Fall 2009 Rpcvw Newsletter

Fall

2009

Dear friends,

From the RPCV/w President...

Each November I am transported to Thanksgiving 2002 which I spent in Kharkov, Ukraine. A mix of Peace Corps volunteers and Ukrainians gathered around to eat turkey, stuffing, beet salad, smoked fish and mayonnaise-filled salads. It was a little bit of home mixed in with a whole lot of Ukraine. It felt right to mix and match. The lines of what was my tradition and what was theirs blurred and everything just seemed to fit. The RPCVw members enjoy lively conversation at the October Happy Hour in D.C.

Your 2009-10 RPCV/w Board of Directors President: Tamar Schiffman Vice President: Bea Tijerina Secretary: Joe Ford Treasurer: Kristina Owens Membership: Doug Trapp New Members: Nicholas Brown Communications: RaeJean Stokes Web: Robert Proudfoot Development: Trish Calamari Special Events: Allison Francis Social: Arvis Layton, Community Service: Corey Taylor Programs: Liza Cushion

Save the Date(s): Partnership for Peace & General Meeting Tuesday, November 10 at 6:30pm Stewart R. Mott House (near the Capitol) Annual Holiday Party Friday, December 4 at 6:30pm The Washington Post

Today, in the DC area, we gather with our Peace Corps friends for Peruvian dinners, attend Russian cultural events, or see the latest Smithsonian exhibit on the Silk Road. These experiences bring us back to those years we spent abroad. They feel like home. Being a member of RPCV/w allows me to have that feeling on a continuous basis. I feel so lucky to live in the DC area with its rich community of returned volunteers. At each event I meet recently returned volunteers with the spark of Peace Corps still in their eyes, and volunteers from years ago who have built impressive careers upon that first experience of service. Together, we make up a community of diverse and remarkable individuals. This is my third year on the board of RPCV/w and my first as president. I am inspired by the dynamic board full of energy and ideas that has already put together wonderful events, such as the screening of Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love at the Avalon Theater. This year will be full of unique events, learning opportunities and community service opportunities. I hope to see you all at the membership meeting this Tuesday where we will vote for our Partnership for Peace, the organization that will be the focus of our fundraising and service efforts throughout the year. We want to hear your ideas and suggestions on how RPCV/w can reflect your interests and needs. This is your community. Help us make it feel like home. Thank you and have a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving. Kind Regards, Tamar Schiffman President – RPCVw

RPCV/w Announces Partnership for Peace Finalists RPCV/w is pleased to announce the three organizations selected to present their project proposal for the 2010 Partnership for Peace Program. RPCV/w members will vote on the charity of the year and we will focus of our fundraising, community service, and programming efforts toward this organiation for the 2010 calendar year. This program is a new initiative that furthers our commitment to the Peace Corps and to serving the needs of our local community. Academy of Hope The Academy of Hope began in January 1985, when four students and two volunteer teachers, Marja Hilfiker and Gayle Boss, came together to study for the General Educational Development Exam (GED) in a small room of an Adams‐Morgan apartment building. The founding vision of the Academy was for it to be…“A school in which the main subject for everyone, teachers and students alike, is not reading, writing or math, but hope. Hope comes only when we care and are cared for. In this Academy, all of us are teachers because all of us can care for one another; all of us are students since all of us need to be cared for.” Latin American Youth Center Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) operates a network of youth centers, public charter schools, and social enterprises with a mission to “support youth and families in their determination to live, work, and study with dignity, hope, and joy.” LAYC achieves its mission by adhering to a youth development model, which offers low-income and minority youth a continuum of services, programs, and opportunities with the goal of ensuring a successful transition to young adulthood. Youth facing the most significant life challenges work with promotores (“guides” in Spanish) who form a long-term relationship to guide the young person through all necessary programs and services in order to complete an Individual Success Plan. One World Education One World Education (OWEd) is a DC-based nonprofit organization with a mission to promote literacy, global awareness, and meaningful citizenship for DC students in their schools and communities. The organization and schools program was created when the founder was a public high school teacher and their model was greatly influenced by the Peace Corps World Wise Schools Curriculum. To read the full proposals visit our website at http://www.rpcvw.org/page/partnershipproject. Please join us at the Partnership for Peace reception on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. For details and to RSVP visit www.rpcvw.org. Event sponsor: Corcoran Vineyards http://www.corcoranvineyards.com/

“Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love” Screening a Success

RPCVs bring the love

Thank you to everyone who attended the October 10 screening of “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring what I Love” at the Avalon Theater. The film chronicled the life and music of Senegal’s most famous and controversial musician who sought to bring a more tolerant and peaceful side of Islam to the world stage. The film was followed by a special Q&A with Jules Tall, a childhood friend of Mr. N’Dour who was able to share some intimate stories of the musician’s early years. The event was very well attended by RPCVs as well as several Senegalese who had their own stories to share about the impact of N’Dour’s music and advocacy on their lives.

