Interview with Ernest "Ernie" Zaremba, November 4, 2020

Partial Transcript: This is Evelyn Ganzglass. Um, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Somalia from 1966 to 1968.

Segment Synopsis: Zaremba heard John F. Kennedy's speech about Peace Corps and decided he didn't want his life to go the way that he felt it was headed. He envisioned completing his undergraduate degree, marrying, and buying a house after finding a job. He suggested that he and his then-girlfriend join the Peace Corps and go to live in Africa. She didn't like the idea, but he did. He took the admission test for Peace Corps, completed his degree, and headed to Africa. From infancy on, he was on his own a lot, living with his grandparents on a farm in Michigan while his parents worked in the city. He didn't consult his parents about his decision to apply; he was used to making his own decision, using his imagination a lot. What he liked a lot about Peace Corps was being outdoors, surveying with his team. Zaremba reiterates the importance of Kennedy's speech. He worked for the state department of highways surveying. He indicated that he'd go anywhere that Peace Corps sent him; he was sent to his dream spot in Tanganyika [now part of Tanzania] that was far from big cities, near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Keywords: Admissions test for Peace Corps; Africa; College graduation; Direction in life; John F. Kennedy; Living independently as a young man; Parents; Speeches; Surveying land

Subjects: Education, Higher; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Tanzania; Tanzania; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Okay, so you--did you finish college?

Segment Synopsis: Zaremba graduated in the winter of 1963 from the University of Michigan and, by then, knew that he had been accepted into Peace Corps. There was a long test that he took on campus with questions related to various categories, including math. Zaremba says that he probably indicated a preference for Tanganyika [now part of Tanzania] to survey. He thinks that, perhaps, Kennedy described going to Tanganyika to survey which prompted him to take surveying courses in college and to take a surveying job when he graduated.

Keywords: Choices; Surveying; Tanganyika; University of Michigan

Subjects: Education, Higher; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Tanzania; Tanzania; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Okay, and where was your training?

Segment Synopsis: Zaremba's 3-month training was held in Syracuse, New York. To him, the training was superb and, "it all blossomed nicely." He was taught to survey and got to be outside and work with a team of people and the instruments. That was his work in Tanzania, too: being outside with a team as opposed to working at a desk indoors. He also took math classes during training, although the largest part of it was language training. The language teacher was a British ex-pat who taught the Swahili classes. His proficiency in Swahili was decent after training. After his service, he took the foreign service language test, and ended up telling the instructor stories about his work in Swahili and he passed the test, but never pursued using it. After 12 weeks in Syracuse, the training was completed in-country in a Salvation Army camp in Dar es Salaam. The cultural training was explicit: don't come off as a Communist. The language expert also taught and talked about the cultural differences during training, as well as some Tanzanian nationals. There were about 32 volunteers in Zaremba's group.

Keywords: Cultural training; Dar es Salaam (Tanzania); Language training; Math classes; Swahili (Language); Syracuse, New York; Training

Subjects: Communication and culture; Culture; Intercultural communication; Interpersonal communication and culture; Language and culture; Language and languages; Lifestyles; Manners and customs; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Tanzania; Social norms; Syracuse (N.Y.); Tanzania; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I am not a farmer, so tell me what farm-to-market is all about.

Segment Synopsis: Zaremba describes the meaning of the concept 'farm-to-market.' Most Tanzanians are farmers which means that they have to move their produce to the markets. That entailed having roads to carry the goods to markets, building roads that were drive-able, instead of an animal path. It also involved building culverts to divert the water during the rainy months. He worked in the field with 2 Tanzanian trainees and a driver. Zaremba was posted in Mwanza, a remote part of the country.

Keywords: Culverts; Dar es Salaam (Tanzania); Farm-to-market; Mwanza (Tanzania); Roads

Subjects: Culture; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Tanzania; Tanzania; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So you lived in a tent basically?

Segment Synopsis: Zaremba describes his housing in town provided by the Department of Public Works. It was a 3-story building with he and his team living on the upper floor with a view of Lake Victoria. There was indoor plumbing and running water. He, however, preferred to be out in the tent. There were 4 volunteers who shared this apartment, 3 were surveyors, and 1 was the engineer. USAID provided the financing for the culverts and bridges, as well as contributions for self-help laborers from Tanzania.

Keywords: Department of Public Works; Housing provided by Department of Public Works; Indoor plumbing; Lake Victoria; Running water; United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Subjects: Culture; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Tanzania; Tanzania; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And, um, did you get to travel throughout, uh--

Segment Synopsis: As a secondary project, especially during the rainy seasons, Zaremba organized a boxing league and matches around Tanzania; his friends in the U.S. sent him trophies and equipment to use. At that time, Cassius Clay was a big player who inspired the kids. His mother always warned him that he'd get appendicitis and die somewhere. A nurse checked out his stomach pains and diagnosed appendicitis; he was flown into Kampala, Uganda to have his appendix removed. He relates how the anesthetic for the surgery didn't work at first, but it eventually did. Due to complications from the surgery, he stayed about 10 days in Kampala, returning to Tanzania on Saba Saba Day, an important national celebration. He was told that the city planned to build a large boxing ring in the stadium in which the kids would compete. He and friends took a safari along the Serengeti to the game parks in Uganda and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. He's returned 8 times, bringing others from the U.S. to Tanzania, crossing Lake Victoria once. Zaremba relates the story of meeting a group of lepers in Kampala as he was showing his wife Africa.

