Exploding into Verse... and Just Exploding

In the first section below, Marvin Hanson’s reminiscences lead him to break into verse, which he asks that Char read on his behalf at the reunion.  In the second, Jerry Mills takes his young protagonist, Stephen, into ever more embarrassing and frustrating situations in Chapter 6 of My Heart Is Like a Cabbage.  (Go to “Pages” on the right of the blogpage and click on “My Heart Is Like a Cabbage” to read the full chapter.)  Somehow my sense of life as a PCV in Sierra Leone will have to combine these two wildly different takes on the Peace Corps experience.  Enjoy!    - Tony

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I can't think of anything that will be more fun than sitting around, drinking a beer (or ten) and talking story with our colleagues and friends from our Sierra Leone days as you have planned....  I bet the nostalgia will be flowing.  I don't know if 

it is part of getting a bit older, but I find it a lot of fun to sit 

(preferably on the beach) and to exchange stories from times past.  Just this past week I had a visit from one of my closest friends from the seminary days well over 50 years ago.  It was a blast, with lots of laughs and lots of memories.  The only problem (as my Masako pointed out) was that I tended to repeat myself, I tended to repeat myself, I tended to repeat myself.  I know you are all going to have a most wonderful time, and I wish I could be there with you to share in the happy times. But Washington D.C. is a tad too far for us Hawaiians to travel.  So for the 60th reunion, let's do it here in Paradise.

I wanted to write a poem for this special occasion and ask that you share it with the folks.  Sadly, my poetic skills have definitely failed me in recent times.  The theme I wanted in my  verse is that I am happy.  And much of the happiness is due directly or indirectly or not at all to the fact that I got to be with you guys in 1962-1964 in New Paltz and in Sierra 

Leone.  (Char, please share this on my behalf when you are all together talking about your past and your present lives.)

I am happy for that experience in Sierra Leone. (Who else can say they taught 

Latin in the bush schools in West Africa?)

I am happy that I got all those graduate degrees out of the University of Michigan, which loved having returned Peace Corps Volunteers back in the 60's.

I am happy with all the diverse and varied careers I have had throughout my life (social worker, health planner, auditor, chief financial officer of a hospital, sumo wrestler, and gigolo in Waikiki).

I am happy that I met my wife, Mary, a PCV in Venezuela.  Twenty years together before she passed on from cancer in 1987.

I am happy for the two kids I have and the three grandchildren who are smarter and cuter than any of your grandchildren.

I am happy for all the world travel I have been able to experience.  When younger, it was exciting to travel to the places like Cambodia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China but now that I am a bit older, I definitely prefer the Mediterranean cruises.

I am happy for having moved to Hawaii 24 years ago and now have retired to the beach to meditate on the "eternal variances of life."  It don't get no bettah.

I am extremely happy for now being with Masako for over 23 years.  She is definitely the ultimate life companion and is the major reason why I am happy.

I am happy that because of the Peace Corps, I got to meet some super wonderful people like Bob Rawson, Char, Kay White, Mary Mullin, Dave Frame, Tony.  Please give all these folks a great big hug (kiss) for me.

I am happy for all the memories that I have enjoyed this past year from the 

stories shared by Tony Russell, Gerry Davis, Char, and Jerry Mills.  Thanks so much.

I am happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy. (Sorry, did I 

mention I tend to repeat myself?)

- Marvin Hanson

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Chapter 6

In late November, the lab equipment arrived.  As was the case with the sea chest of my personal belongings, shipped from St. Louis even before we departed for Sierra Leone, so, too, the shipment of lab supplies and chemicals was weeks tardy in its arrival—this after the urgency pressed upon me to prepare the order.  And just as I had managed to get by with a single suitcase of belongings for nearly two months, in my role as Science Master I had to make do for all those months by drawing on my meager knowledge of chemistry and physics, and botany, the only college level science course I ever made an A in.  

Another Chapter, Another Link

     Thanks to Jim Murphy, who sent a copy of the Bureau of African Affairs' Background Note on Sierra Leone.  It's full of information, and an excellent resource.  I've posted a link to the U.S Dept. of State's website where the background note can be found; look for it under "Links" on the right hand side of the blog page.


