From: Susan Keenan <fleur_de_lys714@rtonline.net>

Date: Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 10:55 AM
Subject: FW:  RPCV-NJ eNewsletter - Vol 7 No 2 - April 2020
To: Karl and Carrol Kindel <karlandcarrol@gmail.com>

Dear Karl and Carrol,

I am forwarding this message to you because the evacuation story of a volunteer having to leave Guatemala on very short notice is very moving;  look a ways down for  EVACUEE PERSPECTIVE.

Susan

From: RPCV-NJ <news@rpcv-nj.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2020 8:59 AM
To: Susan <fleur_de_lys714@rtonline.net>
Subject:  RPCV-NJ eNewsletter - Vol 7 No 2 - April 2020

RPCV-NJ eNewsletter - Vol 7 No 2 - April 2020

President's Message

The coronavirus has turned everyone’s world upside down.  It has impacted jobs (including Peace Corps service), education (at all levels), business, travel, social interactions, but above all our health.  Some of you have undoubtedly been exposed to the virus but hopefully have recovered and now may have some level of immunity to that virus should it resurface in the future.

RPCV-NJ was compelled to cancel events that were planned for the spring: The RPCV-NJ Annual Meeting, potato planting at Howell Living History Farm, a service project at Duke Farms and our annual summer picnic. In addition NPCA’s planned RPCV conference for July in Seattle was canceled.  Regretfully, these were opportunities to connect with each other and were/will be missed.  Please check the schedule at the bottom of this newsletter for planned events later in the year and if the virus activity allows, please plan to join in.

As you know, the Peace Corps Volunteers and Trainees who were stationed overseas were all abruptly evacuated in mid-March. Vikki Ott (Sierra Leone 2017-18), a new board member, initiated an effort to reach out to NJ’s newly returned volunteers following their evacuation to offer assistance.  See following information from Vikki on the topic. One of the evacuees, Anna Zauner, shared her experience for us to publish in this issue. Please take time to read it to gain an idea of what transpired for those volunteers! Any other evacuees willing to share their experience are invited to send their story to Vikki Ott at rpcvnj.outreach@gmail.com to be posted on the RPCV-NJ website.

Health and safety are of primary concern now so please follow the guidelines set to protect you and others from this virus.

Sincerely,
Christie Musa, President RPCV-NJ

Evacuee Assistance

The outpouring of support from the Peace Corps community to help evacuees reintegrate has been inspiring. From the many resources available from the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) to several RPCV communities forming online, our community has shown that we are here to help each other and that we are stronger together. Thank you to everyone who has offered their assistance. 

Several evacuees have reached out to RPCV-NJ to request resume reviews, asking for volunteer recommendations, looking for networking connections in specific areas, and asking how to become involved with our Chapter. Through the work of our Outreach Committee and Board of Directors, we have facilitated connections between evacuees and RPCVs throughout the state and followed up on all requests. 

If you are an evacuee who is looking for career connections, resume review, location-specific opportunities, or similar, contact rpcvnj.outreach@gmail.com. We also encourage you to reach out directly to the resources provided on our Assistance to Peace Corps Evacuees page, join the NPCA and select RPCV-NJ as your affiliate chapter, and get involved with RPCV-NJ.

Vikki Ott, Outreach Chair

Evacuee Perspective

COVID-19 Evacuation Experience
Anna Zauner
I returned to New Jersey on March 19, only four days after Peace Corps announced its worldwide suspension of service and evacuation of all volunteers in response to the growing threat of COVID-19.  I was serving in the highlands of Guatemala as a Youth in Development volunteer for six months before the unexpected evacuation. Guatemala was Coronavirus-free up until only a few days before the evacuation announcement. However, the government’s swift and intense containment measures almost prevented us from departing.

When COVID-19 was announced by the World Health Organization as a pandemic virus on March 11, Guatemala was still COVID-19 free and had little to no limitations in the country. We received updates from the Country Director on Friday, March 13 describing the situation around the world and in-country, citing that there was no international travel ban in Guatemala and no “Standfast” order by Peace Corps. The next day, we received an email update from Peace Corps Washington informing all volunteers that due to the pandemic some countries were being evacuated when necessary but many other posts were operating effectively and had no confirmed cases. At this point, there was one confirmed case reported in Guatemala and we were all offered Interrupted Service. The next day, Sunday, March 15, Global Director Jody Olsen made the decision to evacuate all PCV/Ts around the world.

We received the evacuation notice at 10 pm that Sunday, just hours after the Guatemalan government announced that all school would be cancelled countrywide for 21 days. As a Youth in Development volunteer I was already thinking of ways to visit, motivate or meet with groups of students to keep them occupied during that time. What felt like the longest 46 minutes of my life passed before receiving the follow-up email with the departure dates for the different departments in Guatemala. I had been assigned to the second group leaving on Tuesday. This relieved a little bit of my anxiety since I would have a full day to say goodbyes and pack up my belongings.

I woke up on my last full day in site, hoping that the memory of evacuation from last night was only a nightmare. I started the day telling my host family and whatever neighborhood friends I could find the news of my early departure tomorrow. I ran into groups of my students spending their first day off of school congregating along the trail to school. I was able to describe to one group of girls that I would be leaving tomorrow due to COVID-19, holding back tears and hoping that they understood I was leaving because I had to and not because I wanted to. One of my closest work partners in my community scheduled a meeting in the town center for me to explain to my group of coworkers in the community the reason I would be leaving and that the future of my return was uncertain, which was the only word to explain the evacuation process.

There was no clear direction on whether or not we would be able to return to our sites after this evacuation. A follow-up email from the Country Director cast a dim light on hopes of return, by instructing all volunteers to give away all of their belongings they could not bring.
After my farewell meeting with my coworkers I was able to feel some closure and accepted the offer from one co-worker for a last lunch shared in my family home. During this lunch, there was a lot of uncertainty. Peace Corps volunteers who were scheduled to leave that morning were informing other volunteers that on the way to the airport all of the buses carrying volunteers were suddenly turned around. Minute by minute more information was pouring in; the President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giemmattei cancelled all flights going in or out of the country. No planes were leaving. The border of Guatemala into Mexico was scheduled to close that evening at 8pm.

In a matter of hours we realized that there was no way to leave Guatemala, no planes and no ground transportation to Mexico. When all of this information was revealed I was trying to enjoy my last Guatemalan lunch with my hospitable coworker before panicking. And as lunch was finishing up, I received an update from post, “Have all of your things packed and ready in an hour to go to your consolidation point.” Being about 30 minutes from my home with nothing packed and relying on Guatemalan public transportation for my timely return, I began to panic.

Running through the town center to catch the next bus, I was flagged down by a friend in the town. She informed me to be careful as Guatemalans were becoming hostile towards “tourists,” warning me that I shouldn’t be walking around alone. All of the sudden, a place that was home became a source of fear. I hoped I would be able to inform my host family I was actually leaving today and still be able to pack up all of my belonging in time.

With a heavy, rapidly-beating heart I rushed to load all of my things into a tuk-tuk heading to the home of the nearest neighbor with a car, who offered to drive me the rest of the way. I arrived at the consolidation point just on time. Somehow all volunteers in the area had been able to pack and get ready to go within an hour. We arrived at a hotel close to the airport that night, where the severity of the situation was explained to us.

At 8 pm that evening, Guatemala had suspended all public transport and gatherings of more than 10 people. We had just made it in time or else our bus carrying 12 people could have been pulled over and arrested for breaking the law. The Guatemalan president was taking public health precautions extremely seriously and all restrictions were strictly enforced by police.

The group of volunteers in the hotel consisted of about 60 people, which was violating the new Guatemalan restrictions. In our time spent in the hotel we had to leave in very small groups as to not arouse suspicion. Our evacuation was scheduled tentatively for 9 am the next morning on a private plane. At early breakfast the next morning as we were preparing for the flight, the sound of message alerts could be heard in the room, followed by a collective groan. The flight was cancelled until further notice. We were informed that we were not granted airspace and negotiations with the Guatemalan government were still in progress. There was talk of a possible flight for the next day but no one had the strength to get their hopes up.

On Wednesday, March 18 it became official. I was only able to believe it once we were on the buses headed to the airport. Peace Corps had secured a private plane for all 169 volunteers and trainees as well as some high-risk embassy staff, qualifying our flight as an embassy flight and gaining some leverage in the negotiations. We were granted the air space in Guatemala and Miami. The only way they could transport such a large number of people without possibly getting arrested was to coordinate an embassy escort, made up of multiple vehicles and about 20 motorcycles. We arrived with sirens blaring and lights flashing to an empty airport. Hours later when we finally touched down in Miami the entire plane erupted with applause for the hard work our post administration put in to bring us home.

The process of evacuation was hectic at best. While I was able to say some goodbyes, I felt as though I was unable to express the reality of the situation. As I remember the words of my host family as I was trying to explain through tears that I was hoping to come back but unsure if I would be able to. They said to me, “No tenga pena” —don’t have shame. “We will keep your room for you, this room is yours.” Although I do still have shame—shame for the lack of proper goodbyes, shame for the lack of understanding and shame for leaving the community I had pledged to give two years, only to leave after 6 short months.

Any other evacuees willing to share their experience are invited to send their story to
Vikki Ott  rpcvnj.outreach@gmail.com to be posted on the RPCV-NJ website.