A PC Survey from my LinkedIn Group

LinkedIn Groups

• Group: Peace Corps Community Network
• Subject: Better, Bolder Peace Corps - Take our Survey

Dear Peace Corps Community Network Member,

For the next phase of the our MorePeaceCorps Campaign, the National Peace Corps Association is seeking input from all members of the Peace Corps community (applicants, PCVs, family of PCVs, RPCVs, staff) on how to best improve and embolden the Peace Corps to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Between now and Thursday, October 22nd, we ask you to take our better, bolder Peace Corps survey.

Please follow this link to take the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bHFBlSzPNqwfvs5AlGn84w_3d_3d

Because of the many issues to consider, please expect to set aside 10 - 20 minutes to complete this survey. After you finish, please forward this link to as many members of the Peace Corps community as possible. Initial results of the survey will appear in the winter edition of WorldView magazine.

Thank you in advance for your input.

Kevin F. F. Quigley
Thailand 1976-1979
President

ps – Subscription to WorldView magazine is a benefit of membership in the NPCA. Learn more and join here: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/membership .
Posted By Erica Burman

BIG NEWS!!!!

So, I am official! Officially a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader.

I know that I will be assisting in the office in Belmopan and helping volunteers. I will be working on a project outside of the office as well. The hope is that I will continue working with the Neighborhood Watch Board and the Apprenticeship Program.

Now the search is on for a camera that will survive Belize (and ME!) If you have suggestions I would appreciate them.

My 2 year anniversary in Belize

For my 2nd year anniversary in Belize I reinterviewed for the Peace Corps Volunteer Leader Position. I also found out while on my way back to Belize City that I had been accepted for the position. Greedily I accepted. All that is left for final conformation of the job is a medical exam. If I am not healthy enough then I am sent back to the States.

I still plan on coming back for a month soon. I need to do some more visiting and shopping.

That night was great. I had a wonderful dinner at Samanti Indian Restaurant in Belize City with Dorothy, Kirsty, Maggie, Kim, Molly, and Jeff. I really feel like I am missing one person and it is completely possible at the hour I am writing this. However. It was a lovely dinner and I got to share the wonderful news with some of my good friends.

If the blog isn't written, it's me...

For those of you that might miss the twisted reference, there is a Jimmy Buffett song that seems somewhat apropos.

While Mom stretches her legs in Europe I will be doing a tour of sorts around the northern and middle sections of Belize.

I will be heading north to Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve first. Just found out a few hours ago that I will be heading up on Wednesday to do conch surveys. Conch season ended last month and it is time to see how the population is holding up. While my despise (ie. lack of skill) for lobster surveys is quite great, conch surveys are much better. See below for a comparison.

1. Conch don't hang out on the reef so much so I avoid the very shallow and sharp areas- Lobsters love those dangerous and hard to reach/see spots
2. Conch move at an amazingly fast pace for their dynamics but still easy to catch- Lobsters, now you see them, now you don't!
3. Conch blend with their environment so you have to concentrate- Lobsters dart out of site so it doesn't really matter
4. Never been harassed by a suckerfish during a conch survey- Frequently harassed by suckerfish during lobster surveys
   

Please note: the reasons to enjoy conch surveys more than lobster aren't nearly as clear until you get to #4.

I should be back Monday and heading out to Belmopan or Belize City on the next boat. I have my annual check up starting Tuesday. This time if I don't pass I don't get to stay to do the Peace Corps Volunteer Leader position. So here is hoping that I don't have some kind of bizarre tropical disorder that must be cured in the States.

I finish on Thursday and hopefully will get to stay and try to figure out some of the details of what will be going on with the staff in the office for my new job.

Depending where I finish on Thursday I may be staying in Belmopan or Belize. Friday I will most likely be heading to Corozal for the weekend and possibly a quick trip to Mexico. There is a soccer game this weekend and I haven't been to one yet this year. I am looking forward to the quick trip.

Sunday I will catch the boat back to San Pedro or Caye Caulker depending on the situation with the surveys (see below).

