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StarNewsOnline.com , NC
April 2 2011
Kure Beach couple looking forward to new assignment in Armenia
By Judy Smith
Special to the StarNews
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles about Kure
Beach residents Dave and Judy Smith's experiences in the Peace Corps.
My husband, Dave, and I are a very small minority of Peace Corps
volunteers over the age of 65. While on assignment in Niger earlier
this year, we celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary.
We found Niger to be primarily a desert country possessing a harsh
climate, endless health challenges, frightening food scarcity,
overwhelming population growth and an unbelievable illiteracy rate.
Because of the people we met, we value the experience and gained an
overwhelming appreciation for life in the United States. The people
welcomed us to their villages with open arms and beautiful smiles,
immediately treating us as members of their family and giving us the
Nigerien names of Nassirou and Sherifa.
But Dave and I were in the small rural village of Bangou Banda, Niger,
for only eight days.
We had been officially sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers after
surviving 10 weeks of intense training and living in a thatched roof,
mud hut without electricity or running water. We had learned to eat
with our right hands only, and I learned to keep my knees covered at
all times as expected in a primarily Muslim culture.
We learned about malaria, dysentery and dehydration - and preventative
measures for each - as we adjusted to our new environment. We learned
the safe places to visit and the dangerous ones to avoid in the
capital city of Niamey since safety is a high priority with the Peace
Corps.
We each began learning and planning for our respective projects in
farming (Dave) and health (Judy). In fact, I assisted in the campaign
to immunize villagers who waited many hours in line to be protected
against meningitis, a rampant disease in Niger.
Dave was already in the process of teaching villagers how to grow food
during more than one season of the year to offset starvation during
those times. The most intense training for us involved learning the
local tribal language of our village, Zarma, and this was a major
effort for older adults. We enjoyed the training experience and
working with the local Nigerien trainers, the Peace Corps staff and
our 42 fellow volunteers, many of whom were recent college graduates.
We gained a new respect for these young people who, as we had done,
put their lives on hold to serve 27 months in the Peace Corps. Each of
us, regardless of our age, had the desire to work toward the goals set
forth by the Peace Corps when it was established 50 years ago despite
the stresses it placed on us as individuals.
Last January, on the eighth day of our service, Dave and I each
received phone messages advising us that due to safety and security
concerns in Niger, the Peace Corps Bureau in Washington, D.C., was
ordering evacuation of all 98 Peace Corps volunteers in Niger and
suspending service in the country indefinitely.
I found myself saying `wow' and `oh, no!' to the taped voice. We all
knew there had been a kidnapping and murder of two French
non-governmental workers in Niamey the week before. We knew the
incident had occurred not far from the Peace Corps Bureau and hostel
in Niamey and were aware of an 8 p.m. curfew for any Peace Corps
volunteers in the city. We also had been asked to inform the Peace
Corps Bureau in Niamey of any travels outside our villages and to the
capital city. Still, the evacuation was unexpected and abrupt.
Within two days of the call, Dave and I each packed what belongings we
could into our two allotted bags and gave everything else, including
food, to the villagers. We informed them that we were leaving
permanently and, no, it was not due to anything they had done or not
done.
That's all we could say, and in our basic Zarma language, we did not
do that too well. That's really all we knew, although we did learn
later that Peace Corps staff returned to each village and spoke with
the people about the evacuation and what it meant, and also to express
gratitude to them for being hosts.
We were soon picked up and taken to Niamey where we spent a restless
night at the Peace Corps hostel with 48 other volunteers. At 2 a.m. we
left for the Niamey airport and were flown to Rabat, Morocco, for a
transition meeting, where we'd learn of our options for continued
serviced with the Peace Corps. Exhausted, sad and a bit dismayed at
leaving the country so abruptly and so soon after getting settled into
the village, we shared emotions with the other volunteers, many of
whom had been in the country between six and 18 months and felt this
trauma with much more intensity.
