Save the Date: Thursday, March 25, 2004

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers are invited to two exciting events in
Austin, Texas!

Nonprofit and Public Sector Career Fair

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Texas Union Ballroom * UT Austin Campus
* Meet employers who are looking for entry- and mid-level candidates.
* Participate in interviewing and résumé workshops.
* Hear from a panel of experts who have been successful in the
nonprofit sector.

Peace Corps Reception
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Texas State Capitol
* Peace Corps officials will recognize the University of Texas as the
#2 recruitment school for Volunteers.
* Meet National Peace Corps Association officials and RPCVs from
Texas and neighboring states.
* Meet Peace Corps applicants who have been nominated and are
preparing to depart for service later this year.
PLEASE RSVP with Toby Schaeffer at the National Peace Corps
Association: toby@... or 202-293-7728 ext. 24.
Details regarding both events will updated on
www.rpcv.org/career_fairs

Thank you,

Jesus Garcia
Public Affairs Specialist
U.S. Peace Corps
207 S. Houston St. Room 527
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone: 214.253.5418
Fax: 214.253.5401
jgarcia2@...

Do you have a chronic illness or disability related to your Peace Corps
service?  Are you dealing with OWCP to obtain medical benefits or
disability payments?  If so, the following group may be of interest to
you:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/owcp

A group of RPCVs with OWCP claims are banding together in an attempt to
get better service from OWCP, PC Medical Office, etc.

Please feel free to join us!

The latest report from Sharon Sugarek reporting from Turkmenistan.

Dear friends and family,
We are having the last of winter here in Ashgabat this week. However,
we had at least two days in March where the temperature reached 90 or
higher. That had me worried since it would indicate a very long hot
summer. So we are grateful for the rain and cool temperatures. The
fruit trees have already blossomed and the trees are leafing out so we
don't expect any more freezing weather. It has been a dry winter—not
much rain. So I am wondering if that will have an impact on water
availability this coming summer. Last winter was very rainy and water
did not seem to be a particular problem in most parts of the country.
But this year may be a different story. We'll see.

The big excitement at my house this week came when Lulu, my miniature
schnauzer, decided to try to eat one of the toads that seem to pop up
this time of year. And the one she chose was a nice fat one! Needless
to say that was not a good thing. I've been told that toads, when
grabbed by another critter, pee in the critter's mouth. Well I don't
know if it is true, but after their encounter, which took place while
I was in the house, Lulu started foaming at the mouth. This went on
for quite some time even though I put her in the bathtub and rinsed
her mouth out numerous times.  Then in the middle of the night she
threw up all over the bed—lovely!  However, she did survive the
encounter and I hope she has learned her lesson about toads—but
somehow I doubt it! ( I think the otad survived too but haven't seen
it lately.)

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the many education
programs the US government sponsors overseas for talented young
people. Most of these programs are administered by US AID and, as you
can imagine, many students who are taught by or work with Peace Corps
Volunteers, apply for these programs. They are wonderful programs that
serve the participant and the US well. And in some cases, these are
the only programs that locals have access to for higher education that
meets global standards.  Right now applications are coming due for the
American University in Kyrgyz Republic. This is an excellent
opportunity for students here to get a full four-year college
education from a globally recognized university, something that they
cannot do here. Other is also a wonderful program to bring high school
students to the US for one year of school. It is a terrific program
and I have been so impressed with the skills and talents of the young
people from Turkmenistan who have participated in that program as
well. It gives them such a broad perspective and exposure to other
ideas and new ways of doing things.

Today we have about 80 Peace Corps Volunteers working here in various
schools and clinics. I am hoping to get out and visit some of them
soon. Somehow it is always hard to get away from the office. But it is
rewarding to go out and participate with Volunters in their various
activities. I visited PCVs in the Balkan region in February and
celebrated my birthday with them and many of their colleagues. I also
got to attend two teacher-training conferences, several teachers' and
students' English conversation clubs and a meal or two with PCVs and
their host families.  These PCVs deserve a lot of credit for their
creativity and their persistence in a challenging environment!  What
impressive people they are! Over the next few months I hope to get to
other parts of the country and participate with Volunteers in camps,
clubs and classes with them. I can't believe that I have only 8 months
left here! And it will pass quickly.

I am scheduled to go to Bishkek (Kyrgyz republic) next month to meet
with our new Regional Director and the other Country Directors from my
region. It is always very useful to spend time with other CDs. I learn
a lot from them and am able to share what I have learned as well. I've
been to Bishkek before and it is a nice place—small like Ashgabat but
it has a real department store and a real grocery store. (I guess we
have one grocery store but the selection is pretty limited and it
carries no American products!)

I was fortunate enough to be able to meet my friend Kathy Carson and
her sister-in-law Nancy in Italy this month for a few days. Kathy's
niece is in the Air Force stationed in Northern Italy so we took
advantage of the opportunity to visit with her and see some of Italy.
It was a whirlwind tour but we saw a lot. We managed to see a bit of
Milan, Venice, Florence, with a side trip to Pisa, and Rome.  Venice
was very interesting and we enjoyed our time there. I would like
another day to see the glass factories etc.

