Posted in N&V

Betsy Portaro- One of the Very Early Peace Corps Volunteers Danced with Belafonte

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This is one of the last two of our series on  the experiences of RVM residents in the Peace Corps.  Also in this issue is the article on David Guzetta and Carolyn Auker.  The December issue featured Jean and John Herron and Russy and Anita Sumariwalla; the November issue contained articles on Joni Johnson and Asifa Kanji and David Drury.

 

by Joni Johnson

Betsy Portaro joined the Peace Corps in 1963 shortly after graduating from college, only two years after the Peace Corps started.  She spent two years in Guinea, West Africa.  Her major at Boston College had been Psychology but she had studied French while in high school and college and so she entered the Peace Corps light years ahead of most of the volunteers destined for the Republic of Guinea which had just received its independence in 1958.  Her program planned to send two types of groups to that country.  One was for an agricultural project and the second was for teachers of English as a Second Language.  Oddly enough, she first entered as part of the agricultural team to keep company with one of the wives in that group so that there would be more women in a group made up largely of men.

You can see the Betsy of today in the Betsy O’Connell of 1963.  She was feisty and brave and adventuresome.  She wanted to join the Peace Corps for a variety of reasons. It’s connection to JFK was very appealing.  But most of all, she wanted to see the world.

The first part of her training took place in Vermont at a school for International Living that was relatively empty in the summer.  There were approximately 35 people in her agricultural group.  The second group, training nearby to be ESL teachers, were mostly women.  The training in the US was a combination of physical training (boot camp) and language studies as well as understanding the Guinea culture. After two months, the two groups were taken by plane to Conakry, the capital of Guinea where the last part of the training would take place.  Within a month of their arrival, Kennedy was assassinated.  As you can imagine, the volunteers were in shock. Many Guineans knew little about the world outside of their own country. There were few TV’s and radios. But those that had heard the news offered sympathy to the volunteers.  It was a very difficult time and everyone was heartbroken.

During their last month of training, this time in Conakry, the volunteers would practice their French and get used to the culture “in vivo”.  Betsy remembered that the boys had to learn how to spit in order to be accepted. The main religion was Islam (currently at 85%) which meant that the women often wore burkas or at least a veil.  And most of the men kept their distance. Betsy remembered that the men in the city wore long robes and the men from the country wore short robes. The women volunteers were told to wear simple dresses that came slightly below the knees

Guinea was a beautiful country.  There were three major tribes and then smaller tribal groups in the various regions. The mountains had the best weather. The coast was extremely humid and the desert was hot and to the volunteers, felt airless.  Conakry was on the coast with a high humity and a climate considered tropical monsoon. One of the tribes was heavily business oriented and was thrilled that the Americans were coming.  However, it was a bit of a disappointment since most of the volunteers could buy very little on their $50 a month allotment.

.Betsy’s first job for the Peace Corps was working as a social assistant in a hospital helping the supervisor translate anything into English and welcoming the new patients that were ambulatory.  However, after a short time, Betsy was transferred to the city of Labé (Tropical Savannah climate at an altitude of over 3000 ft) to teach English as a second language in the high school there. Labé is currently the second most important city economically in Guinea even though its population is rather small (about 200,000). I am sure that in 1964, it was even smaller.  Betsy was called Mademoiselle Teacher throughout the rest of her stay in Guinea.  During her second year, she moved again, this time to KanKan (Also with a tropical Savannah climate but significantly hotter than Labé) where she taught English to 9th and 10thgraders.  The head of the school there had only one ESL book and asked Betsy to get more copies from the Peace Corps.  They managed to scrounge up six more books. So the students would sit together at round tables and share the books with one another.  Because this was the first group of Peace Corps volunteers that served in Guinea, the Peace Corps didn’t know what they would need to fulfill their tasks.

Even in the early years, the Peace Corps fulfilled its three major goals:

  1. To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
  2. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
  3. To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans

While we don’t have much information about the results of the agricultural unit, certainly the ability to offer ESL classes given by native speakers who were there to meet and share their lives with the residents of their host country definitely met the Peace Corps criteria for success.

Here are some of Betsy’s quotes:

“They loved that I was an American.  Most of them had never met one.  And they were impressed that I had traveled so far to be with them.  They were all interested in my hair and the color of my skin.

“I found that some of the culture was difficult for me because it felt as if women were treated as second class citizens.  Very few were in the government.  Some were teachers.

