The Global Bulldog
Volume 1, Issue 2
Summer/Fall 2013
Library in Mozambique
Words from Togo
Learn about Cheyanne Greer’s experience opening a library in her community.
PCMI student Amanda Walsh gives first impressions of her new host country.
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Food Talk
Frances Peterson offers insight on a traditional Paraguayan dish, sopa paraguaya.
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Coordinator Corner Hello everyone! My name is Tyler Wasson. In March I began working for Gonzaga University as a Program Assistant II for the English Language Center. I am also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. I served as a Community and Organizational Development Volunteer from August 2007 until October of 2009 in the southeastern European country of Bulgaria. During my service I lived in the town of Isperih (population ~6,000), and I then
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Publication of Gonzaga University’s Peace Corps Master’s International Program
Learn about Cheyanne Tyler Wasson, PCMI Coordinator Greer’s experience opening a library in her community.
Updates from Campus Megan McCann was the first PCMI student to graduate from Gonzaga last May.
spent another year living and working in the Black Sea town of Burgas.
While in the Peace Corps my primary assignment was working at a small business center, but I found myself doing a lot more. I co‐taught business English, substitute taught English at a high school, volunteered at an orphanage, coached children’s
Britt Harmon is heading to Macedonia for Peace Corps training in early September Kate Barba is heading to Ecuador for Peace Corps training in January 2014
sports teams, coordinated World AIDS Day and World Water Day events, assisted with new volunteer trainings, and more. I returned to my hometown of Spokane and I completed my MBA here at Gonzaga this August. I’m very happy to be working with such a diverse and interesting group of people here in the Schoenberg Center. I count my years in the Peace Corps as some of the best years of my life and I am happy to be in a position to provide support for PCMI students having their own cross‐cultural and life‐changing experiences.
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The Inauguration of the Children’s Library Taken from the blog of: Cheyanne Greer, PCV Mozambique
It was decided that we would open the library on June 25th, the Mozambican Independence Day. My roommate Theresa had been working on this library project all year. We would go to town as usual and watch the ceremonies and performances for the Mozambican holiday. The crowd would then move over to the library across the street from the festivities to participate in the opening ceremony. All the major chiefs would be in town already and would not have to plan this as an extra event in their schedules. There would also be plenty of townspeople and children already celebrating.
ceremony. Then, someone from the mayor’s office came to ask us if we had champagne and a ribbon for the mayor to cut. Of course we didn’t, as we were unaware those things were necessities. My counterpart Moises took the lead and ran around the community, Homoine with Theresa looking for all these things while the celebration in the village started. Many of the shops were closed for the holiday and things were harder to find than usual. After running around like a chicken with its head cut off, she finally managed to find all the required supplies for an opening ceremony in Mozambique.
My student helping us prepare
Theresa and I in front of the bookshelves
Of course, this is Mozambique and not everything goes as planned. We got to town and started preparing the library when Theresa got a call from her counterpart saying he would not be able to make it to the
The celebration moved over to the library where all the chiefs and Theresa were serenaded by a gaggle of children . The mayor cut the ribbon and all the chiefs crowded into the library for speeches and champagne. Theresa was supposed to say a few words in Portuguese and managed to do well, but thankfully Moises jumped in to help her. After the champagne toast the chiefs headed back outside and everyone watched a performance by my students’
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group, JUNTOS. They performed a skit about the importance of reading and sang a song. The students had only a few days to prepare and practice, but they did an amazing job. I was so proud of them and the audience loved it. They laughed and sat enthralled by the performance.
My students’ skit
After my students’ performance, the children were finally allowed to go into the library and explore the books. It was a beautiful site and an amazing day. Despite all our difficulties in getting the library going and getting my students prepared to perform, everything went very well. I went to sleep that night completely happy and fulfilled with the past few months of my work. Many more challenges will definitely come, but I am prepared to face them head on.
Time to read
From Togo Taken from the blog of: Amanda Walsh, PCV Togo
As of JuIy 9th, I have been living in Togo for one full month. Crazy! It really doesn’t seem like that long, but it seems like forever all at the same time. The trip here took more than a day. We stopped in Belgium and Côte d’Ivoire before arriving here in Togo at around 10p.m. The first difference I observed when landing in Togo was there are no lights. It felt like landing in a black pit, a very exciting and scary black pit. From the airport we headed to our hotel where we would be staying for a little less than a week. It had electricity, running water and sometimes Wi‐Fi. It was a nice way to ease into life here. Lomé, the capital, has American/European food along with a huge market that is open almost everyday. We didn’t really get to explore too much in Lomé, which was probably good since we were all sleep deprived and essentially zombies. The first few days in Lomé consisted of getting oriented, it felt like the beginning of summer camp. It’s impossible to explain. This city is like nothing I have ever seen before. There are so many motorcycles! The streets made of mostly clay or mud and are packed with motorcycles.
We spent a few days in Lomé and then we all moved into home‐ stays in three different villages: Tsévié, Gbatobé, and Davié. I’m living in Tsévié with a family. I found it surprising to not have a man living in my compound, since Togo historically has a patriarchal society. My family is great. We mostly speak French and as I start to learn one of the local languages, Ewe, they help me with that, too. One thing that is really interesting is the distribution of responsibility. My younger sisters do a ton of work, like get my water. If I tried to carry the container on my head I would most likely break my neck. They help me with my laundry, which, by the way, putting laundry in the machine at home should NOT be considered a chore. My knuckles were literally raw after my first attempt and I had help. Other things that are scary and different here:
thought I would not be using the bathroom for the next two years. Turns out humans are adaptable and I’ve become more and more used to it everyday. I don’t even need my flashlight every time I use the latrine at night. Goal accomplished. Bucket showers‐ I am pretty obsessed with bucket showers. First off, they are so much more practical. You only take the water you need and that’s all you use. There aren’t gallons of water just running off of your body. I’ll admit, after a game of soccer in the mud a hot shower sounds divine. Bucket showers are also great because the water is always cold unless you want to boil it. There is not a quick way to heat the water, which means cold showers in the morning to wake you up. I’m not sure I’ll ever be fully clean here and shaving is a pain in the butt, but hey, I’m only using a quarter bucket of water a day. Who says we have to use 20 gallons for one shower?
Latrines‐ I’m, for the most part, used to A while back, a few of us played using a latrine, but I’m not sure I soccer with a bunch of the will ever be fully comfortable neighborhood kids, which was with the idea. It’s kind of nice awesome. The kids here are so just pretending like that stuff comfortable in their skin and so doesn’t have to go somewhere. I ready to run around and play. almost threw up the first time I It’s great. Soccer here, as you opened the door to my latrine, may have guessed, is huge. Next which happens to be connected week we are going to Lomé to to my shower, aka a mudroom play/watch a match between the with a hole in the floor. I know American Embassy and the all of this stuff sounds really scary. To be honest, at first I (Continues on page 4)
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Togolese Embassy. It should be fun and interesting. Lastly, my site will be Adeta in the Plateaux region. My understanding is that it’s a
bigger village with not only a post office but, (everyone get excited) a bank! Yes, those two things do mean a bigger village. Something actually exciting is
that I will have electricity, internet (most likely) and a bucket flush toilet, bittersweet.
Want to learn more about what Gonzaga’s PCMI students are doing as
Peace Corps volunteers?