Florence is lovely and definitely we could have spent more time there.
It is serene and beautiful. The trip to Pisa by train and back was
wonderful. And yes, the tower really does lean! Pictures cannot do it
justice! I'm glad we went!

Rome was very busy and bustling. But we enjoyed out time there. We
spent a day doing an overview tour (2 hours) and then wandered off to
see the ancient Rome sites! Wow. The second day we spent focused on
the Vatican. After standing in line for about an hour, we got into the
Vatican Museum and saw many Vatican treasures, culminating in the
Sistine Chapel.  Then we toured St Peter's Cathedral, which is quite
awesome and holds the Pieta by Michelangelo.  Italy is so full of
treasures and history! We really enjoyed the small taste of Italy we
got on this trip. It is an expensive place but well worth seeing.  We
found people to be very nice and helpful.    We figured out the trains
with the help of a kind ticket agent or two and Kathy's niece and we
also managed to use the subways in Milan and Rome after a false start
as well.

That's about all the news I have today. I hope this finds spring
coming to your neighborhood. And I look forward to hearing from you.

Sharon

The latest from Sharon Sugarek in Turkmenistan. Sharon goes shopping.

April 4, 2004
For many months, every time I have thought about something I wanted to
do or see here, I`ve always thought, "It's okay. I have plenty of
time."  Well, it turns out that there are many things to do and
see and time is running out. So I am making a concerted effort to do
some of the things I keep saying I want to do.

I may never make to the Camel Market in Peshwar (India) but today I
went to the Camel Market at Tolkuchka! As many of you know, Tolkuchka
is the big, big market in the desert, just outside of Ashgabat. (If
you look up Turkmenistan in the book, "1000 Places to See Before
You Die" you will find Tolkuchka described there.) The main market
day is Sunday although the market is also open on Thursday and
Saturdays too.
  But Sunday is the day to buy livestock and automobiles! So this
morning I got up at 6 am and picked up Enesh, who works for Peace
Corps as a receptionist, and is my friend and shopping buddy for
Tolkuchka! (Enesh and I have been talking about going to the camel
market for at least six months. She has never been either, although
she has lived all her life in Turkmenistan.) Ruth Wheeler, our Admin
Officer, also joined us on this adventure. Enesh and I have made many
a trip out to the desert in search of treasures at the market. But
this morning we were on a mission.

So off we went in search of the Tolkuchka livestock market. Luckily as
we were driving towards Tolkuchka amid all the buses, cars and trucks,
we landed behind a truck bearing two adult camels and two baby camels.
Enesh suggested that we follow the truck since surely it was going to
the market and we were not really sure exactly which road to turn off
on to get to it. Great suggestion as he led us directly into the
livestock market although I'm sure the fellow driving the truck
wondered why some women in a big green Jeep and a Land Cruiser were
following him to the back of the camel market. We obviously did not
have any animals to sell. (I'll explain about why we were in two
cars
later.)  After carefully selecting parking places where we thought we
would not be blocked in, we set off to walk through the livestock
market. Ruth remarked that it reminded her a bit of the state fair
back home and it did. Certainly smelled similar!

First we encountered the sheep and goats in rather nice pens. Since it
is lambing season there were lots of baby sheep and goats. For those
of you who have never been around baby goats and sheep, they are
absolutely adorable. I am particularly fond of the solid black lambs
and kids and really wanted to take home a cute little solid black
Persian lamb with me. Ruth took a great picture of me holding the cute
little thing who was only 210,000 manat which is about  $10. Of course
they do grow up and then what would I do with him?

After shooting a few photos in the area we spied the camels and made
our way to that section of the market.  What an experience. Since it
is baby season for camels, there were lots of momma camels with babies
for sale at the market.  Turns out camels are pretty big creatures,
even the babies! I had never been quite that close before—at
least not
without something between me and the camel, like a car!  There were
probably about 50 or more adult camels for sale and most had babies
with them. So here were all these people standing around holding one
or two camels, looking to find a buyer. We found out you can buy a
mother camel and baby for around 9 million manats which is around
$425. And while we were there we saw several deals being struck.
Happily there were a number of Turkmen women in the market so we were
not the only women there. And although everyone stared at us, they
were very nice to us, allowing us to take pictures and answering our
questions. We happened to be able to watch one Turkmen women buying a
camel! She was so happy with her purchase!  Meanwhile it turns out
both Ruth and I had spent time on farms growing up and were fairly
comfortable in this market, but Enesh had never been around much big
livestock and was somewhat nervous as we dragged her around to look at
all the animals. But she was a good sport and asked questions for us
and only made us move a couple of times when she thought the camels
were getting too close!  (We did encounter a couple of camels who did
not want to be there and were making it known to their owner.) Turns
out the camels market was rather noisy because camels like to talk to
each other! I would guess that with so many babies, that would make
the noisy level go up too. We probably spent at least 30-45 minutes
just watching the camels and taking photos of the whole process going
on in the market.



After that we wandered over to another section of the livestock market
where we encountered lots and lots of trucks full of sheep and goats.
  Guess these were the slots for people with fewer animals to sell than
those in the pens. Walking over to that section we encountered a man
who had some interesting wooden bowls he was selling. These bowls are
apparently an indigenous craft, but I have no idea what kind of wood
he uses. Ruth and I each bought a bowl from him. He told us we have to
oil the bowls every day to seal them. So we'll see how that goes.
He
told us to come back next week when he will have the carved and
decorated wooden soupspoons. While we were talking with him this
fellow comes up and says hello to us. Turns out it is Ali, the Vet who
treats Lulu, my dog, and Serk—formerly my cat and now Ruth's
cat.
Seems he works at Tolkuchka on Sundays checking the animals as they
come into the market to be sure they are healthy. He also owns a horse
farm or something like that outside of town. He has invited us to come
out and ride when the weather gets nice. The Ahal-Tekke Horses are an
indigenous breed and are quite famous in the region. They are
beautiful horses. Something to look forward to! He has also invited us
to go to the horse races here too. So next month when they start we
are going to take him up on his offer. He said he will take back where
the horses are to meet the owners and see the inside of the racetrack.
Should be very interesting. No official betting here, but I hear
wagers are made on the side.

After chatting for a few minutes, Ali went back to the gate and we
wandered through the row of sheep and goat trucks, spotting one truck
that had about 8 little black and white baby goats, along with about
two dozen older goats. They were very cute and I thought Enesh might
take one home—except she lives in apartment so it wouldn't
work out! .
We learned that an adult sheep cost about $20 more or less. But we
didn't buy any. Then it was on to the cattle. Lots of cattle,
everyone
just standing around holding them—including a number of Turkmen
women!
  But as we wandered through, I saw several nice year-old cows but did
not ask how much they cost. I have to admit that after the camel
market, the cattle section was rather anticlimactic! We also learned
that sometimes there are horses at the market, but not this week.

So off we went to retrieve our cars to go to the main market which is
maybe a half mile or so away. And of course when we get back to our
cars we find that they have become the back row and we are blocked in!
But there is a small boy sitting in one of the cars so we send him to
find his father to move the car. The father comes and a conversation
ensues between him and Enesh in Turkmen. The man is teasing her
(maybe), saying that since we are only women he does not have to move
the car. Enesh tells him that we are foreigners and visitors and he
should be nice to us. He says okay and moves the car and we all say
"thank you" and wave goodbye. What an interesting exchange.



Now you might be wondering why three women need two big cars to go to
the market. But there is a very simple reason. We had two missions
today—not just one. Our second mission was to buy top jon
cushions for
our top jons. You might recall that a top jon is a wooden platform
with sides that is placed outside usually in the shade. This is the
place where everyone sits, and often where they eat and sleep when it
is hot outside.  Usually you put a rug down on the surface and then
place flat cushions to lie on and round pillows for your back if you
are sitting against the side—or for your head if you are lying
down.
We figured that because we needed so many cushions, they would not all
fit on one car—and we were correct. The lady we bought from was so
happy. We made her day. She made a really good sale. Now when it gets
warm, we are ready!

The rest of the market was fun too. We had several other things on our
shopping list—cheesecloth, unbleached muslin, fabric for a
housedress
(everyone here changes out of their good work clothes when they get
home), fabric for curtains for the Volunteer sick room, a door mat for
the outside door, etc. So we wandered all around the market. It was
lovely to see the fresh green onions, mint, spinach and cabbage.
Spring is coming. I met a very nice lady selling prayer rugs and
learned that you are not supposed to bargain when you buy prayer rugs,
at least not here. She had some lovely ones and one came home with me!
  The market was bustling and we really enjoyed our day out there. I
have some nice photos as well and some day will get them somewhere
were others can see them.

So I hope you had a lovely day, too.

Sharon

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Happy Hour

Date: Thursday, April 15, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

Two Rows Brewery
5500 Greenville Ave
Dallas
Contact: Roger Chapin
972-234-2190

It's time to get out our summer newsletter. If you have any articles
or announcements for the summer newsletter please submit them by April
30th at the very latest. Please send your articles to
gcsauve@....

For those interested in FREE tickets to the Hyena's Comedy Night Club
in Ft. Worth Garrett Sauve has some tickets.  Read on: I have 20 free
tickets to Hyena's Comedy Night Club in Fort Worth for this upcoming
Friday, April 23rd at 8:30 pm  to see Chas Elstner  If anyone would
like to go, I can be reached at (817) 903-3859 or at
gcsauve@...., and I will give out additional information
about where we need to meet and at what time.  Hyena's Comedy Night
Club is located at 605 Houston Street in downtown Fort Worth.  We
will need to meet at about 7:45 to get in.  There is a two drink
minimum and for those who do not wish to drink, nonalcholic drinks
are available.

