Meet-Up & Members Blog

RPCVSF's Fair Trade Market tables will be at Redlands Heritage and Crafts Festival -December 14 & 15, 10 am - 5 pm. The Festival is held at:

The Fruit and Spice Park

24801 SW 187th Avenue

Homestead, FL 33031

which is a 37-acre botanical garden & park containing over 500 varieties of fruit, vegetables, spices & herbs.

Keep your eyes on our website. We hope to announce the itinerary and dates for our first safari of 2020, to TANZANIA including Zanzibar AND a day trip to Bagamoyo, former capital of German East Africa (Tanganyika). (You heard about it being bombed by the Robert Redford character in the film Out of Africa.)  All this, and much more, in the merry month of May. Most safaris do not include Zanzibar or Bagamoyo

My name is Matthew Forrester and I am writing on behalf of the School of International Service (SIS) at American University.  In addition to working with the Office of Graduate Enrollment, I have the honor of being the coordinator for the Peace Corps Coverdell Program. I wanted to reach out to your organization to introduce myself and let you know that I will be holding an informational session next week in Miami.

I’ll be at the Greenstreet Café at 11:00am on Saturday, October 19 to meet with individuals who are interested in learning more about our graduate programs.  If you like, feel free to spread the word to your members to see if they, or anyone they know, might be interested in attending.  As the Coverdell Coordinator, I would like to highlight that SIS is proud to offer a minimum of 25% of all tuition and mandatory fees guaranteed as the benefit to all recipients of the Coverdell Fellowship.

SIS is a top-10 school of international affairs located in Washington, D.C. The SIS mission of public service, environmental stewardship, human rights, and social justice align naturally with the Peace Corps ideals of promoting world peace and friendship. SIS RPCVs partner with local community partners and schools to apply the experience and skills they gained in the Peace Corps to serve the local D.C. community.

If you’re interested in sharing this event with your members, I’d be happy to provide you with additional information, such as how participants can register.  Please let me know if you have any questions about SIS or the event.   Thanks for considering this request and hope to hear from you soon. 

Best, 

Matthew Forrester

Graduate Admissions Coordinator 

Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Program Coordinator

School of International Service

American University

Washington DC

202-885-1652

mforrester@american.edu

Visit the SIS Upcoming Events page for more information and to register for events!

I violated my own rules: Never visit Paris (or any Northern clime) after October 1 and before June 10. Well, off I went to Paris for a week on September 30, for mental health purposes. Fortunately, the city was still green and beautiful but the temperature during the day was around 65 degrees F, comfy but COLD to me, a Floridian.

 

The city was buzzing about 2 sights: the newly remodeled Restaurant Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower with a new 3 star chef, so much buzz that it was impossible to get a reservation. Secondly, a sound and light show, Atelier des Luminieres with 140 projectors and a film featuring the art of Vincent Van Gogh. This was dazzling, to say the least.

The closest Metro stop to Notre Dame is closed. The next closest is a long walk away which I chose not to attempt. The word on the street is that the repairs are going to take a long time.

Every meal I had was sublime: croissants like no other; confit de canard (my fave); crepes from street vendors.

As I do every time I am in Paris, I checked out Napoleon’s Tomb. He is still there. The adjacent Ecole Militaire has been remodeled into 2 museums and creates a grand entrance complex to the tomb.

I was particularly struck by the number of people of African and mixed race backgrounds I saw. They all seem to get along very well and add to the glamor of the city. One of the young clerks at our hotel was very exotic looking with a hairdo that included a chignon-like pony tail. His name was Dimitri which I said was not very French although he definitely spoke the language like a native. He said his father is Russian and his mother from Martinique, French West Indies.

Greg Zell

RPCVSF Travel Coordinator

Join fellow RPCVs Saturday June 1 for an evening with jazz violinist Federico Britos.  The concert begins at 8:30 p.m. at WDNA 88.9, 2921 Coral Way, Miami 33145.  General Admission tickets are $25, $15 if you’re a WDNA member.  Tickets can be purchased via Sara at the WDNA business office ... 305-662-8889.

Are you writing a memoir, poems or stories?  Have your work reviewed in a very supportive setting, and learn about publication at the first  Peace Corps Writers Workshop. The workshop will be held from  Wednesday, September 18th to Saturday, September 21rd  at Shore Retreats on Broad Creek, on the fabulous Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. Costs range from $100 - $500 and includes shared living quarters, and most meals. If interested contact John Coyne at: jcoyneone@gmail.com  This workshop is organized by  Peace Corps Worldwide  Peace Corps Worldwide celebrates the Peace Corps experience by publishing stories from around the world by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), and Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs), to share with all who have a desire for international understanding. This effort is at the heart of the Third Goal of the Peace Corps — to “bring the world back home.” Publicizing the writings of  RPCVs and PCVs, all their novels, short stories, essays and poetry is a positive way of educating Americans about the world, an essential Peace Corps Third Goal activity to provided a link between the cultures of the world and our culture.   Your attendance at this upcoming Peace Corps Writers Workshop is encouraged.  Contact  John Coyne at::  jcoyneone@gmail.com

Native Plant Day - March 19, 2016, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.  

FREE - rain or shine!

Sponsored by the Dade Chapter Florida Native Plant Society and Miami-Dade County Parks.

• Enjoy programs, nature walks, activities, plant and merchandise sales, raffles, displays by a host of organizations (you'll probably see some RPCVSF members).
  
• Learn about native plants, landscaping, attracting butterflies & birds, natural areas and more.  Ask experts your questions.
• Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Rain Barrel Workshop: make a rain barrel ($40; advance signup preferred, call 305-248-3311 ext. 242).
  
• Activities and plant sale for kids.
• Early Bird Walk at 8 a.m.

For a schedule, see http://dade.fnpschapters.org (will be posted when details are final).  305-985-3677

Hi everyone!

My name is Kelsey Brannock and I'm a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Philippines 2011-2014. I've been home for a few months now and am excitedly looking forward to my next move, which happens to be graduate school in New York City! I have been accepted into the School of Visual Arts and plan to begin studying art therapy with a focus in trauma. My dream of working within an international non-profit organization as an art therapist and counselor has been greatly influenced by my 3 years abroad with the Peace Corps. 

As you can imagine, going to school in New York is not cheap. Along with working and saving my own money, I started a GoFundMe fundraiser in order to help actualize my dream. I am reaching out to my fellow RPCV family for support, whether monetarily or by simply spreading the word. I thank you all in advance for any help you may be able to offer and wish you all the best in your post-peace corps adventures. 

Please click on the link and check it out! :)

http://www.gofundme.com/kelseygoestoschool

Sincerely,

Kelsey