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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1982)
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The Peace Corps is one army that doesn't hand out medals "The Peace Corps is a chance to really do something worthwhile for others," says Paul Bartel, campus coordinator of the Peace Corps "To put someone else’s needs before your own is something that not many of us have ever done " The Peace Corps offers volunteers the op portunity to spend two years in a Third World country Their job7 Helping impoverished peo ple toward a better way of life The service has many advantages, but it isn’t easy, Bartel says "The work is demanding and forces the volunteer to be adaptive and to learn to take the initiative," says Bartel “A sense of humor is a must, otherwise you can be overwhelmed when things don't go well — which can happen often ” Many volunteers go overseas with idealistic thoughts of changing the world but soon learn to be realistic in an environment with no run ning water, no sanitation, not even a doctor And two years can be a long time to live with a mistake A few volunteers quit before their tour of duty ends, usually because of inadequate preparatory training A volunteer undergoes four to 14 weeks of training, often in the host country, but sometimes the volunteer still is unprepared to face the harsh realities of back country life "I supposedly had a supervisor,' says Kay Kaylor, who left the Phillipines early because of health problems "But I never saw anyone A lot of the support and help that I was supposed to get from the government there never mater ialized The Peace Corps was a good exper ience, but for me it could have been better organized " Kaylor attributes her problems to a lack of cooperation by the host country, but some volunteers aren't ready regardless of how much preparation they receive "Some quit early because they went out with too high of expectations," says Carl Hosticka a University professor who spent two years in Nepal and three more in India "Or they have thoughts of traveling around the world and when they found out they were stuck in one place for two years, they get really depressed " Most volunteers are days away from decent roads or telephones The long distances im pede communication about immediate prob lems, leaving volunteers totally self-reliant Hardships such as these make many vil lagers suspicious of Peace Corps workers The natives question why these Americans — com paratively richer — would choose to live in a mud hut "But when you get down and work with them to build a well or something else useful, you make a lot of friends, and they get to under stand you better." Bartel explains To share the good aspects of the American culture with the villagers and help them to raise their own standard of living becomes a challenge, he adds To some people, the corps brings up thoughts of the CIA but according to Bartel, that is a misconception conjured up by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who made that association years ago "No volunteer has ever been shown to be a CIA agent." he says "If you ever think about the type that goes into Peace Corps — usually someone who wants to help others — then it is ridiculous to think they would want to spy on another country Besides how much intelligence can you find out in a village in the back country?" Bartel asks The Peace Corps’ popularity has plummeted from its high point in the 1960s with 13,000 volunteers in 90 countries to 5 400 volunteers in 60 countries Nevertheless. Bartel s program at the University is thriving it is the third leading recruiter on the West Coast Last year the number of volunteers dropped to 35 from the previous year's total of 48, but Bartel predicts an increase this year He's signed up 20 volunteers already and says he expects at least 40 more Many people don't believe they qualify for the corps but usually anyone who has a good educational background can join The most important qualifications are the abilities to communicate well and to work with people, Bartel says Bartel went as a volunteer to Honduras two years ago. and says, "it was definitely one of the most positive things I ve ever done A person can t go there without getting some thing out of it "But you ve got to keep it in perspective One person isn't going to change the world in two years ” By Mike Riplinger Graphic by Russell Whang CHINA BLUE RESTAURANT Happy Family Dinner $6.95 Scallops, Shrimp, & Chicken Toss fried with fresh vegetables in a Chinese wok Bring this ad in for $1.00 off our Happy Family Dinner oiler expires 2 18 82 China Blue MonZuFh 879 E. 13th Ave. n am-10 pm 343-2832 Sat 5-11 pm Sun 5-10 pm Friday, February 12 HAIRCUT $5.00 ask for Eveline Hair Faire 342-2165