Harvest Festivals Around the World The Balinese festival of Nyepi is one of the most important festivals of the year. It takes place in the ninth month after the new moon and is a time of purification to make sure they have good crops. Kulkuls are alarm drums which are positioned in small towers in every Balinese village. The ancient Greeks worshipped Demeter as their goddess of all grains. Each autumn the festival of Thesmosphoria was held to honor the goddess. In Ireland they celebrate an autumn harvest festival where the farmers bring their harvests to trade or sell. Potatoes are used to make Poteen, a drink that is sold at fairs. There is lots of dancing, singing, music, and storytelling. In Korea, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is Ch’usok, or also known as the Harvest Moon Festival. Koreans begin the day with rites honoring their ancestors. Offerings are made of newly harvested foods. Songp’yon, crescent-shaped rice cakes stuffed with sesame seeds, chestnut paste or beans, are a Ch’usok favorite.

Gobble Gobble... All recently and not so recently returned new members are cordially invited to the Annual New Members Thanksgiving Potluck Celebration. Date: Thursday, November 19 Time: 6:30-9pm Place: TBA Turkey will be provided but RPCVs are asked to contribute a traditional or international side dish. It’s also BYOB.

In Swaziland the harvest festival is called Newala or “first fruits” ceremony and takes place at the end of the year. It is a celebration of kingship, traditional has it that the king of Swaziland, the Ngwenyama or “Lion”, has powers that are mystical and is believed to embody the Swaziland prosperity and fertility, and therefore it is said that he must have many wives and father many children. In Tuscany they celebrate the Impruneta, Festa del which is their harvest festival. Chicken, pigeons and suckling pigs are roasted on spits, and there are tables with homemade hams and loaves of bread. Other foods include paper-thin anise cookies which are called brigidini and almond toffee, which is boiled in iron cauldrons. In China, the August Moon Festival is often called the Women’s Festival. The moon symbolizes beauty and elegance, While Westerners worship the sun for its power, and people in the Far East admire the moon. The moon is the female principle and it is a trusted friend. In Barbados the harvest festival is called Crop Over and once was celebrated as a procession of carts and animals decorated with flowers that would bring the cane to the plantation owner, who would then provide a feast for the laborers.

RPCVw Financial Update Hey RPCV/w members! Ever wonder where your memberships dues go? Besides funding some great programs, networking events, Holiday Party, Partnership for Peace and the Annual Picnic, we recently invested $10,000 with Calvert Investments. They focus on sustainable and responsible investment practices. This is great for RPCV/w for our own sustainable future while ensuring our funds are invested responsibly. If you like more information please email me at [email protected] -Kristina J. Owens, RPCV Bolivia 00-02

Happy Fall!

50 x 50 campaign RPCVw’s exciting three-year membership plan went into effect in September and will run until the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps in 2011. The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington D.C. has launched a “50 by 50” membership campaign to increase our membership by 50 new members each year between now and the 50th anniversary in September, 2011. By the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, RPCVw hopes to play a leading role with Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps Association in the effort to celebrate the incredible legacy of the Peace Corps. We can only do so with an active, motivated member base. Please recruit your friends and group-mates living in the D.C. area, and be part of a monumental initiative! For more information about becoming a member, contact Doug at [email protected], or sign up online at www.rpcv.org.

RPCVw is Linked In and Up Find us online in oh so many places! We Tweet! We Facebook! We’re LinkedIn!

Annual RPCV/w Holiday Party is Approaching... Do you have your tickets yet??

Sponsor the RPCV/w Holiday Party! Looking for a way to reach a captive audience? The RPCV/w Holiday Party attracts 300+ people each year. It is also advertised on a listserv that reaches over 2,000 RPCVs in the DC metro area.

