DREAMing about Peace Corps

I promise to get better on this blog--here's an article I wrote about the presentation I gave back in July to some DREAM kids in Burlington. Will do a Jangas write up soon, we've got some serious animal happenings to discuss: Oso (Bear) goes down, Karina our 14 year old dog (oldest dog in Perú) no more, Oliver Anchor Huamaliano Meyer (her orphaned (Oliver Twist) puppy son) pees in my room, the rooster has a baby (still not dead, though he is a dedicated father), and Kyle's approaching birthday will give me an inside look at eating guinea pig (from start to finish). More in weeks to follow. Much Love from Ancash.

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On Tuesday July 5th, 2011 I gave a presentation about my Peace Corps service to several elementary and high school students who live in affordable housing in Burlington, Vermont.

I've known about Peace Corps since I was in diapers and my dad told me stories about his two life changing years in The Gambia in 1967-1969. When my brother did Peace Corps some thirty eight years later we visited him at his site in Lindi, Tanzania.

Unfortunately this level of familiarity with Peace Corps is not the case for many Americans, especially Americans who live in lower socio-economic classes. Hardly any of the children present had heard of Peace Corps, nor knew that they too could one day serve as volunteers.

The elementary and high school students are members of the DREAM mentoring Program (Directing through Recreation Education Adventure and Mentoring). The DREAM program matches college students with children in affordable housing with the goal that this mentoring relationship de-mystifies the idea of a college education for the families and children involved. On July 5th, we took the program a step further: we worked to de-mystify Peace Corps service for the children of the Franklin Square community.

After showing the short 50th anniversary video about Peace Corps, I shared pictures and stories from my first year of Peace Corps service in Jangas, Perú. The kids had pretty standard reactions—trying to learn a few words of spanish, oohing and awing at the snow-capped mountains, remarking how “hot” the popular reggaeton artists Chino and Nacho were, and screaming “ewwww” when the picture of guinea pig on a plate came up in the show.

However, not all the responses were typical. Many of the children in the DREAM program are recent African refugees from Kenya and commented on the similarities between their previous life in Kenya and life in Perú-- remarking excitedly about my host mother's stove: “that's how we used to cook in Kenya!”

When I mentioned how Peace Corps is an option for all American citizens, a few eyes lit up at the idea. As Peace Corps heads into its next fifty years, many of its volunteers will be refugees who grew up fast in communities similar to the communities they will serve in. These volunteers will bring a whole new meaning to cultural understanding in their service. They will yet again re-define what being American means to the rest of the world. As a soon to be Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, working together as a community of RPCVs we must ensure that every child, regardless of where they are from, knows that Peace Corps, just like college, is out there waiting for them.
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A Look Ahead at Next week's Entry:



Oliver Anchor Huamaliano Meyer (Anchor is the Only brand of milk he drinks)