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Steering Committee

Date: Monday, May 3, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

Trinity Hall Pub
5321 E. Mockingbird Ln
Dallas
Contact: Roger Chapin
972-234-2190

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Steering Committee

Date: Monday, May 3, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

Trinity Hall Pub
5321 E. Mockingbird Ln
Dallas
Contact: Roger Chapin
972-234-2190

Hello,

Attached is the NTPCA newsletter for 2004.  If you
have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please
forward them to Garrett at gcsauve@....  Thanks.




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs
http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/careermakeover

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Happy Hour

Date: Thursday, May 20, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

Gloria’s Restaurant
5100 Beltline Rd., Dallas
Contact Roger Chapin
972-234-2190

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Peace Corps Dinner

Date: Saturday, May 22, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 9:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

On Saturday, May 22 we invite you to attend another Peace Corps
Partnership dinners hosted by the North Texas Peace Corps
Association. The menu will focus on the South Pacific and Asia
region for our theme. Ed and Maria
Hromatka will host the dinner at their home on 1513 Ridgetop
Ct., Rockwall. Happy Hour is at 6:30 p.m. and dinner is at 7:30.
RPCVs from the Asia – Pacific region are the cooks. Soft
drinks, tea and coffee will be provided but you can bring your
own beverage of choice.
Tickets are $15.00 with a reservation and $25.00 at the door. To
make a reservation, please call Brynne Sissom at (972) 650-9026
or Kathy Carson
(214) 378-9443.

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Happy Hour

Date: Thursday, May 20, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

Gloria’s Restaurant
5100 Beltline Rd., Dallas
Contact Roger Chapin
972-234-2190

The lastest news from Sharon Sugarek in Turkmenistan.

Buying Carpets in Turkmenistan
  When I first came to Turkmenistan I did not know much about buying
handmade carpets although I had a passing interest in Oriental rugs.
But Turkmenistan is famous for its beautiful carpets and I have had a
wonderful opportunity to learn a lot about how they are made and how
to look for quality. And needless to say I have had ample opportunity
to spend money on beautiful hand made carpets I will enjoy for the
rest of my life.

Traditionally, Turkmen carpets are red. The different tribes make
their own patterns and carpets are an important part of the culture
and the wealth of a family, especially a bride.

I can now go to Tolkuchka (the big Sunday market in the desert) and
look at carpets and tell which ones are better quality by how they are
made and how they feel. Turkmen carpets are made here of course but
they are also made in Afghanistan, which has about 200,000 Turkmen
living there and there are some Turkmen living in Iraq as well. So the
traditional patterns find their way into rugs from all of these
places. If you look on the Internet you will find more information
about Turkmen carpets from Afghanistan than from here. But the
explanations of the origins of the patterns are very good.

So the big adventure has been the ordering and production of a custom
carpet for my mother's den. Jeren is a lovely Turkmen woman from whom
I buy most of my carpets. She has consistently high quality and
beautiful and unusual patterns. She sometime has carpets made with
natural dyes and also beautiful silk carpets. She has lots of ways to
get my money! But every buy is a wonderful value for a piece of art!

For months she and I looked for a carpet that would fit my mother's
den. But it had to be 11'2" wide, not a standard size. So finally we
decided to order the carpet. But that involves picking out the basic
pattern, the colors for the basic pattern, the various borders, since
the borders are quite elaborate. The next step is to cross ones
fingers and hope that it will all turn out okay!  It was a daunting
task for me. What if what I picked did not look good? What if my
mother didn't like the pattern I chose?  What if the colors weren't
right?  But, one evening Jeren and I and Enesh (our receptionist and
my partner is shopping and other adventures—like the camel market!)
sat and drank tea and discussed this project while we looked through
piles of carpets to get ideas. (And of course I bought a smaller
carpet for some other room.)  This carpet was to have a beige
background and have a Tekke pattern that I really like and have in the
first carpet I ever bought here which will go in my den when I get
home! This pattern looks wonderful in large carpets. So the project
was launched with some fear and trepidation.

So in January Jeren went to her home village of Baharden about 100
kilometers from Ashgabat to order this carpet. Jeren is from Baharden
and the ladies who made the carpet are some distant relatives—cousins
of one sort or another. So for two and half months ten women have
worked two shifts a day to make this carpet for my mother's house.

Last month I took a trip to Baharden to meet the women who have been
working on this wonderful carpet.  These young women range in age from
15 to 20 years old and all are unmarried. As they explained to me, the
unmarried women have more time to work on carpets than the married
women. The children finish school here when they are fifteen and most
girls in the villages learn to make carpets while in their teens. So
these young women had worked very hard for two and a half months to
make this lovely carpet. I am happy to report that the carpet is
gorgeous and the quality is excellent. I am sure my mother will love it.

