Jason Pearce

It has been three weeks since I emailed the Peace Corps office requesting reinstatement or re-enrollment to Peace Corps service. I have yet to receive a response other than a brief email saying that they are working on it. Today, I decided to send them another email.

Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 13:27:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: “Jason.Pearce.net”
Subject: RE: Request for reinstatement, re-enrollment, or transfer
To: serdman@peacecorps.gov, bpayne1@peacecorps.gov

Dear Brian Payne and Sarah Erdman,

Three weeks ago I wrote Sylvie Mortimer requesting reinstatement or re-enrollment to Peace Corps service. I have not received a response from your office and would appreciate an update. I understand that Sylvie is on maternity leave and that the two of you will be servicing my request.

Per my rights as an Early Termination/Interrupted Service (MS 284, 5.0) Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV), and per written and verbal advice given to me by Guyana Country Director Earl Brown, I am requesting immediate reassignment to another Peace Corps program — one that will best utilize my web development skills.

I appreciate your prompt response to this request, for I am eager to begin my service as a volunteer.

Sincerely,

Jason A. Pearce

It’s official, the Peace Corps has confirmed receipt of my application for their “Internet Communications Manager Application (PC2-103w)” position. I received this generic post card in the mail yesterday.

Dear Applicant:

We have received your application for a staff position with the Peace Corps. The vacancy announcement number and the date we received your application are printed on the address label of this postcard.

Our staffing specialists are currently reviewing the applications for this position. When they complete their review, they will forward to the selecting officials the applications of the individuals whose experience and background meet the requirements of the position.

This selection process may take up to 100 days. You can monitor the status of the position to which you have applied by visiting www.peacecorps.gov/employment/. Select Vacancy Status Listing from the list of options.

Thank you for your interest in the Peace Corps.

I came across a Forbes story today entitled “Vox Unpopuli.” It talked about how more and more people are using websites to publicly voice complaints about a company’s services.

While I did not develop my personal site to become critical of the Peace Corps, it might become so. Several of you have suggested that I make my Blog (this Monologue) open to the general public again. Some of you have also suggested that I publicly post my case for appealing the Peace Corps’ decision to end my service early.

Although it would be satisfying to do so, I believe that I’m going to wait to take such actions until after I have heard the outcome of my request for reinstatement. Should it become an unfavorable outcome, I would then have little to lose in making my site completely public once again.

Here are a few excerpts from that Forbes’ story. Enjoy.

Forbes: ASAP
Vox Unpopuli
Josh McHugh, 10.07.02

Employee complaint boxes are a waste of time. If you really want to torpedo a company, you’ve got to start a web site.

I kind of took a week off from working on my Peace Corps appeal. Mostly because I’ve been spending my time at my dad’s office helping his company update its website. It’s been a great distraction and I have enjoyed the work. But it has also distracted me from my job search, which is becoming a growing necessity.

Once the site launches, I’m sure I’ll post a link to it and add it to my online portfolio.

Another reason for my lack of Peace Corps postings this week is the simple fact that I haven’t heard from them. I still have not received a response regarding my request to receive a new assignment. I also haven’t heard anything about my application for their webmaster position. But I’ll keep you posted if I do.

I did receive an email from one of the Georgetown volunteers. Here is her update:

Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 05:45:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: Hidden
Subject: dead kittens and field hockey

Jason,

Hey! What’s up these days? Any news on the peace corps interview? Did you get one?

I’m doing a little better since the last time I wrote. Time still goes by slowly, but I’m trying to make the best of it.

Did I tell you that my kittens died? Yup, after one week. I have no idea what happened. I think they were sick when I got them. I was pretty upset about it for a few days–mostly feeling guilty–but then I realized I didn’t do anything wrong. It sucked.

So anyway, I have another volunteer’s cat now. She’s an adult, so I don’t think I can kill her. You never know I guess:) Frankly, I’d rather have no pets. But the mice scare the hell out of me.

My job is going well. Actually, I love my job. This is a huge deal because so many volunteers aren’t enjoying their jobs. At least I have something to look forward to during the week. Sure I face the typical Peace Corps frustrations they warn you about: lack of resources, rigid structures, etc., but I enjoy the challenge and I like working with all women. There’s kind of a homey atmosphere to the place, albeit kind of “bitchy” at times.

