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Peace Corps Life Rewarding For Dean By Alice Gilroy Angie Dean, of Floydada, said she didn't join the Peace Corps to "save the world"--she just wanted to make a difference to a few people. And she did just that. Angie has recently returned home from her Peace Corps stay in Benin, South Africa. She lived in what we would consider poverty conditions--but what she considered "middle income" conditions--while she was in the village of Bopa. Bopa is in the country of Benin. The experience has made her appreciate even more where she comes from and who she is. A 1996 graduate of Floydada High School, Angie majored in French and Linguistics at Texas A&M in College Station. "I had no idea what I wanted to do with that major. I thought about joining the Foreign Service--such as working with an Ambassador or in a Consulate's office. I wanted to do something internationally. I thought my interests would be in the government end of international work. Now--after my Peace Corps experience I know I don't want to get bogged down in bureaucracy work. However, I still want to stay in international work of some kind." Angie says she had heard about the Peace Corps, but had never considered it. She was introduced to the idea in a rather unusual way. "I was at a grad school open house recruitment fair. The last booth was the Peace Corps and they were giving away free pens. I was having a test the next day and I needed a pen, so I stopped to get my pen. I started talking to the recruiter and stayed for several hours. Before I left he had given me an application. It was huge--but I filled it out that night and turned it back in the next day. I had my interview the next week, and within a month I had an invitation to serve in Benin. Angie's background served her well in getting called so quickly. Her parents, Bill and JoLyn Dean lived in Burkina Faso, South Africa, for 9 years as medical missionaries. Angie lived in that country from 3 years old to 12 years old. It was while living here that Angie attended private schools and learned to speak French. Her parents made sure that Angie, and her sister Laura, kept the ability to speak French. "My French speaking ability, and my past experience in South Africa were perfect for this job. Some people wait years to get an interview." The official language in Benin is French. Recently the government voted to include English as an official language. It is now a required course in school, however there is a lack of teacher who can teach the language. Angie was chosen to go to Benin and teach English. She left Floydada in June 2000 for a two year stay. For three months she lived with a Beninese family and went through extensive training with 28 other volunteers. "We were trained in the language, medical and health areas, and how to react within the culture," said Angie. "It was excellent training. I was very prepared." Bopa is a small fishing village with a population of approximately 2,000, 20 miles from the coast. "There were 1,000 kids at the school I taught at," said Angie. "So, obviously at least 1/2 of the students came from other villages, 3-4 miles away. They walked those miles to school every morning and then home in the evenings." Angie taught English at Junior High and High School. "The first year I was there I taught 6th - 9th grade level. The 2nd year the school added another level, and I taught 6th-10th grade. This year they've added 11th grade and next year they will add 12th grade." Angie's class had approximately 55 kids in each class. She taught 5 classes a year. The children were required to take two 2-hour sessions (4 hours of English every week). "They tried very hard," said Angie. "It made me feel good when I could tell they were catching on. When they didn't get it they wouldn't tell me because they didn't want to hurt my feelings. "Considering these kids live out in the middle of nowhere and never hear any English, I think they did quite well. The only English they have ever heard was possibly a rap song---and Americans can't even understand that English." For her work, Angie was paid a normal teacher's salary--$3.00 a day. Angie lived in "typical Peace Corps housing". "It was one large room and two small rooms. There was no running water, but I did have electricity. The electricity wasn't regular. It could be off for days with no warning. However, I would not have traded my electricity for running water. Some other Peace Corps volunteers had running water and no electricity where they were--and they missed their electricity. "I loved my fan, and I had a small dorm size refrigerator where I kept bottled water. I could have cold water. It was heaven on earth!" Because there was no running water, Angie's bathroom facilities consisting of her own private latrine outside. A "bucket shower" was connected to her latrine. The water from the shower ran off into a gutter. "There were massive clay jars, which held approximately 60 liters of water, in the shower. The