Interview with Ruth Rosas, August 6, 2020

Partial Transcript: Hello, today's August 6th, 2020.

Segment Synopsis: Ruth Rosas is introduced. She talks about becoming aware of Peace Corps during elementary school. She talks about her interest in cultural exchange from an early age. She talks about her experience during college, being a cancer survivor, and her many experiences volunteering in Chicago. She talks about meeting a returned Peace Corps volunteer who inspired her to choose Fiji as her assignment.

Keywords: Anthropology; Awareness; Cancer; Cancer survivors; Chicago (Ill.); Choices; Cultural exchange; Elementary schools; Health issues; University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC); Volunteering; Youth; Youth development

Subjects: Childhood; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; Culture.; Education, Higher; Families.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Universities and colleges.; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So what did your, uh, friends and family think about your decision to leave the country for, for two or three years?

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about how originally being from Mexico and her family's immigration to the United States when she was a child affected her family's reactions to her decision to join Peace Corps. She talks about their confusion when she chose Fiji as her assignment. She talks about being one of two Latinx volunteers in her cohort. She talks about her friends' reactions and describes a cross-country bicycle trip she took shortly before leaving for Peace Corps and how it changed her view of America.

Keywords: Attitudes; Biking; Confusion; Cross-country biking; Cultural exchange; Explanations; Family; Friends; Hispanic; Latinx; Mexican Americans; Mexico; Mothers; Reactions; Service; Supportive; U.S. culture; Volunteering

Subjects: Bicycle touring; Bicycles.; Culture.; Cycling.; Emigration and immigration.; Families.; Immigrants; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So, um, any, uh, any problems with the application process or did it all go pretty smoothly?

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about her Peace Corps application process and says it was mostly easy.

Keywords: Application process; Choices; Easy; French (Language); French-speaking countries; Projects; Sectors; Spanish (Language); Spanish-speaking countries; Updates

Subjects: Culture.; Intercultural communication.; Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So, um, okay so you, you had probably a shortened orientation in the States and then you got on a plane and headed off to Fiji.

Segment Synopsis: Rosas mentions her training in Los Angeles, her flight to and arrival in Fiji, and her expectations and reservations upon arrival. She talks about the host family she lived with in Naimasimasi, Fiji during training. She talks about her language training, which she says was not as intense as in some other countries because many people in Fiji know English. She talks about learning about the culture of Fijians as well as Fijians of Indian descent. She talks about the technical training she received for her job in youth development and sexual health education.

Keywords: Airplanes; All-girls high schools; Arrival; Attitudes; Challenges; Cities; City; Class sizes; Climate; Community; Cultural integration; Disorienting; Emphasis; Empowering; English (Language); Excited; Expectations; Fears; Fijians; Fijians of Indian descent; Flexibility; Food; Food culture; Friendly; Hindi (Language); Host families; Host family; Indians; Islands; Jasper High School; Lautoka (Fiji); Learning; Los Angeles (Calif.); Main islands; Mentality; Nadi (Fiji); Naimasimasi (Fiji); Nervous; Oceans; Orientation; Placement; Population; Reproductive health; Reservations; Rural; Schools; Sex education; Shared languages; Teaching; Technical training; Tourists; Training; Urban; Villages; Visitors; Weather; Youth development

Subjects: Communication and culture.; Culture.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Language and culture.; Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Sex educators; Sex instruction.; Sexual health.; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in community health services; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And then you got posted in your, your, your permanent, uh, post in Lauto--toka.

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about her living arrangements in Lautoka, Fiji and how she lived with other volunteers instead of a host family. She says she was not told that someone had been assigned to assist her and so she received no support. She talks about having to move several times during her assignment.

Keywords: Assignments; Help; Host families; Host family; Lautoka (Fiji); Living situations; Moving; Neighbors; Roommates

Subjects: Culture.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: But my projects had kind of stayed the same.

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about her job in youth development and sexual health education in schools, as well as teaching English.

Keywords: English (Language); Health education; Jobs; Organizations; Projects; Red Cross; Reproductive health; Schools; Sex education; Youth development

Subjects: Culture.; Intercultural communication.; Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Sex educators; Sex instruction.; Sexual health.; Teachers; Teaching; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in community health services; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And then I think the other thing, uh--well, one of the other big things that I did is that--I sa--I mentioned that I w--that I'm a huge cyclist...

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks more about her interest in cycling and how it led to her beginning a bike club in Fiji. She talks about people's reactions to seeing her riding a bicycle to work every day. She talks about her work to help start a bicycle cooperative in Fiji and writing grants to have a shipment of 500 bicycles delivered to Fiji. She talks about the impact of these projects.

Keywords: Bicycle clubs; Bicycle cooperatives; Bicycle races; Bicycle repair; Bike clubs; Bike races; Bike repair; Changes; Cycle tours; Cycling clubs; Cycling races; Cyclists; Fulfilling; Gender roles; Government; Grants; Growth; Impact; Suva (Fiji); Women

Subjects: Bicycles.; Culture.; Cycling.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in community development; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: That's great so--yeah, and all this was in addition to your, your regular job so--

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about her work with the local city council on a waste management education project, teaching people about the proper disposal of garbage and waste. She talks about the effects of climate change on Fiji.

Keywords: Burning; City councils; Climate change; Composting; Extension projects; Flooding; Garbage; Infographics; Sea level; Trash; Villages; Waste disposal; Waste management

Subjects: Culture.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteer workers in environmental education; Volunteer workers in environmental protection; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So, uh, living there in, in Lautoka--earlier you mentioned that they wanted to split you up.

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about her social life in Fiji. She talks about how being in the city meant she had many Peace Corps volunteers who would come to visit when they did their shopping. She talks about making friends with local people who were working through the Red Cross. She talks about cultural exchange with her friends, learning their culture as well as teaching them about Americans. She talks about how her Mexican heritage led some people to think of her as "not American enough."

Keywords: Americans; Cities; City; Community involvement; Community service; Cultural exchange; Cultural integration; Curiosity; Cyclone Winston; Ethnicity; Friends; Hispanic; Houses; Latinx; Lautoka (Fiji); Local people; Locals; Meals; Media; Mexican Americans; Movies; Perceptions; Physical appearance; Preconceived notions; Red Cross; Red Cross volunteers; Schools; Social life; Teachers; United States; Visitors; Youth

Subjects: Communication and culture.; Culture.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So you said you worked, uh, there in Lautoka for, for about a year--

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about the differences between being placed in a rural setting versus an urban setting, and how most people's expectations of Peace Corps relate to rural areas. She talks about her own expectations and feelings about living in an urban area.

Keywords: Assignments; City councils; Differences; Diversity; Expectations; Experiences; Fijians; Fijians of Indian descent; Lautoka (Fiji); Micronesians; Outer islands; Placements; Projects; Provinces; Rural; Suva (Fiji); Unique; Urban; Villages

Subjects: Communication and culture.; Culture.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So, um, let's see, you were there until 2018.

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about celebrating the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps in Fiji during her service there. She talks about meeting former volunteers and learning about their experiences in Fiji.

Keywords: Anniversaries; Cell phones; Changes; Contact; Differences; Impact; Letters; Projects; Same; Social media; Technology

Subjects: Communication and culture.; Culture.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So in three--during three years in Fiji you must have taken some time off--

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about traveling while in Fiji, including a bike tour around the main island. She talks about the local people's reactions to seeing the cycling group. She mentions traveling to New Zealand and a cancelled trip to Vanuatu.

Keywords: Biking; Children; Cross-country biking; Cultural exchange; Cycle tours; Cyclists; Cyclones; Differences; Inspiration; Islands; New Zealand; Ra (Fiji); Ra Province (Fiji); Vanuatu; Villages

Subjects: Bicycle touring; Bicycles.; Communication and culture.; Culture.; Cycling.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What did you like best about visiting a Fijian village?

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about the differences between various Fijian dialects and customs. She talks about other favorite aspects of her life in Fiji.

Keywords: Customs; Dialects; Differences; Hikes; Learning; Sense of humor; Villages; Walks

Subjects: Communication and culture.; Culture.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Language and culture.; Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So at, at the end of your three years as you were getting ready to leave, did--

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about her accomplishments in Fiji compared to her expectations.

Keywords: Accomplishments; Bicycle clubs; Bicycle cooperatives; Bike project; Director of youth; Expectations; Fijian community; Goals; Rotary Club

Subjects: Bicycles.; Culture.; Cycling.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Uh, right now I work at the--

[NOTE: Interviewee begins answering question before it is asked. This is an issue with the original audio file.]

Segment Synopsis: Rosas talks about what she has been doing since returning from Fiji in 2018. She talks about her interest in public health and urban planning. She talks about her plans to attend law school and her interest in using environmental law to continue to assist Fiji in the face of climate change.

Keywords: Chicago (Ill.); Climate change; Environmental law; Future; Influences; Law schools; Overfishing; Plans; Public health; Relocating; Urban planning

Subjects: Fiji; Peace Corps (U.S.)

Partial Transcript: Uh, alright well I'm kind of running out of questions to ask you.

Segment Synopsis: Rosas offers advice for people considering joining Peace Corps. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Advice; Flexibility; Joining; Learning; Passion

Subjects: Communication and culture.; Culture.; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers