Chaim Rosen, born an American, and a former Peace Corps volunteer.

Here is an article from an improbably name Missouri University publication on the Peace Corps attempts to recruit minorities: The Maneater: The Peace Corps. It also include some brief recollections on Peace Corps service.

HOT! Here's an unusual page with an unusual name: Piskops. It purports to be letters from a PCV to a friend, posted by the friend. But no name is provided, not even a country name (although it sounds like Sierra Leone, or maybe Cameroon)... The names in the story are all things like "America" and "Boston" spelled backwards. Is it real? Or is this the Peace Corps version of The Spot? Pay it a visit, and you decide....

A Proposal for an Electronic Peace Corps may sound from its title like a goofy idea, but it's got some merit.

Here is RPCV (Fiji, 1980) Elaine Winters' page on Cross Cultural Communication,

Here's a speech by Representative James A. Leach Upon the Introduction of Loret Ruppe at The 35th Anniversary of The Peace Corps.

Shinta is an on-line joke of dubious taste and humor about a PCV in Nepal.

Back to Miscellaneous PC Site Table of Contents.

Back to the Top of Page...

Back to the Peace Corps Crossroads Home Page


The Peace Corps Crossroads Peace Corps Related Sites - - - -