jar had a lid on it which kept out the mosquitos and kept the water cool. It was so hot in Bopa that I never thought I would want a hot shower--but by my second year I did heat water on the stove and add hot water to my bucket for a warm shower." Angie would gather her water from a tap on Main Street and then carry it back to her house on her head. "There was one family that had a tap in the courtyard and they sold water for 1 1/2 cents per bucket. This is what we bathed with, washed clothes with, cooked with, and drank. African women would carry 30 liters on their head but I couldn't carry but about 15 liters. A lot of people helped me. One of my students carried it most of the time." Because she was so conscious of everyone helping her haul her water, Angie tried particularly hard to conserve. "I could make two buckets of water last me a week. I was very aware of the water I was using." Clothes were washed by hand. "I would share buckets with neighbors," said Angie. "There would be two soapy water buckets and 3 rinse water buckets. One soap bucket would be for soaking. The other soap would be for washing. I used my knuckles like a washboard. I would keep washing until the rinse water was clear of red dirt." Angie said a regular size load of laundry would take 2 hours to wash. "I would wash every two weeks because of the amount of water I would use up." The clothes were then hung out to dry. "It only took an hour to dry in the hot sun." Angie said the heat was unbearable at times. "The temperature was about the same as here," said Angie, "but the humidity was 90-100%. You never got a reprieve. You couldn't walk into an air conditioned building to get away from it. "Cool seasons were low humidity and about 80 degrees. During the cool season the dry Sahara winds blew in and caused an overcast of sand in the air. This season (called Harmanttan) lasted about 1 1/2 months. During her first year Angie said she ate primarily rice, pasta, and Cous Cous (a Moroccan pasta). "I served it with a tomatoes sauce with onions and garlic. Tomatoes, onions, and garlic were the three things you could buy in the Bopa market. I could get leafy greens and sometimes I could get okra. Also--there was a woman who would cook up a huge pot of beans and go around selling that. I had a lot of rice and beans. "The second year I got lazy in my kitchen. I got tired of living in an oven--because cooking heated up my house--so I started eating in town. A little vendor sold food and that's where I ate everyday at lunch. I ate pate (a corn mill and water mixture that was a thick gelatinous ball). This was served with red sauce (tomatoes, onion, and garlic), or green sauce (leafy green mixture). So you would go in everyday and say, 'One ball of pate with red sauce--or one ball of pate with green sauce.' I would also add one fish. The fish was very, very good. "In the evenings I would go 'greet friends' and eat the same meal with them." Angie's closest Peace Corps friend--Craig--lived eight miles away. The two would bike back and forth to visit. Angie's work day started at 6:30 a.m. "You can't sleep late," said Angie. "You can hear your neighbors cough--and the chickens also wake you up. I would allow myself about 30 minutes to walk the mile to school. This may seem like a long time--but it was uphill and you had to allow yourself time to 'greet'." School started at 8:00 a.m. Angie would teach two classes and then school would break for lunch from 12:00 noon until 3:00 p.m. "It was too hot to teach during the noon hours," said Angie. A walk back home for lunch and then a walk back to school at 2:30 p.m. for a 2 hour afternoon class. Another walk back home in the evenings to grade papers, read, play with the neighbors kids, and asleep by 9:00 p.m. "I enjoyed my neighbors and their children. The kids and I became great friends. Adults did not play with children and the kids liked that I did play." Angie says she went to bed early because the heat would zap you. "I also got tired of sitting in the dark, so I would just go to bed. The sun rose every day at 6:00 a.m. and set every night at 6:00 p.m.--all year long." Angie says she had no window panes on her windows--just screens and shutters. "There was always a child's face pressed up against my door screen." The lack of security did not frighten Angie--but the taxi drivers did. "We weren't afraid of getting robbed in the taxis--we were afraid of getting killed by the reckless driving and cars that were not well maintained." Angie rode in taxis to get into the big city, get groceries, or visit friends. "The taxi's were reject cars that no one else would allow on the roads anywhere else. To get a taxi you had to go to a 'taxi stop' and tell them where you wanted to go. Then they would tell you if a car was going there that day. I didn't usually have a problem--at least getting to the main paved road about 20 miles away. Once I got to the main road I could catch a ride into town easily. "Sometimes you would sit at your taxi stop for 5 