July 6, 2005: Headlines: COS - El Salvador: Recruitment: Vienna/Oakton Connection: Brendan McCleary to serve in El Salvador with the Peace Corps
Peace Corps Online:
Directory:
El Salvador:
Peace Corps El Salvador :
The Peace Corps in El Salvador:
July 6, 2005: Headlines: COS - El Salvador: Recruitment: Vienna/Oakton Connection: Brendan McCleary to serve in El Salvador with the Peace Corps
Brendan McCleary to serve in El Salvador with the Peace Corps
Brendan McCleary’s post-Peace-Corps plans are global ones: he is thinking about studying international relations in graduate school when he returns. It’s not a set agenda, however. "I get two years of thinking," he said. "A lot of my friends are rushing back into school or jobs, but I get to think about it."
Brendan McCleary to serve in El Salvador with the Peace Corps
Peace-ing Out
Vienna resident joins the Peace Corps.
By Lea Mae Rice
July 6, 2005
Donated Photo
Brendan McCleary spent seven and a half months traveling in Europe.
It was a toss-up between the Middle East and South America for Brendan McCleary’s Peace Corps assignment. But after two years teaching English to Mexican immigrants in Charlottesville, said the Vienna native, he chose South America.
McCleary, who graduated from James Madison High School in 2001 and the University of Virginia in May, will leave in September for El Salvador for two years as an agroforestry and environmental education volunteer with the Peace Corps.
"I don’t know anything about what I am going to do there," said McCleary. "It’s really exciting for me, because I get to learn a whole new skill set other than what I learned in school."
While at UVA, McCleary majored in psychology and Spanish. He is spending the summer doing landscape work for the City of Fairfax, which he said helps with the agroforestry part of his new job description. McCleary also used to work for Cox Farms, a Vienna garden center.
McCleary started thinking about the Peace Corps two years ago, but always knew he wanted to live in another country for awhile. In the spring of 2004, he spent four and a half months studying abroad in Valencia, Spain, and another three traveling around Europe. He is fluent in Spanish and also took classes in Arabic.
"This is a time of your life to explore things and find out what you really want to do," said McCleary’s mother Lorraine. "(McCleary) loves to travel and experience different countries. We’re very proud of him."
"I think (the Peace Corps) is a great idea, perfect for him. He’s a kind of guy who’s always looking to help people," said Alex Defee, Brendan McCleary’s friend since seventh grade.
"We’re a family that has always believed in community service and volunteer work," said Lorraine McCleary. "Our church goes to Bethany House in D.C. and serves meals." In fact, Lorraine McCleary, a physical therapist, is thinking about serving in the Peace Corps with her husband Hunter after retirement.
"I worked with him at Cox farms, we always had a great time working there, going to Great Falls and hiking around," said friend Suzanne Hirsc. "He’s a man in his own world, but he steps out to help people."
"I mean, after living abroad I think I left a little disillusioned with this country and came back appreciating it more," said Brendan McCleary. "Instead of letting someone else manage how other nations see the U.S., they can see it through me."
"Hippie economist," said Defee, when asked how he would describe Brendan McCleary. "He’s always been a hippie, but then he took some economics classes, and he talks about that."
Indeed, Brendan McCleary’s post-Peace-Corps plans are global ones: he is thinking about studying international relations in graduate school when he returns.
It’s not a set agenda, however. "I get two years of thinking," he said. "A lot of my friends are rushing back into school or jobs, but I get to think about it."
When this story was posted in July 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
 | 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 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today. |
 | 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. |
 | 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. |
 | Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community. |
Read the stories and leave your comments.
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
Story Source: Vienna/Oakton Connection
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - El Salvador; Recruitment
PCOL21198
84
hey thats my brother
i just hope he is alright.
i look up to him alot.
and i hope he comes home safe.
sofar the only mishap he has had
is being bit by a dog, and it didnt even break
the skin but the corps are keeping him safe
and healthy and just for safety prcautioins
they gave him a rabie's shot.
thank you.
xo