"Peace Corps, I think, is a soft extension of United States international relations and policy. The idea is that those of us who serve are giving to others in other countries a look at what Americans are like," Barber said, "We are supposed to come and expand America's knowledge of the people that we lived among and while we're serving, the main aim I think, is this international awareness and friendship."
Georgia RPCV Louise Louise Barber who made the 50 year anniversary Peace Corps exhibit happen in Idaho
The Peace Corps have been working to help people all around the world for 50 years and artifacts from various countries have been displayed in the University of Idaho's campus library.
Palouse serves for 50 years
Molly Spencer | Argonaut
Sarah VanGundy, library exhibit coordinator, said it was Louise Barber who made the 50 year anniversary Peace Corps exhibit happen. VanGundy said her part simply involved unlocking the cases to display the exhibit.
Barber, a returning volunteer for the Peace Corps just returned from Ukraine where she had been serving since 2008.
"Peace Corps, I think, is a soft extension of United States international relations and policy. The idea is that those of us who serve are giving to others in other countries a look at what Americans are like," Barber said, "We are supposed to come and expand America's knowledge of the people that we lived among and while we're serving, the main aim I think, is this international awareness and friendship."
Barber said some of the Ukrainians she met are her closest friends and bring an entirely different perspective.
"I have friend coming from Ukraine next Monday night who will be one of my best friends for life and the thing is, she's just broadened my horizons because she grew up in the Soviet Union," Barber said. "The Soviet Union didn't fall until 1991 so it's a completely different life that they learn."
Barber said it's intended for volunteers to serve a total of two years, at least in Ukraine. She said there are three different tracks a volunteer can take.
"You can either teach English as a second language," Barber said. "You can be used as a developmental specialist and that was someone who works mainly on after school programs for young people and the third track (in Ukraine) was community development and that was some sort of a civic project or some project that would benefit the host country in some way."
It's an intense emersion, she said.
"You are expected to learn and use the local language. You're trained for about 10 weeks to two or three months," she said.
The artifacts and photographs accumulated over the last year that describe the Palouse volunteer service will be moved to WSU to display the fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Corps.
There is also an exhibit in the Co-Op. Photographs and the map displayed inside will also be moved to WSU eventually.
"By last January we knew 10 to 12 Peace Corps volunteers on the Palouse," Barber said.
Before three months was up, they had contacted 75 volunteers residing in Moscow.
Barber said she hopes people think about the possibility of service. "It's not the easiest thing in the world but it's an amazing experience because you realize how much more people have in common and how different they are," Barber said "The friendships that come out of it-they are just astounding.
