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Issue: 17
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2011
Quarter III
Summer
Edition
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Dear Friend of Peace Corps Panama,
This special edition El Bochinche is
dedicated mostly to the upcoming 50th anniversary events taking place
in Washington D.C. in September (that's next month!). We hope you
are all able to make it, in either body or spirit.
Whether or not you're trekking to
D.C. for the celebration, let us know what kinds of events you're
organizing, celebrating, or attending in your region. And we'd love to
see photos from those events!
PCPF welcomes Emily Harrington (2007-2009)
who will be in charge of our 50th anniversary fundraiser at the
Panamanian embassy. The embassy and ambassador are very supportive of
our efforts and we're told that President Martinelli
gave the orders to make it happen.
Sincerely,
Alicia Ańino
(Natá, Coclé, 1998-2000)
PCPF Communications Committee
Director
translations@linuxquestions.net
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 About PCPF
Peace Corps Panama Friends (PCPF) is a non-profit
organization founded in 1986 consisting of returned and current Peace
Corps volunteers, Peace Corps Panama former and current staff, and
families and friends. Our mission is to help our members continue their
commitment to international service and understanding, support the
Peace Corps mission in Panama, and share knowledge of Panama and the
Peace Corps with others.
The PCPF Directiva consists of:
President - Valerie Whiting
VP - Sarah Schmidt (on hiatus)
Treasurer - Jamie Clark
Panama Liaison - David Modzelewski
Secretary - Hugh Smith
PCPF website: www.panamapcv.net
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/45282360232/
LinkedIn group: www.linkedin.com/groups/Peace-Corps-Panama-Friends-2316292
E-mail: president@panamapcv.net
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PCPF and Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary
Events
 PCPF is pleased to
announce many opportunities for you to reconnect with your fellow
volunteers, Peace Corps and Panama during the weekend of the 50th
Anniversary of Peace Corps in Washington, D.C. Contact David Modzelewki at davidmodz@gmail.com
to RSVP for any and all events. Here are the planned events:
Reception at the Embassy of Panama on 9/22, 6:30 PM at
Ambassador H.E. Mario Jaramillo's residence, 2862 McGill Terrace N.W.,
Washington, D.C. RSVPs will be required and a suggested donation of $25
will go towards Peace Corps Panama volunteer projects. Invitations to
be sent out soon, along with confirmation if Panamanian President
Ricardo Martinelli will attend as well.
Friday, September 23
PCPF Reunión de Reencuentro,
9/23, 2-4 PM at the Hyatt Arlington Hotel, 1325 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington,
VA 22209. This reunion will feature updates from the Embassy and the
Peace Corps on the Panamanian context and Peace Corps' work in
country.
Peace Corps (current and former) staff reunion, 9/23 at
National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C., 7-10 PM.
To reserve $60 ticket, go to http://www.pcstaffreunion.com/
Washington, D.C. area tour on 9/24, 1-5 PM
through Capitol
Communications. Cost will be approximately $20 each. Payment information will be emailed
to you once the company confirms final details. RSVP required. Pick-up
location TBA. If interested contact JoEllen Keating.
NPCA Promise of the Peace Corps Gala, 9/24 at
Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center, Washington,
D.C., 7-10 PM. Purchase $250 member or $300 non-member
tickets at The Promise of the Peace Corps Gala.
PCPF informal dinner and drinks, 9/24 at 7-10 PM at El Paraiso Restaurant, 1916 14th
Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20009. Menu choices range from $5-$25;
restaurant features Salvadorian and Mexican food.
Arlington National Cemetery Presentation and Walk of Flags
(sponsored by RPCVs of Washington, D.C.), 10 AM-2 PM
FYI - groups 5, 6, & 7 will be staying at the Hyatt
Arlington, 1325 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209 in case you
are interested in joining the party (about 30 of them are attending).
However, there are no longer any group rates available; current rate is
$169/night.
FYI - Estrenando los nuevos
súeteres de PCPF! PCPF
will sell $20 t-shirts at the 50th anniversary events in D.C., and
later they will be available online.
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National Book Festival
ANOTHER great
reason to come to D.C. for the Peace Corps festivities -- The Library
of Congress is hosting the 11th Annual National
Book Festival on the National Mall on September 24th (10AM-5:30 PM)
and 25th (1:00-5:30 PM). This is a free event open to the public.
