2006.12.04: December 4, 2006: Headlines: COS - Philippines: The Third Goal: Altoona Mirror: Laura Smail was sent to the Philippines to Nabua, a town in the province of Camarines Sur
Peace Corps Online:
Directory:
Philippines:
Peace Corps Philippines:
The Peace Corps in the Philippines:
2006.12.04: December 4, 2006: Headlines: COS - Philippines: The Third Goal: Altoona Mirror: Laura Smail was sent to the Philippines to Nabua, a town in the province of Camarines Sur
Laura Smail was sent to the Philippines to Nabua, a town in the province of Camarines Sur
Smail completed her commitment to the Peace Corps in late September. Because one of the Peace Corps’ objectives is to educate others about other cultures and people, she was eager to speak to her church about her experience. Dressed in a traditional Filipino dance costume — a long, silky blue skirt with a matching scarf in her hair and a white blouse with printed blue flowers and distinctively rounded sleeves, Smail, 26, discussed Filipino culture and her job as a volunteer.
Laura Smail was sent to the Philippines to Nabua, a town in the province of Camarines Sur
Peace Corps worth effort
By Rebekka Coakley, bcoakley@altoonamirror.com
HOLLIDAYSBURG — While greeting her congregation at First Presbyterian Church in Hollidaysburg Saturday night in Tagalog — the national language of the Philippines — Laura Smail described her life as a Peace Corps volunteer.
When most college seniors were updating their resumes and applying for jobs at home or in a new city, Smail was preparing for her first trip overseas — one that would last three years.
The 26-year-old Nanty Glo resident said she wanted to do something different after college instead of going straight in to teaching elementary education. An e-mail from a Peace Corps recruiter at Penn State caught her eye and changed her life.
“It wasn’t that hard of a decision,” she said. “I was ready to get away. I lived at home while going to school and never lived anywhere outside of the area for more than a summer.”
Smail was sent to the Philippines to Nabua, a town in the province of Camarines Sur. She lived with a host family and worked in the town’s elementary school.
Smail completed her commitment to the Peace Corps in late September. Because one of the Peace Corps’ objectives is to educate others about other cultures and people, she was eager to speak to her church about her experience.
Dressed in a traditional Filipino dance costume — a long, silky blue skirt with a matching scarf in her hair and a white blouse with printed blue flowers and distinctively rounded sleeves, Smail, 26, discussed Filipino culture and her job as a volunteer.
She spent her first 10 weeks in the Philippines in training with other volunteers to prepare her for the work expected of her during her stay.
She had intensive language training,; learned technical teaching skills, cultural issues and how to interact with others in the town; and received security training.
Smail said living with a host family took getting used to.
‘‘In the Philippines, it’s common for people to have extended family members living with them, so there are a number of people in the homes and the occupants are always changing,’’ she said. ‘‘Grown children may come home for a while or a grandma and uncle may be staying, plus various house helpers coming in and out. It’s very noisy. The only quiet time was at night when everyone was sleeping.’’
Smail said as the only white person in town, she never had any privacy.
“Everyone knows what you are doing all the time, who’s at your house and how long they stay,” she said.
Getting the people in the town to trust her was hard, but she eventually gained their trust.
Smail said word gradually spread that she was there to help teach the children. That turned stares into smiles.
Smail’s work at the school consisted of reading instruction and library development. Through fundraisers and donations from friends and family at home in Pennsylvania, Smail was able to get make the library more functional for the students.
Smail extended her two-year assignment to three years. Even though she said she felt she could accomplish a lot more with more time, she was ready to come home.
Smail will spend the holidays at home with her family, but she hopes to work with the Ameri
Corps/Vista program in California by the new year.
Mirror Staff Writer Rebekka Coakley is at 946-7435.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: December, 2006; Peace Corps Philippines; Directory of Philippines RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Philippines RPCVs; The Third Goal; Pennsylvania
When this story was posted in December 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| All Volunteers Safe in Fiji All Volunteers in Fiji are safe and accounted for. The Peace Corps is monitoring the situation very closely. Volunteers are on standfast but there are no plans for evacuation at this time. Peace Corps is working closely with the US embassy and with host country partners to monitor the situation. Peace Corps is confident that volunteers are not in harm's way. The military seized control of Fiji on December 5 after weeks of threats. Subscribe to our news feed to read the latest breaking news. |
| Ron Tschetter in Morocco and Jordan On his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future. |
| Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments. |
| He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
| Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process. |
| The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
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: Altoona Mirror
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Philippines; The Third Goal
PCOL35348
14