Interview with Avriel Glass, September 24, 2020

Partial Transcript: This is, uh, Evelyn Ganzglass.

Segment Synopsis: Avriel Glass is introduced. She talks about her friend's personal stories in the Peace Corps and how it inspired her to apply. She talks about her interest in learning about other cultures and wanting to connect with other people. She briefly explains her previous job working in data management, and her undergraduate and graduate school experiences, along with her international experience attending school in London.

Keywords: COVID evacuation; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Culture; Graduate school; International experience; Introduction; Learning; London; Undergraduate education; Work

Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); Education; Peace Corps (U.S.); Travel; Working

Partial Transcript: A little bit more about your background, where did you grow up?

Segment Synopsis: Glass talks about her childhood and family, growing up in Georgia, and her first experience overseas. She talks about applying to Peace Corps as a youth development and education volunteer, and being asked to go to Indonesia. She briefly explains the experience of arriving into the country with Peace Corps and the importance of the support from staff and directors. She explains experiencing culture shock while in Indonesia.

Keywords: Acceptance; Applying; Applying to Peace Corps; Arrival in Indonesia; Cultural differences; Culture shock; Georgia; Indonesia; Islam; Morocco; Overseas; Peace Corps directors; School; Support; Youth development and education

Subjects: Acculturation.; Culture shock; Culture.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Indonesia; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So did you experience culture shock when you got to Indonesia?

Segment Synopsis: Glass explains her culture shock in Indonesia. She talks about learning the language with the help from her host family and the experience of driving in Indonesia.

Keywords: Culture; Driving; Host family; Host sister; Indonesian (Language); Learning Indonesian

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

Partial Transcript: Can you talk a little bit about the training you had, the initial pre-service training?

Segment Synopsis: Glass explains training for service in Kediri, along with being placed into villages and with host families. She talks about language training, link sessions, and training sessions with staff from Surabuya at the university. She explains how the training helped to prepare her for living in Indonesia and her job. She briefly talks about being evacuated due to COVID-19 and how the evacuation prevented her from utilizing all of the things she learned in training, along with not being able to start a big project of her own.

Keywords: Evacuation; In-country training; Indonesia; Kediri (Indonesia); Language training; Link sessions; On-site training; Pre-service training; Projects; Secondary projects

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

Partial Transcript: So you were teaching at the secondary level?

Segment Synopsis: Glass briefly talks about teaching English to high school students at the school she was placed at in Jatiwangi in West Java. She also talks about her experience living there and the convenience of this particular site in regards to access of transportation. Glass also talks about traveling to Chirebon and the close relationship she had with her host mom. She explains keeping in touch with her host family and friends in Indonesia after evacuation.

Keywords: Chirebon; Fast food; Host mothers; Jatiwangi (Indonesia); Living site; Schools; Secondary education; Shopping malls; Staying in touch; Students; Teaching; Teaching English; Teaching English as a foreign language; Transportation

Subjects: Acculturation.; Communication and culture.; Culture.; Indonesia; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Language and culture.; Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Indonesia; Teachers; Teaching; Transportation; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What was your life like in this community, and what was teaching like?

Segment Synopsis: Glass talks about living with her host family and tells stories of her relationship with her host mom. She talks about experiencing homesickness. Glass explains life in the community and her friends, and gets emotional talking about wishing she was able to have more time with them. She also explains school in Indonesia and her relationship with her counterpart and other teachers. Glass also talks about a memorable school trip with her students.

Keywords: Community; Counterparts; Homesick; Host family; Host mothers; Host sisters; School trips; Schools; Schools in Indonesia; Students; Sukabumi (Indonesia); Teaching

Subjects: Acculturation.; Communication and culture.; Culture.; Indonesia; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Language and culture.; Language and languages.; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Indonesia; Teachers; Teaching; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Would you go back if, if Peace Corps opens up in Indonesia again?

Segment Synopsis: Glass talks about the uncertainty of Peace Corps reopening in Indonesia, and the changes that it would include. She talks about applying for reinstatement and says that she is unsure she will return to her original site. She talks about keeping in touch with those from her community, who are asking her when she will be back, and the sadness of not knowing.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Health care system; Medical services; Reinstatement; Returning; Returning after COVID-19

Subjects: Acculturation.; COVID-19 (Disease); Communication and culture.; Culture.; Indonesia; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Indonesia; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Can you talk a little bit about how you learned about COVID and, and what the evacuation was like?

Segment Synopsis: Glass talks about first hearing about COVID-19 and the lack of testing available in Indonesia. She talks about learning of evacuation and the process of evacuating. She explains the emotional experience of having to say goodbye to her host family. She talks about having to arrange her own travel for evacuation and packing. She compares the differences between life there, and life now here in the United States in regards to COVID-19 safety measures being taken. She talks about her experience at her Close of Service Ceremony.

Keywords: Close of service ceremony; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Evacuation; Goodbyes; Healthcare in Indonesia; Medical staff; Packing; Pandemic; Social distancing

Subjects: Acculturation.; COVID-19 (Disease); Communication and culture.; Culture.; Indonesia; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Indonesia; Transportation; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I think I've processed it well. Um, I, I did take the Peace Corps' offer of getting a therapist.

Segment Synopsis: Glass talks about processing the experience of evacuating and utilizing therapy offered by Peace Corps. She looks back on the last moments she shared with her host sister and the photograph taken of them before departure. Glass talks about her current involvement with the Committee for the Museum of Peace Corps Experience. She explains the frustration of being evacuated and forced to come home to a country with the current administration's reactions to the pandemic. She again talks about her hope for returning to the Peace Corps when possible.

Keywords: Air travel; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Evacuation; Grieving; Host sister; Museum of Peace Corps Experience; Returning home; Saying goodbyes; Social distancing; Therapy

Subjects: Acculturation.; COVID-19 (Disease); Culture.; Indonesia; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Indonesia; Politics and government; Transportation; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I want the Peace Corps, or at least the value of the cross-cultural communication and learning and education to, to continue and to be a thing that we all strive for in every single part of the world because...

Segment Synopsis: Glass talks about her hope for the continuation of Peace Corps because of its importance. She talks about the differences between people and culture, and the similarities that connect us. Glass talks about how people are similar and that the Peace Corps has given her the experience to understand this connection. She sums up her Peace Corps experience as "bittersweet."

Keywords: Communication; Cross cultural; Culture; Education; Learning

Subjects: Acculturation.; Communication and culture.; Culture; Culture.; Education; Indonesia; Intercultural communication.; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Indonesia; Travel; Voluntarism.; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers