Katy Redd served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize



"Almost two years ago I joined the United States Peace Corps with the vague and somewhat naïve hope of helping the world. I was sent to Belize to serve in a rural village of Guatemalan refugees to teach and establish a library. The village, named 7 Miles, is located seven miles up a winding, rocky, trench-filled road in the dense jungle of Belize. I was thrilled when I first visited the place I'd be living for two years. I was excited to be having the "real" Peace Corps experience: no electricity or indoor plumbing. I moved into a little concrete block house and had to kick out the bats, mice, spiders, scorpions, and bugs who were the former residents."

Katy Redd served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize

Learning occurs when we stretch our comfort zone

By KATY REDD
Special to The Marion Star

Editor's Note:This week's edition of the Your Story comes courtesy of a local resident and is the second installment of her story. Katy Redd is a Peace Corps Volunteer operating in Belize, and took time to get back to civilization and modern technology to type up a message for local readers on how she is doing. She first wrote to us about a year ago, and here's an update.

I'm still not sure what to say when people ask me what it's like to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. I usually respond with some generic comment like, "Oh, it's been great, very eye-opening."

Summing up two years of life is never easy. To quantify the way of life, the stories, all of the times I thought I couldn't make it, is to tell only part of the story.

Almost two years ago I joined the United States Peace Corps with the vague and somewhat naïve hope of helping the world. I was sent to Belize to serve in a rural village of Guatemalan refugees to teach and establish a library. The village, named 7 Miles, is located seven miles up a winding, rocky, trench-filled road in the dense jungle of Belize. I was thrilled when I first visited the place I'd be living for two years. I was excited to be having the "real" Peace Corps experience: no electricity or indoor plumbing. I moved into a little concrete block house and had to kick out the bats, mice, spiders, scorpions, and bugs who were the former residents.

The days began to stretch on as my work began to take shape in the village.

I started working in the school until gradually we had a library and I could shift my focus to literacy for the children and adults. Benjamin Harrison Elementary School, with the help of Principal Steve Andrews, sent many boxes of books to help build the village library.

I was the only volunteer in the conservative village of 500. My days began early, around 5:30 a.m. after a few rounds of rooster crows. As I was deciding what to make for breakfast, the local village men put on their rubber boots with machete in hand and headed to work on the farms. The women made breakfast for their families of five or 10 or 20 and began gathering up the laundry for the time-consuming task of hand-washing each piece of clothing for the family and hanging it out to dry.

The days were sometimes unbearably hot. During the middle of the day, when the men were still out in the fields, the rest of the village stayed in the

shade and tried to stay cool without fans or air conditioning. In the evenings the villagers busied themselves with the goings on of church. Five nights a week everyone would put on their best clothes and head to the church for some loud soul-shaking praising.

There were times when I wasn't sure if I could do it any longer. One time our water, piped in from a waterfall behind the village, stopped working for 3 days. All of the villagers hiked to an old Mayan well and bathed their whole families and then instructed their children to haul water back to the house.

As a Volunteer I was not able to own or drive a car, and the public transportation consists of old school buses from the United States. Long days waiting for and then riding the buses in the heat began to wear on me.

I remember a night when I ran out of kerosene for my lantern and sat in the dark for an hour because it was still too early for bed. There was the time it rained for 10 days straight and our village road became a festering of mud. My latrine quickly filled with water from the supersaturated ground. These were the times I longed for an indoor shower, a flush toilet, some lights to turn on, even a TV to entertain me for a couple of hours.

But for each of these experiences, I realized that everyone else in a village of 500 was experiencing the same things but magnified because they had a family depending on them. They couldn't go back to the comfort of the United States in two years. I was just one person trying to adjust my American values and ways of doing things to a foreign culture, trying to teach something to the locals. And the truth, as I've come to realize, is that I have been taught far more than I taught.

I was taught how to take things easy. When the village flooded and my neighbors' dirt floor became a mud floor, they laughed it off instead of stressing out and finding someone to blame. When the bus system was down, people just didn't go where they wanted to go and found other things to do. They didn't yell at the bus drivers or complain hysterically, they dealt with the situation.

I was taught how to share. I come from a small family and though I wasn't handed everything I wanted, I never really had to truly share. In my village, when offering a child something, the first thing he does instinctively is break off a piece for his brother or sister. My neighbors are constantly giving me carrots, cabbage, oranges, tomatoes, extra food. I've come to be more observant in my own habits and try not to be wasteful when I know that many are hungry and needing.

I've also learned about community, about how to leave peacefully and humbly. The largest house in my village is about the size of a great room in an upper-middle class home. And that house is home to 13 people. Without television and in a warm climate, people spend the bulk of their day outside and don't need a large indoor space for doing much more than sleeping.

I cannot sum it up in an article; I can only tell stories and show pictures. I can hope that other people will get to have this kind of learning experience. Learning occurs, I'm convinced, when we put ourselves in situations that stretch our comfort zone. Of course working overseas is an eye-opening experience, but you can open your eyes anywhere, even in Marion, Ohio.

Volunteering at a soup kitchen or working with underprivileged youth and asking yourself, "Why are they homeless? Why are they underprivileged?" can go a long way to making the world a better place and understanding your role in our increasingly global society. I know that I have not changed the world. I haven't even changed 500 people. But they have changed me.

