[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] No.

[Assistant] You were really stuck.

[User] There was no going out to a city. That's why the second year they sent married couples there, the next year.

[Assistant] Because we had pretty much, we lived, I was in a village and we needed to go into the big city, you know, at least once a month.

[User] We didn't have that chance. One, you couldn't go because you couldn't, you had to fly. Actually at Easter time, the way we left was on horseback. We had some horses. I had a horse and a couple of the other guys had a horse. So the four of us rode a horse to a town that was across the river and we took a bus from there. So that's how we got out at Easter time. That was the first time we've been out since we went there in September.

[Assistant] Boy, that was really. Did people come to see you or they couldn't get in?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] There was no going out to a city. That's why the second year they sent married couples there, the next year.

[Assistant] Because we had pretty much, we lived, I was in a village and we needed to go into the big city, you know, at least once a month.

[User] We didn't have that chance. One, you couldn't go because you couldn't, you had to fly. Actually at Easter time, the way we left was on horseback. We had some horses. I had a horse and a couple of the other guys had a horse. So the four of us rode a horse to a town that was across the river and we took a bus from there. So that's how we got out at Easter time. That was the first time we've been out since we went there in September.

[Assistant] Boy, that was really. Did people come to see you or they couldn't get in?

[User] Nobody could get in. Nobody could get in here.

[Assistant] That is really, I've never heard of anything like that.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] We didn't have that chance. One, you couldn't go because you couldn't, you had to fly. Actually at Easter time, the way we left was on horseback. We had some horses. I had a horse and a couple of the other guys had a horse. So the four of us rode a horse to a town that was across the river and we took a bus from there. So that's how we got out at Easter time. That was the first time we've been out since we went there in September.

[Assistant] Boy, that was really. Did people come to see you or they couldn't get in?

[User] Nobody could get in. Nobody could get in here.

[Assistant] That is really, I've never heard of anything like that.

[User] Well, we managed. I did get pneumonia the first fall, and that's stayed with me for about 20 years. Every fall, I would get that in my chest. But there was a Belgian doctor there. There was a doctor from Belgium. Oh, not, I'm sorry, Bulgaria, there's a Bulgarian doctor there and he treated me. I think my friends came by and they noticed I was doing pretty poorly. And so that must have been November, late November or something. And they, you know, he came by and he gave me shots that must have been penicillin. But I got better.

[Assistant] What were your living conditions? Did you live with the other volunteers?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Nobody could get in. Nobody could get in here.

[Assistant] That is really, I've never heard of anything like that.

[User] Well, we managed. I did get pneumonia the first fall, and that's stayed with me for about 20 years. Every fall, I would get that in my chest. But there was a Belgian doctor there. There was a doctor from Belgium. Oh, not, I'm sorry, Bulgaria, there's a Bulgarian doctor there and he treated me. I think my friends came by and they noticed I was doing pretty poorly. And so that must have been November, late November or something. And they, you know, he came by and he gave me shots that must have been penicillin. But I got better.

[Assistant] What were your living conditions? Did you live with the other volunteers?

[User]
We all had separate houses because the year before, the four volunteers had had one house together and that hadn't worked out really well. There had been some conflicts. So they decided that this year we should all have separate houses, which was a little bit ridiculous. But so we all had separate houses. And we would visit each other, you know, Friday nights, I'd go to Bernie's house, but pretty much always there were four of us. We'd all kind of congregate. There was one person who had been in the town the year before, and three of us were new. So we all kind of congregated at the one guy's house and we had a good radio. We could listen to his radio and listen to music and tapes, and he played guitar. So we would kind of get a bottle of wine from the market and cook some food and have a Friday night together and stuff like that. So that's how we kind of socialize that way with each other.

And we were discouraged really from going out into the town. One of the volunteers the year before had been very much in the town and had kind of gotten a bad reputation for the volunteers. So we were kind of making a new reputation for the volunteers not being quite so, uh, in it.

[Assistant] Was it all women or was it?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Well, we managed. I did get pneumonia the first fall, and that's stayed with me for about 20 years. Every fall, I would get that in my chest. But there was a Belgian doctor there. There was a doctor from Belgium. Oh, not, I'm sorry, Bulgaria, there's a Bulgarian doctor there and he treated me. I think my friends came by and they noticed I was doing pretty poorly. And so that must have been November, late November or something. And they, you know, he came by and he gave me shots that must have been penicillin. But I got better.

[Assistant] What were your living conditions? Did you live with the other volunteers?

[User]
We all had separate houses because the year before, the four volunteers had had one house together and that hadn't worked out really well. There had been some conflicts. So they decided that this year we should all have separate houses, which was a little bit ridiculous. But so we all had separate houses. And we would visit each other, you know, Friday nights, I'd go to Bernie's house, but pretty much always there were four of us. We'd all kind of congregate. There was one person who had been in the town the year before, and three of us were new. So we all kind of congregated at the one guy's house and we had a good radio. We could listen to his radio and listen to music and tapes, and he played guitar. So we would kind of get a bottle of wine from the market and cook some food and have a Friday night together and stuff like that. So that's how we kind of socialize that way with each other.

And we were discouraged really from going out into the town. One of the volunteers the year before had been very much in the town and had kind of gotten a bad reputation for the volunteers. So we were kind of making a new reputation for the volunteers not being quite so, uh, in it.

[Assistant] Was it all women or was it?

[User] We were all four guys. We were all four guys.

[Assistant] Four guys, OK.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User]
We all had separate houses because the year before, the four volunteers had had one house together and that hadn't worked out really well. There had been some conflicts. So they decided that this year we should all have separate houses, which was a little bit ridiculous. But so we all had separate houses. And we would visit each other, you know, Friday nights, I'd go to Bernie's house, but pretty much always there were four of us. We'd all kind of congregate. There was one person who had been in the town the year before, and three of us were new. So we all kind of congregated at the one guy's house and we had a good radio. We could listen to his radio and listen to music and tapes, and he played guitar. So we would kind of get a bottle of wine from the market and cook some food and have a Friday night together and stuff like that. So that's how we kind of socialize that way with each other.

And we were discouraged really from going out into the town. One of the volunteers the year before had been very much in the town and had kind of gotten a bad reputation for the volunteers. So we were kind of making a new reputation for the volunteers not being quite so, uh, in it.

[Assistant] Was it all women or was it?

[User] We were all four guys. We were all four guys.

[Assistant] Four guys, OK.

[User] We were four guys, and the year before I guess started with four guys too. One of them got into the culture pretty deeply, I guess.

[Assistant] What about the influence of Haile Selassie, did he still have some?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Yeah, I was a loner.

[Assistant] Yeah.

[User] I spent my life being a loner and it was, I was, I liked my little town and it's beautiful. I liked the sunsets. I liked watching, my house was on the main street and I would just love to watch the people coming to the market. You know, the little kids coming to the market to get the oil to cook up for the night and just, you know, I just loved being there.

[Assistant] Now how was that transition made? Did you request that or did they tell you to go?

[User] They told, basically told us that they're going to put two. There were four guys in this town. They told us they're going to put two married couples there, so we have to go someplace. One of them actually was a, one of the people who went back home, because he had been a Nigeria volunteer actually. But he had been switched to Ethiopia when the Nigerian civil war broke out. And so he came back to the States after one year. And the other, one of the other volunteers was his second year, so he came back to the States. And then Bernie was the kind of the same level I was, he went to another town. And so when I went to this town.

[Assistant] Did you have any choice in that or they just, it was picked out for you?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] I would say that I got better at it. I would say that I wish I'd gotten a lot better. I was able to follow conversations and occasionally put in something, but I wasn't really able to, you know, speak in front of a group or start a conversation or, you know, deeply get into a conversation. I could kind of bounce along the edges and get along. But and I could go to the market and I could get what I needed. The second year, I had one student who lived with me, but I did a lot of the market stuff myself by them.

[Assistant] So you were the only English speaker, basically?

[User] Yes, the only native English speaker. There were two university students who were doing a year of service. There were like, I think there were. I think they had already gone four years, but they would have to go another year when they came back, or something like that. I don't know, maybe they were doing this, I don't remember exactly, but there were two university students, so they were fairly verbal and they liked to speak English and we didn't hang out a lot together. We hung out some together. And then I was. There was Weyizero Salama Weet. Weyizero was Mrs. Mrs. Weet. She was the high school, she was the school economic, home economics teacher, and I gave her some lessons on how to use. I had a gas abuta stove. I had a gas stove. So I gave her some lessons on how to cook with that stove because I figured when I left, it might just go to the school.

[Assistant] Now that was given to you by the Peace Corps?

[User] The Peace Corps, you know, when I moved to that place, my area rep equipped me fully.

[Assistant] Yeah, we were the first one. They called it efer gas in Turkey. And you know, we were the first ones to introduce that.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Yes, the only native English speaker. There were two university students who were doing a year of service. There were like, I think there were. I think they had already gone four years, but they would have to go another year when they came back, or something like that. I don't know, maybe they were doing this, I don't remember exactly, but there were two university students, so they were fairly verbal and they liked to speak English and we didn't hang out a lot together. We hung out some together. And then I was. There was Weyizero Salama Weet. Weyizero was Mrs. Mrs. Weet. She was the high school, she was the school economic, home economics teacher, and I gave her some lessons on how to use. I had a gas abuta stove. I had a gas stove. So I gave her some lessons on how to cook with that stove because I figured when I left, it might just go to the school.

