Interview with Susannah Hopkins "Zan" Leisher, February 6, 2021

Partial Transcript: It's February 6, 2021. This is Candice Wiggum, RPVC from North Macedonia from 2009 to 2012. And I am interviewing Susanna Hopkins Leisher who was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal from 1985 to 1987 as a math teacher.

Segment Synopsis: Leisher is currently working towards a doctorate degree in epidemiology. Previously, Leisher had spent 25 years working on poverty reduction. But after the birth of a stillborn son in 1999, Leisher changed careers.

Keywords: Career paths; Deaths; Decisions; Health; Motivation; Poverty

Subjects: Education, Higher; Epidemiology; Peace Corps (U.S.)--1980-1990; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Nepal; Volunteer workers in education

Partial Transcript: So, tell us why you joined Peace Corps.

Segment Synopsis: Members of Leisher's family traveled widely. When Leisher was 11 years old, she read a book about John F. Kennedy and the Peace Corps. In high school, Leisher was interested in mountainous countries and started researching Bhutan and Nepal. Leisher attended Carleton College where her anthropology professor had served in the first Peace Corps cohort sent to Nepal.

Keywords: Books; Carleton College; Cohorts; Family; High schools; Influences; Interests; John F. Kennedy; Minnesota; Professors; Research; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Traveling; Undergraduate education

Subjects: Bhutan; Nepal; Peace Corps (U.S.); Universities and colleges; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And, um, I decided before I started college that I was going to join the Peace Corps when I graduated. And, um, so I, um--and that I wanted to go to Nepal.

Segment Synopsis: Even before starting college, Leisher had decided that she wanted to become a Volunteer in Nepal when she graduated from college. In her senior year at college, Leisher applied to the Peace Corps and in the spring was offered a posting in Africa. Leisher declined as she would have had to leave before completing her degree. Several months later, Leisher got a package of materials in the mail related to her being sent to Nepal. Leisher says that her reason for applying to the Peace Corps was to travel abroad.

Keywords: Application process; Decisions; Empowerment; Invitations; Mail; Motivation; Telephone calls

Subjects: Africa; Nepal; Peace Corps (U.S.); Travel; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What--your mom, who didn't think Peace Corps still existed, what was her reaction when you let her know?

Segment Synopsis: Leisher's parents were thrilled at the news that she was joining the Peace Corps. Leisher's parents visited her once while she was serving overseas.

Keywords: Family; Site visits; Support; Traveling

Subjects: Emotion; Families.; International travel; Parents; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Very cool. What was the application process like back then? Did it take very long?

Segment Synopsis: Leisher describes the application process, which took her around 9 months. Between her junior and senior years at college, Leisher took her personal savings and backpacked by herself around the world. This included spending some time in Nepal. On her application, Leisher stated she was willing to serve anywhere. Leisher, and others who had been conditionally accepted, attended a screening session in West Virginia over a long weekend. During the screening, one person was de-selected.

Keywords: Applications; Applying; De-selection; Inoculations; Preparation; Traveling; Vaccinations; West Virginia

Subjects: Asia; Finance; Health; International travel; Japan; Nepal; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And it was in September that we, we all went to Nepal. And we did it--we all had to meet in San Francisco.

Segment Synopsis: Leisher's cohort flew from San Francisco to Kathmandu via Hong Kong and Dhaka. There was a Peace Corps welcoming ceremony for them at the Kathmandu airport.

Keywords: Dhaka (Bangladesh); Excited; Kathmandu (Nepal); Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; San Francisco (Calif.); Traveling

Subjects: Emotions; Hong Kong; International travel; Nepal; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: We then had our three-month training before going to our, um, our villages, um, right after Christmas.

Segment Synopsis: About 30% of Leisher's cohort of about 30 trainees went home before finishing pre-service training. For the first month of pre-service training, the trainees were housed in a lodge in Bhaktapur. For the second month, the trainees were split up according to their projects. Leisher's group of math and science teachers lived with host families in a village by the border with India and did practice teaching in Nepali. In the third month, the trainees stayed at a village with a trainer where there was already a Volunteer. The site was near to the trainees' villages of assignment. Leisher describes some of the challenges she faced during pre-service training. Leisher says that the training staff was very experienced and supportive.