“I loved being in the Peace Corps.  I would always talk with the students after school because they wanted to spend more time with me.  At the end of my stay, it was difficult to leave, but at the same time, I was ready to come home. I missed my family and I missed the ease of life in the United States. The Republic of Guinea was a very poor country, but also felt very glamorous for me.  After I had been there for a year, half the people knew who I was.  This did not happen in Boston.  And when I returned, I really didn’t leave the Peace Corps completely behind.  I worked for them in Washington DC for over a year.

“And yes… Thanks to the Peace Corps and the Republic of Guinea, I danced with Harry Belafonte. He had come to Conakry for almost a week in search of dancers for his company.  He asked me to dance.  I almost passed out!”

 

 

 

 

Behind the Shelves at the Manor Library

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Anne Newins

By Anne Newins, with assistance from Sophia McMillen, Jan Hines, Lynda Hansen,
Liz Caldwell, and Bonny Turner

Hundreds of residents utilize the Manor library every year, checking out books, reading newspapers and magazines, or just enjoying the comfortable reading areas. Questions arise about library operations, so the purpose of this article is answer some of the most common ones.

How is the library operated?

The library is operated completely by volunteers. About 25 volunteers are responsible for checking books in and out, shelving, and other tasks that are obvious to patrons. Behind the shelves, volunteers also handle less visible functions. The library falls under the leadership of Sophia McMillen, a retired academic librarian at the University of Hawaii. Sophia and Lynda Hansen are responsible for cataloguing books, a complex process, with the assistance of Barbara Maxfield. Bonny Turner oversees the budget and volunteer training. Jan Hines is responsible for book acquisitions. Liz Caldwell handles a myriad of other functions, not the least of which is tracking circulation. Among Anne Newins’ duties is determining when to remove books from the collection.

How is the library funded?

According to Bonny Turner, the RVM library receives 100% of its funding through donations from our residents in the way of bequests and tax-deductible year end donations to the Foundation. Most of these monies are budgeted annually for the purchase of new books, three newspaper subscriptions, and annual software maintenance. All magazines and audiobooks are donated by residents. A minor amount is allotted for unseen expenses. The Resident Council provides a small amount for out-of-pocket expenses, such as inexpensive office supplies.

How are books chosen?

Jan Hines is responsible for determining which books will be added to the library collection. Jan reported that “out of hundreds of new books published each month, only a few are purchased for the RVM library,” due in part to space limitations. According to Jan, “Books chosen are those appealing to the greatest number of RVM readers. Most residents prefer fiction, although there is a small group of dedicated non-fiction readers. Reviews from at least five sources are read for all books under consideration and the final list is checked for diversity and balance.” The monthly book order usually consists of ten to twelve recent publications, including non-fiction, favorite authors, mysteries and thrillers, and “occasionally a ‘sleeper’ to keep things interesting.” Fortunately, more popular large print books are available than in the past.

A number of books are donated by residents, which helps stretch the library budget. Many of these donations are passed onto the Annex for sale because of their age, condition, are duplicate copies, or because they do not meet the criteria listed above. Books that are heavy (weight-wise), “hard science,” or “classical” literature are rarely circulated and are not likely to be kept.

For efficiency, it is best if these types of books are donated directly to the Annex. New and popular duplicate copies also are redirected to the Health Center and Care Suites, where collections of non-catalogued books are kept for residents.

Most books written by Manor authors are added to the collection if they will be of general interest. No chemistry textbooks, please!

What online services are available for readers?

The library uses two types of technology, Atriuum and OPAC. Atriuum is used for many library operations, including cataloguing, circulation, book reserve lists, and overdue tracking. The stalwart volunteers have catalogued about 10,000 books and audio books just since 2014, when the library converted from an old-fashioned card system. OPAC is the system available for Manor patrons’ use, both from home or in the library.

Each resident has a user identification name and password. The user id normally is the resident’s initial and last name and the default password is their unit number. Residents may change their passwords if desired. The passwords do not automatically change if readers change residence. For help with user names or passwords, a friendly library volunteer can help.

OPAC easily is found on MyRVM. Simply link on “Libraries.” This will offer readers the option of choosing Books and Audiobooks or the DVD library. The OPAC main page offers a review of library services and gives instructions. If you log on, you will be able to reserve books, check when your books are due, and renew them if they are not being requested by others. You even may find a history of books you have checked out.

What if I need help?

The Manor library is open 24/7. It is staffed daily by volunteers, both morning and afternoon. They will be happy to answer any of your questions.

 

Readiness Review Reminder

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By Bob Buddemeier

Autumn is here, and we are almost out of wildfire season.  That means you can take a break from worrying about how Slithers, your pet rat-snake, would adapt to being evacuated to the Plaza.  Does it mean you can take a break from worrying altogether?  No way!  Winter is coming.