[Assistant] Now that was given to you by the Peace Corps?

[User] The Peace Corps, you know, when I moved to that place, my area rep equipped me fully.

[Assistant] Yeah, we were the first one. They called it efer gas in Turkey. And you know, we were the first ones to introduce that.

[User] Right, right. I had to go. I wasn't sure how much was in the canister. So at one point I took a bus to try to go get another one. That was a disaster. But it was a very good disaster anyway.

[Assistant] Now you know at the end of the first year that you'd be leaving or did the people know that you would be leaving?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Right, right. I had to go. I wasn't sure how much was in the canister. So at one point I took a bus to try to go get another one. That was a disaster. But it was a very good disaster anyway.

[Assistant] Now you know at the end of the first year that you'd be leaving or did the people know that you would be leaving?

[User] Because I was switching towns?

[Assistant] Yeah.

[User] I think it probably happened over the summer, so I didn't really get to say goodbye or anything. I don't think I ever got to. I think it just kind of happened over the summer, because we each had summer projects we went to over the summer, and mine was in a whole different town. They tried to get you to be someplace else and do something different. So I went to a whole different town for that first summer in between the two years.

[Assistant] After the first year, what was some of your joys and woes and unexpected things, relationships, health problems, vacation, travel?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] And that was a kind of fun to travel because you got to be a little more local and see what was going on a little bit better. But the train ride was really cool too, because we went across the Rift Valley. That was so powerful to see the Rift Valley because we were just going along the edge of it. And you could see like the edge was straight down and you know, 50, 60, 100 miles across. You can see the other edge and you can see the Earth that had just gone, whoosh. This great Rift Valley. And so it was kind of cool to go just along the edge and see it from that perspective. So I remember that.

[Assistant] How would you compare your first year to your second year?

[User] Oh, my second year was much calmer and slower. It just, kind of just flew by. The first year was a bit bulky. We had our celebration times together, but we got together and on the weekends go out. But the first year was pretty grueling because we were up in the mountains and the rain. It rained a lot and you had to wear these boots and you had to. The mud was muddy and just the mud stuck to your boots. You didn't walk through, you globbed through, you know, and it was day after day after day. It was a little challenging, but we made it. And it was, we made ourselves happy through it.

[Assistant] I think you mentioned that you had a foot locker with books. Do you read a lot?

[User] Oh, yes, we did. I did a lot of reading. They sent us a good book locker. And then second year I got another.

[Assistant] What other things did you do for leisure?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Oh, my second year was much calmer and slower. It just, kind of just flew by. The first year was a bit bulky. We had our celebration times together, but we got together and on the weekends go out. But the first year was pretty grueling because we were up in the mountains and the rain. It rained a lot and you had to wear these boots and you had to. The mud was muddy and just the mud stuck to your boots. You didn't walk through, you globbed through, you know, and it was day after day after day. It was a little challenging, but we made it. And it was, we made ourselves happy through it.

[Assistant] I think you mentioned that you had a foot locker with books. Do you read a lot?

[User] Oh, yes, we did. I did a lot of reading. They sent us a good book locker. And then second year I got another.

[Assistant] What other things did you do for leisure?

[User] Oh, reading, just hiking. We did a lot of hiking, and just going to the market. In the first town there was a big hill right behind the school, Koba Hill, and it was just, it must have been 100 feet up there and there's this big huge mound of hill. And you could just go up there and just look far, far, because it was pretty level land for a long, long way away from the mountains. Behind you were mountains. But if you're looking out, it was just beautiful. And we did a lot of trips just going around seeing the various rivers and how they followed the land, and going to springs and things like that.

[Assistant] What about lot of water, could you drink the water?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Oh, yes, we did. I did a lot of reading. They sent us a good book locker. And then second year I got another.

[Assistant] What other things did you do for leisure?

[User] Oh, reading, just hiking. We did a lot of hiking, and just going to the market. In the first town there was a big hill right behind the school, Koba Hill, and it was just, it must have been 100 feet up there and there's this big huge mound of hill. And you could just go up there and just look far, far, because it was pretty level land for a long, long way away from the mountains. Behind you were mountains. But if you're looking out, it was just beautiful. And we did a lot of trips just going around seeing the various rivers and how they followed the land, and going to springs and things like that.

[Assistant] What about lot of water, could you drink the water?

[User] I boiled it and filtered it in both towns. We had a double canister system. It could hold a couple, two or three gallons of water. So I'd boil the water and then filter it. I never tried drinking it. I just didn't take that risk.

[Assistant] OK. At the end of your tour, what was your sense of achievement and failure, your pluses and minuses, relations and work with the people of Ethiopia, regrets, satisfactions?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] I've never been back. I've never been able to. I wouldn't know who to write to or where to write to somebody. I suppose it's possible to look things up on the internet now and try to figure out, but people have the same names a lot. I could, you know, I could look up Atu Bulagata and I could probably find his last name somewhere, but would I get the right Atu Bulagata? I don't know.

[Assistant] I went back a couple of times in Turkey, and I didn't let anybody know I was coming. I just showed up and they welcomed me back like a king. It was unbelievable. I wish I had known that at the time, you know? They really, they never told me while I was there that.

[User] But yours, that you meant something special to them?

[Assistant] Yeah, yeah, so when I came back they really did.

[User] Yeah, I think that would probably be the case. You know, the children would always be very intent about the ferengis, the foreigners, and they would be very much in your face a lot. I'm sure that, if I had been able to go back fairly soon, it would have been difficult, because of the political situation at that time. For about 20 years, it was very difficult. I think people have started going back now. But I very much. It was a very blessed, big blessing in my life, and it made a lot of differences to me and gave me a lot of confidence that I could, you know, enter unusual situations and enjoy them and come out with a good feeling about it.

[Assistant] Did you have any plans for the future there at all or while you were there?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] It's all in English. The reason for that is they needed college. They wanted to have their own colleges and universities there. So they were just, they needed some language. They could have gone with French, they could have gone English. Later on, they went with Russian. So that's the way it came. So we were teaching English so that they could have a college so they can have English speaking students in college. And whether that was really a valid thing for their country, I don't know.

[Assistant] Yeah.

[User] But it was. I was, I did what I was called to do and I was good, and maybe it was the best that anybody could do at that particular time.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Whether, you know, looking at it from a bigger perspective, was it the best thing for their country? It wasn't my decision to make. So when I came to the back to the States, I decided to do something different. But that's all. I think we did a good job teaching.

[Assistant] Because that's what the country wanted and you provided it.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] But it was. I was, I did what I was called to do and I was good, and maybe it was the best that anybody could do at that particular time.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Whether, you know, looking at it from a bigger perspective, was it the best thing for their country? It wasn't my decision to make. So when I came to the back to the States, I decided to do something different. But that's all. I think we did a good job teaching.

[Assistant] Because that's what the country wanted and you provided it.

[User] We did it.

[Assistant] OK, and the second goal is to promote better understanding of the U.S. How do you feel you did in that?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Whether, you know, looking at it from a bigger perspective, was it the best thing for their country? It wasn't my decision to make. So when I came to the back to the States, I decided to do something different. But that's all. I think we did a good job teaching.

[Assistant] Because that's what the country wanted and you provided it.

[User] We did it.

[Assistant] OK, and the second goal is to promote better understanding of the U.S. How do you feel you did in that?

[User] And I think it was, I hope I did OK. Sometimes I wonder. I think they met a real person from the United States who came into their lives, did some dumb things maybe, but did some good things too, and was basically a good person. And hopefully showed them that Americans can be good people besides all the dumb things they do.

[Assistant] OK, and the third goal is to promote better understanding of other peoples by Americans.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] We did it.

[Assistant] OK, and the second goal is to promote better understanding of the U.S. How do you feel you did in that?

[User] And I think it was, I hope I did OK. Sometimes I wonder. I think they met a real person from the United States who came into their lives, did some dumb things maybe, but did some good things too, and was basically a good person. And hopefully showed them that Americans can be good people besides all the dumb things they do.

[Assistant] OK, and the third goal is to promote better understanding of other peoples by Americans.

[User] I've, since I come back, I've participated in my classroom. [tape break]

[Assistant] Third goal of the Peace Corps, which is to promote better understanding of other peoples by Americans.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] And I think it was, I hope I did OK. Sometimes I wonder. I think they met a real person from the United States who came into their lives, did some dumb things maybe, but did some good things too, and was basically a good person. And hopefully showed them that Americans can be good people besides all the dumb things they do.

[Assistant] OK, and the third goal is to promote better understanding of other peoples by Americans.

[User] I've, since I come back, I've participated in my classroom. [tape break]

[Assistant] Third goal of the Peace Corps, which is to promote better understanding of other peoples by Americans.

[User]
Well, when I got back to the States, I had all my slides, had color slides, and I developed a slide show that I would, I gave it to friends and family and I've given it to several organizations. And then I also gave it in my classes at school, specially during the Peace Corps, the month when we kind of emphasize the Peace Corps in the spring. So when I actually was able to give it to other, show to other classes at those different schools where I was, I would say, open invitation, I'll come to your class. I had some artifacts, baskets and basketry that was made in Ethiopia, and I would put on my gabi. I have a piece of apparel, clothing, that would be used, worn by somebody in Ethiopia, so I could show them how to use that and talk about the culture and different things like that and show the pictures and tell them about the work that I did over there.

