Third Goal

The Struggles of the Young

One of the boys from the center where I work attempts to carve open a pumpkin so that it can be gutted.

The Gauntlet

The losing team has to accept defeat by getting blasted with leftover water balloons.

Summer Fun

One team is trying to toss a balloon in unison in a game during a summer camp. 

Small Business Development Projects in Peru 2008 - 2010

Philosopher King in a mud hut.

Sept 15 2004 I found the Philosopher King in a mud hut. At the end of his or her service, most volunteers have a wish for their departure. That is, that , although, he leaves the village, his legacy and good efforts will stay. I trusted John; he had that kind of determination to turn a mud house into a marble palace. The DDC. the African Inland church, the people in Ikutha, and even those in Ikutha were unsure of his capabilities. ‘He is a young man,” they thought. As if all ...

Unexpected pleasures of travel

Traveling by Peugeot station wagon bush taxi from Abidjan to a small town just inside Liberia, in the iron-rich area around Mount Nimba, upon arriving at the frontier, a small river, the customs agent pointed out that I couldn't enter Liberia -- I should have had my passport stamped at the last town through which I had passed, twenty some kilometers back - and only one last taxi-brousse would make the trip that particular evening. As the Peugeot finally headed back for Danané, where I had not...

Verandah!

We waited for a few months for our house to be built; during that time we felt isolated because the temporary digs were not equipped with a verandah, which we noticed quickly was important to every house. All social activity, communication, news-telling and decision-making took place there. When the house was complete and the full-length verandah went into use, Rachel and began our Peace Corps service in earnest.

Thian Ndao

My host sister found a new toy.

Falling Asleep

The sudden and strong wind that usually brings rain starts before dawn this morning, and since I live in fear of my hut collapsing with every breeze, I wake up. With no real anxiety, I sleepily make a mental list of what to collect from the ruin, the rocks and mud: my wallet and cell phone, my Senegalese work permit, my two passports (Peace Corps kids are just that cool), a sweater. I curl my feet up away from the part of my bed that inevitably gets soaked in every downpour and poke my cat un...

Fishing in the Desert

A few young boys used nets to catch the remaining fish in the seasonal lake before it dried up completely.