2011.01.20: January 20, 2011: Niger Peace Corps Volunteer "zot in Niger bush camels" writes: The last couple of weeks have been truly chaotic

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Niger: Peace Corps Niger : Peace Corps Niger: Newest Stories: 2011.01.17: January 17, 2011: Peace Corps Suspends Program in Niger; All Volunteers Evacuated Safely : 2011.01.17: January 17, 2011: Niger Peace Corps Volunteer "This Anasara Life" writes: This morning, at 5:30 a.m., I boarded a plane to Morocco and say goodbye to Niger, potentially for forever : 2011.01.20: January 20, 2011: Niger Peace Corps Volunteer "zot in Niger bush camels" writes: The last couple of weeks have been truly chaotic

By Admin1 (admin) (98.188.147.225) on Sunday, January 30, 2011 - 12:39 pm: Edit Post

Niger Peace Corps Volunteer "zot in Niger bush camels" writes: The last couple of weeks have been truly chaotic

Niger Peace Corps Volunteer zot in Niger bush camels writes: The last couple of weeks have been truly chaotic

"Almost exactly two weeks ago two men were kidnapped from a bar in Niamey, Niger. The bar is close to volunteer houses and to the hostel. In the first days following we were given a curfew but otherwise heard little. It is now apparent that Peace Corps Washington was busy during those days conferring on what to do. They decided to evacuate Niger, and I received a call at work Wednesday morning telling me to pack two bags and that I would be leaving in the next two days. The resulting race to be ready by the time our flight left was a whirlwind. I rushed to say goodbye, see people I needed to see, close my bank account (and the hostel account), give away things from my house, see someone from my village, and pack my two bags. Evidence of the muddled hurry is given by the things that I decided to pack. A sealed package of Earl Grey tea. Another package of tea. Random other things. I slept 5 hours in three days, like many volunteers not sleeping at all on the night before we left. We left with a security detail early in the morning, and were stunned by the green beauty of Moroccan fields. In our sleep-deprived minds everything was new and vibrant. We arrived at a very nice hotel and promptly had to sit through a ‘cross-culture' session on Morocco, which, while normally interesting, seemed only barely relevant to us at the time."

Niger Peace Corps Volunteer "zot in Niger bush camels" writes: The last couple of weeks have been truly chaotic

A Near-Final Chapter

0 comments By potterzot Filed in in service, niger

January 20th, 2011 @ 10:29 am

Caption: Two French citizens who died after being kidnapped from this restaurant in Niamey, the capital of Niger, on Janaury 9, 2011 were probably killed by their captors. French troops were attempting to rescue them when they found the bodies.

The last couple of weeks have been truly chaotic. Almost exactly two weeks ago two men were kidnapped from a bar in Niamey, Niger. The bar is close to volunteer houses and to the hostel. In the first days following we were given a curfew but otherwise heard little. It is now apparent that Peace Corps Washington was busy during those days conferring on what to do. They decided to evacuate Niger, and I received a call at work Wednesday morning telling me to pack two bags and that I would be leaving in the next two days.

The resulting race to be ready by the time our flight left was a whirlwind. I rushed to say goodbye, see people I needed to see, close my bank account (and the hostel account), give away things from my house, see someone from my village, and pack my two bags. Evidence of the muddled hurry is given by the things that I decided to pack. A sealed package of Earl Grey tea. Another package of tea. Random other things. I slept 5 hours in three days, like many volunteers not sleeping at all on the night before we left.

We left with a security detail early in the morning, and were stunned by the green beauty of Moroccan fields. In our sleep-deprived minds everything was new and vibrant. We arrived at a very nice hotel and promptly had to sit through a ‘cross-culture' session on Morocco, which, while normally interesting, seemed only barely relevant to us at the time.

Then we started a transfer conference, in which 97 volunteers struggled to figure out what they would like to do in the midst of being ripped from their old life.

The week has involved tears from almost everyone. We wander through the halls desperately trying to finish what needs to be finished, to claw out some tiny island of stability into the sudden emptiness of our lives, but lost and fragile, at times staring into the distance or laughing all too loudly. So little is in our control.

In the end I was offered two possible posts, one to Rwanda and one back to Guinea. In both cases the time commitment desired is more than I feel I can give, so I have decided to COS and head home.

It is a decision fraught with fear of the irrevocable nature of leaving Peace Corps. It is a decision full of the sudden tearing away of my life in Niger. It is a decision with a vast wasteland of future plans. This can be liberating, but also sad.

I am truly grateful for the support of everyone throughout the past couple of weeks. Please forgive me if I have seemed distant, I have been too drained to really talk about much.

As of tomorrow I will no longer be a Peace Corps Volunteer. I will stay in Morocco for a few days, and then I am off to Spain and Portugal..

I'll have a few more posts about Peace Corps related things, but for the most part, this chapter of my life is finished.





Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: January, 2011; Peace Corps Niger; Directory of Niger RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Niger RPCVs; Safety and Security of Volunteers; Evacuation; Blogs - Niger





When this story was posted in January 2011, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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How Volunteers Remember Sarge Date: January 18 2011 No: 1487 How Volunteers Remember Sarge
As the Peace Corps' Founding Director Sargent Shriver laid the foundations for the most lasting accomplishment of the Kennedy presidency. Shriver spoke to returned volunteers at the Peace Vigil at Lincoln Memorial in September, 2001 for the Peace Corps 40th. "The challenge I believe is simple - simple to express but difficult to fulfill. That challenge is expressed in these words: PCV's - stay as you are. Be servants of peace. Work at home as you have worked abroad. Humbly, persistently, intelligently. Weep with those who are sorrowful, Care for those who are sick. Serve your wives, serve your husbands, serve your families, serve your neighbors, serve your cities, serve the poor, join others who also serve," said Shriver. "Serve, Serve, Serve. That's the answer, that's the objective, that's the challenge."

PCV Murder Investigated Date: January 18 2011 No: 1477 PCV Murder Investigated
ABC News has investigated the murder of Benin PCV Kate Puzey. Read our original coverage of the crime, comments on Peace Corps actions, the email Puzey sent her country director about sexual incidents with Puzey's students and with another PCV, the backstory on how RPCVs helped the Puzey family, and Peace Corps' official statement. PCOL Editorial: One major shortcoming that the Puzey murder highlights is that Peace Corps does not have a good procedure in place for death notifications.

Support Independent Funding for the Third Goal Date: November 9 2010 No: 1460 Support Independent Funding for the Third Goal
The Peace Corps has always neglected the third goal, allocating less than 1% of their resources to "bringing the world back home." Senator Dodd addressed this issue in the "Peace Corps for the 21st Century" bill passed by the US Senate and Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter proposed a "Peace Corps Foundation" at no cost to the US government. Both are good approaches but the recent "Comprehensive Assessment Report" didn't address the issue of independent funding for the third goal at all.

Jan 9, 2011: Push for the Peace Corps Date: January 9 2011 No: 1464 Jan 9, 2011: Push for the Peace Corps
Rajeev Goyal Pushes for the Peace Corps 20 Dec
Denis Dutton founded Arts & Letters Daily 2 Jan
Jim Carter promotes organ exchange 29 Dec
Bob Hollinger embraced the Toyama-ryu style of karate 27 Dec
Anthony Siracusa is Riding a bike around world 27 Dec
Marianne Combs writes: Another Upheaval in Ivory Coast 25 Dec
Kathy Rousso documents weaving methods in Guatemala 24 Dec
Ramsey Nix writes: Christmas in Mongolia 23 Dec
Leanne Moore writes: Coming Back to America 23 Dec
Cancer Victim Linda Lahme dreams of Africa 23 Dec
The RPCV Who Changed American Parenting 22 Dec
Dick Holbrooke at the Peace Corps 22 Dec
Mahlon Barash publishes "Imágenes del Perú" 20 Dec
Susan Luz writes "The Nightingale of Mosul" 18 Dec
RPCV arrested in alleged Sandinista 'Land Grab' 17 Dec
Peter DiCampo captures village life in Ghana 16 Dec
John Coyne writes: Peace Corps Prose 16 Dec
Kathleen Stephens presses China to rein in North Korea 15 Dec
Greg Parsley writes: PC taught me to bypass bureaucrats 14 Dec
Pat Waak writes: Peace Corps Pays Off 8 Dec
David Matthews wins NATO medal for work in Afghanistan 7 Dec
Ralph Bolton wins award in Anthropology 9 Nov

Nov 8, 2010: The 50th Begins Date: November 9 2010 No: 1457 Nov 8, 2010: The 50th Begins
University of Michigan commemorates 50th 16 Oct
Wittenberg University also has claim on 50th 31 Oct
Historical Marker Unveiled to Celebrate 50th 15 Oct
Directors Discuss Impact of Service 13 Oct
Mary Morgan writes: Some thoughts on the 50th 16 Oct
Colombia I Holds Reunion at Rutgers 31 Oct
Remembering the Early Program in Ghana 23 Oct
George Packer writes: Meaning of the Mid-Terms 2 Nov
Steve Driehaus Defeated for re-election 2 Nov
Michelle Obama's Uncle was PCV in India 1 Nov
Chic Dambach writes "Exhaust the Limits" 31 Oct
Alrick Brown Directs Documentary on Rwanda 31 Oct
Rajeev Goyal writes: Obama Does Nothing for Peace Corps 31 Oct
Dr. Paul Frommer Created Language for 'Avatar' 20 Oct
Cy Kukenbaker Directs Movie about Soccer in Malawi 15 Oct
Peace Corps has no Institutional Memory 14 Oct
Kristof and Stacia Nordin demonstrate permaculture in Malawi 9 Oct
Volunteer Stephanie Chance dies in Niger 8 Oct
Peace Corps volunteer Census hits 40-year high 4 Oct
Malaysia PM wants Peace Corps to Return 25 Sep
Volunteer Thomas Maresco Murdered in Lesotho 4 Sep
Johnathan Miller launchs Airborne Lifeline 26 Aug

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 .



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Story Source: Personal Web Site

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Niger; Safety; Evacuation; Blogs - Niger

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