So I feel like I spread the word about other countries, especially Ethiopia as a country that I had been in. And my students would sometimes ask me after that, you know, tell me some more about Ethiopia. It kind of opened up their eyes to that there was another place in the world where they lived, people live differently. The children don't have shoes all the time. Sometimes they do, but a lot of times they don't. How that works and what that means and all that kind of.

[Assistant] Have you had any continued kind of involvement with your country or contact with the people from that country?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] I've subscribed to the, you know, there's a local, there's a regional group, an Ethiopian group that. I don't think I've signed up every year, but most years I've signed up to be a part of that and get the newsletters. I haven't really responded to any appeals of, I think there was a book campaign and different things like that. I never thought that I could respond to those. I kind of kept in touch by listening and being aware of what's going on, but not really making contact.

[Assistant] Have you had any other continuing Peace Corps involvement at all?

[User] I've been kind of an activist kind of a person, I guess, whenever they're trying to get legislation passed or trying to get this happening in Congress or something like that. I've tried to be, you know, sending letters or now it's not letters anymore, it's emails. So in the early days, you would send a letter. Now you send emails off to different places. So I've tried to be as helpful as I can in keeping the Peace Corps idea going, writing my Congresspeople, emphasizing that.

[Assistant] OK, now we're going to talk about the effect on you of your Peace Corps service. What's, you know, what was your immediate effect and then changing yourself, career plans, long term?

[User] Yeah, when I first got back, I remember my dad picked me up at O'Hare Airport in Chicago and we hopped on the expressway. And that was pretty traumatic.

[Assistant] Oh, the same thing happened to me. I came back by boat and I landed in New York, and my aunt picked me up in New York and got on the freeway. And I was in the back seat and I was shaking, I hadn't seen anything like that for, you know, two years and I was scared.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Well, I think programs like this need to grow and grow and grow. It kind of gets a lid put on it, and I think if we had been growing and growing and growing instead of having a lid put on it, we'd be in a whole different place in the world. The rest of the world would be in a different place, and so would we. Volunteerism catches on, and it has caught on, and there's some of it going on. But we need to be doing this much more than, oh, solving our problems with the guns and bullets that we tend to solve them with.

[Assistant] Well, that's for sure.

[User] We could have a whole different world if you could just convince enough people that training people and sending them overseas for two years would make a bigger difference, a long-lasting difference in our country and in other countries, if we could only get that established as the goal. Because we just, we have had so many chances. You know, we had the '60s, we had the '70s. We had a little bit of the '80s and then we really shut down. It's been a really long shutdown. Things are starting to open up a little bit now, I hope. But I think we're seeing, a lot of people don't realize how much change is necessary because we've let it go so long. There's a lot of change that's necessary right now. And it's just, it's going to be overwhelming to us unless we're going to start making some steps to go forward. And volunteerism is a very big step that we need to be able to take.

[Assistant] Yeah, I think there always has been, I never thought of it that way, a lid on the Peace Corps, at least as far as numbers. Because, you know, I think they wanted to get up to 10,000 at one point. But I don't think they've ever achieved that.

[User] That would just be a drop in the bucket of what's needed in our world.

[Assistant] But even that, like you say, there's a lid on that and more money goes to Iraq or whatever.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] We could have a whole different world if you could just convince enough people that training people and sending them overseas for two years would make a bigger difference, a long-lasting difference in our country and in other countries, if we could only get that established as the goal. Because we just, we have had so many chances. You know, we had the '60s, we had the '70s. We had a little bit of the '80s and then we really shut down. It's been a really long shutdown. Things are starting to open up a little bit now, I hope. But I think we're seeing, a lot of people don't realize how much change is necessary because we've let it go so long. There's a lot of change that's necessary right now. And it's just, it's going to be overwhelming to us unless we're going to start making some steps to go forward. And volunteerism is a very big step that we need to be able to take.

[Assistant] Yeah, I think there always has been, I never thought of it that way, a lid on the Peace Corps, at least as far as numbers. Because, you know, I think they wanted to get up to 10,000 at one point. But I don't think they've ever achieved that.

[User] That would just be a drop in the bucket of what's needed in our world.

[Assistant] But even that, like you say, there's a lid on that and more money goes to Iraq or whatever.

[User] The immediate needs of oil. Well, soon the immediate needs of oil will be come crashing down on us and we won't. You won't be able to. We'll either respond with more bullets and more guns and really destroy the world, or we'll find another way. And I'm hoping, I'm working locally so we can find another way.

[Assistant] Yeah, well, you're an inspiration. I lived a straight life for a long time, then I kind of just let it all go. And now I'm regretting that. But I admire your perseverance.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] That would just be a drop in the bucket of what's needed in our world.

[Assistant] But even that, like you say, there's a lid on that and more money goes to Iraq or whatever.

[User] The immediate needs of oil. Well, soon the immediate needs of oil will be come crashing down on us and we won't. You won't be able to. We'll either respond with more bullets and more guns and really destroy the world, or we'll find another way. And I'm hoping, I'm working locally so we can find another way.

[Assistant] Yeah, well, you're an inspiration. I lived a straight life for a long time, then I kind of just let it all go. And now I'm regretting that. But I admire your perseverance.

[User] Well, thank you. I'm just giving it my best shot. This is my one time around, and I'm going to live it as slowly as I can. And living fully means living thoughtfully and respectfully of other people as much as I can. It's been a challenge sometimes.

[Assistant] You've stuck with it, and it's good to hear. Any other, uh. That's a good ending, but unless you had any pearls of wisdom you want to add?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] The immediate needs of oil. Well, soon the immediate needs of oil will be come crashing down on us and we won't. You won't be able to. We'll either respond with more bullets and more guns and really destroy the world, or we'll find another way. And I'm hoping, I'm working locally so we can find another way.

[Assistant] Yeah, well, you're an inspiration. I lived a straight life for a long time, then I kind of just let it all go. And now I'm regretting that. But I admire your perseverance.

[User] Well, thank you. I'm just giving it my best shot. This is my one time around, and I'm going to live it as slowly as I can. And living fully means living thoughtfully and respectfully of other people as much as I can. It's been a challenge sometimes.

[Assistant] You've stuck with it, and it's good to hear. Any other, uh. That's a good ending, but unless you had any pearls of wisdom you want to add?

[User] I think that's it. I'd like us to be able to move forward in the ways that we need to move forward and not go backwards. There's so much of a push in our country to go backwards right now.

[Assistant] Boy, boy. Back to what?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Why did I join the Peace Corps? Um, I was raised in a little town on the plains in Colorado. Greeley, Colorado. And it seemed like a great way to.

[Assistant] Get out of?

[User] See the real world and contribute at the same time. Uh, I also thought it might help me get into graduate school.

[Assistant] How did you even find out about Peace Corps?

[User] That's a good question. I don't really know how I first heard about the Peace Corps. No one in my family had done it or anything like that. Um, you know, I was one of the first to even get a.

[Assistant] This was after college or before college?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] See the real world and contribute at the same time. Uh, I also thought it might help me get into graduate school.

[Assistant] How did you even find out about Peace Corps?

[User] That's a good question. I don't really know how I first heard about the Peace Corps. No one in my family had done it or anything like that. Um, you know, I was one of the first to even get a.

[Assistant] This was after college or before college?

[User] Uh, well, I applied while I was in college. I went pretty much like four months after I graduated. Um, I must have heard it from a colleague or on campus. I went to some informational sessions on campus, but I'm not sure where I first heard about it.

[Assistant] And what did your parents think about this?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] That's a good question. I don't really know how I first heard about the Peace Corps. No one in my family had done it or anything like that. Um, you know, I was one of the first to even get a.

[Assistant] This was after college or before college?

[User] Uh, well, I applied while I was in college. I went pretty much like four months after I graduated. Um, I must have heard it from a colleague or on campus. I went to some informational sessions on campus, but I'm not sure where I first heard about it.

[Assistant] And what did your parents think about this?

[User] That's a good question. My parents were very supportive until they heard about the job offers I had. And my mom was still supportive. My stepdad swallowed. I was, I had an engineering degree, so the job offers looked pretty darn good to him at that stage, but my mom was always supportive and he was supportive too.

[Assistant] Job offers, where? Real jobs?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, well, I applied while I was in college. I went pretty much like four months after I graduated. Um, I must have heard it from a colleague or on campus. I went to some informational sessions on campus, but I'm not sure where I first heard about it.

[Assistant] And what did your parents think about this?

[User] That's a good question. My parents were very supportive until they heard about the job offers I had. And my mom was still supportive. My stepdad swallowed. I was, I had an engineering degree, so the job offers looked pretty darn good to him at that stage, but my mom was always supportive and he was supportive too.

[Assistant] Job offers, where? Real jobs?

[User] Real jobs, yeah, real jobs. Engineering jobs coming out of school, which paid pretty well for that at that time. And, uh, but they were both supportive in the end. It's just he was like, ooh, that's a lot of money to walk away from.