Let’s suppose you are an outdoorsy aesthete, waiting eagerly for the first snow to come so you can drive up into the back country to feast your eyes on the winter landscape.  It does, and you do, and the car slides off the road into a narrow ravine with no cell coverage.  “Aha,” you think proudly, “I have my Car-Go-Bag in the trunk.”  So you scramble around, open it up, and pull out — a broad-brimmed hat, some sunscreen, and two extra water bottles.  Uh-oh.

Or maybe you are the homebody type, planning to stay snug and warm inside all winter.  So when the precocious 8-year-old in Fresno who got a laptop for Christmas crashes the entire U.S. power grid, you decide to go to bed to keep warm.  But that little light on the electric blanket control doesn’t go on.  Think!  Did you bring any real blankets, or were those all downsized?  Uh-oh.

Moral:  Eternal vigilance is the price of preparedness, with organization, self-awareness, and other very scarce commodities mixed into the price along with vigilance

But, FEAR NOT! The Residents’ Preparedness Group (RPG), with complicity of the RVM Emergency Preparedness Task Force, has devised a plan for keeping all of us somewhat ready to survive the next earthquake, wildfire, power outage, or other misadventure, foreseeable or unforeseen.

The Plan:  Every 6 months, Fall and Spring, we’ll have a Readiness Review week.  The selected times are (1) the week containing the 3rd Thursday in October (the Great ShakeOut – more on that below), and (2) the week containing April 15 (Tax day – considered a disaster by many).  RPG and RVM will be reviewing their own programs, but especially reaching out to residents with reminders, information updates, demonstrations, advice and assistance with emergency preparations, and for those interested, classes and exercises.  Your local coordinator (the neighbor in the lime-green safety vest) will be in touch.

Upcoming – the week of the Great Shakeout (shakeout.org/Oregon/) – October 17-23, with the actual Shakeout on 10/21/21, at 10:21 a.m.   We expect everyone to luxuriate in the expanded significance of the whole week, but to focus down on the core event – The Great ShakeOut is an international promotion of earthquake awareness and safety.  Any number can (and do) play.

Here are the rules:  pay attention because we are in the area of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which is thought to be ripe for a Great or Very Great Earthquake just about any old time.  So, we are going to simulate a serious earthquake beginning at 10:21 and lasting for 4 minutes or so (this is not one of your quick-and-dirty California quakes).  You are supposed to take the appropriate action for your location and condition at the time.

First, if you are lucky and attentive, you feel a very noticeable but not devastating shaking.  That is your friend the p-wave arriving to let you know that in not more than a minute, the big bad s-wave will arrive and shake the crap out of everything.

Whatever you feel first, ACT!  Inside, DROP, COVER, AND HOLD.  Anywhere, get away from things likely to fall on you, such as tall furniture, overpasses, power lines, breaking windows, etc.  If you’re not sure of what to do or how to do it – well, that’s why we have these days and weeks.  Find out.

The following linked references are available on both the myRVM Emergency Preparedness page, and on The Complement/Prepare.  Both sites have other information as well.

Recommended Earthquake Safety Actions  What to do when it hits.

Earthquake Preparedness Guide — Disabilities  Not limited to people with disabilities – preparation advice is good for everyone.

 

Emergency Power at Home- Why, What and How

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By Joni Johnson

When the power goes out, it is very nice – and could be life-saving – to have a back-up source of electricity. Power supplies can be battery packs that are charged when there is power and used when there isn’t, or they can be battery packs attached to an independent source of electricity, like solar panels or car batteries.

Tom and I were very devil-may-care about getting a generator until the second power outage this year.  Because of a need to keep some health machines going and the desire to see in the dark, we started looking into options for power supplies that would work here on campus.

Gas:   For reasons of safety, RVM does not allow gas or diesel generators in our homes.  If someone needs to be hooked up to electricity during a power outage, their main option is to be moved to the Manor for an electric hook-up to the emergency generator there.

Solar:   After simple stored-power battery backups, the next and most viable choice is solar powered energy, and there seem to be a lot of these power supplies on campus.  After inquiring, I was contacted by a number of people directly and others gave me names of people with this equipment.  The big questions are, what do you want to charge, how heavy do you want the machine to be, and how much do you want to spend?  All of the batteries discussed in this article can be charged from your electric socket while you have power, from solar panels, or from a 12v car charger.

Important – before you buy a power supply, make sure that it will work with the equipment you are interested in using. Voltage – AC or DC? All of these batteries do have both options but some of the less expensive ones might not. The Watts (power requirement) – if it doesn’t tell you, multiply Volts times Amps. Watt-hours of the supply will tell you how long it will power an appliance of specific wattage.  For example, most  home medical gear (CPAP, oxygen concentrators) will run on 12 volts DC, although you may need some accessories, but air purifiers are AC only, and some power supplies do not have AC output.