Originally published April 24, 2006

When this story was posted in May 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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It's Official: Vasquez nominated to FAO Exactly one week ago we predicted that Director Vasquez would soon be receiving a major ambassadorship. Today the White House confirmed that Vasquez will be the new Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture replacing Tony Hall. PCOL Comment: Director Vasquez, let us be the first to thank you for your service to the Peace Corps, congratulate you on your new appointment, and wish you good luck in your future endeavors. Although we have had our differences over the years and we opposed your nomination in 2001, we think you are leaving a solid legacy of accomplishment and have served the Peace Corps well. Initiatives and Accomplishments: Vasquez's major initiatives and accomplishments since becoming Peace Corps Director include: an agreement with Mexico in 2003 to host volunteers, sending RPCVs to work domestically in Hurricane relief after Katrina, emphasis on recruitment of minorities and of community college graduates, upgrading Peace Corps' infrastructure especially IT upgrades in the online application tracking process and the Volunteer Delivery System, an emphasis on safety and security of volunteers including the creation of a Situation Room at Peace Corps Headquarters, modifying Peace Corps' "Five Year Rule" for employment, and the expansion of the Peace Corps to its highest level in 30 years. He is the third longest serving Peace Corps Director after Loret Ruppe Miller and Sargent Shriver.

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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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Interview with a Hit Man RPCV John Perkins says that for many years he was an "economic hit man" in the world of international finance whose primary job was to convince less developed countries to accept multibillion dollar loans for infrastructure projects that left the recipient countries wallowing in debt and highly vulnerable to outside political and commercial interests. In this exclusive interview for "Peace Corps Online," Colombia RPCV Joanne Roll, author of Remember with Honor, talks to Perkins about his Peace Corps service, his relation with the NSA, "colonization" in Ecuador, the consequences of his work, why he decided to speak out, and what his hopes are for change.

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PC Program in Chad temporarily suspended Director Vasquez announced the temporary suspension of the Peace Corps program in Chad on April 14 and that all 29 Peace Corps volunteers have left the country. With a program dating back forty years (See Page 4 of the April 1966 "Peace Corps Volunteer"), RPCVs hope that volunteers can return to Chad as soon as the situation has stabilized. Congratulations to the Peace Corps for handling the suspension quickly and professionally.

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Peace Corps stonewalls on FOIA request The Ashland Daily Tidings reports that Peace Corps has blocked their request for information on the Volkart case. "After the Tidings requested information pertaining to why Volkart was denied the position — on March 2 — the newspaper received a letter from the Peace Corps FOIA officer stating the requested information was protected under an exemption of the act." The Dayton Daily News had similar problems with FOIA requests for their award winning series on Volunteer Safety and Security.

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PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

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History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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PC announces new program in Cambodia Director Vasquez and Cambodia's Deputy Chief of Mission Meng Eang Nay announced a historic new partnership between the Peace Corps and the Kingdom of Cambodia that will bring volunteers to this Southeast Asian country for the first time. Under King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia has welcomed new partnerships with the U.S. government and other U.S. organizations.

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Top Stories: March 23, 2006 Peace Corps celebrates 45th Anniversary 9 Mar Celeste joins Stonebridge International 21 Mar Spain plans Peace Corps 20 Mar Rita Botts learns about living in layers in Ukraine 18 Mar Melanie Boyer writes "About Last Night" 17 Mar Pat Waak files campaign complaint 15 Mar Tom Bissell is a 'Yooper' 15 Mar Toledo keeps Peru's dispute with Yale in the public eye 14 Mar Lack of teachers for 'Critical Languages' 14 Mar Keith and Jenny Gelber met as PCVs in Zambia 10 Mar Bush presents award to Amber Davis-Collins 9 Mar Brian Singer founded Project Zawadi 9 Mar Christopher R. Hill speaks on East Asia in Transition 9 Mar Edmund Hull says patience will win war on terrorism 7 Mar Miriam Gray reconnects with Brazil RPCV after 40 years 5 Mar Ashley Tsongas keynotes Women's Week Breakfast 5 Mar Sari Long says PC has much to teach us 3 Mar Dana Priest calls for Peace Corps for the 21st Century 4 Mar Vasquez says PC needs to be more racially diverse 4 Mar Peace Corps Fund ready for first round of grants 2 Mar Shriver Peaceworkers Celebrate 12 Years 1 Mar White House plans to close Americorps NCCC Program 1 Mar

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Peace Corps suspends program in Bangladesh Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez announced the suspension of the Peace Corps program in Bangladesh on March 15. The safety and security of volunteers is the number one priority of the Peace Corps. Therefore, all Peace Corps volunteers serving in Bangladesh have safely left the country. More than 280 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Bangladesh since the program opened in November 1998. Latest: What other newspapers say.

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Invitee re-assigned after inflammatory remarks The Peace Corps has pulled the invitation to Derek Volkart to join the Morocco Training Program and offered him a position in the Pacific instead after officials read an article in which he stated that his decision to join the Peace Corps was in "response to our current fascist government." RPCV Lew Nash says that "If Derek Volkart spoke his mind as freely in Morocco about the Moroccan monarchy it could cause major problems for himself and other Peace Corps volunteers." Latest: Volkart reverses stance, takes new assignment in Paraguay.

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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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