[Assistant] And what about your friends?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] That's a good question. My parents were very supportive until they heard about the job offers I had. And my mom was still supportive. My stepdad swallowed. I was, I had an engineering degree, so the job offers looked pretty darn good to him at that stage, but my mom was always supportive and he was supportive too.

[Assistant] Job offers, where? Real jobs?

[User] Real jobs, yeah, real jobs. Engineering jobs coming out of school, which paid pretty well for that at that time. And, uh, but they were both supportive in the end. It's just he was like, ooh, that's a lot of money to walk away from.

[Assistant] And what about your friends?

[User] Uh, I think they sort of figured it was par for the course.

[Assistant] This is something Jed would do.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Real jobs, yeah, real jobs. Engineering jobs coming out of school, which paid pretty well for that at that time. And, uh, but they were both supportive in the end. It's just he was like, ooh, that's a lot of money to walk away from.

[Assistant] And what about your friends?

[User] Uh, I think they sort of figured it was par for the course.

[Assistant] This is something Jed would do.

[User] Yes, it's something that Jed would do.

[Assistant] Okay, so did you. What, what part of the world did you want to go in? Did you apply for a certain part of the world, or did you know you wanted to go to Micronesia?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, I think they sort of figured it was par for the course.

[Assistant] This is something Jed would do.

[User] Yes, it's something that Jed would do.

[Assistant] Okay, so did you. What, what part of the world did you want to go in? Did you apply for a certain part of the world, or did you know you wanted to go to Micronesia?

[User] Uh, no. I had never heard of Micronesia. Um, I had requested Pacific, Asia or Pacific were I think what I, my preferences were. So they gave me that.

[Assistant] That's great. And what was the job you had in Peace Corps? Was it related to engineering?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, no. I had never heard of Micronesia. Um, I had requested Pacific, Asia or Pacific were I think what I, my preferences were. So they gave me that.

[Assistant] That's great. And what was the job you had in Peace Corps? Was it related to engineering?

[User] Uh, not really. It was half, half time health, half time English teacher. Uh, Micronesia's, uh, landmass is about the size of Rhode Island, spread out across an ocean larger than the continental United States.

[Assistant] Hmm.

[User] So they speak many languages, but chose English as their primary national language so that they could speak to each other. Um, and so exams to get into high school are in English. All the schools teach English. So having people who can help teach their teachers and teach English is beneficial for the country.

[Assistant] Did you teach at um, elementary level or what?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, not really. It was half, half time health, half time English teacher. Uh, Micronesia's, uh, landmass is about the size of Rhode Island, spread out across an ocean larger than the continental United States.

[Assistant] Hmm.

[User] So they speak many languages, but chose English as their primary national language so that they could speak to each other. Um, and so exams to get into high school are in English. All the schools teach English. So having people who can help teach their teachers and teach English is beneficial for the country.

[Assistant] Did you teach at um, elementary level or what?

[User] Yeah. Seventh and eighth grade. So the kids prepping for the high school exams.

[Assistant] Well, let's, let's start with Peace Corps. So you got a notice. You're accepted to the Peace Corps. And where did you meet up with folks? What was your training like?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] So they speak many languages, but chose English as their primary national language so that they could speak to each other. Um, and so exams to get into high school are in English. All the schools teach English. So having people who can help teach their teachers and teach English is beneficial for the country.

[Assistant] Did you teach at um, elementary level or what?

[User] Yeah. Seventh and eighth grade. So the kids prepping for the high school exams.

[Assistant] Well, let's, let's start with Peace Corps. So you got a notice. You're accepted to the Peace Corps. And where did you meet up with folks? What was your training like?

[User] Um, so we met, got together in Hilo in Hawaii, at University of Hawaii, um, for the three day pre-departure stuff. Um, then there was a group of, I want to say like 60 of us for Micronesia. They had one group a year. Um, and we all flew to Chuuk, which was where I ended up being posted so.

[Assistant] Is that the capital or?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Yeah. Seventh and eighth grade. So the kids prepping for the high school exams.

[Assistant] Well, let's, let's start with Peace Corps. So you got a notice. You're accepted to the Peace Corps. And where did you meet up with folks? What was your training like?

[User] Um, so we met, got together in Hilo in Hawaii, at University of Hawaii, um, for the three day pre-departure stuff. Um, then there was a group of, I want to say like 60 of us for Micronesia. They had one group a year. Um, and we all flew to Chuuk, which was where I ended up being posted so.

[Assistant] Is that the capital or?

[User] Uh, no, it's not the capital. There are four states. Um, Pohnpei is the capital. Um. Koshirae, Yap, and Chuuk. But our pre- service training for three months was at a Catholic high school in Chuuk, which was also they ended up being the state where I was assigned as well.

[Assistant] And talk a little bit about training. Do you think the, did it prepare you for the Peace Corps experience? What was good about it?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, no, it's not the capital. There are four states. Um, Pohnpei is the capital. Um. Koshirae, Yap, and Chuuk. But our pre- service training for three months was at a Catholic high school in Chuuk, which was also they ended up being the state where I was assigned as well.

[Assistant] And talk a little bit about training. Do you think the, did it prepare you for the Peace Corps experience? What was good about it?

[User] I don't know what could prepare you for the Peace Corps experience. Um, I was terrified at teaching. I was more comfortable with the health side of things. I had been a paramedic in college, so that to me seemed more universal.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Um, um, but truth be told, I think the, the three months of training as a teacher really did prepare me to at least be functional in a classroom. And I give them huge credit for that.

[Assistant] This was at the, who was doing the training, University of Hawaii or?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] I don't know what could prepare you for the Peace Corps experience. Um, I was terrified at teaching. I was more comfortable with the health side of things. I had been a paramedic in college, so that to me seemed more universal.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Um, um, but truth be told, I think the, the three months of training as a teacher really did prepare me to at least be functional in a classroom. And I give them huge credit for that.

[Assistant] This was at the, who was doing the training, University of Hawaii or?

[User] No, no, this was in Chuuk.

[Assistant] Oh, in Chuuk.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Um, um, but truth be told, I think the, the three months of training as a teacher really did prepare me to at least be functional in a classroom. And I give them huge credit for that.

[Assistant] This was at the, who was doing the training, University of Hawaii or?

[User] No, no, this was in Chuuk.

[Assistant] Oh, in Chuuk.

[User] This was in country. I think it was. There were some higher trainers who were, you know, experienced volunteers, some with advanced training in teaching. And then I think half, you know, the outgoing volunteers helped. Um, and, uh, didn't do a whole lot of health related training that I recall at all. So it was mostly English and, I mean, teaching and then the language, because we had to have language training as well. Um.

[Assistant] And what language did you learn?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] This was in country. I think it was. There were some higher trainers who were, you know, experienced volunteers, some with advanced training in teaching. And then I think half, you know, the outgoing volunteers helped. Um, and, uh, didn't do a whole lot of health related training that I recall at all. So it was mostly English and, I mean, teaching and then the language, because we had to have language training as well. Um.

[Assistant] And what language did you learn?

[User] Chuukese.

[Assistant] Chuukese.

[User] That's what myself and, uh, 50,000 other people speak that language. I wish I could say I speak it well, now I don't really.

[Assistant] I was going to say, did you become fluent?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] That's what myself and, uh, 50,000 other people speak that language. I wish I could say I speak it well, now I don't really.

[Assistant] I was going to say, did you become fluent?

[User] I got pretty good. I don't know about fluent, but I got, I got pretty good. I could definitely make my way around, um. And even, even in Chuukese, because the islands are separated, um, people instantly could tell where I lived in Chuuk. Chuukese people would go, oh, you're from Udot? Which was the island I was on, my island, as we say. Um, it was a, I was on a big island, 2.9 square miles.

[Assistant] Wow.

[User] Um, that was one of the largest islands. Most of the Chuuk volunteers were on much smaller islands down to 0.5 square miles, 0.4 square mile islands.

[Assistant] So coming from a place like Colorado, how did that feel? Big open spaces to 2.9 miles.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] I got pretty good. I don't know about fluent, but I got, I got pretty good. I could definitely make my way around, um. And even, even in Chuukese, because the islands are separated, um, people instantly could tell where I lived in Chuuk. Chuukese people would go, oh, you're from Udot? Which was the island I was on, my island, as we say. Um, it was a, I was on a big island, 2.9 square miles.

[Assistant] Wow.

[User] Um, that was one of the largest islands. Most of the Chuuk volunteers were on much smaller islands down to 0.5 square miles, 0.4 square mile islands.

[Assistant] So coming from a place like Colorado, how did that feel? Big open spaces to 2.9 miles.

[User] Uh, it was, uh, you know, it didn't feel claustrophobic to me at all. Um, unlike, I think, having gotten to know lots of other volunteers and other volunteer experiences, you didn't move around a lot because even though the other island wasn't a mile away, if you didn't have a boat, you couldn't go. And there wasn't public transport, so you had to pay for the fuel and hire a boat, which really meant just paying for the fuel. But, um, that was a lot of money and so volunteers didn't do that often. Um, and it was a pretty dangerous place. So you would only go when you knew there was someone there to receive you and take you in. You didn't just go exploring, certainly not in Chuuk on your own.

