Behind the Screen
The opinions, views, and insights stated within this Monologue are my own. The facts, fallacies, and errors, however, belong to someone else (see disclaimer).
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Received an email from a Dayton Daily News reporter today who was asking questions about my Peace Corps experience. Here's what she said
Subject: Peace Corps
To: jason@pearce.net
From: "MeiLing Hopgood"
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 14:06:09 -0700Dear Jason,
My name is Mei-Ling Hopgood and I'm a reporter with the Dayton Daily News and Cox Newspapers. We have been doing a story about Peace Corps and safety and security. I ran across your website, and info on your ET.
I was hoping to ask you a question: wondering if the Peace Corps had problems with your content based on your speaking candidly about safety? Or was it just the handbook and logo issue?
My email is mhopgood@coxnews.com, and my number is 202-887-8328.
Thanks for any help you can give,
Mei-Ling
While I never really had any saftey concerns, Georgetown was (and still is) a dangerous place. But as a Peace Corps volunteer, I never really felt like a target. At least not until I read this Friday April 17, 2003, story from Guyana's Stabroek News.
Notorious wanted man involved in diplomat's kidnap
At least five persons were involved in last Saturday's kidnapping of US diplomat Stephen Lesniak and a notorious wanted man is believed to have been the mastermind and collected the ransom.
Sources say that at one stage Lesniak was paraded in front of some villagers in Buxton with a gun to his head. Since Lesniak's kidnapping, a number of officials from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation have arrived in the country and they are conducting investigations along with other US-based investigators. Lesniak is expected to leave the country shortly, sources say.
Two teenagers kidnapped the 35-year-old Lesniak last Saturday while he was playing golf at the Lusignan Golf Course on the East Coast Demerara. He was the first of two persons snatched that day. School of the Nations student Roy Bell, 16, was kidnapped some hours after Lesniak, but was killed and dumped on the East Coast Public Road on Monday night after his parents had paid a ransom.
Information reaching Stabroek News yesterday stated that five persons as well as a notorious wanted man were actually involved in Lesniak's kidnapping. The diplomat was taken to Buxton where he was held in several places, including a church on Company Road. Sources told this newspaper, that Lesniak was moved at least three times while the police and military carried out cordon and search exercises.
Reports state also that the kidnapping was not a chance happening, since, according to sources, the kidnappers told Lesniak that they knew "only rich people does play golf".
Ransom of an undisclosed amount was paid by friends of Lesniak to secure his release.
Since Lesniak's and Bell's kidnapping last Saturday, one other person was snatched on Monday; and on Tuesday, two men attempted to kidnap a young businesswoman. Also on Tuesday night, bandits terrorized a Coldingen family and contemplated taking a child hostage after they had taken all the family's valuables.
The child was eventually left behind after the bandits reasoned that the family might not have anything more to give.
Here is the same story from the Guyana Chronicle, the other main newspaper in the country.
Following early morning kidnapping US diplomat released
A UNITED States Diplomat who was kidnapped from the Lusignan Golf Club early yesterday morning, was released last evening, sources told the Chronicle.
Thirty-seven-year-old Steve Lesniak, who is attached to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was snatched from the Club at about 9:10 hrs yesterday.
Lesniak, residents in the area said, was playing golf at the time of his abduction. The Tee Box is located about 300 metres from the Club House.
According to residents of Lusignan, the kidnappers emerged from the bushes east of the golf club course and held him up with their guns before taking him on foot through the bushes. They headed in the direction of Buxton. During the incident, Lesniak dropped his identification card and cellular phone
An employee of the golf club told the Chronicle that just after 09:00 hours he heard two boys who were working as caddies with Lesniak shouting: �Call police, they have kidnapped Steve.�
About five minutes after the alarm went up, patrols from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) arrived on the scene followed shortly afterwards by the police who immediately began combing the area in search of the victim and to possibly arrest the perpetrators.
The security forces were also using the GDF helicopter to scan the area in their efforts to locate Lesniak.
The Chronicle was reliably informed yesterday by diplomatic sources that a team of security officers from Washington was yesterday dispatched to Guyana to investigate the diplomat�s kidnapping.