Keywords: Appendicitis; Boxing competitions; Cassius Clay; In-country travel; Kampala, Uganda; Mt. Kilimanjaro; Saba Saba Day; Safari; Secondary projects; Serengeti

Subjects: Culture; Health; International travel; Lifestyles; Medical care; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Tanzania; Tanzania; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Before we got on you, you told this, um, interesting story about how Tanganyika became Tanzania.

Segment Synopsis: Tanganyika was renamed Tanzania after a national contest to rename the country. When Zaremba arrived in-country, it was Tanganyika, then it became the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zambia, then, finally, Tanzania.

Keywords: Name changes; Tanganyika; United Republic of Tanganyika and Zambia; Zambia

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

Partial Transcript: So as you think back at your experience in Peace Corps, um, do you think, um, your project contributed to, to the area you were in?

Segment Synopsis: Years later, using the Internet, Zaremba re-connected with Peace Corps friends, interviewing them and organizing a reunion with them. He, then, returned to Tanzania and reunited people there whom he knew in the 1960s. He was instrumental in reuniting members of his group in Tanzania with people they knew who still lived there. One thing that Tanzanians would say is that Peace Corps people came and then left, never to be seen again, but, you came back. We must be important to you. Some of that was very touching to Zaremba.

Keywords: Contact; Contributions; In touch; Internet; Reunions

Subjects: Culture; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Tanzania; Tanzania; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So, your two years ended.

Segment Synopsis: Zaremba planned to visit Nepal and Nice, France, but, before leaving, he received a letter from the university extending him a fellowship. He slightly regrets not traveling; however, his life turned around with the fellowship in psychology.

Keywords: Fellowships; Nepal; Nice, France; Post-service travel

Subjects: Education, Higher; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Tanzania; Tanzania; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I was starting to ask about the impact.

Segment Synopsis: The first time Zaremba returned to Tanzania, he looked at the roads that he'd built which were still in reasonable shape. He tried to reunite with people who'd been there when he was 40 years ago.

Keywords: Contributions; Farm-to-market; Impact; Return; Roads

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

Partial Transcript: You really didn't talk too much about friendships you made while you were there.

Segment Synopsis: Zaremba's best friend was his driver who he says was so sharp in so many ways. They were out in the bush during the rainy season and the roads were really slippery. As they drove along a narrow road with a cliff on one side and a mountain on the other, the Jeep began to slide off of the road. He maneuvered the vehicle so that it turned onto its side, which was deliberate, to stop it from falling down the cliff. On one of his first trips back, he inquired about Robert, the driver, at the Department of Public Works, and people hemmed and hawed about him, but, finally admitted that, shortly after Zaremba left, he committed suicide. No one wanted to upset Zaremba so they didn't notify him. While in service, his main friendship had been with Robert because he spent so much time with him out in the bush.

Keywords: Friendships; Return visits

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

Partial Transcript: So, the, the other--so there are three goals of Peace Corps, as you know.

Segment Synopsis: Zaremba played chess with the man who lived with his family nearby in the city. He felt really accepted by this family with whom he could simply be himself.

Keywords: Families; Friendships; Relationships

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

Partial Transcript: And I know that since you've come back, not only have you organized these trips to reconnect with people...

Segment Synopsis: Zaremba started the Peace Corps Family Album. It seemed difficult to access the interviews of RPCVs at the Kennedy Library, so he uploaded the interviews onto YouTube, arranged by country. In order to collect as many as possible, he attended meetings of RPCVs between 2004-2017 and interviewed them, asking about their experiences and their stories. From time to time, people around the world would watch the videos, and contact Zaremba, asking to be connected with a RPCV. His goal was for RPCVs to reconnect, but then this other facet occurred. At the start of the pandemic, Zaremba downloaded all of the interviews, and sent emails to all of the people who served in the same country, thus connecting them in a new way. Using Zoom, he connected people who saw the video clips -- people uninvolved with Peace Corps, who, in turn, asked to talk via Zoom with the RPCVs. The fun part is having all of these new connections and associations among people. He invites those whose stories are available for new, other, stories, expanding the project even more. Zaremba is an introvert and his Third Goal work is creating a large network of people.

Keywords: Interpersonal connections; Peace Corps Family Album; Reconnect

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

Partial Transcript: Well, I'm kind of out of questions.

Segment Synopsis: When he was camping in Tanzania, about 200 yards away was an oasis where many types of African birds would fly in and out. He'd spend the early morning watching the wildlife. He'd awaken to the sound of a lion roaring. During mid-day, when it was really hot, he'd return to his tent. Once, after the break, he walked down a ways and heard Hank Williams singing. There was an African with a boom-box playing country music. Another time, he sat eating his lunch under a tree when a man waved at him. Zaremba waved back. When he returned to his team, an African man asked him if he knew that the man waving at him was trying to tell him that there was a long snake hanging from the tree under which he sat. The man was warning him that the snake was nearby. He thinks of the foolish things that he didn't know about . At Lake Manyara, you aren't supposed to leave your car. While he looked at the flamingos, his brother, driving the car, encountered a water buffalo. He was amazed while climbing Mt, Kilimanjaro. All of his buddies got close to the summit, and one had altitude sickness and he didn't summit. However, Zaremba did and marveled at the views.

Keywords: African wildlife; Hank Williams; Lake Manyara; Mt. Kilimanjaro; Oasis; Snakes; Wildlife

Subjects: Culture; International travel; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Tanzania; Tanzania; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So what do you tell people about joining the Peace Corps when you talk to people now?

Segment Synopsis: Encouraging others to join Peace Corps now seems increasingly relevant to Zaremba because the cross-cultural connections are how we thrive and survive, in his eyes.

Keywords: Connections; Relationships

Subjects: Culture; Intercultural communication; International travel; Interpersonal communication and culture; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonal relations and culture; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers