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Ray Warburton in Bolivia and Peru

Country of Service: Bolivia and Peru
Service Type: Rural Community Development and Earthquake Relief Program
Dates in Service: Bolivia: 1966-1968; Peru: 1970
Keywords: Rosario, Huaraz, Michael Willingham, Rural Community Development, Earthquake Relief Program

Accession Date: October 17, 2016
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 0.5 linear feet

Document Types

  • Photographs (digital)
  • Letters
  • Articles

Related Items in Other Repositories

Finding Aid

  1. Bolivia Letters, 1 of 4 
    1. CD of pictures 
    2. Photo letters 
  2. Bolivia Letters, 1966, 2 of 4 
  3. Bolivia Letters, 1967, 3 of 4 
  4. Bolivia Letters, 1968, 4 of 4 
  5. Cajamarquilla and Pampas Grande 
    1. Topographic Surveys, Reports & Town Plan Proposals, Nov 1970 
  6. CDs with Earthquake Pictures, Peru 1970 

Peace Corps Volunteers as Artists

Whether it’s a letter home or a diary entry, Peace Corps Volunteers frequently document the varied images they see during their service. While abroad, Peace Corps Volunteers are often immersed in a stimulating and beautiful new environment. Many volunteers therefore wish to tell their family and friends back home about their new adventures, or find a way to memorialize their surroundings so they can revisit them in the future.

While some PCVs have chosen to photograph their travels, some PCVs have documented their different surroundings through their artistic abilities. In letters, a quick sketch will assist to visually explain complex designs in architecture or costumes. Detailed drawings in a diary entry encourage reflection when PCVs have a moment to themselves.

David Day served in Kenya and India from 1965-1967. He sent regular letters to his parents and included quick sketches of what he saw during his travels. His drawings vary from a scooter driver to a detail of an Indian street. He even drew a few of the homes he stayed in to explain the varying architectural designs to his parents.

David Day quickly sketched a typical Shamata house from his time in Kenya. He sent the letter to his parents to update them on his experiences in the Peace Corps.

David Day quickly sketched a typical Shamata house from his time in Kenya. He sent the letter to his parents to update them on his experiences in the Peace Corps.

 

Day illustrated his home in India to his parents and detailed the differences between his home and the rest of the village.

Day illustrated his home in India to his parents and detailed the differences between his home and the rest of the village.

Bobbie Seibert volunteered in 2000 in Honduras. Seibert spent her free time sketching and would detail the various scenes before her. She captured a variety of locations, from still lifes to landscapes. On one drawing, she notes she was waiting for someone to fix her chimney but gave up after two hours.

 

Bobbie Seibert artistically sketched this landscape of Azacualpa, Honduras.

Bobbie Seibert artistically sketched this landscape of Azacualpa, Honduras.

 

Seibert sketched the corner of her temporary apartment as she waited for her site to become available.

Seibert sketched the corner of her temporary apartment as she waited for her site to become available.

 

For more information, please visit the Peace Corps Community Archive website. To use the collections or make a donation, please contact the AU Archives at archives [at] american.edu.

David Day in Kenya and India

Country of Service: Kenya and India
Service Type: Agriculture
Dates in Service: 1965-1967
Keywords: Agriculture

Accession Date: September 14, 2016
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 0.25 linear feet

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Diaries
  • Postcards

Related Items in Other Repositories

Finding Aid

  1. Kenya Letters, 1965-1966 
    1. June 3-August 1966 
    2. Postcards 
  2. Diaries, Sept 1965-Oct 1966 
  3. Diaries, Oct 1966-Feb 1969 
  4. India Letters, 1966-1968 
    1. Oct 1966-Aug 1968 
    2. Language pass certification 

Janet and Steve Kann in the Eastern Caribbean

Country of Service: Eastern Caribbean
Place of Service: Barbados, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent
Service Type: Practical Education Development
Dates in Service: 1980-1982
Keywords: Auto-mechanic, non-matrixed spouse

Accession Date: September 6, 2016
Access: Non-commercial use only
Collection Size: 1.75 linear feet

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Photographs
  • Publications

Finding Aid

Box 1

      1. Becoming a P.C. Volunteer, 1 of 3 
        1. Steve 
      2. Becoming a P.C. Volunteer, 2 of 3 
        1. Janet 
      3. Becoming a P.C. Volunteer, 3 of 3 
      4. PC Letters to Mom and Dad, 1 of 2 
      5. Letters to Mom and Dad, 2 of 2 
      6. PC Letters to Art and Roleyn 
      7. PC Letters to Gram and Nellie 
      8. Barbados, 1 of 2 
      9. Barbados, 2 of 2 
      10. Martinique 
      11. St. Vincent 
      12. Dominica, 1 of 3 
      13. Dominica, 2 of 3 
      14. Dominica, 3 of 3 
      15. Nevis Conference Northern Islands, 1 of 2 
      16. Nevis Conference Northern Islands, 2 of 2 
      17. St. Lucia I, 1 of 4 
      18. St. Lucia I, 2 of 4 

