Different Latitudes My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond eBook Mark D Walker First Person Editing Services
Download As PDF : Different Latitudes My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond eBook Mark D Walker First Person Editing Services 
Summer, 1971. A naive young man must decide his path upon graduation from a small university in Colorado. Amidst the turmoil of the counterculture years and the looming possibility of being sent to Vietnam, he concludes that he wants to travel, serve, and, if possible, save the world. As a Peace Corps volunteer Mark embarks on a vigorous cross cultural experience in a Caribbean and two Central American countries, with a final stop in one of the more isolated areas of the highlands of Guatemala. Though beset with a fear of the unknown and feelings of profound isolation due to being the only volunteer in a remote village, he eventually gets to know and appreciate the people of the rural communities he is privileged to live among. After a near-death experience takes him to another part of Guatemala and eventually to a horse town, Mark meets the love of his life, Ligia, who will bear him three children and be part of a lifelong commitment to and appreciation of this beautiful and unique country. Much of the courtship process will take place on a coffee plantation owned by Ligia's family, where Mark experiences a different side of Guatemalan society. While Ligia selflessly abandons her own career to focus on establishing a stable bi-cultural home for their three children during the violent Guatemalan Civil War, Mark's "wanderlust" takes him on a four month solo trek through Latin America and then a country change based on threats from a guerrilla group. Mark's thirteen-year career promoting rural development through various international NGOs begins when he sets up a local development agency in Guatemala to help the poorest of the poor, whose plight is at least partially due to the policies of his own government. Eventually family circumstances force a radical career change and a return to the US to begin a thirty-year calling. Inspired by the "extreme do-gooders" he'd met along his journey, he takes some of the wealthiest American families in the world to meet some of the world's poorest in some of the most isolated, unstable countries. This leads to many adventures, with both wealthy and poor growing from their shared experiences. Mark's career comes to a sudden and unexpected turn after he is let go as the CEO of one of these international NGOs, and this frees him up to focus on his three children and his six grandchildren. This twist in the road also provides a new opportunity to reflect on what he has accomplished, where he's failed, and where the international NGO community has come up short. Different Latitudes is more than a travel memoir. It is a tale of physical and spiritual self-discovery through Latin American, African, European, and Asian topography, cuisine, politics, and history. TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 1. Formative years 2. Innocents Abroad 3. Life with Ligia Becoming Part of an Extended Latin Family 4. A Tramp Aboard The Journey from Guatemala City to Southern Chile and Back 5. On the Front Lines Developing & Managing Overseas Programs 6. Global Surveys & Evaluation 7. Fundraising for International Non-governmental Organizations 8. Hagar International the Mission 9. Hagar USA the Management 10. Philanthropy Ripples in the Pond 11. The World of Overseas Donor Trips 12. Around the World With Rotary International 13. Guate Mala Guate Peor 14. Postscript Reflections on a Life Well Travelled
Submitted on 2016-09-09 1005
Different Latitudes My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond eBook Mark D Walker First Person Editing Services
This is a fascinating story of a man who was so inquisitive, intelligent and determined in his youth that he had the potential to be successful in any career of his choice. However, convictions about human suffering and war led him to join the Peace Corps – a decision that changed his life forever. Subtly, and through the telling of each story and experience, you watch the unseasoned young man grow into a wise and accomplished adult. His experiences ranged from seeing the poorest of the poor in third world countries to sitting in the palatial homes of donors who provided funding to help them. He unflinchingly talks about the injustices he saw, the mistakes he made, and the death threats he received – one of which caused him to quickly flee Columbia with his family. He shares the lessons he learned that made him a successful field worker, fundraiser, speaker, and advocate -- as well as a loving husband, father and grandfather. I had the pleasure of working with Mark for a number of years, during which time he served with several nonprofit organizations. Mark’s compassion for people went beyond his field work; he also demonstrated it through interactions with his staff and colleagues. Mark was an amazing and tireless mentor for me, which gave me the confidence to establish my independent grant writing business. While the book describes Mark's international travels and transition from field worker to fundraiser, his love for people comes shining through and demonstrates how he remained committed to helping the poor and downtrodden throughout his life. Whether you are interested in learning about the Peace Corps of the 1970s, government policies and corruption that keeps people in poverty, the joys and challenges of fundraising, or the amazing self-discovery of a remarkable man, this book is for you.Product details
|
Tags : Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond - Kindle edition by Mark D. Walker, First Person Editing Services. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond.,ebook,Mark D. Walker, First Person Editing Services,Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond,Biography & Autobiography Personal Memoirs
People also read other books :
- Finding A Slipper That Fits Semester At Sea Fall 2013 The Blog Lauren Oates 9781494986643 Books
- Fuel to the Fire edition by David Staniforth Literature Fiction eBooks
- Along the Road a collection of song lyrics and photographs by Noel Forest Price Mr Noel Forest Price BA 9781495482137 Books
- Coop A Year of Poultry Pigs and Parenting (Audible Audio Edition) Michael Perry Audible Studios Books
- Ankunft in Vietnam Ankunft in Vietnam German Edition eBook Vadim Fedorischev
Different Latitudes My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond eBook Mark D Walker First Person Editing Services Reviews
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this memoir. I met Mark "Million Mile" Walker ten years ago through our mutual involvement in fundraising and interests in all things international. What I never knew was that this unassuming gentleman has quite a wild streak in him. A few examples marrying a Guatemalan while serving in the Peace Corps there; not telling his parents that he got married; Leaving his new bride and their newborn for four months while he finished his goal to travel to the tip of South America; Trying every flavor of beer while recovering from a mysterious illness (he's confident that the beer is what cured him!); Pushing organization leaders out of their comfort zones in order to work with donors. Although not at the forefront of this narrative, it is obvious that Mark's personal faith, work ethic, and desire to help others, provide a formidable compass that keep him going through challenging times such as Being threatened with death by a guerrilla group in Colombia; being relieved of duty without any explanation; soldiering on in the most remote areas of Sierra Leone without electricity and and fuel. Mark's humility and drive are apparent through the stories of working with the poorest of the poor to some of the most wealthy families and individuals. Mark is a great 'connector' and any fundraiser, social worker, or young graduate worried about choosing the right career path will be comforted, humored, and instructed by the "Million Mile Walker's" story.
Many of us who visit a developing country for the first time are struck by the poverty that we see. It takes on a new definition, it’s something that is beyond our experience in the U.S. Then we go home and soon forget (or try to forget). The ones who stay, someone like the author of Different Latitudes, Mark Walker, find that material want does not diminish the innate humanity, dignity and grace of the peoples they come to know. Instead there is often a cultural and spiritual richness on offer in these places that is not so easily found in the fleshpots of New York City or Beverly Hills. Mark Walker made it his life’s work to share and help improve the lives of those he encountered in some of the more impoverished regions of Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It has been a long and sometimes arduous journey, but what he found along the way was more than material. It was a larger and more meaningful life, one that gave him a profession, a family and the experience of enduring friendship. It is told here with grace and humility. It’s a lesson for us all.
Mark and I met at the Peace Corps Training Center in Ponce, Puerto Rico in November 1971 when we were assigned to the same beginning Spanish class. We quickly realized that we shared a lot of the same background and interests, and became fast friends. In Guatemala, the road to Mark’s village passed through the town I lived in, so we saw each other frequently during the early years of his Peace Corps experience. We also spent time together in Honduras helping set up agricultural research projects similar to the ones we were responsible for in the highlands of Guatemala.
From the beginning, I was struck by Mark’s intense interest in helping others and his spirit of adventure, both traits that are brought out well in Different Latitudes. I knew Mark to be a voracious reader with the ability to apply book knowledge to navigating the uncertainties we routinely encountered while living and working with peasant Mayan farmers. In Different Latitudes Mark describes how he was able to navigate the uncertainties encountered during a lifetime of work as a dedicated professional “do-gooder” while at the same time working to provide his wife and young family with a stable home environment. In reading Different Latitudes I was impressed with Mark’s dedication to the commitment he made as a young man to make a difference in the world. He doesn’t mince words as he describes his experiences living and working in other cultures, and with the professional development community, that those of us who live more conventional lives are not privy to.
This is a fascinating story of a man who was so inquisitive, intelligent and determined in his youth that he had the potential to be successful in any career of his choice. However, convictions about human suffering and war led him to join the Peace Corps – a decision that changed his life forever. Subtly, and through the telling of each story and experience, you watch the unseasoned young man grow into a wise and accomplished adult. His experiences ranged from seeing the poorest of the poor in third world countries to sitting in the palatial homes of donors who provided funding to help them. He unflinchingly talks about the injustices he saw, the mistakes he made, and the death threats he received – one of which caused him to quickly flee Columbia with his family. He shares the lessons he learned that made him a successful field worker, fundraiser, speaker, and advocate -- as well as a loving husband, father and grandfather. I had the pleasure of working with Mark for a number of years, during which time he served with several nonprofit organizations. Mark’s compassion for people went beyond his field work; he also demonstrated it through interactions with his staff and colleagues. Mark was an amazing and tireless mentor for me, which gave me the confidence to establish my independent grant writing business. While the book describes Mark's international travels and transition from field worker to fundraiser, his love for people comes shining through and demonstrates how he remained committed to helping the poor and downtrodden throughout his life. Whether you are interested in learning about the Peace Corps of the 1970s, government policies and corruption that keeps people in poverty, the joys and challenges of fundraising, or the amazing self-discovery of a remarkable man, this book is for you.
0 Response to "∎ PDF Different Latitudes My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond eBook Mark D Walker First Person Editing Services"
Post a Comment