IN THEIR SHOES

[Music] oh [Music] the natural beauty is breathtaking they don't set us up in the best conditions we live in really poor areas of the country but it really doesn't seem to matter the language has been hard for me there were many adjustments for us to make so many times you you hit a hole you become depressed it's so easy just to give up and to go home you have to you have to have i guess something inside that tells you well just keep going keep going we found it difficult when we first came here to adjust to the new language but eventually it worked out so that we could communicate you learn that change is a slow type of a process people are living on a thinner line of existence and you have to put yourself in in their shoes uh [Applause] before i came into the peace corps i taught in a nursing program at a junior college in waukesha north dakota for about 20 years retired about two years ago and began thinking seriously about the peace corps at that time my husband was still actively involved in his work but we did begin our application process [Applause] in the nutrition program probably one of the main things is to recognize the children that are malnourished and treat these children one of the most important aspects is dealing with the moms the mothers and teaching them the importance of proper nutrition so that they can feed their children foods that are high in protein but still low in costs i joined the peace corps because i wanted to help people and i thought coming to a third world country would be the best way to do it coming from a mexican background i felt i would gain a greater satisfaction working with other latinos [Music] it's really been difficult especially the spanish has been the hard part for us our instruction has been outstanding for example [Applause] yes when we found that we were accepted for the peace corps we sold our house and our car and stored our furniture and uh here we are we have four sons and one daughter uh all grown they were uh shocked to hear that we had done this because they didn't really expect that we would do anything like this especially at our age but after they got used to the idea they feel now that it's great mechanographer i do think that we have knowledge and techniques that we can pass on we found it difficult when we first came here to adjust to the new language but eventually it worked out so that we could communicate and over the period of three months it's amazing the amount of language that you can learn you also provided with them good health services they provide each volunteer with a medical kit for anything serious you talk to the nurse or you could admit yourself right to a clinic contracted out by peace corps [Applause] the peace corps provides the volunteer with a wide range of support services the technical training is probably the most interesting part of your training because you you want to get out and be with the people [Music] [Applause] the work is just general ag teaching what is a fertilizer how it works um why you should apply it same thing with pesticides especially important how to use pesticides safely i'm a part of many people trying to introduce in the third world countries new varieties of crops that have been developed to increase yields and that are more disease resistant and we are trying to get the people to accept these types of varieties of different crops [Music] thank you [Music] so [Applause] [Music] i've been assigned to work in a cooperative we're going to open a supermarket that will benefit all the people foods that uh the people are unable to get now fresher food for them prices will be lower more variety this is the kind of market that we need i found that you really don't have to be very fluent in the language to communicate you talk with your hands gestures and i've always been able to communicate with the people [Music] i have three sons and two daughter-in-laws in california and when i first told them that i was interested in joining the peace corps they didn't think i was too serious but after they realized i was serious they were very helpful and very happy for me it's been a wonderful experience two years of the most interesting part of my life [Applause] [Music] older volunteers in third world countries probably have some things going for them because most of these societies tend to be very respectful and venerate the older person [Applause] an older volunteer by virtue of the maturity will have had a lot of accrued experiences that makes it less likely for them to be surprised and upset by new situations than perhaps someone with a lesser amount of experience receiving the attention of an older volunteer and having the opportunity to acquire skills it has an immense importance i think to these younger people they're like sponges as far as wanting to have you share your experience share your skill and they are amazingly adept and quick to learn all they need is a chance and when they get that chance it's beautiful to watch them blossom into people who are more productive in their community better able to support themselves it's necessary when you provide for them an opportunity to sort of bootstrap themselves out of the poverty and the illiteracy that they find themselves in what happens inside you is not exchangeable for any coin or for any kind of recompense in the world it's a feeling of great warmth and accomplishment antonio antes to applications [Music] given them a better chance for a better life isn't that what we're here for it's been a wonderful experience just a a wonderful experience a chance to travel to see a part of another part of the world and expose people to a little bit of my culture we've learned to do a lot of things we've learned a lot about the culture we've learned how to care for and raise small animals and our latest venture has been learning how to ride a motorcycle i am bilingual now it will help me with the job prospects we're getting more out of this experience than than we're able to give i think peace corps is great you