Small Power Supplies –

 1.  David Drury bought a setup from Amazon with an 80-watt solar panel strip (which he can hang from his back deck), and a 296 watt-hour storage battery. It weighs 6.6 lbs.

In his words, “I can charge all kinds of small electronic appliances — up to laptops — as well as batteries for flashlights etc. The storage battery is very versatile, produces both AC and DC current, and even includes a 12-volt attachment for connecting to car batteries. The important point (or one of them) is that using the solar panel in conjunction with a storage battery provides a lot more flexibility. You can charge things when the sun isn’t shining, and take maximum advantage of the sun when it IS shining — whether or not you’ve got anything that immediately needs charging.

If I had any buyer’s remorse, it would be that I got the 80 watt rather than the 100 watt panel (which is 6 feet long, as opposed to my more convenient 4 ft panel). Likewise, the smallish battery unit which would probably not be enough to run an oxygen concentrator. The next higher battery pack is 504 watt -hours.

His solar panels are connected and can be folded into a briefcase.  They can be hung as he does or can be mounted at an angle of 40 degrees with their kickstands for better efficiency.

  1. Keith Maxfield wanted to buy locally and wanted a machine with the smallest possible footprint and with a collapsible handle so that he could keep it in his RV. He chose a Goal Zero Yeti Lithium 500X Portable Power Station.

He also chose a 4 panel connected 100 watt solar panel by Goal Zero, called the Nomad 100, which can fold up.

Medium Power Supplies

 Tom and I wanted a higher capacity battery, but I needed to be able to carry it. We had to run a battery-powered oxygen concentrator (how many watts?).  With a lot of help from Ron Constable, I ended up buying a Jackery 1000 package which included two 100 watt solar panels.  The solar panels charge the battery from 0 to 100% in 8 hours in full sun.  In our case, Tom’s battery powered oxygen concentrator could last about 10 hours on the battery pack. We have a charger that can charge one of the two concentrator batteries separately, which leaves a lot of room for charging other things like iPhones, iPads and computers.  We should also be able to light one lamp, although we did buy a battery-operated lantern. The Jackery 1000 weighs 22 pounds and is fairly easy for me to carry. I bought from Amazon because Home depot’s Jackery was listed as the 880 and in fact only ran 880 watt-hours. When I searched for their 1000, it was significantly more money.

You can see the size of the battery compared to a bottle of wine and how easy it is to store the two panels in a closet.  This is what it looks like open.

 

 

Larger

 Bill Anderson has a Jackery 1500 plus the four 100 watt panels included in his package.  The Jackery 1500 wasn’t available on Amazon, so he bought it through the Jackery company itself.  It weighs 35 pounds.  With the 4 solar panels you can recharge the battery in 4 hours of sunlight.

This is what it looks like out on the trail:

Bill also has a Tesla which can provide electricity, and can have him living the life of Riley for weeks on end without the need for any other power source.  With that, he could use his coffee maker, a small refrigerator, an electric frying pan and a toaster.

If you have or want a Tesla, he is the man to talk to about what it can do for you in a power outage.

Really Large

There are other people on campus who have much larger batteries.  For example, one person has a Goal Zero Yeti 3000X battery plus two 200 watt solar panels that will cost around $3000 plus the panels, but will run things for a significantly longer period of time.  However, it is bigger and heavier (69.78 lb).  The Yeti 3000 comes with wheels.

The weather is changing.  If we are caught in another power outage or worse yet, an earthquake with indefinite loss of power, what would you do? The bottom line is that there are many choices of solar powered back-up battery systems. The three brands mentioned in this article are well respected.  The Jackery and Goal Zero can be bought on-line or in stores such as REI or Home Depot, depending on the brand.  Pricing can be vary a lot, so it pays to double check.  If you have any questions, the companies seem very accessible.  And the owners here on campus have allowed me to post their names as well, and can serve as advisors and references.  And there are all sorts of YouTube videos comparing one power source with another.  It is worth a look!

Below is a link to a chart showing typical wattage for various appliances and equipment:

https://www.donrowe.com/usage-chart-a/259.htm

 

for example

cell phone      10

laptop             20-75

iPad                10-20

tv-led 32”       50

tv-42 plasma  240

refrigerator    500-750

CPAP 20-60 W depending on model and accessories

Oxygen concentrators    high power, 100-600 W

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bringing Lawn Bowling Back to its Former Glory

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By Joni Johnson

Did you know that one of RVM’s residents reached the quarter-finals in the National Lawn Bowling Championship in Seattle? That was Eleanor Ritchie in 1985, when more than 200 men and women from all over the United States had competed in that event.  In addition, in 1983, also at the Nationals, Eleanor won the “triples” (bowling with 2 others) and was runner up in doubles.  It is still possible to find her name on the internet.

       First Bowling Green at RVM

Did you know that 1961, the very same year the Manor opened, was the year that RVM broke ground for a natural grass, three-rink green that existed approximately where the current exercise room and indoor pool exists today?  That was also the same year that the indoor one-rink green was built.  One might wonder why an ecumenical community group of Methodists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians who were creating Rogue Valley Manor for retirees might be so interested in creating two lawn bowling greens at the very beginning of RVM’s existence.  No one knows for sure, but the guess is that one of the members of the RVM executive Board, the Rev. R.V. Bolster, who was a native of County Cork, Ireland, educated at Trinity College, and a member of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was the initiator.

                Bowling in 1973

What happened next? you ask.  After more than 10 years, the natural-grass green became very difficult to maintain, so a new green was created in 1973 using donations from 27 people for the artificial turf.  The single green ran between the old health center and what is now the gym area, but went north south. And then, in 1992, to make room for the new health center addition, the current, two-rink green facing east-west was created.

All sorts of tournaments took place in the ensuing years.  Someone said that “a day without bowls is like a day without orange juice.”  In 1987, RVM’s bowling club accepted invitations to tournaments with three clubs in Oregon and individual members bowled in Arizona, California and Washington.

I started bowling shortly after I arrived on campus in the spring of 2019.  At that time, Alan Bushell gave us several classes to understand the game and how to roll the bowl.  For those new to the game, it’s called a bowl rather than a ball because it is not symmetrically round and therefore, when it leaves your hand, it goes straight for a while and then it curves. So it’s not only a physical game, it’s also a game of strategy.  When I started, there were meetings and dinners, and it was very hard to get on a team.  I was a sub for quite a while until someone decided to quit and there was a place for me.

Then Covid hit and all turned to naught.  While people still played, rather than being a club that felt cohesive and strongly bonded, we became just a gaggle of teams.  Nobody met as a group beyond the teams and so enthusiasm sort of waned.

                 Norm Boice

Norm Boice, the new president of our RVM Lawn Bowls Club, wants to return us to our former glory.  He would love to have receptions and tournaments and events and meals again. “We have to be a little cautious because of the pandemic,” he says, “but with almost all of the residents and employees vaccinated, life might return somewhat to normal here at our cocoon on the hill.  Lawn Bowling used to be THE sport.  And the fact that we have both a beautiful outdoor two-rink green and an indoor green for winter is extraordinary.  There are only two other lawn bowling clubs in Oregon.  One is in Portland, and the other is in a retirement center in King City. How lucky we are, and we should take full advantage of our good fortune.”

If you are interested in knowing more about the game, please contact Norm Boice at X6164 or email him at normb2306@gmail.com

Russy and Anita- As Young As The Peace Corps

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This is part of a series of articles on the experiences of RVM residents in the Peace Corps.  Also in this issue is the article on Jean and John Herron; the November issue featured Joni Johnson and Asifa Kanji and David Drury.  Stay tuned…

by Joni Johnson

Russy and Anita Sumariwalla were trainers in the Peace Corps almost at its inception. They were both students (close, but not married) at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst when Russy was tapped as the Assistant Training Project Director for the first group of volunteers to go to Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Niger. This was in the Fall of 1962. President John Kennedy started The Peace Corps in 1961 as a project to promote world peace and friendly international relations. The first trainees went to Africa and South America in the summer of that year. Russy and Anita were right on the cutting edge of the Peace Corps, providing training for their groups just one year later.

At the time, Russy was working on a project for John Ryan, the Secretary of the University, while doing post graduate study. Russy had come from Bombay (now called Mumbai) and had only been in the country since 1959, first getting his Master of Laws degree in Charlottesville, Virginia, and then moving to the University of Massachusetts for study in International Law and International Organization. Ryan admired his work and thought that his multicultural background would help him in running the nuts and bolts of a training program which took volunteers from everywhere in the United States with plans to send them to three French speaking African countries. Anita had arrived in the United States by boat from Rotterdam in 1961. Having been born in the French speaking region of Switzerland, Anita was a perfect addition to the team of eleven French teachers for these 60 students. The goal was to get the new volunteers, ranging in age from 18 to 64, ready to take part in a two-year program to help and support the citizens of these African countries, largely in rural areas.