     Also, Jerry Mills has sent along the fifth chapter of  My Heart Is Like a Cabbage, which you can also find on the right side of the blog, under "Pages."  Jerry says this is his favorite chapter; it's strong work, bringing back many memories--both good and painful.      - Tony

My Heart Is Like A Cabbage ~ Jerry Mills

     Below you'll find the beginning of the fourth chapter of Jerry Mills' ongoing serialized novel My Heart Is Like a Cabbage, based on his experience in Sierra Leone.  To read the full chapter--or the full novel--go to "Pages" on the right side of the blog page and click on the novel's title.       - Tony

 

Chapter 4

My stomach was growling the next morning—a little hunger, a little anxiety—as we raced down the highway toward Peninsula Secondary School.  Ron and I had overslept.  Samuel, already dressed in his freshly washed uniform, white shirt and gray shorts, had awakened us, his brow glistening with sweat, his face nearly radiant with anticipation. 

We skipped the ritual of breakfast; I grabbed a banana as we raced out the door.  Ron informed me Clifford was a stickler for punctuality, the lack of which, he deemed, was the reason Africans were not ready to join the council of world citizens.  I was apprehensive, a thousand scenarios of the first day flashing through my head.  My liberal arts degree was small comfort; my only classroom experience had been a stint as an assistant in a Botany lab my senior year at Mizzou.  Stage fright loomed in my fantasies of standing before a class of some thirty students.

The school was located at an intersection about a mile and a half further down the road leading to Bo.  Uniformed students walking along the highway waved at the Jeep as we passed.  They didn’t seem too concerned about the prospect of being late.....  

Night Walk

          Jerry Davis has sent another installment of his Peace Corps Journal, this time describing an incident where he, Dave Frame, and Anne Burdick were stranded on a Sierra Leonean road at night.  Below is the opening paragraph; to read the full entry, go to “Pages” on the right and click on “Jerry Davis’s Journal.  Then scroll down the page until you see the bold heading "December, 1962:  Night Walk with Dave Frame and Anne Burdick."        ~ Tony

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Night Walk with Dave Frame and Anne Burdick, December, 1962

 An American, working in Bo, borrowed a car and talked Anne Burdick, Dave Frame, and myself into going to Freetown with him for the weekend. The capital city was 165 miles from Bo.  We left Bo with high hopes and expectations.  The beaches in Freetown were beautiful and the soothing salt water reminded me of Old Orchard Beach in Maine. 

Novels, We Have Novels, We Have Lots and Lots of Novels

This week sees another installment of Jerry Mills’ serial novel My Heart Is Like a Cabbage.  I really responded to this chapter; let Jerry know what you think (ge5mil@cox.net).  Jerry has mentioned that he is having some trouble working out the kinks in e-mail service up in Nutrioso, where their cabin was singed by the mammoth Wallow fire--the largest in Arizona history, said to be 95% contained today after burning 840 square miles. So if he’s slow in getting back to you, consider the circumstances.

Three weeks ago Jack Johnston sent a note that he also wrote a novel about his Peace Corps experience!  He said, “ For what it's worth, I also wrote a novel (much shorter -- 170 pages) dealing with the same material, which was used as a Master's Thesis in Fine Arts at the University of Maryland 40 or so years ago .  I'm currently investigating having the text scanned and made available as a computer file to anyone in our crew who fancies a copy.  My problem at the moment is finding someone who can scan the text and produce an editable file instead of a PDF (and doesn't charge an arm and a leg).  I should have something in hand well before reunion time.”  So we have another novel to look forward to.  Great!

And I should mention that Hap Cawood also has published a fine novel called The Miler.  I enjoyed it immensely, partially because so much of it paralleled my own experiences growing up in a part of West Virginia very much like Hap’s terrain in Kentucky--including being a runner, dealing with friends and elders unlike myself in many ways, dating a 9th grader when I was entering my senior year of high school--and partially because of the quality of the work itself.  Although most of the novel is told from the standpoint of Jeremiah James--the bulk of it during his high school years--Hap occasionally switches the narration to Jeremiah’s younger sister, Sarah.  Both of them are perceptive and thoughtful, yet believable and likable, and the differences between what the two are aware of often creates a gentle humor.  

There are numerous surprises in Hap’s book, experiments and hidden depth that all seem to work, and belie the familiar surface of a story about growing up in the mountains.  It is at once a coming-of-age story, a sports story (with numerous races chronicled as JJ becomes a one-man track team for Harlan), a portrait of a place and a time, and something more: a sensitive exploration of an interior life in all these contexts.  Highly recommended.

Now that three of you have come out, who else is out there?!                                                     

   

                                                          - Tony

Chapter 2 and a Ballgame

As promised last week, you can now read the second chapter of Jerry Mills’ novel My Heart Is Like a Cabbage, which sees the narrator arriving in Freetown, having to rapidly adjust his expectations, meeting his future housemate, and hiking downhill from Fourah Bay in search of a night on the town and a cold beer.  Go to the novel under “Pages,” click on the title, and then scroll about three-fourths of the way down the page for “Chapter 2.”