Sunday evening or Monday morning I will head to Caye Caulker for fish surveys. These will be fun since I haven't dove in the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve yet. Back to SP for a meeting that night (unless I hear otherwise). Then back to Caye Caulker the next morning. Will probably be out there until Friday.

Once I return I don't expect to want to leave the island for quite some time.

Back in the swing of things...

Hi Everybody,

Been a bit absent lately. I am still trying to recover from my absolutely FABULOUS trip home. Got to visit friends and family, but still not as much as what I would have liked to have done.

Work has been crazy since I returned. I left at 9:30am yesterday and didn't return until midnight. Had a great day and ended up being able to spend time with friends while I was out.

Last weekend I had a whirlwind trip to Belize, Belmopan, and Corozal. Thursday I reinterviewed for the PCVL- Volunteer Leader position, got the phone call on the way back into Belize that I got the job. Accepted on the spot. Got off the bus and walked across town to my favorite Indian restaurant- Samanti- yummmm! Met Jeff, Dorothy, Kirsty, Maggie, Kim, and Molly for dinner. After dinner all but Kirsty went back to Maggie's house for a bit of old times for the last time. It was wonderful sitting there 2 years to the day after we arrived, saying "see you later" in some cases for the last time. Friday morning I headed up to Corozal to hang out with Chanda for the weekend. I stopped by town to pick up some food for the weekend and cake to bake for a belated birthday. Strawberry with cream cheese icing- a bit embarrassing, but we finished it before we left Monday. Saturday was fun. Chanda's 4-H sponsored a sports day in Patchakan, her village. Jenny G's 4-H soccer team came over from Progresso.

Just noticed an odd sound for this close... Sounds like a plane just beside my house! I peaked outside, hum, there is one, and it is just by my house at the gas station. No, we don't often have planes at the gas station, this one just happens to be a sea plane! Well, you don't see these everyday. I grabbed the only camera in the house... THANKS DAD!!! the cell phone that won't get much use over the next year got some use today. The battery was about dead since I didn't think I would be using it for several months. I snapped a horrible picture of the tail of the plane after deleting all of the alarms I missed since I returned from the States. I will have to wait to share it when I return next time. I am sure there will be pictures in the newspapers this coming week of the event. I will try to remember to post the link so you can check it out.

Anyway, back to the weekend. Progresso won the game. Chanda and I relaxed and ate until Monday about 5:30 am when we got picked up by her host family to meet some of her other 4-H kids in Concepcion to go to the 4-H camp this week in Caye Caulker.

This week has been full of meetings and getting ready for meetings so today I will enjoy! No work, all play! Slept in late after going out dancing with friends. Molly comes tomorrow and I am so excited to see her again.

On a health note I just found a like to some interesting articles. Make sure to check out the one about sunscreen from this page. That is about it for now.

Have a fabulous 4th of July!!!

Ooooh down in Mexico...

Note to All: Vacationing with 7 friends is NOT relaxing...

Just got back this morning from Corozal. Stayed the night at the Maya Hotel with Chanda- we didn't make the last transportation options back to our respective homes. That had nothing to do with the movie we watched in Chetumal. Made of Honor was really cute, thankfully in English, and completely worth the $3.85 we spent. We had talked barely 10 seconds about going to a movie earlier in the bus trip. Actually calling to friends on board as we got up "later- going for a movie", then jumping off the bus without really discussing it, just a bit impulsive. YEA!!!

Mexico was fine. Didn't really do what I had gone there to do. Relax and think. Visited Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Both great destinations for different reasons. The food we had was amazing. There is absolutely NO reason folks in Belize couldn't do some of the same. Anyone looking for business opportunities, there is a niche in good- reasonably priced food that needs to be filled!!!

No decision has been made. It actually looks now like I will have an opportunity to do the PCVL position. Not sure yet as Jerry has to make up his mind on whether or not he takes the job in Korea. Also not sure if I want it since I wasn't really chosen or if they would want me since I wasn't a first choice.