Nelson Alger writes: Field Training



Someone up the chain of command thought it was a good idea to send us out into the jungle for a few weeks before we were placed in our sites so I can't argue with that. We are being sent to learn construction methods in the third world and to culturally intermingle with the same kind of people that are in our sites. Required gear for the excursion is as follows: machete, hammock, mosquito net, and plenty of wine, cheese, and crackers for the Peace Corps volunteers we will be visiting. Sounds intense. I suppose it's the same kind of irony one feels when looking at a Swiss Army knife with a wine opener. At least the volunteers haven't completely lost their taste for home comforts.

Nelson Alger writes: Field Training

Panama Peace Corps: "Field Training"
By: Nelson Alger

Field Training- For release in the following week's publication

Someone up the chain of command thought it was a good idea to send us out into the jungle for a few weeks before we were placed in our sites so I can't argue with that. We are being sent to learn construction methods in the third world and to culturally intermingle with the same kind of people that are in our sites. Required gear for the excursion is as follows: machete, hammock, mosquito net, and plenty of wine, cheese, and crackers for the Peace Corps volunteers we will be visiting. Sounds intense. I suppose it's the same kind of irony one feels when looking at a Swiss Army knife with a wine opener. At least the volunteers haven't completely lost their taste for home comforts.

The last volunteer I visited made his own wine and cooked up a storm. He was famous in Peace Corps Panama for his cooking from when directors and supervisors went to visit him. Specialty plates included Chow Mein, a spaghetti dish I will not soon forget, and brownies made with freshly harvested cocoa. Learning from other volunteers, I can actually make a comfortable life for myself out in the boonies; but I digress.

Field training will consist of two parts, one technical and one cultural. One week will be spent constructing part of an aqueduct and a few different kinds of latrines while the next week is set aside for the fluffy aspect of cultural integration. One group assigned to the Darien province of Panama has an entire day dedicated to body painting with special oils similar to henna that will last several weeks. Others will accompany local indigenous guides on nature walks to learn about local flora and fauna and perhaps to eat some of both. We will not however get together and sing Kumbaya as some readers might suspect. I refuse to partake in that hippie mantra. More likely you'll find a group of twenty somethings rocking out by a bonfire to the sounds of AC/DC, Bon Jovi, and The Beatles.

Until next time, fair winds and following seas.

Panama Red

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: September, 2007; Peace Corps Panama; Directory of Panama RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Panama RPCVs

When this story was posted in October 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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

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October 14, 2007: This Month's Top Stories UN Secretary-General Visits Peace Corps 12 Oct David Robeck adopted four orphans in Russia 14 Oct Juan Donald Dontugan remorseful for killing Julia Campbell 12 Oct PCV John Roberts dies in accident in Vanuatu 12 Oct Richardson proposes PCVs earn back their college tuition 10 Oct Bruce Cumings writes: North Korea: neutral instead of nuclear 9 Oct Volunteerism is dropping significantly 9 Oct Josh Swiller recalls being deaf in the Peace Corps 8 Oct Bob Bates gained near-legendary status as mountaineer 7 Oct New search for Peace Corps Volunteer Walter Poirier III 6 Oct James Rupert writes: Attacks by Taliban mounting 6 Oct Peace Corps Returns to Ethiopia 4 Oct Chris Matthews and “the book interview from hell” 3 Oct Knox College starts Peace Corps preparatory program 22 Sep Julia Chang Bloch exhibits African American Art Treasures 19 Sep Garamendi says students should push for change 17 Sep NPCA raises $1 million in Microlending program 13 Sep Dodd says Iraq Has Left Us More Vulnerable 12 Sep David Whitman's photo exhibition opens Sep 9 in Key Biscayne 8 Sep Dodd-Feinstein increases Peace Corps funding by $10 million 7 Sep Kevin Denny writes: Malawi Village uplifts AIDS orphans 3 Sep

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Senator Dodd's Peace Corps Hearings Read PCOL's executive summary of Senator Chris Dodd's hearings on July 25 on the Peace Corps Volunteer Empowerment Act and why Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter does not believe the bill would contribute to an improved Peace Corps while four other RPCV witnesses do. Highlights of the hearings included Dodd's questioning of Tschetter on political meetings at Peace Corps Headquarters and the Inspector General's testimony on the re-opening of the Walter Poirier III investigation.

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What is the greatest threat facing us now? "People will say it's terrorism. But are there any terrorists in the world who can change the American way of life or our political system? No. Can they knock down a building? Yes. Can they kill somebody? Yes. But can they change us? No. Only we can change ourselves. So what is the great threat we are facing? I would approach this differently, in almost Marshall-like terms. What are the great opportunities out there - ones that we can take advantage of?" Read more.

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Paul Theroux: Peace Corps Writer Paul Theroux began by writing about the life he knew in Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His first first three novels are set in Africa and two of his later novels recast his Peace Corps tour as fiction. Read about how Theroux involved himself with rebel politicians, was expelled from Malawi, and how the Peace Corps tried to ruin him financially in John Coyne's analysis and appreciation of one of the greatest American writers of his generation (who also happens to be an RPCV).

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Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director A post made on PCOL from volunteers in Tanzania alleges that Ambassador Retzer has acted improperly in revoking the country clearance of Country Director Christine Djondo. A statement from Peace Corps' Press Office says that the Peace Corps strongly disagrees with the ambassador’s decision. On June 8 the White House announced that Retzer is being replaced as Ambassador. Latest: Senator Dodd has placed a hold on Mark Green's nomination to be Ambassador to Tanzania.

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Suspect confesses in murder of PCV Search parties in the Philippines discovered the body of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell near Barangay Batad, Banaue town on April 17. Director Tschetter expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said. Latest: Suspect Juan Duntugan admits to killing Campbell. Leave your thoughts and condolences .

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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.

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