In 1998, I decided to spend Christmas at my hut in Banko, Guinea. As a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), I had invites to go to larger cities to spend the holidays with other PCVs. Instead, I invited a couple of my friends from Peace Corps to have “Christmas in the Case.” (“Case” is French for “hut.”) I had to improvise some things to make it special.
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Lifelong Learning Important for Personal and Business Development: A Lesson from the Disney Company
Walt Disney was continuously improving his art. In fact, many people say he elevated the animated cartoon to an art. As shorts became less profitable, Walt knew he had to diversify. He began to train his staff to ready them for “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” To do so, he brought experts into the studio to teach the animators how to draw better. Some of these lessons are now available in “Before Ever After” (affiliate link).
Continue readingTraveling in Guinea at the end of the 20th Century
While serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea, West Africa from 1998 to 2000, I had to take bush taxis or ride my bike to get where I wanted to go. The Peace Corps provided us with a bike and the knowledge to fix it. These mountain bikes were simple, strong, and essential for mental health. They let those of us, who were isolated, know we still had a way out, even if there was no motor transportation available. The bush taxis were a whole different story. Traveling in Guinea was not for the faint of heart.
Continue readingWhat’s at the Saturday Market (Marche) in Banko? A Peace Corps POV
My editor has been going through my book and making suggestions about what I can add to make it more interesting to the reader. She thought it might be interesting to know what’s at the Saturday Market in Banko. However, “My Life in the Peace Corps” consists of the “Letters home from Guinea, West Africa and the Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love.” (Pre-order the eBook at Amazon or the paperback at Penguinate.com.) As discussed earlier, I’ve realized that memory is a reconstruction, so the letters are more accurate because they were written through one lens – my own culture. The following observations on the market are written through the lenses of time and culture and may not be accurate. I served in Guinea from 1998 to 2000.
Continue reading‘Before Ever After’: First Look Book Review
When Walt Disney decided that he wanted to keep improving animation and make an animated feature, he knew he would have to help his animators get better at more than just animating. They needed to learn about a variety of subjects so that they could harness their full potential. He decided to create a series of lecture classes that included bringing in some of the greatest people in their professions at the time, including Frank Lloyd Wright. Every time I read about these lectures in a Walt Disney biography, I wanted to find out what was in them. “Before Ever After” (affiliate link) gives me that opportunity.
Continue readingMemory Reconstruction and My Life in the Peace Corps
For the last five years, I have been toying with the idea of publishing my letters from my Peace Corps service. I started by typing them up without editing. Then, I waited. When I went back to them this past month, I had to type them up again, and I did a little more research. I found that my memory of life’s events isn’t always accurate, and I am glad to have these letters to help keep things in perspective. As someone who has studied creativity, psychology, and communications with an emphasis in journalism, I know that memories aren’t something we recall. Instead, they are things that we reconstruct through the lens of who we are today.
Continue readingWhat I learned at the Peace Corps Cross-Cultural Seminar in Benin
As a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1998 to 2000, I was one of three volunteers chosen to represent Peace Corps Guinea at a cross-cultural seminar in Benin. There was a lot of discussion about culture and the interactions between those of different cultures. One proverb we talked about says, “The fingers on the hand don’t have to look the same, they just have to work together.”
Continue readingTraveling to Guinea with the Peace Corps
When I received my invitation to join the Peace Corps and finished the required paperwork, I had no idea what to expect from service or from the country I was going to see. I was told things about the Peace Corps, and I read letters from volunteers who were currently serving, but that didn’t prepare me for the two years I would serve. (Well, really 27 months and 27 days, but who was counting?)
Continue readingDisney’s Wonderful World of Reading Year Book 2003 and Creativity
Disney’s Wonderful World of Reading published the Year Book series, and it’s a treasure trove of information. Your expectations may be that there would be a lot of Disney stories inside and little else. I was certainly only expecting a little fluff reading before I went to bed. Instead, in the 2003 Year Book (affiliate link), I learned about the airplanes, butterflies, and birthstones. I still got a fix of fiction with stories from “Monsters Inc.,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and Mickey Mouse. More importantly, the Year Book has a few activities sprinkled in for people to do.
Continue reading‘Poster Art of Disney the Parks’: Informative and Beautiful
When Disneyland was built, it was done so in the style of a movie. The Mickey Mouse in front of the train station at the entrance to the park is the title card. The tunnel creates a dissolve as you enter a new immersive experience – Main Street, U.S.A. But where would you go, what would you do, and what would you see in this movie? Posters helped visitors understand what was offered in the park and what they could expect. “Poster Art of the Disney Parks” (affiliate link) shows the process of making posters with beautiful full color examples of what you would find in the Disney Parks.
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Penguinate! Positive Creativity 