Our plane landed in Casablanca, Morocco, which under other
circumstances would have been exciting and romantic. We were met by
Peace Corps Morocco staff and volunteers and whisked away to a bus for
a 90-minute ride to Rabat and Hotel Challah. Most of us had eaten
mostly rice for the past few weeks and, as we entered the hotel we
were immediately taken to a huge Mediterranean style buffet lunch. We
could not believe how beautiful and luscious the food looked. We had
not had significant meat, vegetables, milk or fruit for weeks, and all
of that was now before us.
In spite of being disgustingly dirty, we ate ravenously - all 48 of us
- until the buffet table was sadly empty. The hotel wait staff
probably knew little of our group's story or that 50 more Peace Corps
volunteers would arrive in two days to repeat the same actions.
For the next week we met and gradually learned of options we had with
the Peace Corps. A few volunteers opted to not pursue other
assignments, and a small number were immediately placed in open
positions around the world. Many of us returned to the U.S. to
re-enroll and await new, expedited assignments.
Dave and I have now been reassigned to Armenia in Eastern Europe with
departure from the U.S. June 1. We will begin another 27-month
journey, starting with three months of training, just as we did in
Niger.
Niger and Armenia vary from each other in almost every possible way -
climate, culture, religion, language, health concerns and job
assignments. Dave will work in small business development and I will
teach English as a foreign language to high school students.
We expect the Armenian people to be just as welcoming as the Nigerien
villagers. We've started studying our new language, Eastern Armenian,
which includes learning a new alphabet, just like children who start
to school in the U.S.!
Our challenges as Peace Corps volunteers in Armenia will be different
- cold winters rather than year-round heat, Eastern Armenian rather
than Zarma and mountainous terrain versus sandy deserts.
We read that there will be art, music and wonderful food in Armenia.
We are enjoying our unexpected sabbatical and relish the travel we are
pursuing to visit our children, other family members and friends.
We miss Niger and its people but are eagerly anticipating June 1 and
entrance into another part of the world through service with the U.S.
Peace Corps.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110402/ARTICLES/110409953/1004?p=all&tc=pgall
From: A. Papazian
April 2 2011
Kure Beach couple looking forward to new assignment in Armenia
By Judy Smith
Special to the StarNews
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles about Kure
Beach residents Dave and Judy Smith's experiences in the Peace Corps.
My husband, Dave, and I are a very small minority of Peace Corps
volunteers over the age of 65. While on assignment in Niger earlier
this year, we celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary.
We found Niger to be primarily a desert country possessing a harsh
climate, endless health challenges, frightening food scarcity,
overwhelming population growth and an unbelievable illiteracy rate.
Because of the people we met, we value the experience and gained an
overwhelming appreciation for life in the United States. The people
welcomed us to their villages with open arms and beautiful smiles,
immediately treating us as members of their family and giving us the
Nigerien names of Nassirou and Sherifa.
But Dave and I were in the small rural village of Bangou Banda, Niger,
for only eight days.
We had been officially sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers after
surviving 10 weeks of intense training and living in a thatched roof,
mud hut without electricity or running water. We had learned to eat
with our right hands only, and I learned to keep my knees covered at
all times as expected in a primarily Muslim culture.
We learned about malaria, dysentery and dehydration - and preventative
measures for each - as we adjusted to our new environment. We learned
the safe places to visit and the dangerous ones to avoid in the
capital city of Niamey since safety is a high priority with the Peace
Corps.
We each began learning and planning for our respective projects in
farming (Dave) and health (Judy). In fact, I assisted in the campaign
to immunize villagers who waited many hours in line to be protected
against meningitis, a rampant disease in Niger.
Dave was already in the process of teaching villagers how to grow food
during more than one season of the year to offset starvation during
those times. The most intense training for us involved learning the
local tribal language of our village, Zarma, and this was a major
effort for older adults. We enjoyed the training experience and
working with the local Nigerien trainers, the Peace Corps staff and
our 42 fellow volunteers, many of whom were recent college graduates.
