Interview with Doris Rubenstein, October 2, 2020

Partial Transcript: Hello. Today is October 2, 2020. My name is Jay Sztuk. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji 1974 through 1976.

Segment Synopsis: Rubenstein was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Given the general social turmoil of the time of her youth, Rubenstein became aware of the global injustices that existed. Rubenstein came from a patriotic family and joining Peace Corps was an outgrowth of that. Rubenstein graduated from the University of Michigan and was familiar with the site where Senator Kennedy had announced the idea to form the Peace Corps. Additionally, Rubenstein had studied Spanish at the university and hoped for a Volunteer posting in Latin America. Rubenstein also had a desire to travel beyond the Detroit region.

Keywords: Awareness; College majors; Detroit (Mich.); Family; Influences; John F. Kennedy; Spanish (Language); Travel; Traveling; University of Michigan

Subjects: Latin America; Peace Corps (U.S.)--1970-1980; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador

Partial Transcript: So, what did your parents think about you joining up?

Segment Synopsis: Rubenstein's father, who was in poor health, remained silent about her joining Peace Corps. In fact, he died while Rubenstein was in pre-service training. Rubenstein's mother objected. Rubenstein says that her mother wanted Rubenstein to stay and take care of her, which Rubenstein refused to do. Rubenstein's friends were amazed as the most adventuresome thing any of them had done was to travel to Israel. Shortly after her university graduation, Rubenstein traveled to Ecuador to visit a cousin who was married to an Ecuadorian. When Rubenstein returned home, a letter from the Peace Corps was waiting for her which assigned her to a position in Ecuador.

Keywords: Coming home; Deaths; Excited; Family; Friends; Independence; Jewish; Letters; Perspectives; Pre-service training; Returning; Traveling; Unsupportive

Subjects: Ecuador; Health; International travel; Israel; Peace Corps (U.S.)

Partial Transcript: Tell me about your, uh, training experience, then.

Segment Synopsis: Rubenstein's cohort began with 44 members, of which 34 ended up in-country. Rubenstein's training occurred in Ponce, Puerto Rico where the Volunteers lived with host families. Rubenstein became friends with three other trainees living nearby, two of whom were assigned to a different cohort that was training for Honduras. Rubenstein approves of the training location as a transition site as it still offered easy access to American foods. Rubenstein notes that the Puerto Rican Spanish accent was the only negative of the training. Rubenstein was judged fluent in Spanish and was excused from language class but she tutored some other trainees. Some culture lessons were given by recently returned or current Volunteers. The members of Rubenstein's cohort were very compatible. Rubenstein confesses that they drank a lot of alcohol and smoked marijuana too.

Keywords: Accents; Alcohol; Cohorts; Criticism; Cultural differences; Cultural training; Customs; Fluency; Food culture; Host families; Invitations; Language skills; Language training; Marijuana; Radio stations; Recreation; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Spanish (Language); Transition periods

Subjects: Acculturation; Friendship; Honduras; Language and languages; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; Tutors and tutoring; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Um, how did, how did it feel, uh, when you, um, when you landed in Ecuador?

Segment Synopsis: Rubenstein's cohort first spent 8 to 10 days in Quito during which the annual celebration of Quito's liberation from the Spanish was happening. During this time, Rubenstein's cohort took care of administrative matters, witnessed the celebrations (including the bull fights), and were sworn in.

Keywords: Acclimation; Alcohol; Dancing; Drinking; Holidays; Parties; Quito (Ecuador); Swearing in; Traveling

Subjects: Acculturation; International travel; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Uh, my assignment was teaching English to the professional staff of the National Agricultural Research Institute.

Segment Synopsis: Rubenstein was assigned to the Pichilingue Tropical Agriculture Research Station which received partial funding from the Rockefeller Foundation. Rubenstein was, accordingly, supplied with ample materials for teaching English. Rubenstein was paired with an agriculture Volunteer for 4 days to help her acquire necessary Spanish vocabulary. Rubenstein describes her work site. If Rubenstein's students could pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language, they were guaranteed scholarships to get a master's degree in the U.S. Rubenstein had a dorm room to herself with a shared bathroom.

