September 27, 2005: Headlines: COS - Colombia: Safety and Security of Volunteers: Bradenton Herald: Colombia RPCV Paula Termini spent one night in Bogata jail after misunderstanding
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September 27, 2005: Headlines: COS - Colombia: Safety and Security of Volunteers: Bradenton Herald: Colombia RPCV Paula Termini spent one night in Bogata jail after misunderstanding
Colombia RPCV Paula Termini spent one night in Bogata jail after misunderstanding
Eventually the U.S. Embassy straightened out the problem, but Peace Corps officials felt it best to transfer her to Costa Rica, Termini said.
Colombia RPCV Paula Termini spent one night in Bogata jail after misunderstanding
Paula Termini dedicated to caring for others
DONNA WRIGHT
Herald Staff Writer
[Excerpt]
Termini's Peace Corps day were spiked with intrigue and high adventure.
She shared the following story:
One night, after she finished a shift at the Hospital Senora de los Remedios in La Guajira, Colombia, a jeep came roaring up to the ER entrance. A badly burned man was pushed out of the jeep. He was an American pilot whose small jet had crashed nearby. The plane was carrying drugs.
The pilot's burns were so extensive, Termini said, that he had to be transported to a larger hospital in nearby Santa Marta.
"Almost as soon as the pilot was dropped off, an ambulance suddenly appeared out of nowhere," said Termini. "No one at our hospital had called for one."
Because the pilot did not speak Spanish, Termini offered to go along in the ambulance to translate for him. That's when her troubles began.
Officials thought that since was an American she must be involved in the drug ring.
The misunderstanding landed Termini in a Bogata jail for one night.
Eventually the U.S. Embassy straightened out the problem, but Peace Corps officials felt it best to transfer her to Costa Rica, Termini said.
Termini was assigned to the Hospital Tony Facio in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.
Her jail experience aside, the real meaning of her Peace Corps experience came from lessons she learned watching patients recover.
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Story Source: Bradenton Herald
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Colombia; Safety and Security of Volunteers
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I was directed to PC/Online by word of the death of one of my best Peace Corps friends, Paul Kram (Colombia 1971-73), whose obituary is in your 7/23/05 edition. He and I were in the same PC group, and worked with the Colombian Agrarian Reform Agency (Incora); he in the north coast state of Sucre and me in neighboring Cordoba. He later was a Chicago Board of Trade commodities broker, as your obituary notes, for nearly all his professional life. Because I knew and liked Paul as I did, my questioning of public policy that shapes futures trading has always been made with the knowledge that not all traders are uncaring of the "Third World" consequences of such trading (or its underlying policy flaws) as some critics assume. Paul respected (though did not agree with) my view that trading globally as we do conveys markets injustices such that prices paid to poor nations' farmers (as well as farmers here) are unwisely undercut. Indeed, he largely shared my hope that my effort to raise this questioning as a candidate for Congress (as I did in a Nov 02 Missouri 9th District House race) may succeed if I repeat such a race in 2006. Any PC/Online reader who'd share his/her thoughts, please let me hear via e-mail (to dondeichman@hotmail.com) and a posting here. Sincerely, Don Deichman ---- P.S. I'm engaged in ongoing debate on this in Farm Journal's agweb.com "discussions". (Entrants there are advised to come wearing a hard hat...)
