Journal, July 14, 1976 AM

I have a chest cold and feel dragged out. I went to a Peace Corps Agriculture Sector conference yesterday for the day. Steve Pamperin drove his Toyota Land Cruiser. I had gotten to sleep very late and so was about half alive all day. Because of this cold, I was wearing a denim jacket around while everyone else was in short sleeves & T-shirts. A lot of B.S. was in the air, between Volunteers and agency personnel. The agencies want to have more control of PCVs {Peace Corps Volunteers} and always want to know Peace Corps’ mission as a group. PCVs want more support from their agencies, but are leery about getting themselves into more paper work and more meetings.

I did talk to Chico {Rodriguez} though about transferring to Costa Rica for a year. He wants me to stay here, but is going to Costa Rica shortly, and promised to check out the job Juan Coward told me about through the U.N. {United Nations} farm at Turrialba.

I saw all of the pastures & forages {program} Volunteers (Fred {Tracy}, Diego {Cox}, Russ {Soules} & Mike {Staigers}) plus Dave Quarles. Sickness was the order of the day. Diego looks like a survivor of an extermination camp - very thin and pale. He’s been running a temperature lately and wasting away. The doctors don’t know why yet. Mike Staigers had stomach problems, & Dave has some kind of blood disease which makes every little sore he gets turn into a big pussy welt. He has one on his face which looks rough, but is on ampicillin to cure it.

Good old Ed {Shiffer} brought out my mail. I got home at 11 {PM} and began reading. U.W. {University of Wisconsin-Madison} sent me a note saying my application never reached them, which is ridiculous because my folks signed and forwarded it from Friendship {WI}, & I got a letter afterwards asking for further info. for my financial aids application. They assumed I was a foreign student and sent me the appropriate forms {for that status}. <Sofia had one letter in the stack; I had hoped for more.> Dad, Jan & Gert {Verberkmoes} wrote, bless their hearts!