Box 2

          1. St. Lucia I, 3 of 4 
          2. St. Lucia I, 4 of 4 
          3. St. Lucia II, 1 of 3 
          4. St. Lucia II, 2 of 3 
          5. St. Lucia II, 3 of 3 

Box 3

      1. The Green Flash Publication 
        1. 1979-1981 
      2. Friends of the East Caribbean Publication 
      3. Peace Corps/RPCV Publications 
        1. Contact information and pamphlets 
      4. Cooking Publications 

Karen Keefer in Nigeria

Country of Service: Nigeria
Place of Service: Offa, Nigeria
Service Type: Education
Dates in Service: 1966-1968
Keywords: Education

Accession Date: August 25, 2016
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet

Document Types

  • Governmental Publications
  • Language Training Materials
  • Peace Corps Training Materials
  • Teacher Training Materials
  • Textbooks
  • Tourist Publications

Related Items in Other Repositories

Finding Aid

  1. Peace Corps Training Materials 
    1. Language workbooks 
  2. Peace Corps Training Materials 
    1. Language booklets 
  3. Peace Corps Training Materials 
    1. Language workbook 
  4. Textbooks for Teachers 
    1. Education guide and language booklets 
  5. Teacher Training Materials 
    1. Geography and physical health study guides 
  6. Textbooks for Teachers 
    1. African stories in English 
  7. Textbooks for Teachers 
    1. More story books 
  8. Publications  
    1. Nigerian, 1966-1967, Yearbooks 
    2. Guide to prayers 
  9. Publications 
    1. Booklets about Nigeria 

Exhibits on Display: The Peace Corps and its Volunteers

 

Alongside the annual conference of the National Peace Corps Association held in Washington, D.C. in September 2016, AU Archives and Special Collections is debuting two exhibits highlighting its Peace Corps Community Archive. One exhibit will be a physical exhibit on campus and the other online.

The Peace Corps through the Lens of its Volunteers will be on display through the end of the semester on the third floor of the Bender Library.

PCCA Exhibit Screenshot

The Peace Corps and Its Volunteers, the online companion exhibit, will go live this Friday August 26.

Both exhibits draw from the Peace Corps Community Archive and showcase the experiences of Peace Corp Volunteers through journals, letters, and photographs from the 1960s to the present.

For more information, please visit the Peace Corps Community Archive website. To use the collections or make a donation, please contact the AU Archives at archives [at] american.edu.

“The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love”: Serving in the Peace Corps

Since President Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, over 220,000 volunteers have served in 140 different host countries across the world. Once assigned to a country, volunteers serve a variety of roles. Departments of specialization include education, development, and health. While actively working with communities, Peace Corps volunteers have to adapt to life in a new culture and environment.

Volunteer Meghan Keith-Hynes speaking to a Haitian woman near a stone circle plot.

Volunteer Meghan Keith-Hynes speaking to a Haitian woman near a stone circle plot.

Although passionate and eager to serve developing communities, Peace Corps volunteers may not necessarily have previous experience in their field of work. The sense of being “thrown into” such work can create both excitement and anxiety for new volunteers. Through their previous connections at home and their new connections abroad, Peace Corps volunteers successfully navigate their exciting and unexpected experiences.

Continue reading →

Claire Pettengill in Morocco

Country of Service: Morocco
Service Type: Education
Dates in Service: 1978-1980
Keywords: Education, Community Development, Meknes

Accession Date: June 24, 2016
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 2 linear inches (located in small collections)

Document Types

  • Correspondence
  • Postcards
  • Photographs

Additions to Collection:
Accession Date: April 16, 2021
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 1 item (letter)

Finding Aid

  1. Correspondence, Parents 
  2. Correspondence with sister 
  3. Photographs 

Sharon Keld in Morocco

Country of Service: Morocco
Service Type: Community Development
Dates in Service: 2006 – 2008
Keywords: Language

Accession Date: March 30, 2016
Access: No restrictions
Collection Size: 0.5 linear feet

Document Types

  • Notebooks containing language lessons and practice, training notes, and meeting and work related notes.
  • Dictionary (2v)
  • Training materials
  • Photograph

Related Items in Other Repositories

Finding Aid

  1. Close of Service 
  2. Dictionaries (self made by Keld) 
  3. Language Journals 
  4. Language Journals & Notes (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4) 
  5. Peace Corps Morocco Official Statements 
  6. Personal 
  7. Service Work: Community Development 
  8. Site Visit Reports 
  9. Training & Swearing In 
  10. Training, Ongoing (2007-2008) 
  11. Volunteer Information: Rent & Allowance