Checkout two of our student’s blogs: Cheyanne Greer, PCV Mozambique http://timeinmozambique.blogspot.com/ Amanda Walsh, PCV Togo http://acodzdoestogo.blogspot.com/
Interested in what other PCVs are doing around the world? Here is a list of the winning blogs from Peace Corps’ New Volunteer Blog It Home contest: ‐peacecorps.gov, August 22, 2013
Jedd and Michelle Chang, PCV couple in Jamaica http://simplyintentional.wordpress.com/ Joshua Cook and Jennifer Klein, PCV couple in Ethiopia http://jenandjoshinethiopia.blogspot.com/ Sara Kline, PCV Thailand http://klinesc.blogspot.com/ Jessica Lavash, PCV Mexico http://stonecactuses.wordpress.com/
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Food Talk
Sopa Paraguaya Frances Peterson, PCV Paraguay
This cheesy cornbread is a Paraguayan staple. Depending on the cook, it might be filled with layer of ground meat or lots of fresh vegetables. In rural Paraguay, most of the ingredients are casero or homemade. Corn flour made from the corn in your garden, cheese made from your cow’s milk, lard from your pig recently killed for someone’s birthday or an upcoming holiday and eggs from your chickens.
After the ingredients are mixed together, they are placed in a pan lined with banana leaves.
This prevents the delicate dish from sticking to the pan.
Preparing the tatakua
When the sopa is done, it is usually golden brown on top and moist in the middle. It is best eaten warm, fresh out of the oven.
Sopa paraguaya baking
Traditionally, sopa paraguaya is cooked in a tatkua, or a domed brick oven. A fire is made in the oven with wood. When the bricks are hot enough, the burning wood is removed and the sopa is placed inside to cook.
Preparing corn flour
Fresh sopa paraguaya
Sopa Paraguaya Recipe:
Ingredients: Directions: 2 large white onions, chopped 1. Beat lard until fluffy 1 tablespoon salt 2. Add eggs and cheese, mix well ¾ cup lard (or butter) 3. Beat in milk and add onions 11 ounces Paraguayan cheese (or soft white cheese) 4. Add flour and mix well 2 cups milk 5. Bake for about an hour at 350F 18 ounces corn flour 4 eggs
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Upcoming Campus Events
Peace Corps Visits Gonzaga Sept. 19, 2013 10:30 a.m.‐4:30 p.m. Crosby Hall Oct. 16, 2013 12 p.m. ‐4 p.m. Cataldo Hall Peace Corps Post Graduate Service Fair Sept. 19, 2013 5 p.m. ‐6:30 p.m. Cataldo Hall Peace Corps Information Session Sept. 19, 2013 7:30 p.m. ‐8:30 p.m. Crosby Hall Oct. 16, 2013 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Crosby Hall Peace Corps Panel Discussion Oct. 8, 2013 12 p.m. ‐1 p.m. Collage Hall First Friday Forum The first Friday of every month Schoenberg Rm201 Visit peacecorps.gov for more information on Peace Corps visits to Gonzaga campus
Contact Information
PCMI Students
Gonzaga Campus
Stephanie Dempsey, PCV Peace Corps P.O. Box 208 Lilongwe, Malawi, Africa sdemps80@hotmail.com
General Information gonzaga.edu/pcmi pcmi@gonzaga.edu (509) 313‐6560 Tyler Wasson wassont@gonzaga.edu (509) 313‐5593
Cheyanne Greer, PCV C.P. 31 Maxixe Inhambane Province, Mozambique chey82@hotmail.com
Melissa Heid heid@gonzaga.edu (509) 313‐6560
Frances Peterson, PCV Cuerpo de Paz 162 Chaco Boreal c/Mcal. López Asunción 1580, Paraguay South America fmanring@zagmail.gonzaga.edu Amanda Walsh, PCV BP 31 Adeta, Togo, West Africa awalsh@zagmail.gonzaga.edu
Zach Wegner, PCV Peace Corps Samoa Private mailbag Apia, Western Samoa, South Pacific wegner.zach@gmail.com
James Hunter hunter@gonzaga.edu (509) 313‐6564
Please share your ideas, events and articles for our next newsletter. Email: fmanring@zagmail.gonzaga.edu
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