Doug Clarke writes: For two weeks, we shared the life of my older son, Andrew Clarke, a Peace Corps volunteer working near Mwanza on the southern shore of Lake Victoria



Kenny and I tasted, touched and smelled something of the real Africa that Andrew is coming to know, but how well did we understand it? As the sun rose over Ngorongoro that bracing morning, and then thick clouds rolled across the spectacular highlands and plunged into the crater, it literally dawned on me: What I thought I saw clear and bright remained as distant from my comprehension as the stars now out of sight above.

Doug Clarke writes: For two weeks, we shared the life of my older son, Andrew Clarke, a Peace Corps volunteer working near Mwanza on the southern shore of Lake Victoria

Africa: up close and still very distant

Jul 5, 2006

Greensboro News & Record

Caption: Sunrise on Lake Victoria

The starriest sky I ever saw stretched across the heavens above our tent on the rim of Tanzanias Ngorongoro Crater.

My sons and I were camped at 7,000 feet above sea level, not quite prepared for the 40-degree chill but awestruck by the beauty around us. That afternoon wed toured the national park that encompasses the crater floor 2,000 feet below, viewing lions, black rhinos, elephants, zebras, wildebeest and many other species of Africas most spectacular wildlife. The next day wed drive through the Serengeti and add leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, baboons, crocodiles and more to our sightings.

Americans who visit East Africa typically go on safari as we did, meaning they hire an outfit operating out of Nairobi or Arusha to provide a vehicle and driver/guide to take them through the parks. Some even stay in splendid lodges and enjoy all the comforts, rather than camp as we did. In either case, the experience is well worth the cost and arduous travel it requires to reach that far part of the globe. At the time of the great migrations, particularly, the Serengeti is filled with animals. And so magnificent is the nearly hidden world of the Ngorongoro Crater, the remains of a collapsed volcano, that it could have been the Garden of Eden __ not a far- fetched thought given the discovery by Louis and Mary Leakey of early hominid fossils at nearby Olduvai Gorge.

But safari in Swahili means journey, and ours took my younger son Kenny and me to an Africa not seen in vacation brochures. For two weeks, we shared the life of my older son, Andrew, a Peace Corps volunteer working near Mwanza on the southern shore of Lake Victoria.

Its a life like that of the people he interacts with daily, whose homes lack clean running water and reliable electricity; who eat mostly bland diets of rice, beans and a boiled corn flour pudding called ugali but sometimes fish, chicken, goat and fresh fruits and vegetables; who live in constant danger of contracting diseases for which effective treatments are largely unavailable; who accept inconvenience and hardship as routine.

Those same people are friendly, warm and so welcoming that the most common word we heard was karibu, which meant, Were delighted youre here.

Still, it takes getting used to. Despite its lakeside location, gentle climate, proximity to national parks and status as Tanzanias second-largest city, Mwanza is not a tourist destination. Its mostly a ramshackle collection of hovels that look as if theyd flatten under the stress of a half-hearted earthquake. Without a single traffic light anywhere, or anyone interested in policing, drivers make up their own rules as they go, employing their horns more often than their brakes. Commerce pours out of crumbling shops into sidewalks, alleys and streets. Vendors compete with beggars for the attention of the occasional foreigners who find their way through town.


While we treated ourselves to excellent meals in a couple of actually fine restaurants, we also ate in cheap roadside food stands and absorbed other local experiences: riding in dala dalas, vans built for maybe 15 passengers but crammed with as many as 30; attending a wake in a nearby village for a child who died of malaria; visiting with the family of Andrews friend and fellow teacher Kassim, where we were served traditional dishes by the women, who did not join the men in eating.

Kenny and I even endured a torturous 15-hour bus ride from Nairobi to Mwanza, getting the feel __ bump by bump by crash __ of the frustrations of traveling across Africas great distances if youre not lucky enough to fly.

Kenny and I tasted, touched and smelled something of the real Africa that Andrew is coming to know, but how well did we understand it? As the sun rose over Ngorongoro that bracing morning, and then thick clouds rolled across the spectacular highlands and plunged into the crater, it literally dawned on me: What I thought I saw clear and bright remained as distant from my comprehension as the stars now out of sight above.

Doug Clark can be contacted at dgclark@news-record.com and 373- 7039.

When this story was posted in July 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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Jody Olsen is acting Peace Corps Director The Senate confirmed Gaddi Vasquez to head the FAO on June 30. Jody Olsen will be acting Director until the President makes a permanent appointment. Olsen has been Deputy Director of the Peace Corps since 2002. She has previously served as Chief of Staff for two directors, as regional director for North Africa, Near East, and Asia and the Pacific, and as country director in Togo. She served in Tunisia as a PCV.

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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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Changing the Face of Hunger In his new book, Former Congressman Tony Hall (RPCV Thailand) says humanitarian aid is the most potent weapon the United States can deploy against terrorism. An evangelical Christian, he is a big believer in faith-based organizations in the fight against hunger. Members of Congress have recently recommended that Hall be appointed special envoy to Sudan to focus on ending the genocide in Darfur.

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PC will not return to East Timor in 2006 Volunteers serving in East Timor have safely left the country as a result of the recent civil unrest and government instability. Latest: The Peace Corps has informed us that at this time, the Peace Corps has no plans to re-enter the country in 2006. The Peace Corps recently sent a letter offering eligible volunteers the opportunity to reinstate their service in another country.

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Chris Dodd considers run for the White House Senator Chris Dodd plans to spend the next six to eight months raising money and reaching out to Democrats around the country to gauge his viability as a candidate. Just how far Dodd can go depends largely on his ability to reach Democrats looking for an alternative to Hillary Clinton. PCOL Comment: Dodd served as a Volunteer in the Dominican Republic and has been one of the strongest supporters of the Peace Corps in Congress.

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The RPCV who wrote about Ben Hogan Probably no RPCV has done more to further the Third Goal of the Peace Corps than John Coyne with the Peace Corps Writers web site and newsletter that he and Marian Haley Beil have produced since 1989. Now John returns to writing about his first love - golf in "The Caddie who knew Ben Hogan." Read an excerpt from his novel, an interview with the author and a schedule of his book readings in Maryland and DC this week.

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Vasquez testifies before Senate Committee Director Vasquez testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination as the new Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture replacing Tony Hall. He has been the third longest serving Peace Corps Director after Loret Ruppe Miller and Sargent Shriver. PCOL Comment: Read our thanks to Director Vasquez for his service to the Peace Corps.

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First Amendment Watch Maine Web Report hit with Federal Lawsuit Website wins trademark suit against Jerry Falwell

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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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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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