[Assistant] What was dangerous about it?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, it was, uh, you know, it didn't feel claustrophobic to me at all. Um, unlike, I think, having gotten to know lots of other volunteers and other volunteer experiences, you didn't move around a lot because even though the other island wasn't a mile away, if you didn't have a boat, you couldn't go. And there wasn't public transport, so you had to pay for the fuel and hire a boat, which really meant just paying for the fuel. But, um, that was a lot of money and so volunteers didn't do that often. Um, and it was a pretty dangerous place. So you would only go when you knew there was someone there to receive you and take you in. You didn't just go exploring, certainly not in Chuuk on your own.

[Assistant] What was dangerous about it?

[User] Um, it was pretty lawless, in fact. So your protection as a volunteer. We all lived with families in Chuuk. It was the clan or the family with which you lived. Over time, you know, your island, others get to know you and your network of supporters grows. Um. Uh, and I have an interesting tale where I was at the port getting supplies from the state capital, going back to my island, and a, you know, a drunk man accosted me. And like 75 boys ran to protect me, like a few of which I recognized, all of whom were from my island. So they all, you know, and they, it wasn't trouble, but I was having difficulty with this drunk guy, and they all came out to, to support me and be sure that I was taken care of. And they were certainly weren't all from my clan. They were just mainly people from my island who had taken me as part of their own as well.

[Assistant] That's really great.

[User] And that's the way everybody, certainly in Chuuk, that was your source of protection.

[Assistant] So it's very much of a clan based protection system, is it?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Um, it was pretty lawless, in fact. So your protection as a volunteer. We all lived with families in Chuuk. It was the clan or the family with which you lived. Over time, you know, your island, others get to know you and your network of supporters grows. Um. Uh, and I have an interesting tale where I was at the port getting supplies from the state capital, going back to my island, and a, you know, a drunk man accosted me. And like 75 boys ran to protect me, like a few of which I recognized, all of whom were from my island. So they all, you know, and they, it wasn't trouble, but I was having difficulty with this drunk guy, and they all came out to, to support me and be sure that I was taken care of. And they were certainly weren't all from my clan. They were just mainly people from my island who had taken me as part of their own as well.

[Assistant] That's really great.

[User] And that's the way everybody, certainly in Chuuk, that was your source of protection.

[Assistant] So it's very much of a clan based protection system, is it?

[User] Yeah. I mean they have laws and they have police, but, um, that wouldn't serve to protect you in most cases. I mean, each island had a police officer, um, and, uh. So that was your source of protection. And the tribal, you know, if someone was wronged, the tribal ways were more often than not applied to reconcile, you know, if someone was wronged, um, they would tribal elders would negotiate and say, okay, you're giving this piece of land to this family because of this wrong that this person did this. Frankly, it was trees because food was everything there. And so they'd say, you're giving this breadfruit tree to this family now as compensation for what he did when, you know, this boy did when he was drunk or whatever. Um.

[Assistant] And you said food was the problem. Was there not sufficient food?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] And that's the way everybody, certainly in Chuuk, that was your source of protection.

[Assistant] So it's very much of a clan based protection system, is it?

[User] Yeah. I mean they have laws and they have police, but, um, that wouldn't serve to protect you in most cases. I mean, each island had a police officer, um, and, uh. So that was your source of protection. And the tribal, you know, if someone was wronged, the tribal ways were more often than not applied to reconcile, you know, if someone was wronged, um, they would tribal elders would negotiate and say, okay, you're giving this piece of land to this family because of this wrong that this person did this. Frankly, it was trees because food was everything there. And so they'd say, you're giving this breadfruit tree to this family now as compensation for what he did when, you know, this boy did when he was drunk or whatever. Um.

[Assistant] And you said food was the problem. Was there not sufficient food?

[User] Uh, food is the center of their culture. In fact, the greeting is eta mwonga, which is come eat. Um, uh, because, I mean, now much of the food is imported, though there's not much money to buy the food. The fishing is difficult. Um, and so breadfruit and taro are still grown, but as the population grows, you know, there's no more land to cultivate. So, um, food becomes the center of the of the culture in a very big way. Um, there wasn't starvation and that kind of hunger, but there was real hunger for the families that didn't have resources to buy food, because you had to buy food to supplement what you could grow and, and fish. Unfortunately, the reefs near the islands were pretty much fished out, so you had to have a boat and gas to get to an outer reef where the fishing was more plentiful.

[Assistant] For somebody who knows nothing about Micronesia, that's just fascinating. So talk a little bit about, um, your assignment. You were assigned to teach in a?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Yeah. I mean they have laws and they have police, but, um, that wouldn't serve to protect you in most cases. I mean, each island had a police officer, um, and, uh. So that was your source of protection. And the tribal, you know, if someone was wronged, the tribal ways were more often than not applied to reconcile, you know, if someone was wronged, um, they would tribal elders would negotiate and say, okay, you're giving this piece of land to this family because of this wrong that this person did this. Frankly, it was trees because food was everything there. And so they'd say, you're giving this breadfruit tree to this family now as compensation for what he did when, you know, this boy did when he was drunk or whatever. Um.

[Assistant] And you said food was the problem. Was there not sufficient food?

[User] Uh, food is the center of their culture. In fact, the greeting is eta mwonga, which is come eat. Um, uh, because, I mean, now much of the food is imported, though there's not much money to buy the food. The fishing is difficult. Um, and so breadfruit and taro are still grown, but as the population grows, you know, there's no more land to cultivate. So, um, food becomes the center of the of the culture in a very big way. Um, there wasn't starvation and that kind of hunger, but there was real hunger for the families that didn't have resources to buy food, because you had to buy food to supplement what you could grow and, and fish. Unfortunately, the reefs near the islands were pretty much fished out, so you had to have a boat and gas to get to an outer reef where the fishing was more plentiful.

[Assistant] For somebody who knows nothing about Micronesia, that's just fascinating. So talk a little bit about, um, your assignment. You were assigned to teach in a?

[User] I taught at Udot Elementary School and then served in the health clinic some.

[Assistant] And what was the school? Let's talk about the school first. So you showed up and?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, food is the center of their culture. In fact, the greeting is eta mwonga, which is come eat. Um, uh, because, I mean, now much of the food is imported, though there's not much money to buy the food. The fishing is difficult. Um, and so breadfruit and taro are still grown, but as the population grows, you know, there's no more land to cultivate. So, um, food becomes the center of the of the culture in a very big way. Um, there wasn't starvation and that kind of hunger, but there was real hunger for the families that didn't have resources to buy food, because you had to buy food to supplement what you could grow and, and fish. Unfortunately, the reefs near the islands were pretty much fished out, so you had to have a boat and gas to get to an outer reef where the fishing was more plentiful.

[Assistant] For somebody who knows nothing about Micronesia, that's just fascinating. So talk a little bit about, um, your assignment. You were assigned to teach in a?

[User] I taught at Udot Elementary School and then served in the health clinic some.

[Assistant] And what was the school? Let's talk about the school first. So you showed up and?

[User] I showed up, and.

[Assistant] Said hi, here I am.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] I taught at Udot Elementary School and then served in the health clinic some.

[Assistant] And what was the school? Let's talk about the school first. So you showed up and?

[User] I showed up, and.

[Assistant] Said hi, here I am.

[User] Here I am. They knew I was coming. Um, they assigned me to start off teaching English in the seventh and eighth grade. Um, so reading, spelling, English language. Um, uh, it was pretty terrifying, to be honest, at first. Um, the smaller classes, I mean, I had eight in one and then 27 in the other. They grew though once people knew I was there, I think kids started coming back to school that may not have been going. Um.

[Assistant] Had there been Peace Corps volunteers in that school before?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] I showed up, and.

[Assistant] Said hi, here I am.

[User] Here I am. They knew I was coming. Um, they assigned me to start off teaching English in the seventh and eighth grade. Um, so reading, spelling, English language. Um, uh, it was pretty terrifying, to be honest, at first. Um, the smaller classes, I mean, I had eight in one and then 27 in the other. They grew though once people knew I was there, I think kids started coming back to school that may not have been going. Um.

[Assistant] Had there been Peace Corps volunteers in that school before?

[User] Uh, certainly, but not in some time. Micronesia and Chuuk in particular is a very high ET rate, somewhere between 70 and 80 percent.

[Assistant] ET meaning what?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Here I am. They knew I was coming. Um, they assigned me to start off teaching English in the seventh and eighth grade. Um, so reading, spelling, English language. Um, uh, it was pretty terrifying, to be honest, at first. Um, the smaller classes, I mean, I had eight in one and then 27 in the other. They grew though once people knew I was there, I think kids started coming back to school that may not have been going. Um.

[Assistant] Had there been Peace Corps volunteers in that school before?

[User] Uh, certainly, but not in some time. Micronesia and Chuuk in particular is a very high ET rate, somewhere between 70 and 80 percent.

[Assistant] ET meaning what?

[User] Uh, early termination. So a lot of volunteers quit. In fact, my group of 15 for Chuuk State, only five finished. And that's about typical. Um, it's a, I mean, with the violence, isolation, it's, you know, illnesses as well as, of course, fixing.

