In Bangladesh there are many rivers to cross in order to get from one district to another. It is a fact of life for a country that lies below sea level and is crisscrossed with thousands of waterways. Most ferries like the one in Khulna pack on as...
I love Moroccan clothing and so I couldn't wait to try them on. I was thrilled when one of my host relatives suggested that I wear a Kaftan at a dinner party. My aunts and cousins dressed me up in this fabulous dress that was a bit long for me, but...
Taken during in the first week of May 2011 during the beginning of my Peace Corps training. This picture was taken using a timer, from the rooftop of my host-family's home in Guatemala. I'm taking in my new surroundings, contemplating the...
Host families; Women in Development (WID)/ Gender and Development (GAD)
This photo was taken in beautiful Belize in spring 2011. My sister is the girl in the photo. She is a strong girl with strong opinions and in this photo she is stating a statement about her life.
A photo of me with a group of friends after everyone was dressing up for some photos before I went home for a vacation (I was sort of extended family) eating most of my meals and spending a lot of free time with this group and their husbands and...
This was taken after Church in the village of Hakupu one Sunday with my host family - Mother Tiva Toeono and twins Simoe and Anton. Ladies over 18 years old had to wear hats to Church and the women weaved incredibly beautiful hats they loved to...
Host families; Host community friends; Celebrations
Like many Peace Corps Volunteers before and after me, Seyni was my Baba (father). Being posted in Dosso, Niger where Seyni was the Peace Corps Program Assistant, I became very close to him and his family. It was a rare day that I did not hear the...
Shortly after arriving to site and moving in with our host family, three generations of Ukrainians teach Lauren how to make varenyky, stuffed dumplings, which were then filled with sour cherries. A labor of love that is so worth the effort!
This photo was taken during my training in Trypillia, Ukraine on March 6, 2006. The little girl is my host sister, Liza, all bundled up for her morning walk to school. It was one of the first major snowfalls I experienced while in Ukraine.
I took this photo in December 2010 in Cambodia. The photo shows my ya-ee (Khmer language for grandmother) fanning herself on another hot Cambodian day.
This photo was taken of a fellow Volunteer walking with her host grandmother and grandson on April 20, 2011 in Ukraine. The photo show a connection between the Volunteer and host family, although there is a language barrier.
This photo was taken July 30, 2011 during a mountain hike with the children of my host family in Guatemala. At this point in my service my best friends are these two boys, ages 9 and 11. We explore the mountains surrounding my town every weekend....
This photo was taken in Guatemala, April 2011. Living with a host family isn't just a good way to get a little closer to those in the community, it's a great way to share American customs. Pictured is my husband, Kyle, and children in our host...
I took this photo in the summer of 2009 in my yard with my host mother in a small village in Ukraine. Summertime brings so many fresh fruits and vegetables to the market and such beautiful weather after the long hard winter that it is hard to keep...
My host mom and I at my Swearing- In Ceremony, 10-31-2008. Since the day I arrived to St. Kitts Tracey has welcomed me into her family. About a week into my stay she was "mom" and I was "daughter."
Taken a few days before I was to finish training and swear-in as a volunteer in Morocco. My first host mother Malika was everything I needed her to be being so far from home. Here we are in the kitchen as we are cooking dinner and having girl talk...
This photo was taken in southern Morocco, in my site, which is comfortably nestled into a river valley in the Sahara Desert. In April 2009, my mom came to visit me in Morocco. I treasure this picture, sitting in between my real mother (on the left)...