Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-018
Courtney Roberts Arnold served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia from 1964 to 1966 as a secondary school teacher. She trained at the University of California at Los Angeles, where she and her new husband David joined a dozen other married couples among the 200 trainees. The recruits prepared to teach English as a second language while learning Amharic and being concerned about the selection process. After a brief orientation in Addis Ababa, they traveled to Asebe Teferi, a town of 10,000 people with no electricity or running water. The volunteers enabled the school to add 9th and 10th grade classes. Arnold taught large classes of 7th and 8th grade English and 9th and 10th grade geography with no textbooks, no resources, and few supplies. She and the other volunteers joined Ethiopian teachers in organizing clubs for science and girls' health, as well as summer projects. She describes a special project to open a shuttered school library. Arnold reflects on relationships with the local teachers and community, her appreciation of the U.S. and Ethiopia, and the fatigue, frustrations, and lasting rewards. She remains in contact with former students and fellow volunteers. Interviewed and recorded by Patricia Wand, September 3, 2018. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).