[Assistant] Let's get back to that, because that's another whole subject. So the kids started coming back to school.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, certainly, but not in some time. Micronesia and Chuuk in particular is a very high ET rate, somewhere between 70 and 80 percent.

[Assistant] ET meaning what?

[User] Uh, early termination. So a lot of volunteers quit. In fact, my group of 15 for Chuuk State, only five finished. And that's about typical. Um, it's a, I mean, with the violence, isolation, it's, you know, illnesses as well as, of course, fixing.

[Assistant] Let's get back to that, because that's another whole subject. So the kids started coming back to school.

[User] Kids started coming back. I think we, uh, had a really good group the first year of dedicated kids who were interested in going to high school and had supportive families. And then more came, uh, in fact, I think some families shifted kids, you know, went, moved to a different family to come join the class. Um, and I think I got pretty good at it at the end. Um.

[Assistant] Did the kids have to sleep there, away from home?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, early termination. So a lot of volunteers quit. In fact, my group of 15 for Chuuk State, only five finished. And that's about typical. Um, it's a, I mean, with the violence, isolation, it's, you know, illnesses as well as, of course, fixing.

[Assistant] Let's get back to that, because that's another whole subject. So the kids started coming back to school.

[User] Kids started coming back. I think we, uh, had a really good group the first year of dedicated kids who were interested in going to high school and had supportive families. And then more came, uh, in fact, I think some families shifted kids, you know, went, moved to a different family to come join the class. Um, and I think I got pretty good at it at the end. Um.

[Assistant] Did the kids have to sleep there, away from home?

[User] No, we were all on the, we were all on the same island, so they had to walk.

[Assistant] Yeah. Not that far?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] No, I mean, my walk to school was about 40 minutes. Um, some folks, some kids probably had to walk a little bit further than that, but not a whole lot.

[Assistant] Yeah.

[User] Um, uh, and I think also the fact that I went every school day, regardless of the weather, kind of pressured the other teachers to do the same thing, because if it were raining, they'd often say, I'm not going to go, and it rains a lot in the Pacific. So, um, but I went every day, uh, unless it was like a hurricane or a typhoon. So I think attendance went up with the teachers and then expectations rose. The second year I did, I shared some of the lessons I learned from Peace Corps about teaching with some of the other teachers.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Um, you know, at first they would ask informally or what was that you were doing? And then I got a little bit more formal towards the end.

[Assistant] These were Micronesians?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Um, uh, and I think also the fact that I went every school day, regardless of the weather, kind of pressured the other teachers to do the same thing, because if it were raining, they'd often say, I'm not going to go, and it rains a lot in the Pacific. So, um, but I went every day, uh, unless it was like a hurricane or a typhoon. So I think attendance went up with the teachers and then expectations rose. The second year I did, I shared some of the lessons I learned from Peace Corps about teaching with some of the other teachers.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Um, you know, at first they would ask informally or what was that you were doing? And then I got a little bit more formal towards the end.

[Assistant] These were Micronesians?

[User] Micronesian teachers because there was, I was, there was a Micronesian teacher. He taught social studies and math and geography and the other topics. I didn't want to, I didn't want to replace him.

[Assistant] Yeah. There were only, there were only two of you? Only two teachers, or how many?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Micronesian teachers because there was, I was, there was a Micronesian teacher. He taught social studies and math and geography and the other topics. I didn't want to, I didn't want to replace him.

[Assistant] Yeah. There were only, there were only two of you? Only two teachers, or how many?

[User] Oh, no. No. It was a big school. So there was a teacher for every grade.

[Assistant] Oh, okay.

[User] Um, I mean, the lower grades, the classes were 40 or 50 kids. I don't know how they managed. Um, so I, you know, I would just step in for the English teacher in the seventh grade and in the eighth grade and teach the English courses. Um, and sometimes they would sit in and listen, some, most of the time not though. They'd go have a cigarette. Um.

[Assistant] How do you think your teaching was different from what they were doing, other than showing up every day?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Um, I mean, the lower grades, the classes were 40 or 50 kids. I don't know how they managed. Um, so I, you know, I would just step in for the English teacher in the seventh grade and in the eighth grade and teach the English courses. Um, and sometimes they would sit in and listen, some, most of the time not though. They'd go have a cigarette. Um.

[Assistant] How do you think your teaching was different from what they were doing, other than showing up every day?

[User] Um, I think I was a little more methodical about it, especially once I got the hang of it. Um, you know, if I noticed they had trouble pronunciation, with pronunciation, because there are some sounds in English that are not in their language. You know, we would have games, we would play out that a lot. I think interesting games in general was somewhat new to them. They were very much a dictation kind of approach. Um, and I think games, and I wrote questions in the style of the national exam, which I don't think they had thought of doing before.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] And so I know the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers all started switching their tests and quizzes to be in the same formats as the exam, so kids would be comfortable with the style of questions. Um, and I think that's just because I had a copy of an old exam, which was a publicly available, and mimicked it. Uh, and, you know, they were, they supported that. That's totally fine.

[Assistant] Did your kids pass the exam?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] And so I know the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers all started switching their tests and quizzes to be in the same formats as the exam, so kids would be comfortable with the style of questions. Um, and I think that's just because I had a copy of an old exam, which was a publicly available, and mimicked it. Uh, and, you know, they were, they supported that. That's totally fine.

[Assistant] Did your kids pass the exam?

[User] Um. The first year I had four kids pass exam out of eight. Um, the second year we had a really much bigger class. It was 28, but I think we still had like 16 kids pass the exam the second year. Um, in the previous three years, no one had passed the exam.

[Assistant] Wow.

[User] So, um, the second year, actually, the state gave me an award for the most improved, gave the school an award for the most improved performance in a school.

[Assistant] Oh, that's excellent.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Um. The first year I had four kids pass exam out of eight. Um, the second year we had a really much bigger class. It was 28, but I think we still had like 16 kids pass the exam the second year. Um, in the previous three years, no one had passed the exam.

[Assistant] Wow.

[User] So, um, the second year, actually, the state gave me an award for the most improved, gave the school an award for the most improved performance in a school.

[Assistant] Oh, that's excellent.

[User] Yeah, it was, it was, it was really great.

[Assistant] And then where did they go to high school?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] So, um, the second year, actually, the state gave me an award for the most improved, gave the school an award for the most improved performance in a school.

[Assistant] Oh, that's excellent.

[User] Yeah, it was, it was, it was really great.

[Assistant] And then where did they go to high school?

[User] Um, there was a state high school, a boarding high school in the, in the state capital. Um.

[Assistant] So you have to, they have to go board. And do they have to then pay for that?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Yeah, it was, it was, it was really great.

[Assistant] And then where did they go to high school?

[User] Um, there was a state high school, a boarding high school in the, in the state capital. Um.

[Assistant] So you have to, they have to go board. And do they have to then pay for that?

[User] Um, I don't, they don't have to pay for boarding, but I think they have to have a stipend for food because I don't think they feed them. I think they get lunch, but they don't get breakfast or dinner. Um, or if they have family in the state capital, which many of them did, they could stay there instead.

[Assistant] Oh, I see.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Um, I don't, they don't have to pay for boarding, but I think they have to have a stipend for food because I don't think they feed them. I think they get lunch, but they don't get breakfast or dinner. Um, or if they have family in the state capital, which many of them did, they could stay there instead.

[Assistant] Oh, I see.

[User] Um, most people had some form of extended family there. Most, especially the girls would generally stay with extended family. Um, there was also a private Jesuit high school, which two of my students passed the exam to get into, which was a, was essentially the premier high school in the whole country.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Um, happened to be in the same state capital. It was actually the location of the Peace Corps training too. Um, and, and a couple of my students passed that exam and got to attend that as well, which was a, that's a big, that was a big deal.

[Assistant] That's great. Well, that encourages other kids to come as well, come back to school, because they can see you can move forward.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Um, most people had some form of extended family there. Most, especially the girls would generally stay with extended family. Um, there was also a private Jesuit high school, which two of my students passed the exam to get into, which was a, was essentially the premier high school in the whole country.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Um, happened to be in the same state capital. It was actually the location of the Peace Corps training too. Um, and, and a couple of my students passed that exam and got to attend that as well, which was a, that's a big, that was a big deal.

[Assistant] That's great. Well, that encourages other kids to come as well, come back to school, because they can see you can move forward.

[User] Yeah. Parents insisting their kids go, yeah.

[Assistant] And so what did you do on the health side?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] They knew how, there were several. Lots of boys knew how to build a tank and they had the designs. I made lots of copies so they knew how to scale their 1,000 gallon version down, um, to, uh, to a, to a family size. So I'm hoping that helped, because even when there isn't a drought, a catchment tank is a much cleaner, better source of water than the, the well and the pipe that they used, which generally was contaminated, uh, for drinking at any rate. That was fine for washing dishes and doing clothes, but um, wasn't safe for drinking in a catchment.

[Assistant] Because of the pipes, old pipes or what?

[User] Well, the pipes.

[Assistant] Was it the water itself?

[User] Uh, the water, I don't know, we weren't able to test it, but, um. Uh, definitely the, they were contaminated with, you know, there were pigs and chickens on the island and feces, fecal contamination. If nothing else, I got sick all the time from it, so I know they were a little hardier. Uh, but, um, but it certainly was not clean water for drinking, and they knew it. They would boil it in general for visitors, but they didn't, obviously didn't boil it enough for themselves. Kids regularly got sick.

