Joan Heron's book is a fascinating story of culture and the value of people-to-people connection. She portrays the daily lives of the Turkmenistan people in a way that gives insight and awareness to the reader. She paints a vivid picture of their culture, struggles and joys. She sensitively describes their beliefs, cutoms, hostory, and systems and yet is honest about the political climate. She is also candid about her own struggles and reactions. An excellent read!

Chai Budesh? Anyone for Tea?: A Peace Corps Memoir of Turkmenistan

Joan Heron's book CHAI BUDESH? ANYONE FOR TEA? is on the surface, a memoir of a 62-year-old Peace Corps Volunteer in Turkmenistan. Taken only as such, it's an inquiring woman's account of an encounter with an unfamiliar culture and an autocratic government. It engagingly narrates Joan's adventures in navigating several projects successfully to conclusion in the face of adversity.

For me, though, the value of the book lies rather in the subtext of how a human--vulnerable through physical limitation and lack of social connection--creates a piece of goodness by marshalling courage discipline administrative skill, and the compassionate desire to make a difference in others' lives.

In this regard, Joan's story exemplifies "how to use a life". She gathers up the fruit of her long work experience and her curiosity in a variety of other fields. She comes to Turkmenistan with a mind and will both integrated and at the ready. She accepts daunting tasks that require the collaborative efforts of several others similarly prepared in their own way. Joan calls the resulting achievement of a transpersonal synergy "magic". I agree; yet it is only in part mysterious. Her account of the many specific everyday decisions and choices that undergird the opening into another dimension is the most original and inspiring aspect of the book.

Joan's story shows that "magic" is not supernatural but is grounded in the building of a web of relationships, skills and intention. She makes the possibility of such occurences accessible to any of us who learn, work and have the patence to find allies and the right time to act.

Joan Heron's two year Peace Corps adventure into Turkmenistan is a wonderful journey into the hearts of a people, their customs, and the bureaucratic challenges faced by a grandma with a lifetime of experience and a will to help. The memoir is a great read for anyone who likes to travel, especially to countries off the cruise-line course, and who admires the can-do American spirit.
Ken Luber, author "Match to the Heart"

Chai Budesh is an adventure. A story of what dedicated service in the Peace Corps can accomplish, written in a personal style that involves the reader from start to finish. This book gives the reader an intimate glimpse into the lives and relationships of the Turkmen people never seen in the travel guides or history books. A must read gor anyone planning to volunteer for the Peace Corps or any other public service oganization.

Daniel Burch Fiddler, author of I WAS A YOUNGER BROTHER