Keywords: Books; Examinations; Exams; Funding; Housing; Language training; Learning; Master's degrees; Pichilingue (Ecuador); Quevedo (Ecuador); Resources; Rural areas; Students; Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL); Technology

Subjects: Finance; Language and languages; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; United States; Universities and colleges; Voluntarism; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I had been in Pichilingue for less than a month when, uh, a--an event of historic--truly historic proportion happened. There was the Tuna War between the United States and Ecuador.

Segment Synopsis: Shortly after Rubenstein arrived in Pichilingue, there was a dispute between Ecuador and the U.S. over fishing rights. Rubenstein was the first Volunteer assigned to Pichilingue and initially was suspected of being a spy by the local staff. Rubenstein was omitted from conversations and some group activities as a test which she, eventually, was deemed to have passed.

Keywords: Acceptance; Attitudes; Conversations; Difficult; Examinations; Exams; Inclusion; International government and politics; Invitations; Isolation; Local people; Locals; Pichilingue (Ecuador); Social interactions; Wars

Subjects: Acculturation; Ecuador; Emotions; Interpersonal relations; Mental health; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; United States; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: We had, uh, hot water for most of the day in Pichilingue, not all day. We had electricity for most of the day but not all day.

Segment Synopsis: After the initial trial period, Rubenstein had a positive time in Pichilingue. Besides teaching English, Rubenstein learned a lot about agriculture, had her own horse, and did a lot of translation of technical materials. The work site had many international visitors and Rubenstein was called on to act as interpreter.

Keywords: Amenities; First Goal; Learning; Site visits; Teaching English as a foreign language; Translation; Transportation

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

Partial Transcript: Was there a, a town or commercial center or anything nearby?

Segment Synopsis: The nearest town to Rubenstein's work site was Quevedo. On some weekends, Rubenstein would travel to Guayaquil or Quito where she could meet other Volunteers. Sometimes, Rubenstein would visit other Volunteers from her cohort at their work site, especially if there was a local festival going on. Sometimes, the Volunteers could communicate via short wave radios.

Keywords: Cohorts; Communication; Guayaquil (Ecuador); Invitations; Quevedo (Ecuador); Quito (Ecuador); Site visits; Special occasions

Subjects: Interpersonal relations; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Peace Corps had been there for some time.

Segment Synopsis: Peace Corps Volunteers started Ecuador's first artisan co-ops which jump-started the commercial handicraft industry. Volunteers also started credit unions in Ecuador. A professor, who was in Rubenstein's cohort, started the Department of Naval Architecture Marine Engineering at the University of Guayaquil and was, years later, given a medal by the president of Ecuador. Peace Corps has a very positive reputation in Ecuador.

Keywords: Professors; Tourists

Subjects: Ecuador; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; Universities and colleges; Voluntarism; Volunteer workers in community development; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Now, did you stay there at the, uh, the institute for your entire time?

Segment Synopsis: For Rubenstein's second assignment, she lived in Quito and bused to Santa Catalina Agriculture Research Station, which was 17 kilometers away. The new site was high in the mountains and not at sea level. So, Rubenstein had to learn the names for many different agricultural items. There were several other Volunteers at that site as well. Again, Rubenstein did translation and interpreting work.

Keywords: Buses; Differences; Learning; Quito (Ecuador); Site mates; Site visits; Translation; University of Minnesota

Subjects: Language and languages; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And they were coming to see me because, uh, Peace Corps and a, uh--an Ecuadorian organization, uh, that worked with, uh, transmigration, with colonies, sending people who were landless peasants, starving landless peasants, up in the highlands near Cuenca in the south of Ecuador, sending them out to the Amazon.

Segment Synopsis: After 5 months at her second work site, Rubenstein agreed to help start a new agriculture research station in the Amazon region. Accordingly, Rubenstein received a 2-week mid-service training in raising vegetables. Part of Rubenstein's new assignment was to determine appropriate crops to grow and then to help women set up family gardens of these crops.