Almost none of the students spoke French when they arrived on campus. Anita and her fellow teachers needed to get these students able to speak passable French so they could carry out their lives in their new environments. So Anita not only taught these students during their 7am to 10pm daily schedules of classes and activities, but she ate meals with them as well. The Peace Corps had provided materials for teaching French, which they used in class. Meals and outside activities were a time to help them develop their vocabulary and conversational and reading skills in their new language.

Those fifteen hour days might include Physical Conditioning, Breakfast, and then classes in French, and, depending on their country, Food and Nutrition, Water and Waste, Goats, Irrigation, and Farm Machinery. Then more French, Lunch, American Studies and World Affairs, American Culture, Art, Music, The American Character, Rural Community Development, Mental Health, First Aid, Dinner, and more French.

Russy, as the Assistant director of the program, was charged with making everything run smoothly from housing to dining to problems between students. By the second week of fifteen hour days, students were generally exhausted, and that was the time that issues arose. Typically, many of the problems were with people who, from all over the country, from all ages and all walks of life and all types of American accents, were learning to get along with one another while experiencing exhaustion and anxiety as well as excitement. Both Russy and Anita emphasized that listening was probably one of the most useful tools of the trade in working with the volunteers as these problems arose. And of course, as the volunteers solved these problems with each other, they learned skills that would benefit them in the long run as they worked with their African colleagues.

Not only did the volunteers need to learn French, but they all had to become knowledgeable in the fields in which they were expected to support their African brethren. These areas included health, childcare, dealing with the sick, new skills to avoid Typhoid and Malaria (by boiling water, etc.) and help in the area of agriculture.

All the volunteers were idealistic and wanted to change the world. They all had a sense of adventure. But part of training was also to help them prepare for the disappointments that lay in store, like the possible non-existence of hot showers, or their programs being held up by lack of materials or promised materials not arriving for weeks. So that meant that training needed to include providing volunteers with the idea of never giving up and ways to maintain their spirits. One of the big adventures for the volunteers was a trip to the United Nations in New York for a reception, as invited guests of the Ambassador of Niger. This trip helped the volunteers form a deep connection to the Peace Corps and its goals.

I asked them both Anita and Russy what they would want their readers to know about their experience. Anita expressed her admiration for the volunteers: “They were so eager and courageous. Many of them had little idea of the country they were assigned to. Good training was such a vital part of their future success. I told them that they were ambassadors. Whatever they did or said would reflect on the U.S. Also, we cautioned them to respect the culture of their hosts even if they did not understand them. Seeing the generosity of the American spirit may have even influenced me to become an American citizen.”

Russy said that he was very impressed by our country’s enlightened approach to spreading our sense of freedom to developing countries. He admired all of the volunteers for wanting to make a better world and in a sense sacrificing two years of their lives to do this. He says, “I found myself lucky to have had that experience. It broadened my outlook. I had always felt that I was a citizen of the world, but this took it out of the abstract and made it a reality. I saw respect, love, care, tolerance and dignity for others.”

Russy’s and Anita’s experiences in the Peace Corps as trainers mirrored in many ways the experiences of the volunteers.  It was a life changing and life affirming event.

Peace Corps Adventures in Ecuador with David Guzetta and Carolyn Auker

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This is one of the last two of our series on  the experiences of RVM residents in the Peace Corps.  Also in this issue is the article on Betsy Portaro.  The December issue featured Jean and John Herron and Russy and Anita Sumariwalla; the November issue contained articles on Joni Johnson and Asifa Kanji and David Drury.

 

by Joni Johnson

Unlike the other volunteers in our series on the Peace Corps, David Guzetta and Carolyn Auker joined the Peace Corps in 1988 right in the middle of their careers. Many join right out of college or shortly after retirement.  David and Carolyn joined in their early 40’s.  Both had moved to Amarillo, Texas from Columbus, Ohio for what was supposed to be a long contract with the Department of Energy for David.  The contract ultimately disappeared within months, leaving many of its employees without home or resources.  Luckily, David and Carolyn had lost nothing other than expectations since they had sold their home in Ohio and were footloose and fancy free.  And so, rather than go back to what they had been doing before, they decided to search for adventure with the Peace Corps.

Fortunately, they were able to find placement as a professional couple in Ecuador. They did all of their training in Tumbaco, about thirty minutes away by bus from the capital of Quito and then moved to Quito for their projects.  They lived in a three bedroom flat in a nice neighborhood in Quito.  Dave had 15+ years of experience and a PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering, and so his first job was as Advisor to the National Director of the Ecuadorian Institute of Sanitary Works.

