Paul McGee enlisted in the Peace Corps and was assigned to a village in Madagascar



''It is such a good experience,'' said McGee, who lives in Monitor Township. ''I made a lot of friends and I had a lot of fun, both in my village and with my Peace Corps friends. These were people who were my family for two years. 'My closest volunteer was six hours away,'' he added. ''It makes acclimation into your new culture a little bit easier. You adjust pretty quickly to having no water or electricity but leaving my friends and family? Now that was the hard part.''

Paul McGee enlisted in the Peace Corps and was assigned to a village in Madagascar

Peace Corps volunteer has the experience of a lifetime in Madagascar
Saturday, March 11, 2006
By JERRY NUNN
TIMES WRITER

Fresh out of college and unsure what to do, Paul McGee decided to take a two-year journey that turned out to be an experience of a lifetime.

He enlisted in the Peace Corps and was assigned to a village in Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island, located off the east coast of Africa.

He returned home in December.

While in Madagascar, McGee educated villagers about health care and AIDS awareness, two subjects that had McGee learning as much as he taught.

''It is such a good experience,'' said McGee, who lives in Monitor Township. ''I made a lot of friends and I had a lot of fun, both in my village and with my Peace Corps friends. These were people who were my family for two years.

''It was hard to say good-bye,'' McGee said.

A graduate of Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in advertising and film, McGee had previously volunteered at an AIDS clinic, operating the organization's food pantry.

''Because I had experience in an AIDS clinic, I qualified for the health sector,'' said McGee, noting he taught children and adults in classrooms and larger settings while in Madagascar.

While the Peace Corps concentrates on six main areas of instruction including health, education, business development and the environment, McGee said the dividing lines between sectors are faint: Individual volunteers tap into their community's greatest needs.

''It is less technical than you might think. It's mostly about cultural understanding and education,'' he said.

McGee's own stint was spent at Ramena, a coastal fishing village near the country's north tip. He described a country with no running water or electricity and poor on communications, where many villages operate with little outside influence.

''I was the token white guy in the village,'' he said, noting it was sometimes hard to tell where he stood with the locals.

''The word 'yes' was absolutely meaningless. I couldn't tell if they were being honest or merely telling me what I wanted to hear. Half were thinking it was really important, because it was coming from someone who didn't belong there, and half were thinking it was funny because I'm a white guy trying to teach them,'' said McGee.

In addition, villagers operated on what they called ''foatanagasy,'' or Madagasy time, according to McGee.

''If you scheduled a meeting at eight o'clock, everybody would get there at nine,'' he said.

In a village accessible only by aircraft, McGee was totally dependent on villagers for his needs. Still, he and locals found common ground in one cultural divide - food.

''Rice, rice, rice. We had rice with everything. I was fortunate because I was in a coastal village so I had fresh fish every day I was there,'' McGee said. ''Our weight fluctuated depending on what was in season. If it was avocado season, then I gained weight.''

Actually, McGee's daily needs proved minimal. The $100 monthly stipend he received more than covered what he spent.

The Peace Corps enrollment process took nearly six months, McGee said, noting health screenings and a series of interviews were followed by three months of training in Madagascar.

It was time well spent, according to McGee, who recommends Peace Corps service for anyone seeking adventure, experience or a chance to help others.

''I had a married couple in my training group and the oldest person was 68 years old,'' he said, noting the group prior had four married couples.

''My closest volunteer was six hours away,'' he added. ''It makes acclimation into your new culture a little bit easier. You adjust pretty quickly to having no water or electricity but leaving my friends and family? Now that was the hard part.''

Someday, McGee said, he hopes to return to Madagascar.

And he likely will need to if he wants to stay in touch with his Madagasy friends, because many of them can't read or write.

''As far as an education, most would have a junior-high or middle-school education,'' McGee said. ''That's what makes it hard.''

- Jerry Nunn is a staff writer for The Times. He can be reached at 894-9647 or by

e-mail at jnunn@bc-times.com.

When this story was posted in March 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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March 1, 1961: Keeping Kennedy's Promise On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order #10924, establishing the Peace Corps as a new agency: "Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs. Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed--doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language. But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps--who works in a foreign land--will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace. "

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory. New: Sign up to receive PCOL Magazine, our free Monthly Magazine by email. Like to keep up with Peace Corps news as it happens? Sign up to recieve a daily summary of Peace Corps stories from around the world.

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Top Stories: February 2, 2006 Al Kamen writes: Rice to redeploy diplomats 20 Jan Peace Corps mourns the Loss of Volunteer Tessa Horan 1 Feb RPCV pursues dreams in America's Heartland 1 Feb Sargent Shriver documentary to be shown in LA 30 Jan W. Frank Fountain is new board chairman of Africare 27 Jan Abbey Brown writes about acid attacks in Bangladesh 26 Jan Christopher Hill Sees Ray of Hope in N.Korea Standoff 26 Jan Jeffrey Smit writes on one man diplomatic outposts 25 Jan Joe Blatchford's ACCION and microfinance 24 Jan James Rupert writes: A calculated risk in Pakistan 23 Jan Sam Farr rips conservative immigration bill 21 Jan Americans campaign for PC to return to Sierra Leone 20 Jan Kinky Friedman supports Gay Marriage 20 Jan Margaret Krome writes on Women leaders 18 Jan James Walsh leads bipartisan US delegation to Ireland 17 Jan Mark Schneider writes on Elections and Beyond in Haiti 16 Jan Robert Blackwill on a "serious setback" in US-India relations 13 Jan Kevin Quigley writes on PC and U.S. Image Abroad 13 Jan Emily Metzloff rides bicycle 3,100 miles from Honduras 9 Jan Charles Brennick starts operation InterConnection 9 Jan Lee Fisher tells story of Pablo Morillo 7 Jan Nancy Wallace writes: Was PC a CIA front after all? 4 Jan

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Paid Vacations in the Third World? Retired diplomat Peter Rice has written a letter to the Wall Street Journal stating that Peace Corps "is really just a U.S. government program for paid vacations in the Third World." Director Vasquez has responded that "the small stipend volunteers receive during their two years of service is more than returned in the understanding fostered in communities throughout the world and here at home." What do RPCVs think?

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RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps Timothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case.

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Military Option sparks concerns The U.S. military, struggling to fill its voluntary ranks, is allowing recruits to meet part of their reserve military obligations after active duty by serving in the Peace Corps. Read why there is opposition to the program among RPCVs. Director Vasquez says the agency has a long history of accepting qualified applicants who are in inactive military status. John Coyne says "Not only no, but hell no!" and RPCV Chris Matthews leads the debate on "Hardball." Avi Spiegel says Peace Corps is not the place for soldiers while Coleman McCarthy says to Welcome Soldiers to the Peace Corps. Read our poll results. Latest: Congress passed a bill on December 22 including language to remove Peace Corps from the National Call to Service (NCS) military recruitment program

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Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject.

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PC establishes awards for top Volunteers Gaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9.

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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.

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