Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2020-078
Mary Quattro served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malaysia from August 1968 to November 1970 as a secondary education teacher. She was born and raised in a small rural community in West Virginia with a large immigrant population. She joined after completing a degree in education, and her pre-service training in Hawaii covered the Bahasa Melayu language, teaching techniques, and Malaysian culture. At the time, Malaysia was a newly independent country and welcomed Peace Corps support in various areas, especially education. Quattro boarded at her school in Lundu, East Malaysia, alongside a diverse group of students and teachers. She taught taught English as well as Malaysian history, and managed the school's library. While she loved her project in general, she felt the Peace Corps failed her in not dealing with a stalker, which forced her to leave service two months early. The experience changed how she saw the world and helped develop her self-confidence. Interviewed and recorded by Randolph Adams, December 9, 2019. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).