Alex Wagner is a Community Economic Development (CED) volunteer serving in a pueblo in La Guajira, Colombia. I don’t have much experience with home-made slingshots, but this one seems to be coming together quite nicely. After finding a sturdy Y-shaped branch and whittling it down to fit in the hand, we tie on stretchy plastic tubes … Continue reading It Ain’t Much, But It’s Honest Work
Eric Brown is a Practical English for Success (PES) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Atlántico, Colombia. dogs barking sweat beading vallenato blaring bus speeding traffic inching roads curving motos zipping drivers swerving halt, go stop, start whiplashed neck pounding heart fingers tapping WhatsApp dinging vendors selling musicians singing purses clutched boxes piled clothes adjusted … Continue reading Pueblo Bus
Kenney Tran is a Community Economic Development (CED) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Magdalena, Colombia. During my time in pre-service training (PST), I established myself as the premier goalie in our weekly games of micro soccer. My glorious uniform consisting of running shoes, high school football shorts, a tank top, and some gardening gloves … Continue reading Weak Fingers, Stronger Bonds
Samantha Granger is a Community Economic Development (CED) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Magdalena, Colombia. I try not to brag too much, but I have a fantastic family. They are insanely fun, and love me unconditionally (not an easy task). I wouldn’t trade them for the world. When I made the decision to move … Continue reading Cards
Kaleb Rogers is a Community Economic Development (CED) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Atlántico, Colombia. A lot of Peace Corps volunteers savor going to the head office in Barranquilla. They savor the opportunity to spend a night out of site. They savor (literally) the chance to eat non-pueblo food. They savor seeing friends, being … Continue reading The Bus
Jane Haines is a Community Economic Development (CED) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Atlántico, Colombia. It's two o’clock in the morning when a loud clanging jerks me awake. Robbery? No, my neighborhood is safe; the noise came from inside my room. Did something fall? I turn on my light to see everything in place, … Continue reading Dead Mouse Fan
Claire Nutter is a Practical English for Success (PES) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Atlántico, Colombia. Happy moments during service with the Peace Corps can be like rain during the dry season here on the coast of Colombia: desperately needed and can sometimes not happen for weeks on end. I’ll be honest, I was … Continue reading Felicidad
Caitlyn Davis is a Practical English for Success (PES) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Bolívar, Colombia. My Peace Corps experience has not been easy for me. I’ve had more than one major slump during my service and I often wonder what I’m doing here. The first two months at site were particularly ROUGH – … Continue reading Piglets and Crayola
Andrew Torro is a Practical English for Success (PES) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Atlántico, Colombia. Throughout the first 10 months of my service, I have have been working alongside the administration of Escuela Normal Superior de Manatí. Throughout my time there, I have been getting to know my counterparts better as well as … Continue reading The Normal
Edith Duggan is a Practical English for Success (PES) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Sucre, Colombia. In a world where everything is big, some of the best things come little. One of the greatest things that has inspired me and made me happy in Colombia is actually something small. Most of the laughs, Spanish … Continue reading Little Friends, Little Moments, Big Gratitude
Megyn Rodriguez is a Returned Community Economic Development (CED) volunteer who served in a pueblo in Atlántico, Colombia - It is said over and over during training the importance of integration and making good impressions. After all, we are representing our country. A volunteer is most aware of this concept during their first months … Continue reading Explosive First Impressions
Kellie Mahoney is a Practical English for Success (PES) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Atlántico, Colombia - When I applied for the Peace Corps I knew that it entailed future failures. Whether I liked it or not, it would happen. I knew that I would be stressed, have my patience tested, face work challenges, … Continue reading Screams Internally
Maya Sadagopal is a Community Economic Development (CED) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Sucre, Colombia - I’m sitting in a classroom surrounded by the rubble of a school day in coastal Colombia; candy wrappers, empty plastic water bags, and crumpled paper litter the floor. The primary students have just left, and those pelaos never … Continue reading Failing with Friends
Edith Duggan is a Practical English for Success (PES) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Sucre, Colombia - While thinking about failures we face in the Peace Corps – I thought I didn’t have any relevant stories to share because I haven’t had any major struggles doing what’s expected of me as a volunteer. At … Continue reading When Your Bucket Breaks
Claire Nutter is a Practical English for Success (PES) volunteer serving in a pueblo in Atlántico, Colombia - I have always had an interesting relationship with the word “fail.” What does it mean to really fail? Is it when you try something with good intentions, and it doesn’t work out? Or is it when you … Continue reading Los Fracasos