When I arrived in Baharden, with Jeren, Ensh and two other Americans
form my staff, we met six of the ten young women who made the carpet
plus the older women who seemed to be the supervisor and provided the
workspace in her compound where the carpet was made.  Carpet making is
still a cottage industry here in Turkmenistan although the government
does run several carpet factories (where the carpets are still
hand-made). I like buying from the individual makers and usually the
quality of the product is better from individuals.

When we arrived all of the young women were dressed in their finest
dresses. They knew we would be taking photos and wanted to look their
best. At first they were a bit shy but they enjoyed taking photos and
explaining about how they made the carpet.  We took photos of them
holding the carpet and showing how they tied the fringe on the edge.
And we took some photos of them working on a smaller carpet there in
the workroom. My mother's carpet filled the entire workroom. (Luckily
they had taken a photo while they were making the carpet to show it
filling the entire space!) They wanted us to see this so they took us
down the street to another workroom where a very large carpet was in
progress so we could see what it looked like. In all we had a
wonderful time as they showed us all about how they do their work.  I
had invited Marjie, our Medical Officer, and Ruth, our Administrative
Office to go along with Enesh (our receptionist at the office) and
Jeren and her husband. We were quite a party!

After we talked about the carpet and talked to the young women, wrote
down their names and gave them a small gift of chocolates, we went
inside the house to have tea and talk. The women were shy at first and
hesitated to talk. So I told them about Peace Corps and we talked
about a young woman PCV who had lived in Baharden for a few months.
They told me that the American woman wore pants and had a backpack and
that was odd. (Here in traditional villages, women do not wear pants
and only children carry backpacks for their schoolbooks.) One of the
young women is related to a neighbor of the family where the PCV had
lived but none of these women had ever met an American before.  And
this day they had three of them visiting! After they lost a little of
their shyness, we talked about their lives and what they did. And we
had a lovely visit. Enesh told me later that the young women had
really enjoyed getting to know us and Enesh was sure they were going
to tell their families and friends about us and how nice and friendly
we were to them. This cross-cultural outreach is what Peace Corps is
all about. We just did it by buying a carpet!

They were proud of the work they had done and were very glad that I
was so pleased with the carpet. It was a delightful and very
successful visit on many levels. While we were talking I also learned
that the first carpet I bought in Turkmenistan, a 10' by 13' deep red
traditional Turkmen carpet, was made by these same young women. I am
so pleased to know they made this carpet as well. They do such
beautiful work.

I also promised that when I return to the US and the carpet is
installed in my mother's house I will take a photo and send it to them
so they can see it in America.  I explained all about where the carpet
was going and about Texas and about my folks. They asked how old my
parents are and I told them and explained that my parents would enjoy
this carpet for a very long time because they are quite young. They
thought that was very good and are looking forward to seeing the
photos from Texas. I explained that it would be at least a year before
they would get them but I'm not sure they believed me.  Later I had
the photos of our visit there printed and sent them copies. Photos are
highly valued here.

So that's it for having a carpet made. Hope you enjoy the story.

Sharon


Note: to see the pictures go to the NTPCA Yahoo site, open "Photos"
and view the Turkmenistan file.

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Peace Corps Dinner

Date: Saturday, May 22, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 9:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

On Saturday, May 22 we invite you to attend another Peace Corps
Partnership dinners hosted by the North Texas Peace Corps
Association. The menu will focus on the South Pacific and Asia
region for our theme. Ed and Maria
Hromatka will host the dinner at their home on 1513 Ridgetop
Ct., Rockwall. Happy Hour is at 6:30 p.m. and dinner is at 7:30.
RPCVs from the Asia – Pacific region are the cooks. Soft
drinks, tea and coffee will be provided but you can bring your
own beverage of choice.
Tickets are $15.00 with a reservation and $25.00 at the door. To
make a reservation, please call Brynne Sissom at (972) 650-9026
or Kathy Carson
(214) 378-9443.

The latest news from Sharon Sugarek in Turkmenistan.

Going to the Horse Races
  The weekend of May 8-9 is very important in former Soviet Republics.
It is called Victory Day and commemorates the Russian victory in World
War II. The various republics supplied soldiers to the Soviet Army and
there are still veterans here in Turkmenistan.  And there were
numerous ceremonies around town on Saturday and Sunday to mark the
occasion.  In addition, there were horse races held at the old
Hippodrome on Sunday.

So off we went to check out the horse races. My friend Carole Gates
was here visiting from the US. She and our other friend Joyce Hickok
had just completed a 2-½ week "Silk Road" Tour through Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan. The tour ended in Ashgabat and Carole was able to stay
on a few days to visit and do some other things here in Ashgabat—even
though there is not a lot to do.   Anyway, Carole, my friend Bahar and
I spent the morning at Tolkuchka helping Carole acquire and
appropriate range of Turkmen crafts to remind her of her visit here.
And then we set off for the races.

The Turkmen are very proud of their unique "Ahalteke" horses as they
should be. These are beautiful horses that remind me of quarter horses
and some of them are beautiful racers.