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Carolyn had been a Medical Lab technologist for 15+ years and was expecting to serve in some health care project. She found herself involved with MAP International, which provides medicinal assistance in developing countries.  Her particular job was getting lab results from tests of local children for parasites in their blood.  The hope was that there would be no parasites.  However, the results were far from their expectations, and many children had three to six or more parasites living in their system due to the pollution in water and food.

Ecuador is a Spanish speaking country, and both David and Carolyn needed to improve their language skills.  Dave had had only two years of Spanish in high school plus the three months of Peace Corps training.  According to both of them, Carolyn had an excellent ear for languages, but they both needed work to improve their Spanish. Two years in Ecuador certainly gave them that opportunity. Dave spoke mainly Spanish during his tenure in Ecuador. And when Carolyn would travel to southern Ecuador once a month or two to a clinic, she would also have more of a chance to speak Spanish.

One story very vividly etched in their memory was the number of times Carolyn was robbed. They were never physically harmed, but they found that robbers, mostly old women, would work in pairs, so that one might squirt mustard on your back and then say “sucia” which meant dirty and then when you were trying to get rid of the mustard on your back, the other person would rob you in the front.  After a while, Dave and Carolyn got very good at picking out who might try to get them, so it became much less of a problem.  Once, they cornered one of the robbers, an old lady who Dave held against a car while yelling, “Ladrona, ladrona,” which means thief.  She responded, “Yes, I’m a ladrona. Can you let me go now?”

After Dave’s first year with the Ecuadorian Institute, he changed his project to identifying where the sources of pollution existed for the city of Quito.  Those included pollution in air, water and solid waste.  He would meet face to face with his Ecuadorian counterparts and would help them complete a questionnaire on pollution.

Towards the end of their time in Ecuador, Dave helped a Russian woman translate a book on Air Quality Modeling from English to Russian. First, Dave translated it from English to Spanish (which became very useful to his office at the Institute) and then the woman translated it from Spanish to Russian for her office.

Dave and Carolyn found that they could travel on an amazingly small budget.  They were able to manage a six-week trip through Bolivia, Peru and Chile by bus, staying in small hotels, for less than $1500 for the two of them.

Dave’s work with Pichincha Province was extremely helpful.  It provided baseline data on the quantity and sources of pollution.  Quito and the Province used this information to prioritize their work.  The information collected was also used to apply for grants to international aid organization and non-government organizations (NGO).

Similarly, the work Carolyn did also helped to identify and quantify health issues that could be addressed by Medical Assistance Plan (her organization) and other health organization.  Identifying a variety of parasites would also identify the source of these parasites.  Most of them were water-born.

When asked how their PC experience had affected them, they said that it was important to learn how to live in a third world culture.  They became more appreciative of the US and its relatively strong infrastructure as compared to the minimal help that people might receive in Ecuador.  On the other hand, they were amazed at the ability to choose a live chicken at the market and then come back twenty minutes later to find it already plucked and ready for the oven.  They appreciated the immediacy of that culture. They felt that what they gave to their Ecuadorian companions was a way to look at problems differently and more creatively since math was usually taught by rote in Ecuador.   In looking back, they were so happy to have had the experience in Ecuador.  It was really irreplaceable.

 

 

 

Haaappy Biirrthdaay to us!

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The Complement is ONE YEAR OLD!!  Issue #13!!

It has been an exciting and enjoyable year, as we’ve learned and reached out to bring you more and more varied material.  We have presented many contributed articles, reviews, and photo-feature topics, involving non-staff resident writers, artists, and collectors.  We’ve wrestled with how to reach more contributors and readers, and we’ve been gratified by the growth of feedback, compliments (yes, this one is with an “i”), and sign-ups for our notification list.  We’ve tried to stay out of the way of what hillTopics does, and take up the slack for what it can’t do.  We’ve made a conscious effort to post quality coverage of topics that haven’t been prominent in standard discourse at RVM — and we think we’ve been successful.  So Hooray for us and Hooray for you for helping and supporting us.

Now, about those birthday presents….

For you:  we expect to give both more of the same and more of the different, and as a special modification we have embarked on a major ongoing restructuring of the Prepare page, both because we want it to be better, and especially to build on the increasing partnership between RVM and the residents in developing emergency preparedness and responses.

For us?  Well, we want you.

Success is great, and we are eager to share it.  E-journalism certification is readily available, we have virtually no editorial bureaucracy, our software is dirt-simple, there’s wide latitude in what you can do — and most important, we have a lot of just plain fun working on this together.  Come try us out for a few hours a week or a few days a month; it’s pretty amazing.

