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).