[Assistant] Is drought a major problem there, or is it just that year?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Uh, the water, I don't know, we weren't able to test it, but, um. Uh, definitely the, they were contaminated with, you know, there were pigs and chickens on the island and feces, fecal contamination. If nothing else, I got sick all the time from it, so I know they were a little hardier. Uh, but, um, but it certainly was not clean water for drinking, and they knew it. They would boil it in general for visitors, but they didn't, obviously didn't boil it enough for themselves. Kids regularly got sick.

[Assistant] Is drought a major problem there, or is it just that year?

[User] It happens, not that often. That was a very severe drought, apparently. Um, I mean, there's a dry season, but usually the wells, you know, they slow, but they don't, um, they don't stop flowing. Um, but this year, they're, in the end, and I don't remember how many people were on the island, but there were only three water sources left on the island.

[Assistant] Wow.

[User] Um, and they were like, trickles that would take, you know, ten minutes to fill a gallon of water. So that's a, a big hazard.

[Assistant] So hopefully those water tanks still are there and working.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] It happens, not that often. That was a very severe drought, apparently. Um, I mean, there's a dry season, but usually the wells, you know, they slow, but they don't, um, they don't stop flowing. Um, but this year, they're, in the end, and I don't remember how many people were on the island, but there were only three water sources left on the island.

[Assistant] Wow.

[User] Um, and they were like, trickles that would take, you know, ten minutes to fill a gallon of water. So that's a, a big hazard.

[Assistant] So hopefully those water tanks still are there and working.

[User] Some of them probably are. That was a long time ago. Hopefully, hopefully most of them got built. That to me would be a big accomplishment.

[Assistant] Was there Peace Corps there after you?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Um, and they were like, trickles that would take, you know, ten minutes to fill a gallon of water. So that's a, a big hazard.

[Assistant] So hopefully those water tanks still are there and working.

[User] Some of them probably are. That was a long time ago. Hopefully, hopefully most of them got built. That to me would be a big accomplishment.

[Assistant] Was there Peace Corps there after you?

[User] There was a volunteer assigned after me, yes. Um.

[Assistant] They might have continued then.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Some of them probably are. That was a long time ago. Hopefully, hopefully most of them got built. That to me would be a big accomplishment.

[Assistant] Was there Peace Corps there after you?

[User] There was a volunteer assigned after me, yes. Um.

[Assistant] They might have continued then.

[User] I'm sure they did. Yeah. Um, I got to meet them, but I can't for the life of me remember the name.

[Assistant] It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Well, let's go back to this whole, um, high attrition rate. And you had mentioned violence, and then you said isolation. Um, did Peace Corps prepare you all for that, or how did they deal with it, or did they just?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] There was a volunteer assigned after me, yes. Um.

[Assistant] They might have continued then.

[User] I'm sure they did. Yeah. Um, I got to meet them, but I can't for the life of me remember the name.

[Assistant] It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Well, let's go back to this whole, um, high attrition rate. And you had mentioned violence, and then you said isolation. Um, did Peace Corps prepare you all for that, or how did they deal with it, or did they just?

[User] Um.

[Assistant] Lived with high attrition rate?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] I'm sure they did. Yeah. Um, I got to meet them, but I can't for the life of me remember the name.

[Assistant] It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Well, let's go back to this whole, um, high attrition rate. And you had mentioned violence, and then you said isolation. Um, did Peace Corps prepare you all for that, or how did they deal with it, or did they just?

[User] Um.

[Assistant] Lived with high attrition rate?

[User] Uh, you know. It would be difficult to, I'm not sure what you could do to prepare other than tell people. And certainly the, the volunteers who worked with us during training shared the challenges. Um. Even on, uh, just because it was difficult to see other volunteers and get together. Um. And, uh, and so the violence is also isolating because if you're not, you can't even go exploring your own island if it's not, if you're not safe. And I mean, it's definitely worse for women than men, but, um, but, you know, even then you're susceptible to being victimized.

[Assistant] And that was stealing property or?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Um.

[Assistant] Lived with high attrition rate?

[User] Uh, you know. It would be difficult to, I'm not sure what you could do to prepare other than tell people. And certainly the, the volunteers who worked with us during training shared the challenges. Um. Even on, uh, just because it was difficult to see other volunteers and get together. Um. And, uh, and so the violence is also isolating because if you're not, you can't even go exploring your own island if it's not, if you're not safe. And I mean, it's definitely worse for women than men, but, um, but, you know, even then you're susceptible to being victimized.

[Assistant] And that was stealing property or?

[User] Stealing. You could be held, you know, at knifepoint. Uh, theft. You could be beaten if you wronged them for some reason you didn't know about. Um, or, uh, uh, or you could just be the victim that somebody else in your clan wronged somebody that you didn't, you know nothing about, and you happen to be in a vulnerable spot, so they'll take it out on you because they can't get back at your clan otherwise. Especially because the volunteers are a high profile member of the clan regardless.

[Assistant] So you became a member of the clan?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Stealing. You could be held, you know, at knifepoint. Uh, theft. You could be beaten if you wronged them for some reason you didn't know about. Um, or, uh, uh, or you could just be the victim that somebody else in your clan wronged somebody that you didn't, you know nothing about, and you happen to be in a vulnerable spot, so they'll take it out on you because they can't get back at your clan otherwise. Especially because the volunteers are a high profile member of the clan regardless.

[Assistant] So you became a member of the clan?

[User] Absolutely. Yeah. And they, they definitely, which is a plus and a minus because the clan then has say over what you do. It's like, oh, you can't go there because we have a grievance with that group. So, you know, you shouldn't go there. Um, in my, and in my case, it usually meant let us find someone who can go with you.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Like, our clan can't go with you there. But you know, the clan, you know, just on the other side of the village can go with you to be sure you're okay there in that part of the island or whatever. Again, over time, most of this went away and my island began to own me. And so I didn't have, certainly had, didn't have any difficulties on my island. But if you were to travel to visit another volunteer, you know, they had to be there to catch you and take you in their clan fold, or you could be open to being a victim.

[Assistant] So that really is very isolating for them as well, right? Because you have to, you can't travel, you can't really go places.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Absolutely. Yeah. And they, they definitely, which is a plus and a minus because the clan then has say over what you do. It's like, oh, you can't go there because we have a grievance with that group. So, you know, you shouldn't go there. Um, in my, and in my case, it usually meant let us find someone who can go with you.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] Like, our clan can't go with you there. But you know, the clan, you know, just on the other side of the village can go with you to be sure you're okay there in that part of the island or whatever. Again, over time, most of this went away and my island began to own me. And so I didn't have, certainly had, didn't have any difficulties on my island. But if you were to travel to visit another volunteer, you know, they had to be there to catch you and take you in their clan fold, or you could be open to being a victim.

[Assistant] So that really is very isolating for them as well, right? Because you have to, you can't travel, you can't really go places.

[User] Not a lot. And then even if to leave the country, you have to go on a flight because it's so far away. And so most volunteers get one flight out at mid-service. That's the only time you ever leave your, essentially your state or your island.

[Assistant] Where did you, where did you go, I mean?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Like, our clan can't go with you there. But you know, the clan, you know, just on the other side of the village can go with you to be sure you're okay there in that part of the island or whatever. Again, over time, most of this went away and my island began to own me. And so I didn't have, certainly had, didn't have any difficulties on my island. But if you were to travel to visit another volunteer, you know, they had to be there to catch you and take you in their clan fold, or you could be open to being a victim.

[Assistant] So that really is very isolating for them as well, right? Because you have to, you can't travel, you can't really go places.

[User] Not a lot. And then even if to leave the country, you have to go on a flight because it's so far away. And so most volunteers get one flight out at mid-service. That's the only time you ever leave your, essentially your state or your island.

[Assistant] Where did you, where did you go, I mean?

[User] So we held our mid service conference in Guam, which is part of the region of Micronesia, though that's an American territory. So Peace Corps paid to fly us all to Guam. And then from Guam you could catch a flight. I went to Thailand with a friend, but you know, that was all of my money I could possibly save just to get to Thailand and back. Because, you know, you're flying on Continental Airlines, you know, that's expensive.

[Assistant] So you got the flight to Guam, but not to Thailand?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] So we held our mid service conference in Guam, which is part of the region of Micronesia, though that's an American territory. So Peace Corps paid to fly us all to Guam. And then from Guam you could catch a flight. I went to Thailand with a friend, but you know, that was all of my money I could possibly save just to get to Thailand and back. Because, you know, you're flying on Continental Airlines, you know, that's expensive.

[Assistant] So you got the flight to Guam, but not to Thailand?

[User] No. And then I flew back to Guam, and then Peace Corps would cover the flight back from because, um, yeah, um, on Continental Airlines was the airline, still is. One of the most profitable wings is Air Micronesia, which is Continental Airlines, which is owned by somebody else now.

[Assistant] Hmm.

[User] But, um, the island hopper still flies the same route. Hawaii to Kwajalein, to Majuro, to Pohnpei, to Chuuk, to Guam, and back. It takes 14 hours.