Speaking of beer and good times, Judy Cline sent the following note with a link to “Peace Corps Night with the Washington Nationals," a Friday night ballgame while we’re in DC for the PC reunion.    “You might want to put this on our Sierra Leone II blog.  It would follow our visit on Friday to Africare.  What could be better after dancing High Life than a beer and a hotdog at a ballgame?” 

http://events.peacecorps50.org/event/ee5f1dcc990e7cd40fc3ad4014215e51

                                        

                                                    - Tony

Rufus, Jerry Davis, and Jerry Mills

     Rufus has been busy.  Our Thursday night dinner in DC seems to be all set: as Char wrote, “Contract signed, Hopkins on the line with his credit card, all is well.  Rufus has done a marvelous job.”  In addition, the restaurant is set for Friday’s lunch, and we have the whole place reserved--again, thanks to Rufus.  Rufus  has also organized a fundraiser for the Phil Delta Kappa Foundation’s annual drive and for his nonprofit Jah-Kente International.  Energy!  You can see the updated arrangements under “Pages” at “Planning for the 50th PC Anniversary in DC....”

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  Jerry Davis has sent another installment of his Sierra Leone memoirs, this time describing a lorry ride he took from Freetown to Bo.  It brings back a lot of images.  To see the new section, go to “Pages” on the right side of the blog and click on “Jerry Davis’s Journal.”  (I have a vague recollection of a PCV--not a member of our group, I think--riding in a lorry with his arm hanging out the side and having it broken when another vehicle passed too close.  Does that strike a chord for anyone else?)

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And Jerry Mills has sent the second chapter of My Heart Is Like a Cabbage.  But we’re sticking to the every-other-week schedule, so you have that to look forward to next week.  Jerry and his wife, by the way, were driven away from their vacation at their cabin near Nutrioso, Arizona, by the largest wildfire in state history.  As of a few minutes ago, the fire has burned 478,452 acres of forest, mostly ponderosa pines.     - Tony

Jerry Mills, Aminatta Forna, Sean Farren, and Wilbur

          The moment we’ve been waiting for:  Jerry Mills has sent the first chapter of his novel My Heart Is Like a Cabbage.  Jerry will be taking a Charles-Dickens-like approach, trying to write chapters quickly enough to meet a regular “publication” schedule.  I will keep adding installments as they arrive.  To read what has come to date, go to Pages on the right side of the blog and click on the novel’s title.      - Tony

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         Also on the literary front, Jim Murphy sent me an article about Aminatta Forna, a woman from Rogbonko in Sierra Leone who won the 2011 Commonwealth Prize for her novel The Memory of Love, which follows the lives of three men as they try to come to terms with  the war in Sierra Leone and its aftermath.  A London University law graduate and former international reporter for the BBC, Forna has also written a compelling memoir called The Devil That Danced on the Water.  She has said, “"What ultimately happened is that my country had a war. I think it would be extraordinary, as a writer, not to want to write about that."  It’s a fascinating article.  Here is a link so you can read it for yourselves:  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/aminatta-forna-my-country-had-a-war-it-would-be-extraordinary-not-to-want-to-write-about-that-2291536.html

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The Friends of Sierra Leone listserv recently carried the following message from Sean Farren, whom some of you may remember.  I’ve posted it here because you may not have seen it and might enjoy contacting Sean.  [His e-mail address is correct as it appears here, without the “m” in “yahoo.co.”]   - Tony

Hi, 

I've recently become aware of FoSL.  I'm a member of a similar group in Ireland--Sierra Leone Ireland Partnership (www.slip.ie)--and would like to make contact with former colleagues at the Catholic Training College, Bo, where I taught 1961-64, and at Holy Trinity Secondary School, Kenema, 1967-69. SLIP members include former missionaries, teachers, nurses, doctors, development workers, etc., as well as Sierra Leoneans living in Ireland. We recently held a very successful reception to mark 50 years of SL's independence. It was an evening of acquaintances and friendships renewed. The names of PC volunteers were frequently mentioned as tales from the past were recalled. So any former colleagues, I would love to hear from you.  My e-mail address is seanfarren@yahoo.co.uk

Sean Farren

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     Wilbur Mellema has had a humorous exchange with other ex-SL PCVs about the news that the newest group of PC trainees (45 new education trainees: sound familiar?), which left for Sierra Leone last week, is being referred to as SL II, evidently because they are the second group after the long break caused by the civil war and its aftermath.  Wilbur wrote, “How about SL 28, or whatever?  Can't the people in the Peace Corps office count?  I'm a real 2'er and won't stand for being left in the bush of history.” 