We gained a new respect for these young people who, as we had done,
put their lives on hold to serve 27 months in the Peace Corps. Each of
us, regardless of our age, had the desire to work toward the goals set
forth by the Peace Corps when it was established 50 years ago despite
the stresses it placed on us as individuals.
Last January, on the eighth day of our service, Dave and I each
received phone messages advising us that due to safety and security
concerns in Niger, the Peace Corps Bureau in Washington, D.C., was
ordering evacuation of all 98 Peace Corps volunteers in Niger and
suspending service in the country indefinitely.
I found myself saying `wow' and `oh, no!' to the taped voice. We all
knew there had been a kidnapping and murder of two French
non-governmental workers in Niamey the week before. We knew the
incident had occurred not far from the Peace Corps Bureau and hostel
in Niamey and were aware of an 8 p.m. curfew for any Peace Corps
volunteers in the city. We also had been asked to inform the Peace
Corps Bureau in Niamey of any travels outside our villages and to the
capital city. Still, the evacuation was unexpected and abrupt.
Within two days of the call, Dave and I each packed what belongings we
could into our two allotted bags and gave everything else, including
food, to the villagers. We informed them that we were leaving
permanently and, no, it was not due to anything they had done or not
done.
That's all we could say, and in our basic Zarma language, we did not
do that too well. That's really all we knew, although we did learn
later that Peace Corps staff returned to each village and spoke with
the people about the evacuation and what it meant, and also to express
gratitude to them for being hosts.
We were soon picked up and taken to Niamey where we spent a restless
night at the Peace Corps hostel with 48 other volunteers. At 2 a.m. we
left for the Niamey airport and were flown to Rabat, Morocco, for a
transition meeting, where we'd learn of our options for continued
serviced with the Peace Corps. Exhausted, sad and a bit dismayed at
leaving the country so abruptly and so soon after getting settled into
the village, we shared emotions with the other volunteers, many of
whom had been in the country between six and 18 months and felt this
trauma with much more intensity.
Our plane landed in Casablanca, Morocco, which under other
circumstances would have been exciting and romantic. We were met by
Peace Corps Morocco staff and volunteers and whisked away to a bus for
a 90-minute ride to Rabat and Hotel Challah. Most of us had eaten
mostly rice for the past few weeks and, as we entered the hotel we
were immediately taken to a huge Mediterranean style buffet lunch. We
could not believe how beautiful and luscious the food looked. We had
not had significant meat, vegetables, milk or fruit for weeks, and all
of that was now before us.
In spite of being disgustingly dirty, we ate ravenously - all 48 of us
- until the buffet table was sadly empty. The hotel wait staff
probably knew little of our group's story or that 50 more Peace Corps
volunteers would arrive in two days to repeat the same actions.
For the next week we met and gradually learned of options we had with
the Peace Corps. A few volunteers opted to not pursue other
assignments, and a small number were immediately placed in open
positions around the world. Many of us returned to the U.S. to
re-enroll and await new, expedited assignments.
Dave and I have now been reassigned to Armenia in Eastern Europe with
departure from the U.S. June 1. We will begin another 27-month
journey, starting with three months of training, just as we did in
Niger.
Niger and Armenia vary from each other in almost every possible way -
climate, culture, religion, language, health concerns and job
assignments. Dave will work in small business development and I will
teach English as a foreign language to high school students.
We expect the Armenian people to be just as welcoming as the Nigerien
villagers. We've started studying our new language, Eastern Armenian,
which includes learning a new alphabet, just like children who start
to school in the U.S.!
Our challenges as Peace Corps volunteers in Armenia will be different
- cold winters rather than year-round heat, Eastern Armenian rather
than Zarma and mountainous terrain versus sandy deserts.
We read that there will be art, music and wonderful food in Armenia.
We are enjoying our unexpected sabbatical and relish the travel we are
pursuing to visit our children, other family members and friends.
We miss Niger and its people but are eagerly anticipating June 1 and
entrance into another part of the world through service with the U.S.
Peace Corps.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110402/ARTICLES/110409953/1004?p=all&tc=pgall
From: A. Papazian