We arrived at the Hippodrome somewhere between the first and second
races. We were directed to sit in an area almost at the finish line
that was sparsely populated and appeared to be right next to the VIP
section where government dignitaries would be seated if they were
there. There were a few people in that section but we didn't really
investigate. A quick look around the stands revealed that the ere were
very few women present here, but there were two women with their
children seated several rows below us. Carole and I were also the only
foreigners in the place. But we were undeterred.

I noticed that the women below us were reading programs so I sent
Bahar off to see if she could find out where to get one. She came back
to tell us that the programs had been available at 10 am (Races
started at 12:00 noon) and none were left. A few minutes later the
very nice older guard for our section motioned to Bahar and presented
her with a copy of the program for us. With the program we were able
to discern for each horse who the owner, trainer and rider were, along
with the name of the horse.

Since Bahar had never been to a horse race before I explained to her
the concepts of handicapping horses and betting. Although there is no
on-track betting, I was assured that there are side bets around the
track. We had a great time trying to pick out who would win each race.
I found a jockey I liked and he did manage to win a race or two where
I picked him.

One of the more surprising parts of the race was that there were no
starting gates. Thus when most of the horses got more or less lined up
at the starting line the race was started. Woe to the jockey who was
not paying attention! In the last race, 10 horses were scheduled to
run. But one jockey was warming his horse up and got separated from
the other horses—and they started the race without him!  I'm sure his
owner was not too happy about the whole thing. As far as I can tell,
the winners do not win money—but I'm not sure about that.  Some win
carpets or scarves but I don't know if there is a purse or not. I plan
to go back to the races and perhaps I will learn more next time.
Attached are a few photos I took of the various winners of different
races.  They are beautiful horses!

*Pictures can be found at our web site in "Photos"

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Archival/Oral history meeting

Date: Sunday, June 6, 2004
Time: 2:30PM - 3:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

Organizing committee meeting
9021 Villa Park Circle, Dallas
Contact: Kathy Carson,
Kcarson@...

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Archival/Oral history meeting

Date: Sunday, June 6, 2004
Time: 2:30PM - 3:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

Organizing committee meeting
9021 Villa Park Circle, Dallas
Contact: Kathy Carson,
Kcarson@...

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Happy Hour

Date: Thursday, June 17, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

The Old Monk (Dallas)
2847 North Henderson Ave
Contact: Roger Chapin
972-234-2190

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Summer Cookout

Date: Saturday, June 26, 2004
Time: 5:00PM - 9:00PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

The NTPCA and the
Dallas Peace Corps office has joined together for RPCVs to meet
with Peace Corps nominees and applicants to discuss their
experiences with those about to launch on their own
international adventure; bring pictures if you can.
Hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and soft drinks
will be provided. If you want something stronger it’s BYOB.
Also, if you feel like bringing a dish from your country of
service, you are welcome to do so, but it
is entirely optional.  You can come anytime after 5 p.m. and
food served at 6:30.  The cookout will be held at the home of
Roger Chapin at 613 Harvest Glen Dr., Richardson, just north of
the Richland Community College.  Depending on the direction
you’re coming from, exit I-635 3 miles east of US 75, on
Abrams. Drive about 1 mile north, turn right on Walnut St., go
about 0.3 mi and turn left on Richland Park 0.25 mi then turn
right on Harvest Glen.
For those coming from the north on US 75, exit left on Spring
Valley, which
turns into Centennial, to1.50 mi, turn right on Abrams. Drive
0.50 mi and turn
left on Park Bend 0.30 mi, turn right on Lois 0.40mi and then
left on Harvest
Glen

-----Original Message-----
From: LSI-Monica Barnett [mailto:monica.barnett@...]
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 1:51 PM
To: dravelojaona@...
Subject:

Hello Dana

As a former RPCV, I thought it may be appropriate to contact your office.  My company, Logistical Solutions, is looking to hire in the Dallas area, and I was wondering if you could share the attached job description with your staff and see if there are any RPCVs or others in your network in Dallas who may be interested in this opportunity. 

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide. 

 

Monica

 

 

Monica Barnett

Vice President/Operations Manager

Logistical Solutions International, Inc.

P.O. Box 271386 

Houston, TX  77277 USA

(713) 621-8130 phone

(713) 621-8135 fax

monica.barnett@...

www.logisticalsolutions.com

 

 

 

 

 

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Happy Hour

Date: Thursday, June 17, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

The Old Monk (Dallas)
2847 North Henderson Ave
Contact: Roger Chapin
972-234-2190

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Summer Cookout

Date: Saturday, June 26, 2004
Time: 5:00PM - 9:00PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

The NTPCA and the
Dallas Peace Corps office has joined together for RPCVs to meet
with Peace Corps nominees and applicants to discuss their
experiences with those about to launch on their own
international adventure; bring pictures if you can.
Hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and soft drinks
will be provided. If you want something stronger it’s BYOB.
Also, if you feel like bringing a dish from your country of
service, you are welcome to do so, but it
is entirely optional.  You can come anytime after 5 p.m. and
food served at 6:30.  The cookout will be held at the home of
Roger Chapin at 613 Harvest Glen Dr., Richardson, just north of
the Richland Community College.  Depending on the direction
you’re coming from, exit I-635 3 miles east of US 75, on
Abrams. Drive about 1 mile north, turn right on Walnut St., go
about 0.3 mi and turn left on Richland Park 0.25 mi then turn
right on Harvest Glen.
For those coming from the north on US 75, exit left on Spring
Valley, which
turns into Centennial, to1.50 mi, turn right on Abrams. Drive
0.50 mi and turn
left on Park Bend 0.30 mi, turn right on Lois 0.40mi and then
left on Harvest
Glen

FYI...