hours. They wouldn't leave until they had a full car. A typical four door car would have 2 passengers plus a driver in front. In the back seat there were at least 4 people--usually 5. Children up to 15 weren't counted as people--so kids just sat on your lap. It was hot and crowded and would break down all the time. "Once I was on the main road, I would sit my bags down, stand there, and then wave someone down. I would pay for the ride, but occasionally people would turn the money down. Only once did I turn down a ride from someone because I was uncomfortable with it. Getting a ride there is not like in the United States. It's not scary. There aren't the wierdos over there that there are here." Motorcycle taxis became a much more favorite mode of transportation for Angie. "The motorcycles were called Zemidjans", said Angie. "The driver would carry your luggage by putting a big bag on the gas tank, and the driver could put his hands on the handlebars. I would have a back pack on my back, and occasionally I would hold a bag on my head, on my arms, and on my lap. You could carry an unbelievable amount on the motorcycle. It was a more expensive mode of travel--but worth it. Those drivers were very talented at balancing." Angie says she doesn't want to give anyone the impression that her stay in Bopa was all work and no play. "There was a jazz club and a Karaoke club in town," said Angie. "There were also nice restaurants and dance clubs. During my vacation time I visited friends in Burkina Faso, and took a five day hike in Dogan country. We also visited Timbuktu, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Austria, Croatia, Italy, and back to France again. "It wasn't like I was in the military. You don't sign a contract. If I had to have come home, I could have." Angie says she felt like she did make a difference in her time in Bopa. "I started an English Club at my school and I think I was a role model for the girls in my class. In Benin women are just thought of as someone who washes clothes and making babies. Girls who are students also have to go home and do the chores that they would have been doing had they not been in school. I hope I showed them they are not limited because they are girls, and I hope I showed the boys to have more respect for the girls. "I learned to be more patient and more tolerant of things and people. I also learned to stand up for myself and the things that I believe in. I learned a lot about myself and my culture, and learned to be proud of where I come from. One of the three main goals of Peace Corps is to share your culture with others. "I feel that people in Benin did learn a little about me and where I'm from and what it means to me be to be an American. And while, we are all different as individuals, I realize that people really are the same when it comes down to it. Sure, we live very different lives and at times, it seems that we live in different worlds, but all in all, people are the same. We want others to appreciate us and to know that we appreciate them. If I am remembered for anything by the people in Bopa, I would hope that they remember me as a person who was kind, and as someone who loved them. I didn't go to Bopa thinking that I would 'save the world', or 'feed all the starving children', but I did go hoping to make a difference to at least a few people. And I think that I did impact the lives of some of my students and my friends."
THE MAIN ROAD INTO BOPA--KIDS WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL
Mangold Memorial Gets Good Grades in Surveys W.J. Mangold Memorial Hospital, in Lockney, has recently received excellent marks in their lab department, home health agency, and from the Texas Department of Health. "The hospital was surveyed this month by TDH for the Medicare Critical Access Hospital program," said Hospital Administrator Sharon Hunt. "The surveyor gave the hospital no deficiencies, and recommended us for approval into the program. "The hospital is now just waiting for official notification from Medicare for it's Critical Access Hospital designation. This will allow the hospital to receive cost based reimbursement from Medicare, which will greatly improve its Medicare payments. Our reimbursements now fall way below costs." Mangold's Home Health Agency also got high marks from the Texas Department of Human Services. "Katy Samuel, LVN, is the Director of the Agency, and Gayla Marble, RN is the supervising RN. They are both doing a great job at overseeing this department and making sure excellent care is provided for our patients." The hospital lab was also surveyed by TDH and according to Hunt the lab received excellent comments from the surveyor. "Bob Beck, MT/RT oversees the lab and the radiology department," said Hunt. "The district has also received a good audit report from Durbin and Company. We had a net gain of $125,142 for the year on $4,287,493 of operating revenue, and a cash gain of $348,148. These numbers refer to the 2002 fiscal year which ended September 30, 2002."
Obituaries ELIZABETH BURGESS Funeral services were held recently in Houston for Elizabeth Daniel Burgess. She was born November 13, 1925 to Carl and May (Fowler) Daniel. She graduated from Floydada High School and West Texas State University. She married Walter Burgess in 1947. They lived in Dumas from 1949 to 1986, when he retired from teaching high school math. They moved to Amarillo then to Garland, where they lived for fourteen years. They moved to Houston in 2000, where Walter still resides. Survivors include four children: Mark of Vashon Island, Washington, Trenda of Garland, Annette of Houston, and Tammie of Klamath Falls, Oregon; one sister, Carlene Johnson of South Plains. ROBERT "BOB" COLLIER Bob Collier, 84, died Sunday, February 9, 2003 at 3:45 p.m. He was born in Irick, Texas on October 7, 1918. He graduated from Lockney High School in 1936. He was captain of the High School football team. His future wife, Dorothy, was also a 1936 graduate. Bob married Dorothy in 1938. The couple moved to Beaumont in 1965 from Floydada. He joined Conn's Appliances, Inc. He was a Navy WWII Veteran and a member of Calvary Baptist Church. He was a 32nd degree Mason and was a Shriner. He was retired. Collier was one of 12 children (3 of whom died early). His father died in the 1918 flu epidemic, and his mother raised 9 children. Survivors include his wife, Dorothy J. Collier; two daughters and their husbands, Sandra and Bob Binford of Beaumont and Suzanne and James Sasnett, of Edmond, Oklahoma; one sister, Margaret Collier, Floydada, six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Funeral services were Wednesday, February 12, 2003, at Calvary Baptist Church at 2:00 p.m. Internment followed at Colmesneil Cemetery. Donations may be made to Alzheimers Association, of Southeast, Texas. BILL HOLLADAY Services for Bill Holladay, 91, of Floydada were held Saturday, February 15, 2003 at City Park Church of Christ in Floydada. Kenneth Free officiated. Burial was in Floydada Cemetery under the direction of Moore-Rose-White Funeral Home of Floydada. Mr. Holladay died Thursday, February 14, 2003 at Lockney Health and Rehab. He was born on December 24, 1911 in Eden to the late John D. Holladay and Julia Ann Farrar Holladay. He married Clorene Young on September 21, 1936 in Anson. He moved to Floydada in 1924 from Thalia. He was a Truck Driver and a member of the City Park Church of Christ in Floydada. He is survived by his wife; two sons, Donnie of Clarendon, and Keith of Wichita Falls; three daughters, Juandell Blackwood of Lovington, New Mexico, Gaynell Mitchell of Farwell, and Cynthia Bryant of Hobbs, New Mexico; one sister, Eva Taylor of Crosbyton; 22 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials to the Hospice Hands of West Texas, P.O. Box 1118, Lockney, Texas 79241, or to the White River Youth Camp, P.O. Box 455, Crosbyton, Texas 79322. THELMA O. JONES Thelma Oralee Jones, 90, died at her home in Stockton, Thursday, February 13, 2003. She was born June 1, 1912 in Floydada, to RC and Oralee Covington. She moved to Stockton in 1946. She married William Frederick Jones, of Floydada. She was a letter carrier, delivering mail about eight years in Stockton's Tuxedo Park area and later off in West Lane. She also was one of Stockton's first two female letter carriers, beginning her job in 1968, four years after a congressional ban on gender-based discrimination. She was 56 when she signed on as an on-call mail carrier at the Tuxedo Park station on Pacific Avenue and was already a mother of four grown children and a grandmother of 10. Before this she operated a Stockton grocery. She retired after 8 years of working with the postal service. Jones was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and a sister, Cybil Teeple, of Floydada. She is survived by her children: Bill Jones, Johnie Jones and Emilie Mize, of Stockton; and Don Goen of the Philippines; a sister, Cecil Fyfe, of Floydada; 12 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren. Services were held Tuesday, February 18, at 11:00 a.m., at Lakeview Assembly Church. Visitations were held at Wallace-Martin Funeral Home, in Stockton. Interment is at Cherokee Memorial Park.
Analogies and Metaphors Found in High School Essays From an email from Bianca Spies, of the Department of Educational Administration and Psychological Services at Southwest Texas State University. "His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free". "He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the danger of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it." "She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef." "She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up." "Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever." "The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't." "He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something." "The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant." 'He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up." "She was as easy as the TV Guide crossword." "It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall." back to top
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39.5 ACRES--Ideal location south of town. Call 903-334-9361.
