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Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-146
Clinton Kellner served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala from 2016 to 2018 in the youth and development program. He had a 30-year career as an environmental consultant prior to joining. Kellner served along with his wife, Madeline, and they were stationed in an indigenous K'iche' community in the highlands of Guatemala. He was surprised by the cold temperatures there and felt unprepared for the conditions. Clinton worked with middle school students and taught lessons on such topics as life skills, self-esteem, sexual education, and leadership. In the interview he reflects on the behaviors and disinterest of the children in the classroom, but he enjoyed challenging their notions of gender roles. Kellner was also able to travel to a variety of places in Guatemala during his service. Interviewed by Margaret (Mardi) Nott, June 21, 2019. 1 digital audio file.
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-145
Pat Colonna served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia from 1993 to 1995 as a teacher. She was stationed in the city of Ulan Bator and lived in an old Russian apartment complex. Colonna endured food shortages during her service, and her group experienced quite a bit of violence and deep cold. She provides detailed descriptions of Naadam (a festival of archery, wrestling, and horse racing) and other Mongolian traditions. Interviewed and recorded by Margaret (Mardi) Nott, June 22, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-125
Jean van Nest served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Oman from 1976 to 1978 as a nurse. She trained in Sur. Her first project was on Masirah Island where she worked with Save the Children at a well-baby clinic to help educate the population and provide smallpox vaccinations. She also worked at encouraging breastfeeding, as access to clean water was a problem. Very few people in the rural area had electricity but they remained connected to the rest of the world via shortwave radio. At her second post in Sohar, she was stationed with quite a few volunteers from India. Van Nest discusses the local environment and housing, a wrist injury she sustained during her service, and how women in Muslim countries live. She says that the Peace Corps opened her eyes to how similar people are worldwide despite their (ultimately) superficial differences. Interviewed and recorded by Margaret Nott, June 21, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).
Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-124
Daniel Ach served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan from 2004 to 2006 as an English teacher. He had Russian language training while living with a Uyghur family. Ach taught English (as a co-teacher) in the village of Tarhanka. He felt his job was to be a catalyst for change, moving the education system away from rote learning and towards more constructivist learning styles. He struggled to befriend the men in the village due to different social norms. Readjusting to the U.S. was also hard as he had grown accustomed to a slower pace of life in Kazakhstan. During his service, Ach began dating a Kazakh woman that he met at a conversation club and they later married. They have both been back to Kazakhstan to visit. At the time of the interview, Ach was working at the University of Texas as a study abroad program advisor. Interviewed and recorded by Margaret Nott, June 20, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).