1. Togo Becoming Abla

    A man does what he must to provide for his family. But in the small West African nation of Togo, it goes much deeper than that: each man is assigned a name based on the things he does, and is constantly judged by it. When I began my service as Peace Corps Volunteer in the village of Amegnran more than 15 years ago, I quickly learned that the predominant ethnic group in the area — the Ouatchi — classified every man by his character, work ethic and worth to his neighbors. According to the ...

  2. Mozambique Oh Look! A Dance Party

    I happened upon a band playing one afternoon in neighboring 'bairro'.

  3. Mozambique January Day

    A nice ride in January to the neighboring village to meet friends and family.

  4. Mozambique Bringin' Home the Bacon

    Riding back to the village with our Mozambican Independence Day meal.

  5. Mozambique some light reading

    One of my favorite people at site thought she'd do a little light reading.

  6. Mozambique A Weekend of Soccer and Games

    I went to watch my town play our rival (the next closest town to us, 2 1/2 hours away) in a friendly soccer match last summer. I turned out to be more exciting to watch than the players to this group of kids. They danced and sang for me, ignoring the many pleas of the soccer fans to pay attention to the game (which we won!). 

  7. Mozambique Just a daily visit from my neighbors

    A big part of my Peace Corps experience is the downtime I have at home after I get done with all of my daily work activities. These 2 kids have become some of my closest friends in my neighborhood. They are outside my door in the morning, at lunchtime, and when I get back from doing activities in the community in the afternoon. They have taught me so many games, told me too many ghost stories, and never miss a chance to accompany me to the market (where they insist on holding my hands and hel...

  8. Malawi Sunrise over Lake Malawi

    Travelling to Livingstonia, we were hiking down the mountain and had a beautiful view of the escarpment, and lake Malawi.

  9. Malawi Eweyes (kids)

    How do you describe the experience of children living in a developing county? It's hard. Do you describe them physically? The fungal sores on their heads and bulging bellies with stick-like arms due to malnutrition? Do you describe their clothes? Often dirty, torn, ill-fitting or useless? How can you fit in the hardships, lost opportunites, hope, joy, their sense of family, the fact that children no more than babies themselves carry around baby siblings on their backs? I think the best w...

  10. Morocco Rabat At Night

    A look down the main shopping artery in the old city of the Moroccan capital city of Rabat. On a nice night, the streets are packed as Rabatis and tourists stroll through the market picking up everything from the latest Western and Eastern fashions to brand new computer hardware and software. You literally can find anything, you just need to know where to look.

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“Sunset at the Railroad” by PCV Nicholas Baylor Hall. Namibia, 2011.