Of Interest to RPCVs

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Of Interest to RPCVs

DECEASED PC Bolivia & Peru Volunteers/Staff

New! PC/BOLIVIA SERVICE GROUPS: '60s & '70s
(from /about 2007 Bolivia Groups Conference Estes, Colorado)
PC/BOLIVIA SERVICE GROUPS: 1991-, Groups B-1 to B-38
(photos of groups)

ACTIVITIES /EVENTS

Santa Fe Folk Art Festival (July 2011)
2011: Peace Corps Turns 50
2009: Friendship Force Seeking Cultural Exchange Leaders
Committee for a Museum for the Peace Corps Experience
Disappearance of Bolivia PCV Walter Poirier: News Updates

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EVENTS

Santa Fe Folk Art Festival (July 2011)

Santa Fe (NM) is the home of many RPCVs, many of whom have been intimately involved in the founding and running of the city’s International Folk Art Festival, claimed to be the largest such event in the world. The co-founder and long time Creative Director of the Festival is Peru/RPCV, Judith Espinar. http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/02/09/story4.html

The 2011 Folk Art Festival (http://www.folkartmarket.org) was held July 8-11 and, because 2011 marks Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary, Peace Corps made Santa Fe one of its five anniversary sites around the U.S. (http://www.santafenewmexican.com/lavoz/folk-art-market-Natural-fit-for-former-Corps-enlistees).

“(It) provides a venue for master traditional artists to display, demonstrate and sell their work.” The artisans, who travel to Santa Fe from their overseas communities, pocket ninety percent of their festival sales. Many of the artisans are representing artisan cooperatives from their communities. Among the 170 artisans from 45 countries marketing their work at the 2011 festival were three artisans from Bolivia (http://www.folkartmarket.org/index.php/profiles/C55) and 11 from Peru (http://www.folkartmarket.org/index.php/profiles/C80).
Artisans from Bolivia and Peru who participated in earlier festivals are also profiled on these web pages, along with photos of their work. Traditionally, the Market is held the second full weekend in July, so mark it on your calendar for 2012 (July 13-15).

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Disappearance of Bolivia PCV Walter Poirier

Family of missing LHS alum awaiting results..., October 18, 2007 - Lowell Sun
New search for Peace Corps volunteer, October 6, 2007 - Lowell Sun
Sixth Anniversary of the Disappearance..., March 9, 2007 - PCOnline

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ACTIVITIES

2009: Friendship Force Seeking Cultural Exchange Leaders

NPCA has teamed up with Atlanta-based Friendship Force International (FFI) (http://www.thefriendshipforce.org.), an international exchange organization, to identify exchange leaders who might be available to travel to 50 countries during 2009. Exchange leaders should be between 40-65 years of age, in good health, and interested in cultural exchange. Language skills are a plus but not essential.

Leaders will be required to supplement Friendship Force’s existing national recruiting system by inviting colleagues in their personal or professional networks to join and to work with FFI in designing an itinerary. Leaders will collect payments from participants, and if at least 20 participants are recruited, the leader’s trip is free, with prorated discounts offered for fewer than 20 recruits. The leader represents the group at official functions in host communities.

Email Debbie Powell, dpowell@thefriendshipforce.org, telling why you are interested, giving some background on your overseas experience and leadership, and describing which areas of the world you are interested in, and why.

2011: Peace Corps Turns 50: Mark Your Calendar

The Peace Corps will turn 50 in 2011, and planning has begun for this milestone anniversary event. The key events that will celebrate the past, present, and future of Peace Corps will take place on September 22-25, 2011, on the Mall in Washington, D.C. There will be a wreath-laying at the Kennedy grave, a walk across Memorial Bridge featuring the flags of PC countries, a film festival, events for former PC staff, and numerous receptions and exhibits. Geographic and County-of-Service affiliate groups can plan activities around these dates.

Also planned: a Kennedy Library event in Boston on March 1, 2011, a 50th anniversary PC website, archive, and stamp, anniversary projects and celebrations in countries where PC is operating, and—for two years leading up to the event—local community Peace Corps exhibits and recruiting initiatives.

For more information, bookmark the following page: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/peacecorps50.

Committee for A Museum for the Peace Corps Experience

Dear RPCVs:

We need your help with our Peace Corps Cookbook.

Many of you have already heard of the efforts to establish a Museum of the Peace Corps Experience in Portland, Oregon. The Committee for a Museum of the Peace Corps Experience (CMPCE) is involved in these efforts and is currently seeking funding to proceed with the project. One of our ways to do this is to develop a cookbook made up of recipes from countries of service sent in by RPCVs. Once we prepare this cookbook we will sell it and use any profits for the museum. Please help us with this goal. If you are not familiar with our work please look at our website for further information: http://www.museumofthepeacecorpsexperience.org

Part of what made your service in your host country special was the food you encountered. Share recipes for some of those special dishes with the rest of us so we can get a glimpse of your experience and share a bit of the culture of a different part of the world. We plan to compile a cookbook that will enable thousands of Americans to experience some of what you encountered; along with your stories telling about the role this food played in your experience of the host country. This cookbook, tentatively entitled A World of Food: the Peace Corps Experience, will then be published, and as mentioned above, the proceeds will benefit CMPCE's efforts to establish a Museum of the Peace Corps Experience.

Along with each recipe please share some background information so the reader will gain better understanding of the food item and its place in your experience. Please explain any uncommon ingredients and suggest how to obtain them. Be sure to give us your name, country and years of service. Also classify each dish as to type, e.g. appetizer, beverage, dessert, soup, main dish, main starch, vegetable, or side dish. Be clear about amounts, times and temperatures. If an ingredient is very difficult to obtain can you advise about a substitute or the impact of omitting it? By sending us this recipe you agree to permit us to use the information you send for the Museum cookbook at no charge. No personal information will be divulged to others for any other purpose.

Send your recipe and accompanying information to: pcmuseum@comcast.net

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Deceased PC/Bolivia & PC/Peru Volunteers/Staff

Underlined names have more information / remembrances, if you click the name.
If you wish to add a remembrance or photo, send it to boliviayperu@hotmail.com

BOLIVIA

PERU