Dana Ravelojaona
Recruitment Coordinator
Dallas Regional Peace Corps Office
1-800-424-8580 opt. 1 ext.5412
(214)253-5412  (214)253-5401 fax
dravelojaona@...


-----Original Message-----
From: Barta, James
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 12:10 PM
To: VRS/OPS/R/DAL
Subject: FW: Fallen Peace Corps Volunteer Memorial




Dear group leaders,

I have recently been in contact with Chelsea and Donna Mack, who created the
Fallen Peace Corps Volunteer Memorial. They are the sister and mother of
Jeremiah Mack, who was a friend of mine in Niger and died in a car accident
while serving as a volunteer. Jeremiah was a superb volunteer and a
wonderful guy who gave enormously in support of the Peace Corps mission.
They created a memorial website www.fpcv.org for all the volunteers who died
while serving peace as a volunteer. It is a wonderful, touching website,
please take a look at the messages in the guestbook, sign it and let your
members know about it. They would also like to create a physical memorial to
fallen volunteers, perhaps at the Kennedy Library. I think it is very much
needed to show respect to those who did not return and their families. NPCA
can help in creating this support network for the families and many RPCV
friends of fallen volunteers.

I would like to request that the NPCA express their support of the memorial.
The first simple way in which this could be done is to create a link from
the NPCA website. Secondly, the NPCA should support the creation of a
physical monument to fallen volunteers perhaps at the Kennedy library. I am
requesting that my regional representative Arlene Goldberg forward this
request to the board at the upcoming NPCA conference.

Thank you,
Steve Hoyt
President RPCV's of Northeastern NY



---
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The latest news from Sharon Sugarek in Turkmenistan.  To see the
pictures go to the NTPCA web site, click photos and look in the
Turkmenistan file.

June 26, 2004
  Dear friends and family,

  This will be my last update from Ashgabat. I have accepted a new
position with Peace Corps and will be returning to manage the Regional
Recruiting Office based out of Dallas. The office covers Texas,
Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and New Mexico. I am looking forward to
the new job and to working with many people I have met over the years
through my association with Peace Corps and the National Peace Corps
Association.

  I am sad to be leaving Turkmenistan because of the wonderful and
talented Volunteers and staff I have had the honor to work with. And I
am eager to return to my home and see all my friends and family in the
US, although I'm not sure I'm ready for Dallas traffic yet!!!  I'll be
flying into Dallas on July 21st and will start my new job in Dallas on
Monday July 26!! Will have to make a quick adjustment!

  So thank you all for your support and encouragement these past two
years. I hope you have enjoyed the stories of life here in
Turkmenistan. And I look forward to seeing you soon.

  Please enjoy this last story about making felt rugs. It was an
interesting adventure!

  Sharon

Making Felt Rugs

The people of Turkmenistan were once nomadic, moving from place to
place to find food for themselves and for their flocks of sheep, goats
and camels.  People lived in yurts, which are round shelters, which
are made of felt covers laid over wooden pole structures. Yurts are
along the same lines as teepees, with a hole in the top to let smoke
escape. I am not describing this well but I'll find a photo to
attach.(See photo #1) The insides of the yurt are lines with carpets,
large camel bags and perhaps even a small piece of furniture or
two—usually a bride's wooden chest (for clothes and other precious
possessions) or a small cupboard for storing dishes and whatnot. On
the floor you will find decorative and very warm felt rugs. The walls
may also have heavy felt pieces attached to provide warmth.

Inside the yurt, the space is divided into three areas, one for men,
one for women and one for guests, closest to the fire.  When meals are
served, the women and female children sit together in one area and eat
out of a common bowl and the men and boys sit in another are. In the
photo you can see the fire in the middle of the yurt. This fore is
used for making tea, cooking lunch or dinner and keeping the yurt warmer.

  A couple of weeks ago when my friend Carole Gates was visiting me, we
set off for Erbent, a town in the desert about 150 kilometers from
Ashgabat where the people are semi-nomadic and make the felt rugs from
the wool of their own sheep. Elena was our guide and knew several
families in this settlement. Bahar, a young Turkmen woman who is my
house and dog sitter, also accompanied us. Bahar is Turkmen and I have
been taking her with me to many places I go to give her a chance to
learn more about her own country. Turkmen do not travel much even
within their own country. So she has a chance to do a lot of things
that other Turkmen do not do. Plus she is also fluent in English,
Turkmen and Russian and does a great job of helping out with
translations!