I’ve also started playing field hockey with three other volunteers. It’s really fun. I didn’t realize how much I missed being on a team. We have practice three nights a week. It’s also nice because I can be out at night without feeling like I’m going to get assaulted at any minute.

Thanks for the great update. The funny thing is that I think that you now have the cat that was going to be living with me. Did it have a name, or was it just called CAT?

Here is another volunteer’s take on my early departure, as well as other excerpts about what it is like to be a Peace Corps volunteer.

From: “hidden”
To: hidden
Subject: riding a roller coaster
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2002 10:16:15 -0700

I have been on an unbelievable roller coaster.  the last 4 weeks have delivered me more emotions and feelings than I ever imagined. An experience that without a doubt is challenging and full of lessons in life.

Culinary skills

Let me first share with you. living without a refrigerator is not easy. More frequent trips to the open market and learning how quickly mold grows (like fuzzy coconut that shouldn’t be eaten. but I didn’t realize until after I was chomping on a piece and I looked in the container - yikes).

Politics

As the world of politics comes, I’m not usually a fan of  and even more so now that I volunteer for the government. As a group of 23 who arrived in country a lil over 3 months ago, we’re now down to 22. One of our fellow trainees, Jason, was sent home nearly 4 weeks ago.

Our Country Director, Earl Brown, (which is new to country also CD’s have terms of 30 months) has displayed his authority and in his words is “not here to be buddy-buddy” with us. He has been extremely condescending to many of us and frankly we all feel like we have to walk on egg shells or we’ll get sent home, hmmm, and we’re volunteers, right?!

Jason didn’t even get to be sworn in as a volunteer with us and was humiliated at the ceremony, since Earl wouldn’t even let him sit with us. The grounds he was sent home was twisted and were as “the world wildlife fund (WWF) didn’t want him because he wasn’t sworn in (which was due to his website) and there weren’t any other sites. Which was complete B.S. 

many of us have written letters to Peace Corps Headquarters in D.C. and some have even routed their complaints to their congressman. his demeanor is like  as my aunt said Hitler.

You can check out his website at www.jason.pearce.net - even though his monologue was instructed to be shut down because it disclosed information like: “one volunteer got Dengue Fever and another volunteer got robbed”

anyhoo it really stirred us all up in the first week of being official volunteers, in addition to being homesick and lonely. Another controversy brought up were having digital photos online which I confronted Earl and asked him

how different is it having photos displayed on www.ofoto.com from having our swearing in ceremony picture plastered on the front page of the Guyana newspaper. where did I sign a photo consent. So now I’m on his “radar” as he says.

but I felt it wasn’t right to be contradictory. Anyhoo, there’s more to the story of course. but I won’t bore you. Jason is considering an appeal and most of our blood has stopped boiling, even though we miss him.

Little Guyana

My safety was tested last Friday when another volunteer and I walked home from another volunteer’s home (did you get that? Tee hee) 

about 5 blocks. I had my (newly bought purple machine) bicycle that I was pushing and together we felt it would be safe to walk home together since we live right next door to each other. Walking together seemed much safer. It was a lil after 9pm, early for a Friday night.

We were 2 houses away from our homes when 2 men came from behind us. They took my bicycle and tried to get the other volunteer’s jewelry, but realized it wasn’t of any high value. It all happened within a matter of maybe 30 seconds.

I was very startled and shook up, glad to have been okay and not hurt more than I was, which was a few marks on my back and bruised on my legs. I’ve had a number of thoughts running thru my head like “is this worth it”? & “why am I here?”

The tough lesson learned was don’t take anything for granted, it can happen when you’re least expecting.

I take many more precautions now and try not to be out after dark. I definitely have on and off day, and I’ve contemplated coming home because of safety, but I really want to be here. so hopefully I complete my 2-year service and I don’t ever encounter an incident like that again.

Eye openers

The amount of attention is tremendous as a foreigner. Nearly every man here feels the privilege to try to pick you up, and they’re blunt.

There isn’t a day that passes that I don’t hear this kissing sound (almost like if they were to suck any harder their lips would get swallowed) and being called “hey baby” or “where you from?”

We were prepared for this during our cultural training, so you grow really thick skin and sometimes you simply get burnt out. It’s common for Guyanese women to be picked up this way, but we Americans are not so much accustom to such direct lines as “hey sweetheart, I wanna marry you.”

It’s always just verbal comments, but oye my ears get full! The other fellow volunteers get called “whitee” or “white meat.” Definitely an eye opener!