Keywords: Amazon region (Ecuador); Changes; Choices; Cuenca (Ecuador); Flexibility; International government and politics; Land; Mid-service training; Peace Corps staff; Plans; Poverty; Women

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

Partial Transcript: I had, had a vacation.

Segment Synopsis: Rubenstein took a bus trip with a friend from Quito to Buenos Aires and back. The bus had started in Panama and was carrying soccer fans to Santiago, Chile.

Keywords: Atacama Desert; Buenos Aires (Brazil); Buses; Friends; Quito (Ecuador); Santiago (Chile); Traveling

Subjects: International travel; Panama; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So anyway, um, headed out to the jungle.

Segment Synopsis: Rubenstein describes the physical development of the new research station and local village.

Keywords: Amenities; Cuenca (Ecuador); Housing; Outhouses; Preparation; Running water; Rural areas; Villages; Women

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

Partial Transcript: I got to know a lot about, uh, what will grow out there. What wouldn't grow out there.

Segment Synopsis: Rubenstein researched which crops would do well in the jungle environment and which insects would endanger the plants. One of the highlights of Rubenstein's service was when a local family asked her to be the godmother of their child. Rubenstein visited this site 9 months ago and marvels at the physical and economic improvements.

Keywords: Changes; Culture; Improvements; Pichilingue (Ecuador); Returning; Special occasions

Subjects: Emotions; Families; Interpersonal relations; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; Research; Voluntarism; Volunteer workers in horticulture; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So, what do you, what do you think that this Peace Corps experience gave to you? How did, how did it change you?

Segment Synopsis: From her service, Rubenstein gained an empathy for the poor. Rubenstein witnessed how the poor can improve themselves when given a chance and the resources. This improves the entire society. After she returned from her Peace Corps service, Rubenstein worked for C.A.R.E. by raising money for 10 years in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut area. While going to a Peace Corps reunion in Iowa, Rubenstein toured the Twin Cities with another Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. Subsequently, Rubenstein decided to re-locate to the Twin Cities. Peace Corps has given Rubenstein lifelong American and Ecuadorian friends. Peace Corps has made Rubenstein more tolerant and open-minded. Rubenstein volunteered for a month as an interpreter in Ecuador and Peru for a nonprofit medical organization. Rubenstein has used her Spanish fluency locally to tutor and to give help on the social service phone line.

Keywords: Appearance; Arrangements; C.A.R.E.; Career paths; Changes; Coming home; Community service; Connecticut; Criticism; Funding; Iowa; Jobs; New Jersey; New York; Poverty; Resources; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Returning; Spanish (Language); Telephone calls; Travel; Traveling; Twin Cities (Minnesota); Volunteering

Subjects: Charities; Ecuador; Emotions; Finance; Friendship; Interpersonal relations; Minorities; Non-governmental organizations; Nonprofit organizations; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador; Peru; Social service; Tutors and tutoring; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So, if, if you run into people now who tell you that they're thinking of joining Peace Corps, uh, what advice do you give them?

Segment Synopsis: Rubenstein comments on how advances in communication technology have changed Peace Corps service, making isolation less of a problem. Rubenstein points out that current Volunteers have less autonomy. Furthermore, Peace Corps is sending Volunteers to Eastern Europe where the culture is similar to the U.S. Accordingly, the adjustment for the Volunteers is not as great. Rubenstein feels that Peace Corps is not for everyone.

Keywords: Adjustment; Advice; Autonomy; Communication; Cultural differences; Isolation; Letters; Mail; Quito (Ecuador); Social media; Technology

Subjects: Eastern Europe; Family; Interpersonal relations; Peace Corps (U.S.); United States; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I, I published a children's book at the end of, 20, uh, 16.

Segment Synopsis: In 2016, Rubenstein published a children's book, "The Journey of a Dollar," whose plot has ties to Ecuador. Rubenstein has some involvement with the local Returned Peace Corps Volunteer group. Rubenstein is working on an anthology of stories of Peace Corps Volunteers from or living in Minnesota.

Keywords: Authors; Books; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Writers

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