2011.01.18: January 18, 2011: Jennifer Arnold recently returned from three years with the Peace Corps in Macedonia
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2011.01.18: January 18, 2011: Jennifer Arnold recently returned from three years with the Peace Corps in Macedonia
Jennifer Arnold recently returned from three years with the Peace Corps in Macedonia
I am changed as a person," she said, "I feel humbled and have respect for people living here who are not natives of the United States," she said of learning firsthand the difficulties of living in a strange country where she did not speak the language or know the customs. It gave her compassion for people of other cultures living here who cannot speak English and she now understands the importance of having signs posted here in several languages, she said. Arnold made many friends in Macedonia and was saddened when the time of her service was coming to an end. "It was hard to say goodbye," she said. She hopes to make a return visit someday.
Jennifer Arnold recently returned from three years with the Peace Corps in Macedonia
Clyde woman returns from Macedonia
January 18, 2011
By Jeanette Liebold-Ricker
Jennifer Arnold, a 1991 Clyde High School graduate, recently returned from three years with the Peace Corps in Macedonia.
Macedonia is located in southeast Europe, north of Greece and south of Yugoslavia and Kosovo. There she worked with the residents on environmental issues. She worked for two different organizations, E.D. Vila Sora, which was a local organization, and 4x4x4 Balkan Bridges, a regional organization.
Arnold said she returned home humbled from her service with the Peace Corps.
"I am changed as a person," she said, "I feel humbled and have respect for people living here who are not natives of the United States," she said of learning firsthand the difficulties of living in a strange country where she did not speak the language or know the customs. It gave her compassion for people of other cultures living here who cannot speak English and she now understands the importance of having signs posted here in several languages, she said.
Arnold made many friends in Macedonia and was saddened when the time of her service was coming to an end.
"It was hard to say goodbye," she said. She hopes to make a return visit someday.
Peace Corps volunteers first lived with host families to learn the culture and the language. Arnold taught them American card games and they taught her the Macedonian version of Monopoly.
In her free time, she enjoyed hiking around the country and taking photos which she used in the many PowerPoint presentations she has done since her return.
The religions in Macedonia are Jewish, Muslim and Greek Orthodox. During one of her hikes, she came upon a shrine honoring St. Anna, the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. One monastery is filled with famous wood carvings that attract visitors from around the world. Arnold also visited a church where special sections were reserved for men only.
She said a high percentage of Macedonian residents are Jewish, and that 97 percent of the Jewish population was killed during Hitler's reign of terror in World War II, greater than in any other country.
Sunday afternoon she spoke to members of St. Paul Lutheran Church. Members saw photos of her environmental work, learned about the religions in the country, wedding and baptismal events and how the different religious holidays are celebrated.
Afterward, she fielded questions from the congregation, who asked about the economy and learned that gasoline sells for $7 a gallon, but public transportation is available.
Arnold said her salary with the Peace Corps was the equivalent of a teacher's salary. To earn higher wages, some Macedonians work on cruise ships and others have worked for the mafia.
Arnold, who has a master's degree in public administration from Bowling Green State University and a political science degree from Heidelberg College, said she was influenced to enter the Peace Corps by a college professor. She hopes that her experiences will lead to a job with the federal government. She is living temporarily with her parents, Deb and Mike Arnold, but will soon relocate to Portland, Ore., to be near friends.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: January, 2011; Peace Corps Macedonia; Directory of Macedonia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Macedonia RPCVs
When this story was posted in May 2011, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Peace Corps: The Next Fifty Years As we move into the Peace Corps' second fifty years, what single improvement would most benefit the mission of the Peace Corps? Read our op-ed about the creation of a private charitable non-profit corporation, independent of the US government, whose focus would be to provide support and funding for third goal activities. Returned Volunteers need President Obama to support the enabling legislation, already written and vetted, to create the Peace Corps Foundation. RPCVs will do the rest. |
| 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." |
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Story Source: The News Messenger
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Macedonia
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