The Chronicle understands that five men were actually involved in the kidnap but two of them executed the actual abduction.
Lesniak played golf at Lusignan frequently and would normally be in the company of friends when playing, but at the time of his abduction, he was playing alone, apart from the caddies, an employee said.
Employees of the Club also spoke glowingly of Lesniak, relating that he is always pleasant, friendly and helpful.
Meanwhile, the victim of an earlier kidnapping on Friday, Deo Basdeo of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara escaped from his abductors unhurt.
However, Basdeo and his family have since moved out from their home and are relocated at another residence for fear of the attackers striking again.
Prior to these and other recent stories about kidnappings, I never really felt I or the other volunteers were targets for such crimes. I was only worried about petty things like muggings and pick pocketers. Actually, I was more worried about getting sick or injured. Nonetheless, I still think about my friends there and their safety.
Friday, April 18, 2003
I played volleyball for the first time tonight since moving to Norwalk. I tried out a local YMCA at a nearby town called Bridgeport. The play was recreational, the cost was $10 (Raleigh and Indy were usually $3 to $5), and the ceiling was very low. I suppose that's one place/night that I can take off my list.
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Last night, I sat down to watch Michael Jordan's final game. While the game was an easy victory for Philadelphia (107-87) and Jordan scored only 15 points, it was still quite a game to watch. The fans, players, and coaches on both sides just had so much admiration for all he has brought to the game, you couldn't help but to begin missing His Airness already.
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Adam, the new roommate, arrived this weekend. So now the house has four of us: me, Scott, Mike, and Adam. Mike is planning on moving out early next month. While I like having Mike around, I'm looking forward to moving out of the nursery room and into his.
Adam is from out west, went to school near Boston, and has moved to Norwalk for work. He's the youngest of the bunch and easy to get along with. I think Scott, Adam, and I will work out just fine. The house has enough rooms and a big kitchen, so we don't feel like we are on top of one another.
Today was the warmest day yet. In the last two weeks, it's snowed twice. But today, it got into the 70s. Won't be long before the sand courts at the beach will become my new favorite past time.
Tuesday, April 08, 2003
The snow wasn't too bad. We only received a few inches. I did, however, have to scrape ice off my car this morning. Welcome to the northeast.
Monday, April 07, 2003
Just started snowing. They say snow may accumulate 3 to 6 inches today and add an additional 1 to 3 inches tomorrow. Guess I get to try out my Audi's Quattro (all-wheel-drive) after all.
Sunday, April 06, 2003
The first week in Norwalk has gone well. I like my roommates, I like my job, and I enjoy where I'm living.
My roommates are Scott and Mike. Scott has been living in this house for about three years now. Mike's lived here for two. Mike will be moving out next month and a new roommate, Adam, will be taking his place. Adam, however, will be arriving in a few weeks. So there will be four of us here for a little while as we all get settled.
A funny sidebar on Adam. Scott and I both talked to Adam over the phone prior to deciding if we would feel comfortable having him as a roommate. After I spoke with Adam, I called up Scott on the phone and said "I'm fine with Adam." Scott, however, thought I said "I'm fine without him." We eventually got the misunderstanding sorted out and had a good laugh. I kind of felt like I was in one of those Sprint PCS commercials.
Back to our story.
I spent a lot of time this week setting up a home computer lab. There is a small room in the house that now houses three machines, and extra cable that extends into the living room for a laptop, and another cable the runs into our Xbox game room. All of these machines are networked to each other via a router and now share high-speed Internet access. I think it's really cool/fun to have our very own computer lab.
For the weekend, I spent a good deal of time sorting through my stuff, moving some items to the (scary) basement for storage, and doing some household cleaning. With three guys, I suppose the place can get a bit messy. So some good scrubbing was in order.
I think I'm learning the area faster than expected. I even gave directions to someone who stopped me on the street. I don't know if they got where I was trying to send them, but I did feel a little more like a native for having sent them in a direction, even if it wasn't the right one.
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
I'm doing well, but am tired. Moving and starting a new job is a lot of work. I hope to catch up with many of you and post a few updates in the coming days. Thanks for the calls and emails. Once I get settled and into a routine, I'll be able to better update you all.