Welcome to my homepage.
I am currently working with the U.S. Peace Corps, in Mexico, spending three years working with the Mexican government on behalf of the U.S. government, to improve the water supply and environment in that country.
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[Credit to Daniel Schilling and Miguel Verdejo for two of the above pictures]
Why am I doing this? Why would I give up a stable Engineering job in California to live as a basically unpaid volunteer worker in a foreign country for two years plus three months of training?
As you might imagine, there are multiple reasons. I still love to travel, love to meet new people especially those from different cultures. In this decade of strife, I am also pleased to do something to serve my country (more discussion about why working in Mexico serves the U.S., will come later). However I will also direct your attention to the three-fold mission of the U.S. Peace Corps. I committed to the Peace Corps because I agree with their three goals:
- To help the people of interested countries in meeting their needs for trained manpower, particularly in meeting the basic needs of those living in the poorest areas. It's an intriguing thought to imagine that, in any small way, I might help make the damn tap water in Mexico drinkable. Growing up as a Californian, Mexico is part of my 'territory' and by working to improve things here, I improve the conditions in a place which my friends and I plan to visit frequently in the future. And I often surf in some very poor areas of Mexico.
- To promote a better understanding of the American people on the part of the peoples served. There are negative stereotypes of Americans in many countries, including Mexico, which must be fought just as earnestly as we fight racial prejudice and other discrimination at home.
- To promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the American people. Americans often have mistaken ideas about foreign lands and their citizens, even the ones on our borders. Every Peace Corps volunteer like me, who shares his or her experiences with friends and relatives at home, helps to promote the truth about the world we live in.
For further discussion, infrequent updates, and occasional pictures and political rants, please apply to join my Yahoo! group, "Kev's Foreign Legion". Policies regarding the security of my fellow volunteers require me to restrict my discussion of specifics unless they are password-protected. In place of my former blog, a few rants about general topics will appear below, from time to time, in the section marked "Today's News, Fave New Link, and/or Commentary"
These are the places where I spent time in 2004:
