Recent college graduates are increasingly valuing innovation, social justice, and sustainability in their professional goals. Like many other ambitious, problem solving, social justice and environmentally minded young people, I joined the U.S. Peace Corps, dedicating two years of my early professional life to international development. Any RPCV (Returned Peace Corps …
In the South Pacific, it’s no surprise that coconuts are a big deal. Their usage is endless!–from a building material, to a source of healthy fat, to handmade virgin coconut oil that is used to prevent the spread of common skin disease such as scabies. The complimentary phrase “vanka …
Top three things I have learned from living in Fiji for five months: there is never a bad time for a nap, the Pacific Ocean is arguably the most powerful thing on the planet, coconut trees are arguably the most useful things on the planet. A few months …
“Ang pinakabudlay nga obra nga imo palanggaon!” That’s the translation of “the toughest job you’ll ever love,” in my local dialect. It’s a well-known Peace Corps quote, and it rang true throughout my service. I can’t believe that I’m fulfilling a dream I have had since childhood. Here I am, in the Philippines – …
By Danielle Salisbury, M.S. Environmental Policy 2016 I got off the plane in Mexico City with a groggy group of new acquaintances I would soon be calling my friends, fellow adventurers, and in rougher times, my support system. I had made it. I had joined the Peace Corps and been …
“So, what did you gain from your Peace Corps experience?” people often ask me following my return from 26 months abroad in the Republic of Cameroon, Central Africa. To answer that question in one sentence would group all of my relationships with friends and work partners, on-the-ground experiences and ups-and-downs …
I only wanted a simple answer to a simple question. The women in the farming groups I work with have been asking me how to make tofu, or ‘soya kebabs’ as they are called here (it’s always sold cut, fried, and on a stick). After we finished a large soap …
The Bard Center for Environmental Policy hosted their annual internship dinner last night to welcome back their second year masters students. The Class of 2013 returned to campus last week to begin their last semester of classes and finish writing their masters level theses. First year Bard CEP students who …
Arriving Our group of Peace Corps (P.C.) Volunteers arrived in Cameroon on September 21st, 2012, coinciding with 50 years of P.C. partnership between the U.S. and Cameroon. Subsequently, our swearing-in ceremony as P.C. volunteers was an impressive event located in the “Palais de Congrès” in Yaoundé (the capital of the …
June 1, 2012 When I first arrived in Ñaupe, the town had no electricity. A few months into service, the Peace Corps Renewable Energy Committee sent out an e-mail announcing $1,000 grants available for projects. I applied for and was awarded the full amount to install solar panels to power …