Your dedicated Complementarians:  Joni Johnson, Connie Kent, Reina Lopez, Tom Conger and Bob Buddemeier

This Too Could Be You!

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“Neighbors Together” Has A Bang Up Affair on Village Center Drive

By Joni Johnson

On Friday, August 27 at 4 pm, Village Center Drive turned into Party Central thanks to“Neighbors Together”, an idea originating with Carolyn Bennett, Willi Zilkey, Holly Lawson and Lynn Ogren. After all the isolation from the Pandemic, this group was on a mission to create social connectors throughout the campus. Well, they certainly succeeded on Village Center Drive.

 

With the help of a few interested residents on the drive, the Neighbors Together party was born. The small group of Village Center Drive residents chose a date and picked a spot on their street with a parking cutout and a bit of shade. They booked their time with Sarah Karnatz who then arranged for delivery of tables and chairs on the day of their gathering. They publicized their “Neighbors Together” with a flyer given to each resident and signage placed at the end of their street on the day of the event. The signage was designed and supplied by the Marketing Department. The signs have been designed to be able to pass from one neighborhood to another. Drinks were BYOB and foods were kept to a minimum. Bag snacks were purchased at Costco and put in inexpensive plastic bowels found at the dollar store. With ease and simplicity, the party was born!!!! I arrived a few minutes after four and the gaiety was in full swing. For all that showed up, the joy was apparent. People were just plain happy to be together. Even with a less than stellar air quality, the slight breeze at 4 pm made it all quite comfortable. Some people kept their masks on as a caution against either the smoke or the Delta variant.

Candice Bushell describes what it is like to be there

The masks did not seem to deter their sharing of greetings. In spite of the difficulties this summer to plan an outdoor gathering, I would guess that there were at least 35 people there if not more. Residents commented that for many it was the first chance they had in a long time to see people from the other end of their street. Another said that in the past, much of our socializing took place around mealtime; but, that sort of thing had been so difficult during the past year and a half. At last, this was a way to bring back some casual socializing amongst the neighbors. The bottom line is that it takes very little effort for a great return: Bringing “Neighbors Together”! Someone put it perfectly. “It was just wonderful to be together”.

Carolyn Bennett explains a little bit about the process

If you would like to do this for your street, it is easy. This event was resident driven, not a catered event. You can contact Sarah Karnatz directly (x7246) to set up the date, time, and location. If you need tables or chairs, she can assist you. For any other assistance please feel free to contact Carolyn Bennett (cjosmith341@gmail.com or 6249) or Willi Zilkey (willizilkey@gmail.com or 6871). They are willing to give you a packet of information regarding the advertising for your event and the information necessary to make your arrangements with Sarah Karantz.

We’re All First Responders

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by Bob Buddemeier

As Hurricane IDA  bore down on Southern Louisiana, the mayor of New  Orleans warned that residents would have to look after themselves for a while.

“Look, this is our time, your time, to prepare yourselves. Now. This is it. Check on your neighbours, check on your friends, of course your family. What we learned, particularly during Katrina, we are first responders, all of us, our neighbours, we’re all first responders.”

The recently issued RVM Campus Evacuation Guidelines for Fire  focuses on the role of RVM in evacuating cottage residents to shelter in the towers in the event of a wildfire threat, and the role of residents — specifically, the Resident Preparedness Group (RPG) — in supporting that activity.  Given those specific plans and objectives, what does it mean to say that we are all first responders?

It does not mean that we can function as policemen, firefighters, or paramedics.  Set aside the technical aspects of emergency response  — what it does mean is that your neighborhood or floor coordinator will be at your door sooner than RVM staff, and that in many cases your next-door neighbor can be there sooner still.  Does somebody need an explanation of what’s going on, or what to do?  Help with crating a pet?  Assistance  getting a walker and go-bag out to the driveway for pickup?

These needs for assistance will not be limited to the cottages.  Tower residents will require clear information and instructions and will have to deal with major life disruptions when a hundred or more cottage residents are quartered in their building.  In both types of residences, there will be confusion and traffic problems as some residents choose to self-evacuate, and others to shelter in place.

The mayor’s statement had one other key element — “to prepare yourselves.”  Initially RPG focused heavily on preparations for the Cascadia earthquake.  The 2020 wildfire evacuation experience refocused attention on emergency response, but now that the shelter-in-place policy has been put forward, it’s time to revisit preparation.  There are more different kinds to consider — short-distance and short-time shelter, as well as the long haul following an earthquake.

What doesn’t change is the importance of “first response” — whether it’s in preparation or in response, neighbors helping neighbors is the key to getting everybody through it.