Keywords: Acclimation; Bhaktapur (Nepal); Challenges; Cultural training; Excited; Host families; Kathmandu (Nepal); Kathmandu Valley (Nepal); Language training; Nepali (Language); Peace Corps staff; Practice teaching; Support; Villages

Subjects: Acculturation; Emotions; India; Language and languages; Manners and customs; Nepal; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And you got to choose your village that you went to?

Segment Synopsis: The trainees could choose an assignment from the list of schools that had requested a Volunteer. Leisher and a friend she made from her cohort decided to pick villages relatively close to each other. Another Volunteer had served at the village several years before Leisher's arrival.

Keywords: Choices; Friends; Kathmandu Valley (Nepal); Parbat District (Nepal); Rural areas

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

Partial Transcript: What was it like there?

Segment Synopsis: Leisher describes her housing and village. Leisher lived with a host family. The school was coeducational but Leisher was the only female teacher. Leisher found her co-teachers supportive. Leisher had 70 students per class except for her two advanced math classes which had about 10 students each. Each grade level had an official textbook on which the annual national examination was based.

Keywords: Books; Boston (Mass.); Class sizes; Co-teachers; Difficult; Examinations; Exams; Host family; Housing; Kathmandu (Nepal); Lonely; Mail; Master's degrees; Nepali (Language); Pronunciation; Quitting; Reputations; Running water; Spanish (Language); Study abroad; Support

Subjects: Canada; Emotions; Language and languages; Mental health; Peace Corps (U.S.); Schools; Teachers; Teaching; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What was your life like outside of school?

Segment Synopsis: About two-thirds through her service, upon returning from Kathmandu, Leisher found that her housing had been broken into and a number of her items were stolen including her short wave radio. All the Volunteers were provided with a free subscription to Newsweek magazine by the Peace Corps. Leisher walked an hour to pick up her mail from another village every few weeks. Volunteers could have some non-perishable foods sent to them from Kathmandu by the Peace Corps staff. Leisher traveled to Kathmandu about 3 times a year and would borrow books from the Peace Corps library.

Keywords: Books; Distance; Kathmandu (Nepal); Leisure time; Letters; Mail; News; Problems; Robbery; Schedules; Support; Traveling

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

Partial Transcript: I would do my, you know, my laundry on a rock in the cold water.

Segment Synopsis: Leisher describes the members of her host family and some of her interactions with them.

Keywords: Acclimation; Host family; Learning

Subjects: Acculturation; India; Interpersonal relations; Manners and customs; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Um, uh, but, I didn't--you know, I would go to bed early.

Segment Synopsis: There were few organized social activities in Leisher's village. Leisher did her school related work and went to bed early. Occasionally, Leisher would meet a friend from her cohort at the district center to socialize.

Keywords: Difficult; Friends; Preparation; Socializing; Traveling

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

Partial Transcript: It sounds like you lived in a separate dwelling?

Segment Synopsis: Leisher describes the layout of the family compound and the rooms where she lived. Leisher usually ate with her host family. Leisher describes what she paid to her host family for room and board. Peace Corps provided the Volunteers with a water filter and a medical kit. The Volunteers needed to give themselves a gamma globulin shot every 6 months.

Keywords: Amenities; Budgets; Health training; Healthcare; Inoculations; Kathmandu (Nepal); Medical kits; Outhouses; Site visits; Vaccinations

Subjects: Finance; Himalayas; Manners and customs; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I ha--I got sick all the time.

Segment Synopsis: Leisher had bouts of various illnesses. Leisher came down with malaria 6 months after returning to the U.S. Every trip to Kathmandu included a medical checkup for the Volunteers.

Keywords: Doctors; Illness; Kathmandu (Nepal); Malaria; Peace Corps staff; Peace Corps-related medical issues; Sickness

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

Partial Transcript: So, tell me about your travels while you were there.

Segment Synopsis: Leisher and some other Volunteers jointly kept an inexpensive place to stay in Kathmandu. Leisher and some other Volunteers made a trip to Rara Lake. During both summer breaks, Leisher traveled to India with some friends.