[Assistant] And that's, those are the flights in and out?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] No. And then I flew back to Guam, and then Peace Corps would cover the flight back from because, um, yeah, um, on Continental Airlines was the airline, still is. One of the most profitable wings is Air Micronesia, which is Continental Airlines, which is owned by somebody else now.

[Assistant] Hmm.

[User] But, um, the island hopper still flies the same route. Hawaii to Kwajalein, to Majuro, to Pohnpei, to Chuuk, to Guam, and back. It takes 14 hours.

[Assistant] And that's, those are the flights in and out?

[User] Yeah. Or you could, I mean, you could go to Guam and fly the other way because it goes Guam, Chuuk, Pohnpei, go another direction. Um, yeah. So it's, it's located halfway between Hawaii and the Philippines. Um.

[Assistant] Far away from everything else.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] But, um, the island hopper still flies the same route. Hawaii to Kwajalein, to Majuro, to Pohnpei, to Chuuk, to Guam, and back. It takes 14 hours.

[Assistant] And that's, those are the flights in and out?

[User] Yeah. Or you could, I mean, you could go to Guam and fly the other way because it goes Guam, Chuuk, Pohnpei, go another direction. Um, yeah. So it's, it's located halfway between Hawaii and the Philippines. Um.

[Assistant] Far away from everything else.

[User] But Hawaii is halfway there, so if that gives you a sense of scale.

[Assistant] Right. Well, talk a little bit about your family and your clan.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] But Hawaii is halfway there, so if that gives you a sense of scale.

[Assistant] Right. Well, talk a little bit about your family and your clan.

[User] So the Beckys. Thomas Becky and Betty Becky. Um, they had eight children. We all lived in the same house. Um, their oldest daughter, Roxanne, was in my eighth grade class. I guess that would make her 12 at the time.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User]
Um, he was a police officer, so that helped. Um, and he was very, luckily he was very highly regarded. He wasn't like a chief or anything, but he was highly regarded and spoke very good English, um, which was also helpful. Um. Uh, and so they were very supportive. Um, but, you know, my contribution, I would buy rice and fish whenever they were available to contribute to the family's requirements. They gave me a small room, so I had a private room, whereas the rest of them slept in a big, one big room together essentially.

Um, there's a funny thing about Micronesians is that they, if they're, if they're residents of the Federated States of Micronesia, they can travel freely to the U.S. They don't need visas. And so my entire host family now lives in Portland, Oregon. I was going to go back and visit them, and they all live in Portland, Oregon.

[Assistant] And why did they move to Portland, Oregon?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User]
Um, he was a police officer, so that helped. Um, and he was very, luckily he was very highly regarded. He wasn't like a chief or anything, but he was highly regarded and spoke very good English, um, which was also helpful. Um. Uh, and so they were very supportive. Um, but, you know, my contribution, I would buy rice and fish whenever they were available to contribute to the family's requirements. They gave me a small room, so I had a private room, whereas the rest of them slept in a big, one big room together essentially.

Um, there's a funny thing about Micronesians is that they, if they're, if they're residents of the Federated States of Micronesia, they can travel freely to the U.S. They don't need visas. And so my entire host family now lives in Portland, Oregon. I was going to go back and visit them, and they all live in Portland, Oregon.

[Assistant] And why did they move to Portland, Oregon?

[User] Uh, I lost touch with them for a little bit, but the story goes, they moved first to Guam for high school when, when the three older kids were all in high school, the school was better than the state school. They'd all tested in, but still.

[Assistant] Mm hmm.

[User] So they moved to Guam so their kids could get a better high school education. And then they moved to Hawaii when the oldest daughter got into college. So the whole family moved to Hawaii. Um, and then, um.

[Assistant] How did they support themselves in Guam and Hawaii and?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] So they moved to Guam so their kids could get a better high school education. And then they moved to Hawaii when the oldest daughter got into college. So the whole family moved to Hawaii. Um, and then, um.

[Assistant] How did they support themselves in Guam and Hawaii and?

[User] You know, I really don't know. Um, I think they just worked odd jobs like I think new immigrants do. I mean, they're legal, so it's not like. But, um. Uh, and then they ended up, I'm not sure what. There's a large Micronesian population in Portland.

[Assistant] In Portland.

[User] Tacoma and Washington. There's a lot of Pacific Islanders there. And so I'm sure that's why they ended up there. Um, but so it's kind of funny, they're all on Facebook, and I see them all with kids and grandkids. And my host father passed away last year actually. But, um, so they're not back in Udot and Chuuk.

[Assistant] You can't go visit them.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] You know, I really don't know. Um, I think they just worked odd jobs like I think new immigrants do. I mean, they're legal, so it's not like. But, um. Uh, and then they ended up, I'm not sure what. There's a large Micronesian population in Portland.

[Assistant] In Portland.

[User] Tacoma and Washington. There's a lot of Pacific Islanders there. And so I'm sure that's why they ended up there. Um, but so it's kind of funny, they're all on Facebook, and I see them all with kids and grandkids. And my host father passed away last year actually. But, um, so they're not back in Udot and Chuuk.

[Assistant] You can't go visit them.

[User] Can't go visit them. In fact I'm not even sure who would be there to visit, to be honest. I know one of the daughters went back to work for a little while. Um, the talented one, the, I mean, the smartest one. Um, she got a job at the bank in the state capital, but I don't think that lasted very long. And she moved back to the U.S.

[Assistant] Well, what was your daily routine like? You went and taught at school and then?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Tacoma and Washington. There's a lot of Pacific Islanders there. And so I'm sure that's why they ended up there. Um, but so it's kind of funny, they're all on Facebook, and I see them all with kids and grandkids. And my host father passed away last year actually. But, um, so they're not back in Udot and Chuuk.

[Assistant] You can't go visit them.

[User] Can't go visit them. In fact I'm not even sure who would be there to visit, to be honest. I know one of the daughters went back to work for a little while. Um, the talented one, the, I mean, the smartest one. Um, she got a job at the bank in the state capital, but I don't think that lasted very long. And she moved back to the U.S.

[Assistant] Well, what was your daily routine like? You went and taught at school and then?

[User] So I taught at school half day. Um, and then usually stayed there to work with kids or talk to the teachers. Um, and then would come home and I'd start a garden or lesson plan. Swim, could swim in the ocean, which was wonderful. Um, for a while we had a basketball court, total absolute Peace Corps cartoon. You know, a hoop on, on palm trees, dirt, just like what you'd picture, um, just for fun and to keep the boys out of trouble. Um, but mainly it was walking back and forth to, to school and then.

[Assistant] Well, did you socialize with the family or did you just stay to yourself when you were in your room? Or how did?


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] Can't go visit them. In fact I'm not even sure who would be there to visit, to be honest. I know one of the daughters went back to work for a little while. Um, the talented one, the, I mean, the smartest one. Um, she got a job at the bank in the state capital, but I don't think that lasted very long. And she moved back to the U.S.

[Assistant] Well, what was your daily routine like? You went and taught at school and then?

[User] So I taught at school half day. Um, and then usually stayed there to work with kids or talk to the teachers. Um, and then would come home and I'd start a garden or lesson plan. Swim, could swim in the ocean, which was wonderful. Um, for a while we had a basketball court, total absolute Peace Corps cartoon. You know, a hoop on, on palm trees, dirt, just like what you'd picture, um, just for fun and to keep the boys out of trouble. Um, but mainly it was walking back and forth to, to school and then.

[Assistant] Well, did you socialize with the family or did you just stay to yourself when you were in your room? Or how did?

[User] Oh no, I would, it was too hot to be inside. So it was, I was always sitting outside talking to somebody. Sometimes the, you know, the, the. I mean, I was, I was somewhere in between because I was young enough to be youth, but I think most of them treated me more like an adult, even though I was in age wise, was definitely in their youth cohort that wouldn't have been given a voice in a meeting or anything like that. Um.

[Assistant] But you were a teacher.


[System] Act as an information elicitation agent for oral history.

[User] So I taught at school half day. Um, and then usually stayed there to work with kids or talk to the teachers. Um, and then would come home and I'd start a garden or lesson plan. Swim, could swim in the ocean, which was wonderful. Um, for a while we had a basketball court, total absolute Peace Corps cartoon. You know, a hoop on, on palm trees, dirt, just like what you'd picture, um, just for fun and to keep the boys out of trouble. Um, but mainly it was walking back and forth to, to school and then.

[Assistant] Well, did you socialize with the family or did you just stay to yourself when you were in your room? Or how did?

[User] Oh no, I would, it was too hot to be inside. So it was, I was always sitting outside talking to somebody. Sometimes the, you know, the, the. I mean, I was, I was somewhere in between because I was young enough to be youth, but I think most of them treated me more like an adult, even though I was in age wise, was definitely in their youth cohort that wouldn't have been given a voice in a meeting or anything like that. Um.

[Assistant] But you were a teacher.

[User] I was a teacher. And so that, so I was kind of in the middle. Sometimes I would hang out with the boys, um, but not too much. It was mostly talking to more of the older, the younger parents. Um, another big problem there is the culture doesn't mix well with Western culture. And so alcoholism and suicide are really big problems in Micronesia, particularly for the men. Um, and so there were, there were large.

[Assistant] Because of lack of job opportunities or why is that?