Many had rewarding experiences by Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba
Many had rewarding experiences
Letter to the Editor
Re: "Missing without a trace," Oct. 27: This article regarding Walter Poirier's disappearance is an incredibly biased and uninformed piece of journalism.
I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 1998 to 2000. What about all the satisfied, successful volunteers who had rewarding, life-changing experiences in Bolivia?
The Dayton Daily News only talked to people who terminated early because they had a negative experience of some kind. Is that a representative view of the Peace Corps?
Yes, some people go to their site with little experience. But many of us went there with significant experience, training and language skills. I learned Quechua, improved my Spanish, and learned more about small-scale agriculture and nutrition because I applied myself. And so did all my friends in the Peace Corps.
The ones who did not make the effort to learn and adapt are the ones who got the least out of the experience.
Yes, it's hard. We are in remote places with little contact with the outside world. That's where the people live who are most in need.
Half of the Peace Corps experience is learning to fit in and to live with the people.
Next time you do a story on the developing world, get a reporter who knows something about it. Poirier's story is a terrible, terrible tragedy but it doesn't mean that the Peace Corps is dysfunctional. Reactionary policy-making won't bring him back.
Turning the Peace Corps into summer camp is not going to help the Bolivian people (or any other country the Peace Corps serves) in any way.
Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba
Dorchester, Mass.
[From the Dayton Daily News: 11.04.2003]
