A Review of The Gringo, J. Grigsby Crawford’s memoir by Kim Peek

I am an unapologetic book snob.  You will never catch me reading 50 Shades of Grey or chatting idly about the Twilight series.  I’d much rather settle down with a good classic or a novel by the latest acclaimed fiction writer.  However, a few weeks ago, I found myself sitting down to a different type of book: The Gringo by RPCV J. Grigsby Crawford.  Before coming to Ecuador, I’d never read a Peace Corps memoir and certainly hadn’t intended on doing so.  Nevertheless, The Gringo grabbed my attention.  Hand to hand, Kindle to Kindle, The Gringo is making the rounds among Peace Corps Ecuador volunteers. PCVs country-wide can’t stop talking about Crawford’s account of life in Ecuador.  The more I heard, the more I wanted to read the book.  Before I knew it, my own curiosity had gotten the better of me and I found myself clicking the “Download Free” button on Crawford’s Amazon.com page.  …

411, Not 911: PSN reinvents itself by Lauren Wagner

Who: The Peer Support Network (PSN). We are a group of Peace Corps Volunteers who are selected and trained to provide support to our peers in concert and cooperation with the Peace Corps staff. Oh, and we are your friends, too.

What: The new PSN crew just got sworn in (passing of the torch and all) in February and we are excited about what 2013 has in store. In the past, PSN was sometimes interpreted as a last resort, panic moment type of thing. Although PSN members are trained in dealing with crises and stressful situations, we want to make sure that people know we are more than that. We are good listeners who have probably been through many similar scenarios. Give us a call before things get bad. …

El Clima Story 2: Peer Support NetworkRead More »

Who the VOQ? By Sarah Reichle (107)

            VOQ (Volunteer of the Quarter) is a VAC initiative to help us all get to know our fellow PCVs a bit better and to commend the great work that volunteers are doing in their communities. Know about a PCV working on a successful project, one who is really integrated in their site, or someone who is just being a superstar volunteer in general? Let us know: e-mail VAC at EcuadorVAC@gmail.com

Amanda Monroe (Mandy) is VAC’s Volunteer of the Quarter and is a Natural Resources Conservation volunteer from Ithaca, New York, representing Omnibus 105. Why did Mandy join Peace Corps? Everything about it, she says, but her experiences at Warren Wilson College located in the Swannanoa Valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina probably had something to do with it. Warren Wilson is different than your typical university experience in that the school is committed to emphasizing environmentalism and localism. “You complete all your credit hours like any other accredited university, but you are also required to complete 100 hours of community service (off campus) and work on campus for 15 hours a week. Students run the place, really. The work assignments vary from janitorial duties to cafeteria workers to gardeners, landscapers, ranchers, accounting wizards, plumbers, locksmiths, auto mechanics, journalists, and artists.”

…

Stories from El Clima 1: Volunteer of the QuarterRead More »

We have a great working relationship with Peace Corps Ecuador, and this month we are glad to feature three stories from volunteers in the field, from the volunteer newsletter El Clima. The stories include:

• Volunteer of the Quarter: Amanda Monroe by Sarah Reichle – this article describes Amanda’s work as a Natural Resources Volunteer in Las Tunas, Manabí.

• Peer Support Network reinvents itself by Lauren Wagner – this article describes the network, how it works and who is part of it.

• The Gringo Review by Kim Peek – a review of J. Grigsby Crawford’s memoir