Kristyn Brouwer has been busy hitchhiking around the Ghanaian countryside, perfecting the art of balancing water on her head and learning to share her living quarters with insects



Kristyn Brouwer has been busy hitchhiking around the Ghanaian countryside, perfecting the art of balancing water on her head and learning to share her living quarters with insects

Peace Corps volunteer focuses on social justice, cultural awareness

By BETH WALTON
Staff writer

In the last four months, Kristyn Brouwer hasn't watched television, talked on a cell phone, gone out to dinner, watched a movie or visited a shopping mall.

And she says she hasn't been bored once.

Instead, the 21-year-old Park Township resident has been busy hitchhiking around the Ghanaian countryside, perfecting the art of balancing water on her head and learning to share her living quarters with insects.


Brouwer is a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, on the central west coast of Africa.

"I've never kept a traditional Ghanaian mud compound before," she wrote in a recent letter to her parents, Wayne and Brenda Brouwer. "I've never had ash and dust in every part of my body and my surroundings before. I've never prepared food before without a fridge, and shared my living quarters with an aggressive mouse, millions of ants and about 3 dozen lizards (at least that I can identify as regular inhabitants)."

Brouwer entered Calvin College at the age of 16 despite not having a high school diploma. She had attended Holland Christian High School but was ahead of her classmates academically and was admitted to Calvin through an early admission program.

She graduated from Calvin in December 2002 at the age of 19 with majors in philosophy and English. While at Calvin, she made her first trip to Ghana through the college's study abroad program.

"Nothing is wasted on Kristyn," said Susan Selch, a professor of English literature at Calvin. "I'm sure as she was writing home about the insects in her house, I can just see her thinking, what does that mean or how do I think about that?"

Kristyn returned to Ghana as a Peace Corps volunteer in September.

She keeps in touch with her family by mail.

"The two biggest things in Kristyn's heart and head are social justice and intercultural awareness and respect. The Peace Corps allows her to explore those things," Wayne Brouwer said.

For her first three months in Ghana, Brouwer lived with a host family in the village of Twine-Anguenta as she acculturated herself, learning the native language and customs.

"My village is so poor that it cannot, among all thousand residents or so, raise enough money to connect to the power lines which run overhead, " she said in a letter.

The children of the village have been following Brouwer around.

"They love when we play clapping games, sing, dance, or I slaughter Twi (the native language) as they teach me new words," Brouwer wrote in a letter.

After three months of training, Brouwer moved to the site of her permanent assignment -- working in two villages in northeast Ghana with Acakowdep, a women's development agency, teaching villagers how to use and preserve their natural resources more effectively.

"I must be some sort of crazy to be doing this -- cattle hanging out in the dirt patch that is my entry way. How strange. I just might be crazy enough though to think I could create a life for myself here."

Contact Beth Walton at beth.walton@hollandsentinel.com or (616) 546-4279.

All contents © Copyright 2005 The Holland Sentinel

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Ask Not As our country prepares for the inauguration of a President, we remember one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century and how his words inspired us. "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."

---

January 15, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Bellamy finishing term - Veneman to head Unicef 15 Jan 230 RPCVs volunteer for Crisis Corps 14 Jan Peace Corps Fund needs silent auction items 12 Jan Matt Gould in one-man Peace Corps show in Hollywood 12 Jan Taylor Hackford's "Ray" Nominated for Golden Globe 12 Jan Ambassador Johnson shares memories of Thailand 11 Jan Senator Dodd suggests PC return to Venezuela 11 Jan Ambassador Hull wants PC to return to Sierra Leone 11 Jan Poiriers unhappy with PC investigation of missing son 10 Jan Emile Hons reflects on the Deborah Gardner murder case 10 Jan Judge Paul A. Bastine criticized for stalling Divorce 6 Jan Volunteer Patricia D. Scatoloni dies in Macedonia 4 Jan more top stories...

---

Coleman: Peace Corps mission and expansion Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee that oversees the Peace Corps, says in an op-ed, A chance to show the world America at its best: "Even as that worthy agency mobilizes a "Crisis Corps" of former Peace Corps volunteers to assist with tsunami relief, I believe an opportunity exists to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the Peace Corps and its expansion to touch more and more lives."

RPCVs active in new session of Congress In the new session of Congress that begins this week, RPCV Congressman Tom Petri has a proposal to bolster Social Security, Sam Farr supported the objection to the Electoral College count, James Walsh has asked for a waiver to continue heading a powerful Appropriations subcommittee, Chris Shays will no longer be vice chairman of the Budget Committee, and Mike Honda spoke on the floor honoring late Congressman Robert Matsui.

Latest: RPCVs and Peace Corps provide aid Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help?

The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005.

Changing of the Guard With Lloyd Pierson's departure, Marie Wheat has been named acting Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations responsible for the day-to-day management of the Peace Corps. Although Wheat is not an RPCV and has limited overseas experience, in her two years at the agency she has come to be respected as someone with good political skills who listens and delegates authority and we wish her the best in her new position.

Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."

RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia survived Monday's attack on the consulate without injury. Five consular employees and four others were killed. Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman to hold the position, has been an outspoken advocate of rights for Arab women and has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions.

Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors.

The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.

Read the stories and leave your comments.