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My Heart Is Like A Cabbage ~ Jerry Mills

A few weeks ago Jerry Mills wrote me that he had been working on a semi-autobiographical novel about his experience in Sierra Leone.  He was halfway through, he said, and wondered if I would be interested in posting it in installments on the blog.  I was excited at the prospect, and figured that the process might also help Jerry push through to finish the novel.  When I checked online, it appeared that there was no limit to how long a “page” on a blog can be, so I’ve created a new page on the blog for his work, which is titled My Heart Is Like a Cabbage.

          Jerry and his wife have retreated to the mountains to escape the heat, but he assures me that he can find a way to keep episodes coming every couple of weeks.  I’ll alert you as new installments arrive.  Here are the first few paragraphs of his opening “To the Reader” section.  To continue reading, click on the "My Heart Is Like a Cabbage" link under “Pages” to the right.    - Tony

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Dear Reader,

My Heart Is Like a Cabbage is an autobiographical fiction of the two years I spent in West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer, a teacher of English and Science at Peninsula Secondary School in Waterloo, Sierra Leone.

I first tried to write a novel about this experience while a graduate student at Southern Illinois University during the spring of 1969.  Unhappy with the result, I put the manuscript in a box where it remained for nearly 40 years, unread but omnipresent at the edge of consciousness, like a floater in the eye, part of the baggage that I carted to my current home in Arizona, part of the shards of an experience I could never satisfactorily exhume from memory.       - Jerry Mills

Potpourri

A variety of items have come in the past week or so from people who would like news, possibilities, and suggestions passed on to other members of the group, so today’s entry is a sort of “News of the Week in Review.”

* * * *

Photo of Darleen Beals taken in 1962 at the Magburaka hospital; 
sent by Judy {Salisbury) Cline


First, several folks wrote in response to the news of Darleen Beals’ death.  She and her husband Alan were indeed in Sierra Leone at the same time as our group, and some of you knew them well.  In addition, they were quite active in the Northern California Peace Corps Association; Darleen was the editor of the organization’s newsletter, Connecting.  Below are some of the e-mails I received.

Wilbur wrote, “Yes, Alan and Darleen Beals were friends, and we ran into each other at NorCal functions.  They were enthusiastic supporters of PC and all things Sierra Leonean; they were a good team together.  News of her death came as a surprise to me.  If I recall, they were particularly close friends of Bob Rawson.”

Bruce wrote to tell me that Darleen was with the Medical Group in Magburaka that arrived a few months after we did, and Alan was with the Community Development project that came at the same time.

Jane Koning said, “I can fill you in about Darleen Beals.  She was a nurse working at the Magburaka hospital with the medical team of PCV's  (the same group Frans was with).  Al Beals was in another PC group, called Rural Development  I think, that often came through Magburaka.  They met as volunteers in Magburaka and were married after returning to the US.  I've seen Darleen and Al once or twice at Peace Corps gatherings in California.”

And Bob Rawson sent this note:  “Has anyone filled you in on Darleen Beals?  She was not a Beals when she was a volunteer.  Al Beals, her husband to be (they met in S.L.), was also Peace Corps.  He was in a rural development group and was stationed in Temne country with Bill Prosch and John Benanti.  Darleen was with the nursing group stationed in Magburaka.  Both the nursing group and the rural development group (I think) arrived not long after we arrived.” 


Here is a link for a tribute to Darleen which appears on the Northern California Peace Corps Association website:  http://norcalpca.org/content.cfm?id_con=32

* * * *

Bob Gross forwarded a May 11 New York Times article reporting on a scheduled Congressional hearing sparked by ex-PCVs going public about being sexually assaulted during their Peace Corps service.  Bob said that he felt this issue needs a lot more attention, and wondered whether women from our group would be willing to weigh in on the topic.  Here is a link to the article:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/us/11corps.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

* * * *

And Judy Cline wrote about an essay contest she thought would be of special interest to our group because there are so many writers among us.  It is called the “Enterprise Solutions to Poverty Contest,” it is open to all RPCVs, the prize is $5,000,  and the deadline for submission is July 31.  Here is a brief description from the National Peace Corps Association website: 

The Peace Corps Community’s Enterprise Solutions to Poverty Essay Contest

April 2011 – Washington, DC – The National Peace Corps Association and the SEVEN Fund are sponsoring a global competition inviting the submission of essays that describe innovative ideas for fighting poverty. The winning author will get $5,000, be featured in WorldView magazine, and be a special guest at a distinguished panel in Washington, DC on September 24, 2011, during the four-day weekend of events for the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps.  


For details, go to http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/resources/peace-corps-50th-anniversary/sevenfundessaycontest/#dates 

- Tony