Topless dancing girls and naked boys

running on the beach:

the Peace Corps experience of Gary DeBoer

Welcome Dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubV91TfQf8Q&feature=related

The Ugly American by Lederer and Burdick, 1958

Peace Corps began under Kennedy in 1961

"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves..."

President John F. Kennedy

See video of announcment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWff1YM1K28

"The spirit of the Peace Corps springs from the deepest wells in our culture, from the reasoned and strongly felt impulses of our people to share with their neighbors their caring and their labor." President Jimmy Carter

"Each one of us is responsible for building the society we want. Peace Corps volunteers do that with people-to-people exchanges, using their energy, their spirit, and their creativity to solve problems. This is the American way. Once we see a need, we want to serve even when the neighbor we reach out to help is halfway around the world." President Ronald Reagan

PC Goals

1. Provide appropriate technical support for

host country.

2. Allow other countries to get to know

Americans and learn about American

culture.

3. Bring back the international experience to

the US, through talks like this one, so that

Americans can learn of other cultures.

My Peace Corps Adventure

Applied during senior year

Took summer job while awaiting result

Was accepted as a volunteer

Was offered an invitation to Kiribati

Went to the library to find where Kiribati was

Accepted invitation

Had wisdom teeth removed

Greetings by Dance

Dancing Girls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ZA2bAQGAghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ZA2bAQGAghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkMpt1LFf-E&NR=1

Greetings by Dance

Dancing Boys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ZA2bAQGAghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ZA2bAQGAghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ZA2bAQGAg

Common Misconceptions

1. Kiribati people are not starving

Fish, crab, lobster, papaya, breadfruit, toddy

2. Kiribati people have homes

Homes are appropriate for the geography

3. Kiribati people have Jesus

Protestants, catholics, bahai, mormons most recently

4. Kiribati people have health care

Free to citizens and aliens

5. No rabies, no malaria, no hurricanes, no unadopted

orphaned children, no nursing homes.

Can you say all that for the US?

Areas for development 1. Education only 10-20% go to high

school

2. Population related

Family planning

Urban planning in Tarawa

Outer island planning to relieve population

pressure in Tarawa

Fresh water and waste water system

3. Resource development

Fisheries, seaweed, copra, limited tourism

These are the needs Kiribati have identified for themselves

Lessons Learned

Differences in Customs

English language

Girls wear pants

Eat potato

Family car

Children mature and leave

home

Boys hold hands of girls

Never say a mans wife is

fat

Kiribati language

Girls wear skirts

Eat coconut

Family canoe

Extended families are the

norm

Girls hold hands of girls

A fat wife means a man is a

good provider

Lessons Learned Differences in Values, less observable

Independence

Outstander, aggressive

Initiative

Punctuality

Youth and energy

Technology is the answer

Tradition is a road block

Visitors are to be put up with

Low context

Community

Fit in (dont beat your opponent too

much) cooperate

Consultation

Patience

Age and wisdom

Community policy is the answer

Tradition is the glue that holds

community together

Visitors are an opportunity to

demonstrate your values

High context

Lessons Language

Te taetae ni Kiribati

Greetings

Jim: Hello!

John: Hello!

Jim: How are you?

John: Thank you, I'm fine.

And you, how are

you?

Jim: I'm fine also, thank

you.

Te Kamauri

Tim: Ko na mauri !

Tiaon: Mauri !

Tim: Ko uara?

Tiaon: Ko rab'a, I marurung.

Ao ngkoe, ko uara?

Tim: I marurung naba, ko

rab'a.

http://www.trussel.com/kir/less01.htm

The mission of Peace Corps parallels

incarnational ministry

spiritually mature

Relational

culturally engaged

missional

transformational

Pay Mays, Christian Ministry, LeTourneau University

http://creative.gettyimages.com/source/Search/18','1','

Appropriate Technology:

1. Culturally engaged

2. Uses local resources

3. Sustainable

http://www.letu.edu/opencms/export/system/galleries/download/community-and-media/SummerNOW.pdf

www.peacecorps.gov

CIA Factbook

Kiribati related links

Trip to Fanning Island (video)

Dancing Girl (video)

More Dancing Girl (video)

Contemporary Dancing Group (video)

Kiribati Future (video)

More Kiribati Future (video)

Kiribati Evacuation (video)

For more information on the Peace Corps

or Kiribati try the links below:

http://www.peacecorps.gov/http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kr.htmlhttp://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kr.htmlhttp://www.trussel.com/f_kir.htmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0J7hBNfSi8&NR=1&feature=fvwphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH_xThWSUBwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hd9PrYbGDQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hd9PrYbGDQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hd9PrYbGDQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZNe4M85xRUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjngx-guyWMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjngx-guyWMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcELLOyB4Xk&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE9b5uQzvwg&NR=1