I am an old ex-Peace Corps Volunteer. I was nineteen years of age upon entering Peace Corps Training at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I turned 20 just before arriving in Bogota, Colombia in September 1966. It was the first time I was ever in an airplane and the second country I had ever visited after crossing the Mexican border. UNM was the first University I ever stepped within. I had only completed two years of community college. Peace Corps must have been desperate for Volunteers. There were two of us of the same age. We were sports trained Volunteers n 1966. Upon arriving in Bogota, Colombia and being settled into a hotel, we ordered sandwiches to our room. This act was a significant moment that changed my direction and "success". We were four volunteers in the room. The sandwiches arrived and we all began to eat. Each sandwich had cockroaches in them. I pulled mine out, stepped on it and ate my sandwich. The other volunteers threw their sandwiches into the trash bin. Two of them got onto a flight the next and returned to the USA. One of those returning was a volunteer who had played four years of college basketball and he was six foot six in height and clearly the most skilled athlete in our group. We were both to be assigned to Manizales, Colombia. He was to be the Head Coach of the Department of Caldas men's state basketball team. I was assigned to a girl's school as a Physical Education Teacher. Short of the story, I was assigned to be the Head Basketball Coach. I had never played high school basketball. I was in over my head. I lasted through the tournament, but in my team's last game, we lost and we were the host of the national tournament. I was very disappointed and frustrated. I kicked the fence behind the bench and expressed my frustration with a vulgar expression in Spainsh, "Hijo de Puta" (Son of Bitch). The Colombian Director of Athletics for State of Caldas was seated on the other side of the fence. He took that "expression of frustration" as directed at him. Peace Corps moved me immediately to another site far away to keep me from being killed as that "expression" is taken literally. My time in Bucaramanga, Colombia was good. I became very good friend with Peace Corps Volunteer, John Keys. John completed three years, but I, one day, bought a plane ticket back to the USA without talking to any leadership of Peace Corps. I have always regretted it. Later in life, I hired a woman from Bogota, Colombia to work in my private summer camp in Northeast, Pennsylvania. Maria Andrea and I matched perfectly and a year later we married. I have been back to Colombia many many times. We honeymooned in the Amazons and Cartagena, Colombia I have met up with several of the players on the youth basketball team I coached in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Two of them became professional basketball players and coaches. One became a Medical Doctor. One operated his own basketball program and trained thousands of youth to love basketball. I learned about soccer in Colombia from the street kids and it has turned into a love affair for the rest of my life. My wife and I have traveled to six FIFA World Cup competitions. We have sponsored multiple youth soccer players as Exchange Students. I have signed citizenship papers for four of our summer staff members. I love Colombia and the Colombian people as my own brothers and sisters.