In the South Pacific, it’s no surprise that coconuts are a big deal. Their usage is endless!–from a building material, to a source of healthy fat, to handmade virgin coconut oil that is used to prevent the spread of common skin disease such as scabies. The complimentary phrase “vanka …
By John Stapleton Danielle Salisbury just came back from the Peace Corps and is stepping back into her graduate program in Environmental Policy at Bard College. After working with local people to protect a biosphere reserve in the Mexican state of Queretaro, she will graduate this spring with her Master of Science degree. Danielle, like …
As I sit here, in my quaint, modest, rural Mexican apartment (at the same time still bigger than my studio apartment my first year at Bard CEP), reflecting over the past three years of my service with the Peace Corps, many thoughts cross my mind. Friends made, relationships built with …
One of the many expectations of a Peace Corps Volunteer, besides learning a new language, a new culture, and which street food vendors to avoid, is to be able to work efficiently in a group setting. The Peace Corps promotes group work over individual work, which is necessary for project …
I remember first reading my Peace Corps assignment and thinking to myself, “How is being assigned to an environmental education project in Mexico going to coincide with environmental policy?” Then I arrived in Mexico and I was told that I would be working in a Biosphere Reserve with CONANP, the …
By: Ashley Westgate, Master’s in Environmental Policy ’16 My most memorable success story… We were together working at a two-week long workshop to learn how to write a project proposal. Ben, my Philippino counterpart, was not very engaged nor attentive during the initial few days. Sometimes, he would just leave. …
“Ang pinakabudlay nga obra nga imo palanggaon!” That’s the translation of “the toughest job you’ll ever love,” in my local dialect. It’s a well-known Peace Corps quote, and it rang true throughout my service. I can’t believe that I’m fulfilling a dream I have had since childhood. Here I am, in the Philippines – …
By Danielle Salisbury, M.S. Environmental Policy 2016 I got off the plane in Mexico City with a groggy group of new acquaintances I would soon be calling my friends, fellow adventurers, and in rougher times, my support system. I had made it. I had joined the Peace Corps and been …
“So, what did you gain from your Peace Corps experience?” people often ask me following my return from 26 months abroad in the Republic of Cameroon, Central Africa. To answer that question in one sentence would group all of my relationships with friends and work partners, on-the-ground experiences and ups-and-downs …
After working as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in Cameroon for over a year, I am now able to reflect on at least three main settings where I have engaged in group work. It is only through this type of work that I feel our job as rural development agents can be …