Date: Friday, December 4 If you’re interested in sponsoring this great event, Time: 6:30-9:30pm please contact [email protected] for more inforPlace: Washington Post, 1150 15th Street 15th mation. All sponsors receive complimentary admission Street NW, WDC 20071 (McPherson Square Metro) to the best holiday party in D.C.! Join us for dancing, socializing, and more hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, and fabulous auction items than ever before!! Early bird prices good through November 20th Members $25, Non-Members $30 Did you COS in 1975 or before? You pay only $25. Buy your tickets at www.rpcvw.org. Sponsor: Theresa Immordino, Real Estate Agent, Long and Foster Real Estate Thank you to our auction donors: Jet Blue Washington Wizards Baltimore Ravens Elite Island Resort Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel Peace Goods Hawk n’ Dove Good Stuff Eatery National Spy Museum Newseum James Gore The Reserve Commonwealth Shakespeare Theater Company Ink Dish Peruvian Project, Inc. Annapolis Photography Room 11

RPCV 2010 Calendar For Sale $10

Buy it online at www.rpcvw.org

About the RPCV/w

The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, D.C. (RPCVw) was founded in 1979 and incorporated in 1990 in the District of Columbia. RPCVw is one of the largest organizations of its kind in the world. RPCVw is a nonprofit 501c3 and represents more than 900 returned Peace Corps volunteers, Peace Corps staff, and Peace Corps families and supporters in the greater Washington, D.C. area. RPCVw is governed by an elected board of directors. MISSION & VISION: By fostering opportunities to share our unique experiences and commitment to service, we create a community that celebrates the diversity of the greater Washington area and world cultures. GOALS: * Undertake and sponsor educational and charitable activities in support of the Peace Corps 3rd goal of “Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans;” * Inform and educate members and the public on matters relating to economic development and developing countries, including but not limited to those countries which have been served by the Peace Corps; * Support policies to maintain a strong and healthy Peace Corps; Encourage continuing volunteer involvement of its members in serving the needs of their local communities; * Affiliate and strengthen other organizations with similar vision and mission goals, such as the NPCA; and * Provide the foundation of a Community of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to support all of the above activities.

Become a Sponsor If your organization is interested in becoming an RPCVw sponsor, please start by either logging in to your existing account or create a new account profile. You will then be directed to a form where you will be asked to submit your sponsorship proposal. Sponsorship proposals are evaluated on a case by case basis by the RPCVw Board of Directors. For questions please e-mail [email protected].

The Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, D.C. P.O. Box 66101 Washington D.C. 20035 Webite: www.rpcvw.org Email: [email protected]

Fall Recipe Ground Nut Soup Courtesy of Becky Atigedewe, Ghana 96-98 Ingredients: 1 full cup of natural creamy peanut butter 3 medium tomatoes or one 14 ounce can of diced/crushed tomatoes 1 medium onion medium red onion, cut into quarters 7 chicken thighs 1 habanero pepper or substitute 1 ½ inch of peeled fresh ginger 1 chicken maggie cube (or one can chicken stock) 1 tablespoon of salt Prep: In a large pot filled with water, boil the tomatoes (if fresh), onion (peel off the outer skin), ginger and hot chili pepper. Then while they are boiling, cut up the chicken thighs into three sections, (cut on each side of the bone). In a large soup pot steam the chicken at low-medium heat) with salt and pepper (cook well and then take meat out leaving the juices in the pot. Once the veggies are looking a little translucent, about 10 min of boiling, (if using fresh tomatoes, skin on tomatoes will be breaking and coming off), drain them and put them all into a blender. Be careful, it’s hot. Blend it all. Save the water from the boiling veggie pot to use in the soup (very nutritious). Time to start the soup: In the large pot where you cooked the chicken, add the peanut butter and simmer (on medium heat) with the juices from the chicken. Mix it to a creamy state and then add pureed vegetables. Let it cook about 15 min and then add 8 to 10 cups of water depending on how thick you want the soup. Let it cook on medium heat for about 45 min., stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and simmer on low for another 20 min. It should be done. When you turn down the heat there should be a layer of oil on the top (the oil has separated). When you serve the soup, stir the soup to mix the oil with each serving to not get a huge serving full of oil. (You can scrape some off the top to dispose to help with that if you like but the oil is a good part of the soup).