  So early on Saturday morning off the four of us went in my trusty
Jeep to Erbent. We packed the car with water, snacks, lunch and
everything else we could think of. You would have though we were going
for a week! But not knowing what to expect we wanted to be prepared!

  The desert itself is fascinating this time of year. Many wildflowers
are in bloom and the desert is green rather than brown in many places.
There are not many settlements on this road so we go for long
stretches without seeing any houses—and only  the occasional car or
truck.  But as we near Erbent, the sand is barren, No plants, no
wildflowers no nothing!. Talk about a desolate looking place.

  But we were warmly welcomed into the yurt to have tea and meet
various family members who live there. These women have a pretty tough
life out in the desert, in my opinion. But they seemed happy, proud of
their children and proud of their skills in making various things
including the felt rugs. As part of our visit, they wanted to be sure
we had the chance to try a variety of unique foods common to their
diet. The first was camel milk, which was a bit tangy. Next was yogurt
made with camel mil—sort of a thick yogurt drink. It was quite tasty
and I liked it. The last was yogurt made from goat's milk. Now that
was a little too sour for my taste!! Very unique. But now we can say
we have tried it. Along with the fried sheep fat snacks! Since they
are out in the desert they don't have much in the way of gardens—not
enough water. So their diets are based heavily on what their camels,
sheep and goats produce. Looks like a very tough life to me!

  So after all that, off we went to see how the felt rugs are made. And
what a process it is.  First the wool is clipped from the animals and
laid on a surface (plastic or cardboard). Then the women beat the wool
with two metal rods to clean it. This also knocks all the dirt out and
fluffs the wool. Believe me it is not as easy as it looks—I tried it
and there is definitely a technique to it!  After beating the wool
into submission, next it is combed to untangle it.  You can see from
the photo that this is also a tedious job, done a little at a time.
The third step involves dying the wool different colors for whatever
pattern is being made. The day we were there they were not dying wool
so I don't know exactly how they do that but I don't think there is
anything odd about their techniques. Today I think they use regular
commercials dyes but I'm not sure.

  Once the wool is dyed, they take it into a room where they have
plastic laid out on the floor. The wool of various colors is laid out
in the desired pattern and soaked in water for some period of time.
Then the plain, un-dyed white wool is pressed into the patterned wool
to form a thick felt carpet. Next this rug is laid out on a platform
outdoors where the women roll and press the felt over and over to
enmesh the patterned wool into the plain wool until it becomes one
single surface. It is really hard work. And I can tell you that these
ladies who do this are really strong!

  Once this process is complete, the felt rug is laid out on this
platform to dry in the sun. Periodically the ladies smooth it out and
make sure the rug lays flat. Once it is dry, it is ready to sell!
Mostly they sell their rugs either to tourist like me who come to
visit them—or to a person who buys from several people and then takes
the rugs to Tolkuchka to sell. According to these ladies it takes two
ladies about a full day to make a 3 by 5 foot rug.  And they sell them
for less than $5! Lots of work, but $5 goes a long way for them so I
guess everyone was happy at the end of our transactions! As you can
see from the last photo, Lulu is enjoying her new felt rug!

  Clearly these rugs do not last as long as the Turkmen carpets. But
they serve a very useful purpose for the yurts. They use materials at
hand, are warm and provide a comfortable place to sleep or sit.  I've
been told that during the summer, they attract moths so they need to
be sprayed with some sort of concoction made from tobacco and stored.
I'll keep an eye on them and let you know!

  After our adventures in felt rug making the children insisted that we
come with them to see their school, which we did. They were very proud
of their classrooms and their school. I think we were most surprised
by how small the children were. Clearly a testimony to the difficult
of their lives in the desert where good nutrition is not available.
So in addition to gaining some insight into this traditional folk
craft, I think we also got insight into the daily challenges these
desert people face in securing their survival.  And I feel sure the
folks we visited with do pretty well since they do have the occasional
tourist who stays overnight or spends the day with them.  But these
people welcomed us into their house, gave us tea and offered us lunch.
I think that is one thing that you can also depend on Turkmen people
to do. No matter how much or how kittle they have, they will always
share it with you.

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Steering Committee Meeting

Date: Tuesday, July 6, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

Meeting Two Rows Brewery
5500 Greenville Ave.
Contact: Roger Chapin
972-234-2190

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Happy Hour

Date: Thursday, July 15, 2004
Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

The Ginger Man
2718 Boll Street, Dallas
Contact: Roger Chapin
972-234-2190

We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.

Steering Committee Meeting

Date: Monday, July 12, 2004
Time: 6:15PM - 8:15PM CDT (GMT-05:00)

Meeting Two Rows Brewery
5500 Greenville Ave.
Contact: Roger Chapin
972-234-2190