2009.09.27: September 27, 2009: Headlines: COS - Malaysia: African American Issues: Rapd City Journal: Malaysia Seven reunites

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Malaysia: Peace Corps Malaysia : Peace Corps Malaysia: Newest Stories: 2009.09.27: September 27, 2009: Headlines: COS - Malaysia: African American Issues: Rapd City Journal: Malaysia Seven reunites

By Admin1 (admin) (98.188.147.225) on Monday, November 02, 2009 - 10:06 am: Edit Post

Malaysia Seven reunites

Malaysia Seven reunites

Her work and life in the Peace Corps definitely colored Williams-Rutkosky's life. "It is an intricate part of who I happen to be now," she said. One of the aspects for Williams-Rutkosky's experience was growing up as an African American in a segregated America. Taking part in the Peace Corps training, she had the opportunity to interact with white people as part of a team, as buddies. "It was a very seminal part of my training," Williams-Rutkosky said. Arriving at DeKalb, she was initially thrown when she found out that she had a roommate. "As an only child, it didn't occur to me that there was going to be someone in my room," she said. She checked back at the desk, where she was assured that everything was in order and that she did have a roommate, who was white. "Her back was to me, she turned around, and it was Karen. She started to talk, and we've been having that conversation since 1964," Williams-Rutkosky said. Williams-Rutkosky said through her experience, she knows she doesn't need hot water, a telephone or television to survive. "I've never had a television," she said. She did have the opportunity to meet people from around the world who thought and lived differently than she did, and she became engaged in that dialogue. It even led to her change in careers. Williams-Rutkosky now works as a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "I don't know how it changed me, but I just know how it made me who I am," she said.

Malaysia Seven reunites

Peace Corps 'family' reunites
'It made me who I am'

By Jomay Steen, Journal staff |

Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Black Hills was the backdrop for the 45th anniversary of the Peace Corps' Malaysia Seven, the seventh group trained in 1964 to go to Malaysia to offer health care, education and technology. Twenty-four of the original members gathered in Rapid City to rediscover each other and reconnect with their past.

For former Peace Corps roommates Karen Pettigrew and Flavia Williams-Rutkosky, the weekend has been a blur of activities, cooking, sharing meals and catching up.

Pettigrew of Rapid City recalls 103 members made up secretaries, teachers, radio technicians and nurses who trained at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., and in Hawaii for a month before traveling to Southeast Asia. Most of them were just out college, like Pettigrew, a new registered nurse, but two people in their group were in their 60s. Yet, it was the beginning of a two-year commitment to live and work in a developing country.

"We were there for two years; teachers were there for 2-1/2 years because of how the schools operated," Pettigrew said. "The nurses were living in World Health clinics. Some of the teachers were in remote areas, and some were in pretty cosmopolitan areas."

Pettigrew said she and the eight other nurses of the Malaysia Seven filled in while the local registered nurses were away getting midwifery training.

They earned about $100 a month.

"We did OK," she said.

She said the Corps paid an additional $500 to the volunteers after they had finished their service. Pettigrew saved a little money there and then took off for three months for an extensive tour of Asia.

Having attended a hospital school in a Catholic-run hospital, Pettigrew said she hadn't gone to college. "We had a couple college courses, but other than that, we were nursing-focused," she said.

Joining the Peace Corps changed the focus of her life.

"I learned to live a different life and met people from all over the world, eat their food, live their lives. It was great," Pettigrew said.

For Williams-Rutkosky of Smyrna, Del., the weekend has been a family reunion.

"I hadn't seen this family since 1989, and for some of them since 1966. This is my Peace Corps family. They're an important family," she said.

Her work and life in the Peace Corps definitely colored Williams-Rutkosky's life.

"It is an intricate part of who I happen to be now," she said.

One of the aspects for Williams-Rutkosky's experience was growing up as an African American in a segregated America. Taking part in the Peace Corps training, she had the opportunity to interact with white people as part of a team, as buddies.

"It was a very seminal part of my training," Williams-Rutkosky said.

Arriving at DeKalb, she was initially thrown when she found out that she had a roommate.

"As an only child, it didn't occur to me that there was going to be someone in my room," she said. She checked back at the desk, where she was assured that everything was in order and that she did have a roommate, who was white.

"Her back was to me, she turned around, and it was Karen. She started to talk, and we've been having that conversation since 1964," Williams-Rutkosky said.

Williams-Rutkosky said through her experience, she knows she doesn't need hot water, a telephone or television to survive.

"I've never had a television," she said.

She did have the opportunity to meet people from around the world who thought and lived differently than she did, and she became engaged in that dialogue. It even led to her change in careers. Williams-Rutkosky now works as a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"I don't know how it changed me, but I just know how it made me who I am," she said.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: September, 2009; Peace Corps Malaysia; Directory of Malaysia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Malaysia RPCVs; African American Issues





When this story was posted in November 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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

 Site Index Search PCOL with Google Contact PCOL Recent Posts Bulletin Board Open Discussion RPCV Directory Register

Oct 9, 2009: Turkmenistan Denies Entry to PCVs Date: October 10 2009 No: 1424 Oct 9, 2009: Turkmenistan Denies Entry to PCVs
Turkmenistan denies entry to PCVs 9 Oct
Guinea PCVs evacuated to Mali 8 Oct
Obituary for India Country Director Charles Houston 30 Sep
PCVs in Samoa are Safe after Tsunami 30 Sep
PCV Joseph Chow dies in accident in Tanzania 23 Sep
Aaron Oldenburg creates Peace Corps game 15 Sep
Chris Siegler helps rebuild Sierra Leone 10 Sep
Diana Kingston establishes bakery in Uganda 9 Sep
Beverly Pheto is top staffer on House Appropriations 8 Sep
Aaron Williams visits Dominican Republic 3 Sep
McKenzie Boekhoelder supports Sustainable Farming 24 Aug
Thomas Hollowell writes "Allah's Garden" 19 Aug
Scott Stossel writes: Eunice the Formidable 14 Aug
Peace Corps Program suspended in Mauritania 12 Aug
Jenny Phillips uses meditation to help convicts 11 Aug
Jim Turner operates the Hobbit House in Manila 10 Aug
Shelton Johnson in Ken Burns' New Documentary 7 Aug
Steve Gall is a Recess Freak 5 Aug
Scheper-Hughes reports Illegal Organ Trafficking 29 Jul
Tucker Childs Preserves West African Languages 27 Jul
Ambassador Hill gives Tough Love to Iraq 22 Jul
Lynee Moquete builds homes in DR 21 Jul
Time in Tunisia best years of Ken Dorph's life 18 Jul

Memo to Incoming Director Williams Date: August 24 2009 No: 1419 Memo to Incoming Director Williams
PCOL has asked five prominent RPCVs and Staff to write a memo on the most important issues facing the Peace Corps today. Issues raised include the independence of the Peace Corps, political appointments at the agency, revitalizing the five-year rule, lowering the ET rate, empowering volunteers, removing financial barriers to service, increasing the agency's budget, reducing costs, and making the Peace Corps bureaucracy more efficient and responsive. Latest: Greetings from Director Williams

Join Us Mr. President! Date: June 26 2009 No: 1380 Join Us Mr. President!
"We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we'll reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity," said Barack Obama during his campaign. Returned Volunteers rally and and march to the White House to support a bold new Peace Corps for a new age. Latest: Senator Dodd introduces Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2009 .

Meet Aaron Williams - Our Next Director Date: July 30 2009 No: 1411 Meet Aaron Williams - Our Next Director
Senator Dodd's Senate Subcommittee held confirmation hearings for Aaron Williams to become the 18th Peace Corps Director. "It's exciting to have a nominee who served in the Peace Corps and also has experience in international development and management," said Dodd as he put Williams on the fast track to be confirmed by the full Senate before the August recess. Read our exclusive coverage of the hearings and our biography of Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams.



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: Rapd City Journal

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Malaysia; African American Issues

PCOL45022
01


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: