Goals of the Peace Corps

Greetings from Orientation! Today we discussed the purpose of the Peace Corps, which is:

To promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals

1) To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women

2) To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served

3) To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans

This blog is a way to accomplish Goal #3, so please keep on reading! And if you have any questions about Peace Corps, Malawi or Moldova, let us know and we will try our best to answer it for you.

Moldova June 2014 group arrived safely

Coalee arrived safely in Moldova earlier this week.  The new volunteers were greeted at the airport by TV crews and sunflowers.  Check out this coverage in the local Moldova news (reporting is in Romanian and Russian, the two most commonly spoken languages in Moldova).

• http://www.canal3.md/rus/news/social/item17413/

• http://ipn.md/ro/societate/62315

• http://jurnaltv.md/ro/news/2014/6/4/inca-73-de-voluntari-americani-10033183/

Now she has officially begun her Pre-Service Training (PST).  Pre-Service Training is an intensive period where new volunteers learn all about their new country and what it means to be a Peace Corps Volunteer.  Training provided includes technical, language, cross-cultural, health and safety training. During PST, we will each be staying with a host family.  There is not much free time, and access to internet is limited.

Please continue to pray for her and send her your love and encouragement as she goes through her training.

Guidance on sending us mail

A few people have asked us if they can send us mail and/or packages to us while we are in the Peace Corps.  The answer is, yes, you absolutely can!  And yes, we would love it!

Letters -  You can mail a one-once letter using USPS First-Class International mail for $1.15.  Global Forever stamps are available at the Post Office or online.  Make sure to write "Air Mail" on the envelope.  If you send a postcard, it will have a better chance of reaching us if you put it into an envelope first for mailing.

Packages - USPS Priority Mail International seems to be a cost-efficient way to send packages.  Check out the mail prohibitions and restrictions for Malawi and Moldova before you send anything.

If you take the time to send us something, we want to make sure it gets to us.  Please read these guidelines that the Peace Corps sent us about sending mail to our countries.

Moldova

• Letters to and from Moldova typically arrive in two to three weeks, but some letters and flat mail never reach Volunteers. Advise family and friends not to send anything of value via flat mail.

• Packages generally arrive safely, although they are often opened by Customs agents and some contents are occasionally lost in transport.  Packages sent to Moldova by airmail arrive as quickly as letters but can be quite expensive, costing as much as $10 per pound. During pre-service training, packages can be sent to the same address as letters. Once you move to your site, you can make arrangements to receive mail and packages there, or continue to receive mail at the Peace Corps Office.

Malawi

• Letters - It takes approximately four weeks for letters mailed from the United States to reach Lilongwe, and may take an additional six weeks to reach the Volunteer’s site.

• Packages take six to nine weeks for airmail, and surface mail packages can take six months. If someone is sending a package, it’s advisable to keep it small and use a padded envelope so it will be treated as a letter.

• Be advised that most items with a declared value of more than $20 will be opened and may be charged for duty. You may want to try sending inexpensive items through the mail, though there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. We do not recommend sending costly items through the mail. It is recommended that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more heavily.

Unofficial Peace Corps Anthem

We cracked up when we saw this video on Youtube.  Enjoy!

Game #3 - Name that Parasite

Isn't nature grand?  Use the photos and descriptions to identify each parasite, while you marvel at the diversity of life.

A. dysentery:
    can be caused by protozoan parasites, which are usually single-celled and live in moist
    environments; cause intestinal inflammation and severe diarrhea

B. bedbugs:
    only millimeters in size, they prefer to feed on human blood as we sleep leaving multiple
    red bite marks on the skin

C. giardia:
     contain 2 nuclei and 4 flagella…although they may be cute, they cause severe diarrhea…
     don’t let the smile fool you ;o] generally spread via poor hygienic practices and human-to-
     human contact

D. plasmodium:
     spread into human blood by way of the mosquito as a vector, causing malaria

E. roundworm:
    the largest, most common parasitic worm in humans with 1/6 of the human population estimated to be
    infected by Ascaris lumbricoides or another roundworm.  It is prevalent worldwide, but more
    so in tropical and subtropical countries

F. flatworm:
    flattened oval or worm-like animals, usually no more than a few centimeters in length

G. tapeworm:
     transmitted by ingesting underprepared meat such as pork, beef, and fish, prepared in less than hygienic
     conditions; once ingested, they live in the intestines, sometimes for many years, and can grow as long as    55 feet!

H. hookworm:
     affects approx 576 million people globally; usually lives in the small intestines; larval invasion of the skin might give rise to intense, local itching, usually on the foot or lower leg, which can be followed by lesions that look like insect bites and can blister

I. botfly:
    also known as warble flies, heel flies, gadflies; “bot” meaning “maggot”; a large, densely
    haired fly that looks like a bumblebee; will infest the skin of humans and live out the larval stage in the
    subcutaneous layer, causing painful pustules that secrete fluids…yummy

J. whipworm:
    infects the large intestine; its common name refers to the shape of the worm - it looks like a
    whip with wider "handles" at the posterior end

Bonus - just in time for this posting, a story on NPR about a parasitic worm called schistosomiasis which occurs in Lake Malawi!

Answers:

1-C          6-F

2-G          7-A

3-D          8-B

4-J           9-I

5-E          10-H

 

Game #2 - Peace Corps Anagrams

Read these fun facts about the Peace Corps and unscramble the capitalized words

1. The Peace Corps logo includes a RSAT and a VOED.
2. The Peace Corps was founded in March, 1961 under President NDEYNKE.
3. The first group of Peace Corps Volunteers was sent to AGNAH in August, 1961 to serve as RCEHTAES.
4. President Jimmy Carter’s mother served as a RNEUS in the Peace Corps.
5. Over five percent of Peace Corps Volunteers are over age IYFTF.
6. The Peace Corps is part of the Executive Branch, and falls under the Department of TEAST.  The 2014 budget is $379 LNIOMLI.
7. HTE LPNSEHPIIPI is the country which has hosted the largest number of Peace Corps Volunteers (8,755).
8. Over 45% of Peace Corps Volunteers serve in CRAIAF.  20% of volunteers serve in TNLAI CRMAIEA.
9. The 1985 movie “Volunteers” stars MTO SHNKA, Rita Wilson and John Candy as Peace Corps Volunteers in Southeast Asia.
10. Since 1961, the highest number of Peace Corps Volunteers have originated from FNCAIALOIR (28, 893), followed by WNE KORY (13, 085) and GASNTIOHW (8,975).

For more fun facts about the Peace Corps, check out their website.





Answers:

1. STAR, DOVE
2. KENNEDY
3. GHANA, TEACHERS
4. NURSE
5. FIFTY
6. STATE, MILLION
7. THE PHILIPPINES
8. AFRICA, LATIN AMERICA
9. TOM HANKS
10. CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON

Game #1 - Malawi, Moldova or Both?

We created a few educational party games for our farewell party last week.  We decided to post them here.

Game #1 - Malawi, Moldova or Both
Despite the fact that we are going to different continents, we have actually found a lot of similarities between our countries.  Of course, there are a lot of differences too.  Read each statement and try to decide if it is referring to Malawi, Moldova or both.  Good luck!

1.  The main agricultural crops include sunflowers and grapes for wine
2. Daylight Saving Time is not observed
3. The government designated a National Dance Troupe
4. The highest elevation is 430 meters (1,411 feet)
5. The President is the head of state
6. Native wildlife includes zebras, elephants, hippos and crocodiles
7. Home to Chibuku Shake Shake, an alcoholic beverage made out of fermented corn and served in a cardboard container.  The beverage is chunky, requiring that you shake it before drinking to mix it up, hence the name.
8. This country is landlocked and does not border any oceans
9. This country declared independence in 1964
10. In the rural areas, outhouses are the most common toilet facilities
11. The currency is the Leu
12. Their national dish is called mamaliga, which is made from cornmeal
13. Most of their rainfall is during the summer months
14. This country is the poorest nation on its continent
15. The national flag includes a red sun over black, red and green horizontal stripes
16. The main agricultural crops include tobacco, corn and tea
17. English is one of their two official languages
18. In 2005 this country consumed the highest amount of alcohol per capita in the world 
19. The population is predominantly Christian
20. Under local law, foreign residents are required to have proof of a negative HIV/AIDS test to receive a residency permit

Answers:

• Malawi - 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 15, 16, 17
• Moldova - 1, 4, 10, 11, 12, 18, 20
• Both -  5, 8, 13, 14, 19

How did you do?