Remembering September 11 and the US Peace Corps

Today is September 11. We remember our great national tragedy, which changed all of us in a variety of ways. Do you recall the great sense of togetherness and patriotism the 3 to 6 months following 9/11? People drove their cars with more courtesy, were more generous in charitable giving, and most of all supportive of all the survivors and the heroes who gave their lives.
During my Conversation Clubs many of the participants told me they were thinking of Americans on this day. We all have their sympathy, best wishes, and hopes for a better future.

I have included a few pictures of our activities in Shirvan, just so you can see the wonderful faces of this city. But, for a text this is from our new Peace Corps Director, Aaron Williams (a RPCV).

In their letter of August 27, 2009, President Obama and the First Lady wrote, “This year, for the first time, the United States will honor September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Eight years ago, the tragic events of that Tuesday morning inspired Americans to come together in a remarkable spirit of unity and compassion. In that same spirit, we call on all Americans to join in service on September 11 and honor the heroes of that dark day as well as the brave men and women in uniform who continue to protect our country at home and abroad.” The closing paragraph of their letter begins, “No force for change is more powerful than that of Americans who are making a difference in their communities.”
Peace Corps Volunteers and the hundreds of Peace Corps staff members who support them are a powerful force for change in communities around the world. Through your remarkable service, you are advancing the cause of peace and friendship, and conveying a message of hope and understanding.

And this from our Program and Training Director Kristina who is an RPCV and has served in the Sudan:

…I’d like to share an anecdote from a Rotary meeting this past May. That evening Karen Wrightsman and Jill Gabel had been invited to present the GLOW camp to the Baku International Rotary Club members, as the club was interested in partially funding the camp. Karen and Jill gave a great presentation covering the goals and results of GLOW and the work carried out by PCVs in organizing and running the camp for the past several years. As the presentation drew to a close, a few Rotarians had questions, and then one gentleman spoke up with, “I’d like to say something about Peace Corps.”

Up until that moment the only thing I had known about him was that he was from Turkey and lived and worked in Baku with his family. I had come to a few meetings before and introduced myself as Peace Corps staff, but we’d never talked and he never mentioned knowing about Peace Corps, so I couldn’t even imagine what he was going to say.

He began to speak about how he, at the age of 15 -- back in the mid 1960s -- had been taught by a few Peace Corps Volunteers in Turkey. He told the audience about how the PCVs had interacted with the students, and how he’d never known a teacher to tell jokes or to act as anything other than a dictator in the classroom. Watching Karen and Jill present had made him emotional, as he was reminded of those years and how his life outlook had changed because of these two PCVs.

After the meeting I came up to him to talk about his experience and he continued to tell me how interacting with these young 20-something Americans had shaped how he later interacted with his children, his wife and with others. In his words, “I became a better father, and a better husband.” From my perspective, I’d met a few PCVs who’d served in the 1960s, but had never met a ‘beneficiary’ from the 1960s before, much less one who spoke so eloquently about how PCVs had impacted his life. Talking to him completely brightened my day.

Az6s, as you start a new school year and head into completing a full year of service, keep this story in mind. Sometimes the impact that you have is different from what you think it is or what you set out to do. More likely, there is impact in addition to the more tangible skills you are building. You do live in a fishbowl and people do observe you and your behavior and while that is personally frustrating at times, it can also have amazing results. Simple deeds such as showing kindness towards others, interacting in a positive way with people at your site, taking time to go visit kids in a home for disabled or orphanage that others might just ignore, voluntarily putting in a few more hours of work to improve the quality of a project just because you feel it’s important or simply believing in an idea you have and working to make it happen when others tell you it can’t be done....all of these can work miracles in the minds of others.

We covet your thoughts and prayers as we strive to serve you, the American people. We want the world to know who you are and how much you care.