Peace Corps Volunteer Anna McCrerey writes about her service in Swaziland



"I've more or less plateaued at a state of a mild contentment. I still have strong homesickness pains every now and again, but more and more this feels comfortable and natural. I've carved out my own little home in the community and everything just sort of fits together."

Peace Corps Volunteer Anna McCrerey writes about her service in Swaziland

Saturday, June 25, 2005
UPDATE #24: Contentment

I've more or less plateaued at a state of a mild contentment. I still have strong homesickness pains every now and again, but more and more this feels comfortable and natural. I've carved out my own little home in the community and everything just sort of fits together. Of course, I still have ups and downs, but they aren't as dramatic as the first six months of my experience in Swaziland. I think most of it has to do with how well my projects are going and how fullfilled I feel with work. Finding a constant source of activity to keep me busy makes the time fly.

Currently, I am working on health outreach at the NCPs. Bembe (my fav nurse) and I are working to link the health services from the clinic to children at the NCPs -- the most vulnerable. I visited two of the NCPs (and will do the other two in the following weeks) to do vitamin distribution and check the children's health cards. All children have a small white health card on which their weight and immunizations are recorded up to five years old. While distributing vitamin A, I also checked to see which children were missing their immunizations. When I saw missing vaccines, I sent notes home to the guardian (written in SiSwati) telling them to bring the child to the clinic to receive his or her immunizations. Vaccines are free in Swaziland, the only obstacle is finding the children (usually the orphaned and most vulnerable) who need them. With winter approaching and chilly nights, I organized a largescale blanket distribution through donations from UNICEF. And finally, I have set my sites on a vegetable garden. This may take awhile, but I am hoping to work through a fencing donation from an NGO called FAO. Hopefully, they will help us over the next few months. My fingers are crossed.

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



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American Taboo: A Peace Corps Tragedy Returned Volunteers met with author Philip Weiss in Baltimore on June 18 to discuss the murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner. Weiss was a member of a panel that included three psychiatrists and a criminal attorney. Meanwhile, the Seattle U.S. Attorney's office announced that Dennis Priven cannot be retried for the murder. "We do not believe this case can be prosecuted by anyone, not only us, but in any other jurisdiction in the United States." Read background on the case here.

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June 16, 2005: Special Events Philip Weiss, PCV murder writer, speaks in Baltimore June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 NPCA to hold Virtual Leaders Forum on July 29 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 "Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures" in NY thru Sept 30 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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June 14: Peace Corps suspends Haiti program After Uzbekistan, the Peace Corps has announced the suspension of a second program this month - this time in Haiti. Background: The suspension comes after a US Embassy warning, a request from Tom Lantos' office, and the program suspension last year. For the record: PCOL supports Peace Corps' decision to suspend the two programs and commends the agency for the efficient way PCVs were evacuated safely. Our only concern now is with the placement of evacuated PCVs and the support they receive after interrupted service.

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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 6, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Kinky Friedman will "sign anything except bad legislation" 6 Jun Niels Marquardt Makes Chimpanzee Protection a Priority 6 Jun Laurence Leamer needs approval for "Today" appearance 6 Jun Desperate Housewives' Ricardo Chavira is son of RPCVs 6 Jun Anthony Sandberg runs Berkeley sailing school 5 Jun Amy Smith field-tests sugarcane charcoal 5 Jun Mary Johnson organizes workshop on genocide 3 Jun Jonathan Lash in 100 most Influential Business Leaders 3 Jun Hastert jump-starts Chris Shays' Campaign 3 Jun John Coyne says 41 RPCVs applied for scholarships 3 Jun James Rupert writes on bombing in Kandahar mosque 1 Jun John McCain says to expand opportunities for service 1 Jun Jay Rockefeller's relationships with Japanese go way back 1 Jun Anat Shenker met her husband during service in Honduras 31 May Ryan Clancy punished without hearing for visiting Iraq 30 May Melissa Mosvick remembered as a fallen American hero 29 May Kurt Carlson played basketball against Togo's national team 29 May Helen Thomas's favorite president remains JFK 24 May

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