Interview with Rachael Rosenberg, July 30, 2020

Partial Transcript: This is Evelyn Ganzglass.

Segment Synopsis: Rachael Rosenberg is introduced. She talks about her college experience at American University in Washington, D.C. She talks about her job during college assisting a Peace Corps recruiter on campus and how this led to her joining the Peace Corps herself.

Keywords: American University; Armenia; College majors; Denton (Tex.); Experience; Former Soviet Union; Georgia; Joining; Peace Corps recruiters; Russia; Russian studies; South; South Caucasus; Texas; Transition periods; Undergraduate education

Subjects: College campuses.; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Employment.; College students--Social conditions; Education, Higher; Peace Corps (U.S.); Universities and colleges.

Partial Transcript: So what interested you about, uh, Peace Corps?

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg talks about how her interest in Russian and Georgian languages and her travel in the South Caucasus area led her to apply for a Peace Corps assignment in that region.

Keywords: Altruism; Armenia; Culture; Georgian (Language); Grassroots; Interests; Internships; Kazakhstan; Languages; Russia; Russian (Language); South Caucasus region; Study abroad; Travel

Subjects: Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: You applied to Peace Corps, uh, for Georgia.

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg talks about her experience during Peace Corps staging in Washington, D.C. before traveling to Georgia. She talks about her family and friends' reactions to her joining Peace Corps, as well as a negative reaction from a professor.

Keywords: Applying; Backing out; Dangerous; Dangers; Deaths; Driving; Family; Friends; Immigrants; Negative; News; Parents; Professors; Quitting; Rape; Reactions; Risks; Sexual assault; Staging; Washington, D.C.

Subjects: Families.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Voluntarism.; Volunteers; Washington (D.C.)

Partial Transcript: So, um, you then flew off from Washington, D.C. to--where did you--I don't know how one gets to Georgia from Washington, D.C.

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg describes her flight from Washington, D.C. to Georgia, including a layover in Dubai and being trapped on the airplane due to a sandstorm. She talks about feeling ill after the flight but having to give an interview with the press.

Keywords: Airlines; Airplanes; Clothes; Clothing; Dubai (United Arab Emirates); Flights; Flying; Illness; Interviews; Layovers; Media; Press; Recognized; Sandstorms; Sickness

Subjects: Air travel; International travel; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Okay, so after the interview I assume you all slept and then recovered.

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg talks about her week-long orientation before being sent to training in Gori, Georgia. She talks about her host family, her language and cultural training, and the extra training she received for her assignment in an ethnic minority region of Georgia. She talks about the similarities and differences between the languages of Russian, Armenian, Georgian, and Azerbaijani.

Keywords: Alphabets; Armenian (Language); Azerbaijani (Language); Cultural training; Culture; Dialects; Difficulty; Earthquakes; Education volunteers; English (Language); English teachers; Ethnic minority regions; Extra training; Georgian (Language); Gori (Georgia); Host families; Host family; Language training; Learning; Lunches; Orientation; Preparation; Russian (Language); Samtskhe–Javakheti (Georgia); Samtskhe–Javakheti Region; Speaking; Swearing in; Technical training; Towns; Training; Tutors; Unprepared

Subjects: Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So you, you were then assigned to your, your post.

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg talks about her assignment at an Armenian language school teaching both teachers and students. She talks about her work and the community's attitudes regarding education.

Keywords: Armenian (Language); Armenian language schools; Assignments; Attitudes; Co-teachers; Counterparts; Education; English (Language); English teachers; Georgian (Language); Needs; Ninotsminda (Georgia); Russian (Language); Schools; Students; Teacher training; Teachers; Teaching; Towns; Villages

Subjects: Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Did you live with a family while you were in this--

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg discusses her difficult relationship with her host family, possibly due to a miscommunication or misunderstanding of the expectations of Peace Corps volunteers. She talks about how she was treated by her host family as well as the wider community because of her Jewish ethnicity and being seen as "not American enough" due to her physical appearance.

Keywords: Acceptance; Americans; Appearances; Attitudes; Community; Criticism; Diversity; English tutors; Ethnicity; Expectations; Grandmothers; Host families; Host family; Jewish; Living alone; Norms; Perceptions; Policy; Prejudice; Problems; Racism; Relationships; Reputations; Students; Treatment; Verbal abuse; Xenophobia

Subjects: Culture.; Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Um, do you think your teachers--did you ha-have--do you think they learned any new techniques from you?

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg talks about whether she believes she made an impact on the community in Georgia in which she volunteered. She talks about her work at the school with the teachers and students.

Keywords: Activities; Apathy; Attitudes; Books; Changes; Counterparts; Effort; English (Language); Extracurricular activities; Holidays; Impact; Influence; Learning; Library; Motivation; Resources; Schools; Students; Teacher training; Teachers; Techniques

Subjects: Culture.; Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Did you make friends when you were there?

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg discusses one of the friends she made during her time in Georgia. Her friend worked for a local youth center and Rosenberg discusses the benefits of the youth center.

Keywords: Conservative; Education; English (Language); Evacuations; Friends; Isolated; Youth centers

Subjects: Culture.; Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So let's, let's go to evacuation.

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg talks about her experience of first hearing about COVID-19 while in Georgia and some of the prejudiced reactions of locals. She talks about a group of local doctors coming to the school to convince the teachers to get a vaccine against the virus, which Rosenberg later learned was a regular influenza vaccine. She talks about being on spring break and traveling to visit friends in Armenia when they learned the border to Georgia would be closing the next morning. She describes in detail the frantic journey from Armenia across the border to Georgia before being quarantined in a hotel for several weeks. She talks about not being able to pack her belongings and not being able to say goodbye to friends in Georgia before being sent back to the United States.

Keywords: Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belongings; Borders; China; Chinese; Close of Service Conference; Closing borders; Cohorts; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19); Doctors; Emergency action plans; Evacuations; Flights; Goodbyes; Influenza; Packing; Plans; Prejudice; Quarantines; Racism; Safety and security directors; Scared; Schools; Social distancing; Spring breaks; Suitcases; Taxis; Teachers; Temperature checks; Texas; Travel bans; Uncertainty; Vaccinations; Vaccines; Xenophobia

Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Travel; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And what have you done since you've come back?

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg talks about applying to graduate schools, remote work, and living with her family since returning to the United States. She talks about the support offered by Peace Corps and other Peace Corps volunteers.

Keywords: Advice; At-risk; Family; Graduate schools; Jobs; Master's degrees; Parents; Quarantines; Remote work; Return; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Support; Translation; University of Notre Dame

Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); Families.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I always end the interviews by asking, is there a question that I didn't ask you that you wanted to, uh, talk about?

Segment Synopsis: Rosenberg talks about some of the ways she would like to see Peace Corps reform its role in Georgia, especially in regard to education. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Changes; Community; Downsides; English education projects; Host families; Host family; Improvements; Motivation; Needs; Purpose; Reforms; Teacher training; Teachers; Workshops; Youth centers

Subjects: Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Georgia; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers