Armenia RPCV Diana Gomez says one of the ways to do something about Peace is through the Peace Corps



Armenia RPCV Diana Gomez says one of the ways to do something about Peace is through the Peace Corps

Celebrating Peace
Join us to celebrate Peace in the World

By Diana Gomez, Peace Corps Recruiter
La Prensa San Diego
March 4, 2005

Caption: Peace Corp recruiter, Diana Gomez, on campus at UCSD.

It might sound a bit absurd to celebrate "Peace" when the world is going through so many changes. Everyday, we listen to the disturbing news on the radio or we watch it on television. It is hard to believe that there is a way to keep or to do something about Peace.

One of the ways to do something about Peace is through the Peace Corp. Believe me, it is very exciting, full of challenges, adventures, travel, cross-cultural relationships, delicious international food, and many other experiences that will be waiting for you. The question is, how far will you go?

Life is calling you. You can do something. You can make changes in this planet. I know because I have done it. I know how up-lifting and rewarding the experience of doing volunteer work is.

I joined Peace Corps in 1999. I was invited to go to Latin America because of my Mexican and American background; during the process of my application there were some changes and at the last moment I was invited to serve in Central Europe in Armenia.

The challenge started with how a Mexican American woman of 59 years of age would contribute to a former communist country?

I looked back at the time of my training and thought I wouldn't be able to survive. My business background was out of date, my English was not good enough to teach English but my perseverance prevailed. My knowledge of fundraiser for unprivileged Mexican children at the border plus the three months training with the Peace Corps prepared me for my two years of services.

I became a Community Developer in a little town of Yeghegnadzor. I was able to produce events for the community, which included 50 children, in a chorus singing songs from different countries in different languages. Also, children danced Folklore. Other children played classic melodies by piano, violin and ethnic instruments. One of my most memorable moments was when all of them performed to the theme of "Let There be Peace in the World."

Not only did I stay for the two years, but I stayed over to train the new volunteers arriving to Armenia after us. Moreover, I was invited by another organization to go back and train women in leadership skills and roles. Finally, after three years full of marvelous experiences, I am now working at UCSD as a recruiter and representative of Peace Corps.

In 2004, for the first time, UCSD has ranked among the top 25 large schools in the country for the number of its alumni that joined the Peace Corps last year.

While being a college graduate is not a requirement to join the organization, 97 percent of volunteers have undergraduate degrees and 13 percent hold graduate degrees. Through the Peace Corps, 7,733 volunteers are working around the world, according to Arnold.

I think that all of us as human beings have a special need to do something for other people, The Peace Corps is a way for people to grow. When you dedicate two years of your life to the service for the betterment of mankind, you will find yourself immensely wealthy in experiences and full of joy because you know you have made a difference in some place to someone. These kinds of experiences have no price.
The UCSD Peace Corps office will be hosting an open house as part of Peace Corps Week, presented by the Peace Corps and National Peace Corps Association, Sunday March 6, with special guest Gaddi Vasquez, Director of the Peace Corps. He will speak on "Expanding Returned Peace Corps Volunteer possibilities for making a difference in our world."

The program and reception will start at 2:30 at the International House Great Hall (Pangea Drive off N. Torrey Pines Road.), University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037-0550. For more information call 800-424-8580 or peacematch@rpcv.org .

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

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in over 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related reference material in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about RPCVs who have your same interests, who served in your Country of Service, or who serve in your state.

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RPCVs in Congress ask colleagues to support PC RPCVs Sam Farr, Chris Shays, Thomas Petri, James Walsh, and Mike Honda have asked their colleagues in Congress to add their names to a letter they have written to the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, asking for full funding of $345 M for the Peace Corps in 2006. As a follow-on to Peace Corps week, please read the letter and call your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to add their name to the letter.

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March 5, 2005: RPCV Groups in the News San Diego RPCVs host reception with Gaddi Vasquez on March 6 4 Mar Alaska RPCVs speak for dividend 4 Mar Western North Carolina's RPCVs sponsor Africa Night on March 6 3 Mar Maryland RPCVs lobby their Senators for Peace Corps 3 Mar Connecticut RPCVs hold fundraiser on March 5 3 Mar Charles Baquet speaks at Louisiana PC Breakfast on March 4 28 Feb RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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March 5, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Senate FR Committee approves $345 M PC budget 4 Mar RPCV's "Kennedy's Kitchen" records second CD 4 Mar Sam Farr asks Army to reconsider burial policy 3 Mar Bayanihan jewelry designed by Philippines RPCV 2 Mar Todd Vetter receives calling during PC service 2 Mar Sargent Shriver still on Washington's A-list 2 Mar Photographer Bill Owens publishes new book 2 Mar Crisis Corps to open new program in Sri Lanka 28 Feb PC wants new stories for "The Great Adventure" 28 Feb Ukraine PCV asks "Is Bush right on Iraq?" 28 Feb Carol Bellamy defends "feminism" in aiding children 28 Feb John Bridgeland discusses role as Bush assistant 28 Feb Paul Theroux recalls high times with Hunter Thompson 28 Feb Elaine Chao Leads Delegation to Uruguay 28 Feb RPCV reunites with friend after 40 years 27 Feb Kay Muldoon-Ibrahim's photography on exhibit 27 Feb Jim Doyle displays political brilliance on tax cuts 26 Feb

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March 1: National Day of Action Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went.

Coates Redmon, Peace Corps Chronicler Coates Redmon, a staffer in Sargent Shriver's Peace Corps, died February 22 in Washington, DC. Her book "Come as You Are" is considered to be one of the finest (and most entertaining) recountings of the birth of the Peace Corps and how it was literally thrown together in a matter of weeks. If you want to know what it felt like to be young and idealistic in the 1960's, get an out-of-print copy. We honor her memory.

Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week.

Peace Corps Calendar: Tempest in a Teapot? Bulgarian writer Ognyan Georgiev has written a story which has made the front page of the newspaper "Telegraf" criticizing the photo selection for his country in the 2005 "Peace Corps Calendar" published by RPCVs of Madison, Wisconsin. RPCV Betsy Sergeant Snow, who submitted the photograph for the calendar, has published her reply. Read the stories and leave your comments.

WWII participants became RPCVs Read about two RPCVs who participated in World War II in very different ways long before there was a Peace Corps. Retired Rear Adm. Francis J. Thomas (RPCV Fiji), a decorated hero of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 at 100. Mary Smeltzer (RPCV Botswana), 89, followed her Japanese students into WWII internment camps. We honor both RPCVs for their service.

Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps The White House is proposing $345 Million for the Peace Corps for FY06 - a $27.7 Million (8.7%) increase that would allow at least two new posts and maintain the existing number of volunteers at approximately 7,700. Bush's 2002 proposal to double the Peace Corps to 14,000 volunteers appears to have been forgotten. The proposed budget still needs to be approved by Congress.

Read the stories and leave your comments.

By Araxia (host-195-250-88-91.customer.arminco.com - 195.250.88.91) on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 3:34 am: Edit Post

Hi.I am Araxia. An undergraduate student in Armenia in Yerevan.I do want to join in the group and do something about Peace through Peace Corps.I hope I can be one of the active volunteers for Peace Corps.I can say that I have a volunteer experience in Missionaries of charity of Mother Tereza house.
Thanks in advanced!