Author: serveradmin
The Gift of Cuba
Cuba lies so close to our shores and yet has been shunned by the US for most of my life. It was on my list of places to visit one day because of the contradictions that make it so fascinating. Is Castro an idealist or cruel dictator? Is he Communist or populist? Why have successive […]
Havana
After a short flight from Cancun in a vintage Russian plane, my group was driven into Havana past sugar cane fields, which gave way to houses, tiendas (small shops) and the shaded parks of the suburbs. We passed baroque and neo-classical mansions as well as more modern buildings but all were in poor condition and […]
Leopards at My Door: Peace Corps Tanzania, 1966-7, Introduction
This is the text of a book by the same name available from Amazon. Included in that book are two related items: Mountain Women, and Gifts from the Poorest of the Poor. When the Peace Corps invited me to teach in Tanzania, I was delighted. I had passed through East Africa on my way home […]
First Term
Mwanza 16 January, 1966 Here at last! Steve Sterk, Winnie Golliday and I climbed onto the train in Dar-es-Salaam with several others in our group. Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) usually take second class, but those seats were sold out, so Winnie I and travelled first class. The car was a bit younger and cleaner than […]
First Break
Wednesday, April 13, 1966. Dar-es-Salaam Dear Family, School closed a week earlier than we’d planned. Three religious holidays were coming up in a row, so Mrs. King’ori, our new headmistress, decided to send the girls home on Saturday, April 2nd. The girls on the athletics (track & field) team stayed that day for the meet. […]
Second Term
Saturday, May 7, 1966. Dear Allen and all, I have launched my career as a senior science mistress. Four classes with 140 students totalhave now been exposed to “discovery science” from my class in Dar. One class is doing photosynthesis and the other transpiration, closely related subjects. Each student has to do an experiment, and […]
Second Break
Friday, August 11, 1966. Dear Family, Goodness. A letter from each of you! Pop, when I decide to rough it and become a hermit maybe I’ll go out to your land in Prince George. I’ll write a book about beavers. Do they have a high school there in need of a clever science teacher? If […]
Third Term
Tuesday, August 30, 1966 Mwanza Dear Mom, For the three days after I got back, the weather was cool and rainy or overcast. On Sunday, twenty-seven teachers from Mwanza, including six from Bwiru, were going of a field trip to learn about the local culture, so I hoped we would not get wet. The Sukumu […]
Third Break
Saturday, November 26 Dear Carol, The girls are off for home, and we have almost two month’s break. Kay and I are staying here for a while before driving to Kampala, where she will visit friends and I will go to the Peace Corps doc and dentist. Thence to Nairobi to meet you and Mom […]
Fourth Term
Wednesday, February 1 Dear Mom and Carol, I hope you’re enjoying Rome, and your feet are holding up. Things are getting back to normal after the break. It was so nice having you here. Now you can understand what’s up when I write. Miss Inkpen is getting over the loss of her beloved dachshund, and […]