Peace Corps and President, continued

Below is a video I found on the PC website.  It is from a few years ago, when Alejandro Toledo, the subject of an earlier post, was president of Peru.

I also want to add a few caveats to my previous biographical sketch of Mr. Toledo and his rise from shoeshine boy to President.

First, he did not become who he was because of the Peace Corps volunteers he met.  Clearly, he is a man of unusual drive and intellect, and he made his own destiny.  He sought out the PC volunteers in his town, and he is simply fortunate that the volunteers who he became so close with were able to help him begin an education in the United States.  From my understanding, he financed most of his education by himself, working a number of odd jobs and obtaining soccer scholarships.

Second, I hope that this story does not come across as a too-perfect pretty picture of what Peace Corps service achieves.  I am confident that most if not all of PC volunteers have a mature sense of their purpose, and that purpose is often "quieter" than this story would suggest.  Still, this story shows that Peace Corps volunteers really do make a difference in many ways, some "louder" than others.

Last, I think it is inappropriate for me to give a political opinion on Toledo and the upcoming election in Peru, because of my position as a future PCV in Peru.  Moreover, I haven't followed Peruvian politics long enough to have a confident understanding of the candidates' abilities and platforms.  From both of these reasons, I have given the biographical sketch of Alejandro Toledo simply as a unique story that Peace Corps Volunteers can be inspired by and proud of.

Enjoy!