Returned Peace Corps Volunteer:
Patrick Tobin
Ivory Coast
I graduated college with a double major in Environmental Sciences and Microbiology. I then worked for Amoco Chemical Co. for about two years as a safety officer. I also worked for a transportation company for a short time after college.
I served in the Ivory Coast, West Africa. I trained for two months in Dakar, Senegal starting in September 1992, and then I trained for one month in Bingerville, Ivory Coast from November 1992 until December 1992. I officially swore in as a volunteer on December 22, 1992 and served in Seguela, Ivory Coast until December 11, 1994.
I worked in an urban environmental management project in Seguela, a secondary Ivorian city of about 30,000 people. I worked closely with the local mayor's office and primarily with the city's engineer. The first project that I worked on was a survey of the local population to determine what their environmental concerns were. A sample question on the survey was, 'What do you feel is the biggest environmentally related health threat?'. Some of the responses that I received were: stagnant water and lack of sufficient trash pickup services. I then presented the results to the mayor, who was up for re-election and very interested in the results. Working with various municipal officials, we proceeded to conduct erosion projects in the neighborhoods and also began a tree planting campaign. Other projects included latrine construction in the primary schools, the construction of a medical incinerator at the hospital and teaching environmental education to 5th and 6th graders.
I think that perhaps one of the more significant things that I gained from the Peace Corps was a greater appreciation for our global community. I also realized the customs and traditions that make ethnic groups unique and interesting. I returned from the Peace Corps emotionally more mature and also much more focused with regard to my career objectives. Working with people of various ethnicities was refreshing and an incredible experience.
e-mail to Patrick Tobin
Last updated September 24, 1996 by Craig Maddox
csm111@email.psu.edu