Floydada FOR RENT--Large 2 bedroom house. Needs light work. First month - $125.00 then $230.00 thereafter. Call 797-6969.
Lockney FOR RENT--Clean, furnished apartment. Water and trash collection included. Call Barker Realty - 652-2642.
HOUSE FOR RENT--3 bedroom, 1 bath. $350 month, $150 deposit. Call 777-7458.
GRAZING WANTED--Graze-out wheat and/or grass. Call 292-9723 or 983-5431.
MANAGER position available at DQ of Spur. Looking for friendly customer service leader. Above average base pay for right person with bonus incentive. Non smoking, drug free environment. Drug test required. Call District Manager, Dixie Neves, 915-725-3379.
PART-TIME ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT opening for the Parent Adolescent Center. Some computer knowledge, typing, filing and good telephone skills is helpful. High School Diploma or GED required. Applications may be picked up at 111 N. Wall, Floydada.
PARENT ADOLESCENT CENTER--Direct Care Position Opening: High School Diploma or GED required. Both male and female staff are needed. Individual must be able to work in a team oriented environment and deal with Staff/Residents in a professional manner. Applications can be picked up at 111 N. Wall, Floydada.
LOCKNEY HEALTH & REHABILITATION has opening for a LVN position, 11:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m., Monday - Friday. Must be licensed in the state of Texas and dependable. Long term care experience preferred. Call Ed or Keri at 806-652-3375.
$MANAGER TRAINEE$ - $525/week average. Call 766-7175.
2 BEDROOM, 1 BATH, storage building. Owner financing available. $10,000.00. Call 806-697-2631 (9-5) or 983-6013 (after 6 pm), Rhonda.
2 BEDROOM, 1 BATH, 1 car garage. Completely remodeled. Owner financing available. $30,000.00. Call 806-697-2631 (9-5) or 983-6013 (after 6 p.m.) Rhonda.
3-2-2, FIREPLACE, CENTRAL HEAT/AIR, new roof, fence, landscaped with sprinkler system. Great location. Call 983-5720.
COUNTRY HOME ON 2 ACRES, 3 miles east Highway 70. Three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, fireplace, living, dining, den, office, utility, basement, 2 patios and shop. Call 983-2938 or 983-3786.
FOUND: 2 full grown Bassett Hounds. One female and one male. Found 3 miles north of South Plains. Call 292-9723 or 983-3744.
REWARD OFFERED: For information leading to the return of a hayfork mounted on cotton trailer chassis. The fork can be removed and mounted to a 3 pt hitch. It has electrical hookup and is cable driven. It was parked 7 miles east of Floydada.
LIFT CHAIR--Tan. $300.00. Call 983-3016 or 983-2353.
HOT! HOT! HOT! Spice up 2003. Sell AVON. To buy or sell call Darlene 652-2029 I.R.
I, BRAD JACKSON, will not be financially responsible for any debts or credit made by Jennifer Jackson.
ALPHATEX KENNEL, AIKEN, TEXAS offers superior quality AKC Registered, DNA Certified Collies, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. Puppies and stud service available. 806-652-3458 or 806-292-5348.
Floyd County, pursuant to a tax foreclosure sale, is offering for sale the following property in the City of Lockney: All of Lots No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in Block 35 and Lots 1 and 2 in Block G of the N.B. Davis Survey located in the City of Lockney, Floyd County, Texas also known as the Webster Service and Supply, Inc. property. Any offers should be submitted to: William D. Hardin, County Judge, Courthouse Room 105, Floydada, Texas 79235.
FOR ALTERATIONS call 983-2676.
TIME TO SPRAY YARDS FOR WEEDS--Call Emert Spraying Service. Call 806-839-1509, Hale Center.
Estates, Farm, Ranch, Business, Liquidations, State Licensed and Bonded. (806) 983-5808. TX. #9240.
WANT TO PURCHASE a 1969 FHS Yearbook. Call JC Brown at 512-472-4845 or e-mail jcbrown1@sbcglobal.net to discuss price.
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