Author David McCullough will be at the
festival; he won the National Book Award, for his book,The Path Between the Seas, an
epic book about the creation of the Panama Canal (and one of my
ultimate favorites!). Also present will be Toni Morrison, Terry
McMillan, Tomie dePaola,
and actress Julianne Moore. A complete list of authors attending can be
found at http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/author/.
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Peace Corps Panama updates
Peace
Corps Panama will be featured in the 2012 International Calendar
produced annually by volunteer members of the Returned Peace Corps
Volunteers of Wisconsin-Madison. Other countries included in the 2012
calendar are Vanuatu, Niger, Moldova, Ecuador, Ghana, Peru, Congo,
Nepal, Swaziland, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Georgia. PCPF may have
these for sale soon, but in the meantime check out the photos from
their 2009, 2010, and 2011 calendars at http://www.rpcvcalendar.org/
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Front of 2012 RPCV International Calendar
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PCPF Group Liaisons
If you are an RPCV from one of the groups below and have not
contacted your liaison yet, please do so today.
Group 4 - David Fishlow, david@fishlow.com
Group 6 - Joe
Looby, jtlooby@gmail.com
Group 7 - JoEllen
Day Keating (37/44 members located), jw4dk@aol.com or 540-882-3217.
Group 14 - Carol
Ritter, carolritter@ofp86.org
Group 15 - Mike
Webb, mmwebb53@hotmail.com
Group 17 -
Harry Fierman, harryfierman@gmail.com
Group 43, Kim Pasnik, pasnik09@gmail.com
Group 50 - Dost Bardouille, dost.bardouille@gmail.com
Group 52 & 58 -
Tess Sparks, tmsparks@gmail.com
Group 55, Mark Husfeld, mhusfeld@hotmail.com
Group XX
(1998-2000, Small Business Group), Brenda Almodóvar,
balmodov@yahoo.com
(8/10 members located)
If you were in
another group, please contact David Modzelewski at davidmodz@gmail.com or 413-736-4187 to
find out who is the liaison for your group or to volunteer to be
"the one." A new shutterfly
site, Mi
Querida Panama has been created for
liaisons.
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PCPF
Social Media
Here's a taste of what you can find on the PCPF Facebook page:
Dania
Maria Vergara (daughter of Ulpiano) has a new CD out, Amor de Dos.
RPCV Brad Herring (Environmental Ed volunteer, 1999-2001) produces a
documentary film, A
Farming Way of Life,
that offers a glimpse into the lives of
locally-based farmers committed to the practice of organic and
sustainable agriculture in North Carolina.
US vs. Panama CONCACAF semi-final Gold
Cup soccer tournaments divide our allegiances.
NPCA tells of reunion tent tales at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival featuring 3 PC Panama RPCVs. (See
photo below.)
Are
you and all of your PCV Panama friends part of
PCPF on Facebook?
Recommend us to all your friends - goal is to get 500 members in
honor of 50th anniversary.
Are you a part of LinkedIn? Be sure to add PCPF on LinkedIn
to your networks. Relevant job postings and group discussions can be
found here AND it's another way to connect to your fellow RPCVs.
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Jaime Clark, Jamie Thornberry, and Erick Myers reunite
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Other
Media
RPCV Richard Slatta (urban community development volunteer in
Panamá province, Group 17) is a professor of history at North Carolina
State University, as well as an author of all things cowboy. Some of
his books include Bandidos: The
varieties of Latin American banditry; Cowboys of the Americas; Guachos and the vanishing frontier; and
Simon Bolívar's quest for glory. More on his website at http://www.cowboyprof.com
Yaron Blazer's not a RPCV but he channels one
in his debut novel, Islands
of shadows. Islands of light (2009, BookSurge
Publishing),
when he writes about a fictitious RPCV, Jessica Talbot who returns to
Panama during the late 80's. You can find his book at amazon.com.
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PCPF
Supported Projects
PCV
Derek Bloor (environmental health volunteer) sent a thank you to PCPF
for funding of rainwater project. Due to PCPF's support, twelve
families in Milla Diez,
Bocas del Toro received rainwater catchment systems for their homes.
You can follow Derek during his last months of service at http://derekbloor.blog.com/.
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Bocas
family benefitting from PCPF support
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Love these direct
ways to affect change in Panama? Donate to PCPF to enable us to
continue the support.
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