Keywords: Bombay (India); Friends; Goa (India); Kathmandu (Nepal); Ladahk (India); Rara Lake (Nepal); Srinagar (India); Tibet (China); Transportation

Subjects: India; International travel; Interpersonal relations; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Were you ever scared at any time during your, during your stay?

Segment Synopsis: Another math teacher in Leisher's group disappeared while on a solo trek after close of service. Although she was warned not to, Leisher would walk around the area outside her village alone. On one 8-hour hike, mostly through an uninhabited area, Leisher encountered two Nepali men. Such a meeting was unusual and Leisher felt uncomfortable. This was the only time Leisher felt in personal danger.

Keywords: Close of Service; Conversations; Deaths; Murders; Nancy Hart; Nepali (Language); Risks; Rural areas; Scared; Uncertainty; Villages

Subjects: Emotions; Language and culture; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What was your biggest adventure as you're in your village or in Nepal?

Segment Synopsis: For Leisher, life as a Volunteer was a constant adventure. Leisher mentions getting satisfaction from successfully treating others and herself for medical issues.

Keywords: Gender roles; Healthcare; Illness; Learning; Medical kits; Problems; Sickness; Traveling

Subjects: Emotions; Manners and customs; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What are you proudest of?

Segment Synopsis: Leisher is proud that she finished her two years of service. Leisher is still in contact with numerous of her former students. In a school system where rote memorization was common, Leisher tried to share her enthusiasm for the subject matter with her students.

Keywords: Contact; Second Goal; Techniques

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

Partial Transcript: As you look back, is there anything that you would have done differently?

Segment Synopsis: Leisher was asked to teach English at the school and now regrets declining to do so. Leisher regrets not doing more to benefit her host family and her fellow villagers.

Keywords: Lonely; Teaching English as a foreign language

Subjects: Emotions; Peace Corps (U.S.); Teachers; Teaching; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Understandable. What was it like when you were getting ready to go?

Segment Synopsis: The teachers and the school had going away parties for Leisher. Leisher took a lot of photos and gave away some of her personal items to local people. When Leisher left her village, she and another Volunteer trekked to the Annapurna base camp.

Keywords: Annapurna (Nepal); Belongings; Changes; Close of Service; Friends; Holidays; Kathmandu (Nepal); Local people; Locals; Parties; Plans; Site visits; Telephone calls; Traveling

Subjects: Brazil; Emotions; Manners and customs; Nepal; Parents; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: One thing I meant to ask you about and forgot: what, what was your parents' visit like?

Segment Synopsis: Leisher met her parents in Kathmandu. Then, after a few days, they traveled to Leisher's village. Leisher describes the visit as being spectacular, although her father had some health problems and her parents had not visited such an impoverished country before.

Keywords: Arrangements; Clothing; Illness; Kathmandu (Nepal); Letters; Pokhara (Nepal); Poverty; Sickness; Traveling

Subjects: Africa; China; Emotions; Health; Papua New Guinea; Peace Corps (U.S.); Teachers; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What was it like for you when you got home?

Segment Synopsis: Leisher was happy to be home for Christmas but had some regrets about coming straight back. After several months, Leisher found a job and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Several months after that, Leisher came down with malaria.

Keywords: Cambridge (Mass.); Changes; Coming home; Family; Holidays; Illness; Jobs; Kathmandu (Nepal); Malaria; Peace Corps-related medical issues; Regrets; Sickness

Subjects: Emotions; Health; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: It was, um, completely formative, um, in every way for me.

Segment Synopsis: Peace Corps service had a big impact on Leisher. Leisher, subsequently, spent 10 years working in Vietnam. Then, Leisher spent another 15 years doing development work in Central America, West Africa, and India. Leisher has changed from someone looking for adventure to someone trying to make the world a better place.

Keywords: Altruism; Career paths; Identity; Learning; Oxfam; Personal growth; Vietnamese (Language)

Subjects: Asia; Central America; Charities; India; Language and languages; Non-governmental organizations; Peace Corps (U.S.); Vietnam; Voluntarism; Volunteers; West Africa