Top products from r/peacecorps

Peace Corps used to have a bunch of books that were collections of Peace Corps essays.

At Home in the World

Peace Corps: The Great Adventure, 1997

Peace Corps: The Great Adventure, 1999

Peace Corps: The Great Adventure, 2002

Peace Corps: To Touch the World

From the Center of the Earth: Stories Out of the Peace Corps

One Hand Does Not Catch a Buffalo: 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories: Volume One: Africa

Gather the Fruit One by One: 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories: Volume Two: The Americas

Even the Smallest Crab Has Teeth: 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories: Volume Four: Asia and the Pacific

A Small Key Opens Big Doors: 50 Years of Amazing Peace Corps Stories: Volume Three: The Heart of Eurasia

Plus there are tons of memoirs about one person's experiences, like Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle and Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village

Good reading!

Not yet a PCV, but as a fellow uke-enthusiast, this sounds awesome!

Perhaps you can use age limits to control how many kids can join. Like, 10 years old and up (IDK what ages you have in your classes, but just as an example) can join the club. You may want to also be a bit strict about attendance. That way kids can't just join for the instrument and then quit 2 weeks later and you never get their uke back. Maybe they have to attend for a certain number of weeks before they can take their instrument home and/or if they miss a certain number of meetings, they are bumped out? It sounds kind of harsh, but you have to protect the instruments and make sure that the kids who are there want to be there and are willing to do the work. I would also definitely have them sign some sort of contract/pledge detailing how to take care of the instrument before they are allowed to take them home.

Oh, and teaching them TAB, instead of how to read music, may be a bit simpler. You can get chord posters for pretty cheap and then the whole group can see the fingering.

I'm currently working through King Leopold's Ghost. It's interesting and well-written, but it is pretty darn dense. I haven't read Stuffed and Starved except in excerpts in a class but it's on my list to bring during service. Guns, Germs, and Steel is also on my list. Very popular and while there is some controversy around it I think it could prove to at least be a very entertaining read.

There's a great book by a hearing impaired PCV who served in Africa - it's call "The Unheard" by Josh Swiller. I really recommend the read for any PCV.

As I recall, he was actually happier speaking in Swahili than English. He had used cochlear implants from when he was a teenager, but because he hadn't heard English from when he was a kid he was never able to speak "normally." But when he was speaking Swahili, everyone just thought he had a foreign accent and loved that he was learning the language.

Additionally, there are lots of programs that work with hearing-impaired or special needs kids.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Unheard-Memoir-Deafness-Africa/dp/0805082107

I do not qualify but it is a great place. I have friends from Moldova. Checkout the Moldova chapter in http://www.amazon.com/The-Geography-Bliss-Grumps-Happiest/dp/044669889X

A portable speaker is a great idea. He will spend countless hours watching movies and television shows on his computer, and a portable speaker is an ideal thing to have for that. And he can use it to listen to music while he's sweeping dirt out of his hut.

I have this one and I love it. Also, it's got a rechargeable battery (via USB) that lasts a long time, so no need for batteries.

https://www.amazon.com/ZTARX-Bluetooth-Waterproof-Smartphone-Compatible/dp/B07HPCGRDZ/

This wasn't the exact model I got but it looks just like it. I ended up giving mine to my host family at the end of PST although I wish I bought another one as my site is often without power. I bought mine about a year ago for around $12 (might have been on sale).

I highly recommend this book! It's hilarious and will tell you some great stuff about Vanuatu.

It wouldn't hurt to read a good history book on whatever country you're going to. For PCVs going to the Philippines, I highly recommend In Our Image by Stanley Karnow.

I just finished Living Poor by Mortiz Thomsen. It's content leans more toward the agricultural side of PC, but there are great stories about navigating cultural barriers. Check it out here.

Hey there - fellow March 2020 CYD invitee here!

My Armenian friend highly recommended this particular Eastern Armenian phrasebook. I purchased it last week:

https://www.amazon.com/Armenian-English-English-Eastern-Armenian-Dictionary-Phrasebook/dp/078181006X

This is a great book.

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Inspired-Tales-Peace-Service/dp/0964447266

https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Ukrainian-Interactive-Online-Workbook/dp/0781813247 This was the book we used in my Ukrainian course at university. It has online audio and answer keys so it's very easy to teach yourself.

https://speakukraine.net/ This is Ukraine's online language website (although I haven't used it yet).

https://sites.ualberta.ca/~ivashkiv/Ukrainian/Ukrainian%20Textbook.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2vAfmoYfBLe0z4kdU3GVja3jhm5PR2WegUEg_4McgnB4B4CVLiTc4Qj1I Another pdf textbook.

You could check out this book, Alternatives to the Peace Corps:

http://www.amazon.com/Alternatives-Peace-Corps-Volunteer-Opportunities/dp/0935028315

When I was in PST we got Simplified Swahili. If you want a jump start you could look through that, but like mfanyafujo mentioned, the language training you get is irreplaceable.

This Penguin parallel text samples some of the best Spanish-language authors and has arranged them in order of difficulty. I took it with me when I stayed in Mexico for a while and was so glad I did.

My SO gave me a little iHome speaker to take. I really like it because I can recharge it via USB, and it's really portable. Also it doesn't break the bank.

1. Broken Promises: How the AIDS Establishment has Betrayed the Developing World. By Edward C. Green. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1611321123/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506457150&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=broken+promise+edward+c+green&dpPl=1&dpID=51XHYGY52WL&ref=plSrch
   
   
2. The Wisdom of Whores By Elizabeth Pisani. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0393337650/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506457277&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+wisdom+of+whores&dpPl=1&dpID=51e5bRcm0DL&ref=plSrch
   
   
3. The Invisible Cure: Why we are Losing the Fight Against AIDS in Africa.. By Helen Epstein. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0312427727/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506457333&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+invisible+cure&dpPl=1&dpID=41PaOG%2BmQ1L&ref=plSrch
   
   
4. The Origins of AIDS. By Jacques Pepin. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0521186374/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506457438&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+origins+of+aids
   
   
5. No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses.. By Peter Piot. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0393345513/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506457493&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=peter+piot
   
   
6. Anything by Laurie Garrett!