Third Goal

Sunshine Personified

Aunt Badji...the only woman who can outshine the hot African sun

The Peace Corps Experience: The Next Generation

A lot of people assume that Peace Corps is a certain way: noble, self-sacrificing people leaving it all behind to live among throngs of starving children in the middle of nowhere -- or, The Peace Corps Experience. We are not living the Peace Corps Experience. No doubt, some people do live something more similar to this way, but even then, it is almost never exactly the noble ideal.Instead of living the Peace Corps Experience, my husband Mark and I are living what could be called The Peace Cor...

Didube Bazaar

Village Art Day

Mountains in Naxchivan

This photo was taken during the 2010 Novrus holiday on our way to visit a holy place in the mountains.

Spring time in Azerbaijan

This photo was taken during the Novrus holiday in Naxchivan, Azerbaijan. The beginning of spring was warm causing all the trees to bloom early before a quick freeze just in time for the holiday.

Hand Print

Amerindians in the Rupununi of Guyana hold cultural events that highlight dance and music that is being passed down amongst 'culture groups'.  Here a young boy has been painted with a homemade paint made from the Anatto plant - it bears spiky pods that contains seeds coated in a red paint.  Amerindians use this paint to decorate themselves with designs and whatever else they can come up with!  

Oh snap!

Our Community Development Officer, Mr. Douglas snaps his finger after just missing the target with his traditional bow and arrow at our Amerindian Heritage Day. 

Only in Africa

This was a story that as it was happening, I just kept thinking, “only in Africa, only in Africa”.  Here’s the back-story first.  So normally the rainy season ends at the end of September or the first few weeks of October (it might rain from time to time but for the most part the dry season has started to set in), but here we are into November and it’s still raining almost every day.  As a result of this nonstop precipitation the roads are in TERRIBLE shape.  It’s gotten so bad that if it rai...

Inviting the New Year

As an OCAP volunteer I am involved in promoting activities that bring together the colleagues of Samal Center, a rehabilitation center for disabled children and youth. As 2011 approaches, the country of Kazakhstan celebrates with Grandfather Frost and Snow Granddaughter, rather than Santa Clause and his elves. Here we see Grandfather Frost performing a traditional song while the colleagues dance together and sing along.