• June 30, 2005: Headlines: COS - Kazakstan: Blogs - Kazakstan: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteer Jay Chen in Kazakstan: Anxiety and Guilt Sunday, July 03, 2005 - 12:29 pm [1]

Peace Corps Volunteer Jay Chen in Kazakstan: On Ethnicity



"In many ways, sometimes I feel that I’ve been too sheltered – though in America I’m considered a minority, almost all of the places I’ve lived I was the majority – at CHS, where 90% of the student body was Asian, and at Berkeley where close to 50% was Asian. Intellectually, I realized that I was in the minority, but I had never felt it until I joined the Peace Corps, being that I was one of the three Asians in the group of 48."

Peace Corps Volunteer Jay Chen in Kazakstan: On Ethnicity

6.30.2005
On Ethnicity


Yen is one of the Uzbekers who came to join our group after the evac there – here we’re doing the classic Chinese picture pose after the concert. Like most of the wonderful people here in our group, she’s just as beautiful and pretty on the inside (brilliant, I should say) as she is on the outside. Our friendship is particularly valuable here in this case because we’re the two of the three Asian-Americans here in this particular group – the fact that she’s Chinese was a particularly welcome feature since we can have plenty of intelligent conversations about Chinese culture as well.

In many ways, sometimes I feel that I’ve been too sheltered – though in America I’m considered a minority, almost all of the places I’ve lived I was the majority – at CHS, where 90% of the student body was Asian, and at Berkeley where close to 50% was Asian. Intellectually, I realized that I was in the minority, but I had never felt it until I joined the Peace Corps, being that I was one of the three Asians in the group of 48.

Seeing Yen’s face in many ways a relief to me, because who else can I talk about asian familial culture with, who knows what kind of Chinese foods are real Chinese foods and which aren’t, who has enjoyed the same culture and language that I enjoyed?

Yet, joining the group, working and having fun with everyone has largely made me realize that my active, constant thoughts about my ethnicity were essentially misplaced – most people don’t care what your background is – it’s about who you are as a person that matters. I feel that most of the people around me are genuine, intelligent and open people that share a connection, despite the lack of a similar ethnic background.

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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