John Dwyer I remember when President John F. Kennedy announced the formation of the Peace Corps in 1961. I thought it was a wonderful idea that arrived too late for me. I was married and had a young family and responsibilities at home. Thirty years later on October 24, 1991 I found out I was wrong. I …
Lawrence Siddall, a retired psychotherapist, volunteered to be a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1997 at the age of sixty-seven. He served as a teacher of English in Poland. His excellent book, “Two Years in Poland and Other Stories”, vividly describes the training he received, his adjustment to his assignment in Poland, and his interaction with fellow volunteers and the Polish people. Incorporated into the book are delightful and interesting flashbacks, among which is his account of a fascinating trip that he and an army buddy took in 1956, driving in a VW Beetle from Europe through the Middle East to India.
Lawrence Siddall’s book may be purchased at his website: www.lawrencesiddall.com or BarnesandNoble.com and Amazon.com
I interviewed Lawrence in September 2008.
I first met Muriel Horacek a number of years ago at a travel show in Orange County, California. She was working in a booth for the Earthwatch Institute at the time. We talked briefly and Muriel convinced me to sign-up for the Earthwatch newsletter. I next met Muriel at the 2008 Los Angeles Travel Show. She was enthusiastically greeting visitors in the Earthwatch booth. I reminded her of our earlier meeting and I also told her of my website that is a resource for those over 50 who are interested in international volunteering. Muriel told me that she was over 80 years of age and was planning a bird-watching trip to India at the time. This interview, which took place in April 2009, is a result of our talk at the travel show. By the way, Muriel in now 84 years old!
African Conservation Experience-www.africanconservation.net My name is Silvia and I am 66 years old. My concerns that I wouldn’t be up to the task of volunteering soon vanished. The bush camp in Tuli delivered one highlight after another with so many events in one go! I couldn’t really take it all in at once. At 7:45 …
African Conservation Experience-www.africanconservation.net Stuart Spindler The Game Ranger course was brilliant! There were six of us, five guys and one girl of ages ranging from 18 to 50+. Our course leader was an absolute legend, an African, who had worked for 30 years in the bush. He had a wealth of stories to tell, about …
African Conservation Experience- www.conservationafrica.net Chris Barrass, age 55“Nine lions were to be transported to Mozambique to restock an area depleted in wildlife. This involved darting them, taking blood samples and checking them for TB. This was carried out by a wildlife vet as we witnessed the whole event. On another occasion one of the researchers …
A few years ago, in San Francisco, I attended a book-signing and lecture by a well-known travel writer. After the lecture a member of the audience asked the writer how he felt about traveling in a country where he did not speak the language. The writer replied that it sometimes leads to experiences because it forces one to be inventive to communicate. He said that in such circumstances people often use exaggerated gestures and facial expressions. He believed that the humor in such expansive expressions can break down barriers and lead to a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
TravelMag.co.uk
The anticipation of landing at a strange foreign airport brings a bundle of conflicting thoughts to the mind of the traveler. At least it does to this traveler. When I am a passenger in an airplane on a final approach to a foreign airport I experience a feeling of both the excitement and uneasiness of looking forward to the unknown.
Sxirine.com
Camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Herat, Afghanistan, have been in existence since the mid-1990s. Because of the long drought that beset Afghanistan, IDPs were flocking to urban areas and it was for those IDPs that the camps were formed. Subsequently, victims of destruction caused by the chronic wars and those who had fled their villages because of ethnic tensions, arrived at the camps. All were poor and most were landless.
Orange County Register
In a world torn by terrorism and religious strife, one is apt to overlook the humanity that exists in the majority of people of all ethnicities and religions. During this season, with its talk both of war and of the tradition of giving, I am reminded of a chance encounter with a saintly little girl on a Balkan road.
