Interview with Seokmin "Saki" Kim, April 2, 2021

Partial Transcript: Hello. Today is April 2, 2021. My name is Jay Sztuk. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji from 1974 through 1976. And today, I'm going to interview, uh, Seokmin Kim, otherwise known as Saki, who was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji also from 2014 through 2016, working in the education and health programs.

Segment Synopsis: Kim's family moved from South Korea to the U.S. when he was seven years old. When he applied to the Peace Corps, Kim had just graduated with a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology. Several of Kim's favorite high school teachers were Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Kim's interest in the Peace Corps was heightened when he studied in Kenya as an undergraduate. As a high school student, Kim's father had studied English with Volunteers in South Korea.

Keywords: Asian Americans; College majors; Decisions; Family; First generation Americans; High schools; Influences; Korean Americans; Study abroad; Traveling; Undergraduate education

Subjects: Emigration and immigration; Families.; Immigrants; International travel; Kenya; Korea (South); Malawi; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--2010-2020; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Fiji; Teachers; Voluntarism; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: W--and what did they think about that when you decided to join?

Segment Synopsis: Kim's parents wanted him to go to medical school or get a job, not to join the Peace Corps. In contrast, Kim's friends were all excited for him. While a Volunteer, Kim maintained regular contact with his family and friends by email.

Keywords: Contact; Emails; Excited; Family; Friends; Unsupportive

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

Partial Transcript: Alright, alright. So then, you, you went ahead and applied and when you applied did--were you able to select, um, or state a preference for where you would go?

Segment Synopsis: Just around the time of his graduation from Princeton University, Kim applied to the Peace Corps. Kim was open to serving in any country. After about 4 months of waiting, Kim received an invitation to serve in Fiji. Kim began to research Fiji. Initially, Kim felt some minor disappointment at not being posted to Africa where he had been before.

Keywords: Changes; Disappointment; Examinations; Exams; Excited; Medical clearance; Mothers; Princeton University; Support; Waiting periods

Subjects: Africa; Emotions; Fiji; Peace Corps (U.S.); Research; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And, did you do any kind of, uh, training in the 'States or orientation or did you just ship right out to Fiji?

Segment Synopsis: After a staging in Los Angeles, Kim's group left for Fiji. When they landed in Nadi, they were met by the Peace Corps staff. Kim liked the people in his group and was feeling upbeat. The trainees spent a week in a hotel in Nadi. Kim found the local people friendly and tried some foods new to him.

Keywords: Accents; Cohorts; Excited; Food; Local people; Locals; Los Angeles (Calif.); Nadi (Fiji); Peace Corps staff; Staging; Traveling

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

Partial Transcript: So, tell me about your training group. How many of, uh, of you were there in that group?

Segment Synopsis: Kim's cohort started with 35 members who were from a wide variety of backgrounds. A majority of the members were white females. Kim reports that the members were open minded and bonded with each other.

Keywords: Cohorts; Diversity in the Peace Corps

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

Partial Transcript: So, from Nadi, we took, uh--they chartered a--one of those Sunbeam buses, um, all the way to Suva.

Segment Synopsis: From Nadi, the trainees were bused to Suva. After completing several days of administrative tasks, the cohort was taken to the pre-service training site of Nakaile village. The trainees were housed with host families. Kim briefly describes the village and his host family. Kim notes that he experienced some racial discrimination from the local people but the same thing happened to him in the U.S. Kim says the greatest challenge for him was the high humidity with no air conditioning.

Keywords: Acclimation; Amenities; Asian Americans; Challenges; Criticism; Diversity; Housing; Korean Americans; Living conditions; Medical kits; Nadi (Fiji); Nausori (Fiji); New Orleans (La.); New York City (N.Y.); Non-stereotypical Americans; Paperwork; Peace Corps offices; Princeton University; Rewa River (Fiji); Stereotypes; Suva (Fiji); Traveling; Weather

Subjects: Acculturation; Africa; Korea (South); Peace Corps (U.S.); Racial discrimination; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Tell me about a, a typical training day. What did you guys do?

Segment Synopsis: Kim describes pre-service training, which included living with a host family and often instructional groups of about six members.

Keywords: Acclimation; Cultural differences; Cultural training; Expectations; Food culture; Host family; Language training

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

Partial Transcript: Hey, this is probably a good time, uh, to talk about kava.

Segment Synopsis: Kim describes a gathering where kava is made and consumed.

Keywords: Choices; Host mothers; Socializing

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

Partial Transcript: So, any, um, any particularly memorable events or occurrences that happened during your, your training?

Segment Synopsis: Kim enjoyed the weekend parties held by the village host families for the trainees. Kim was saddened when two of the other trainees decided to return home.

Keywords: Amenities; Dancing; Homesickness; Illness; Leaving; Parties; Returning; Sickness

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

Partial Transcript: Alright, and, uh, did you do all of your training at that village or did you, did you do some, uh--visit some other places or, or what?

Segment Synopsis: Pre-service training included staying with a current Volunteer for a few days.

Keywords: Distance; Lautoka (Fiji); Perspectives; Transportation; Traveling

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

Partial Transcript: So, um, okay. Then you, you finished training. And, uh, what were you looking for or hoping for as far as an assignment?

Segment Synopsis: When asked during pre-service training, Kim stated a preference for an assignment in a remote site. Subsequently, Kim was excited by his posting to Nadala village in the Nadarivatu district. Kim describes the area around his village, which included an encampment of Chinese workers. Kim reports that most of the local people had had little contact with other Volunteers.

Keywords: Ethnicity; Excited; Foreigners; Local people; Locals; Nadala (Fiji); Nadarivatu (Fiji); Peace Corps directors; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Rural areas; Tourism; Tourists

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

Partial Transcript: What, what was your job there?

Segment Synopsis: The goal of Kim's cohort was to combat non-communicable disease such as diabetes and hypertension. So, Kim was a public health teacher at the primary school. In addition, Kim gave lectures at the nearby high school. Kim also tutored math, helped with English instruction, and filled in for a month for the physics teacher.

Keywords: Ethnicity; Extracurricular activities; High schools; History; Secondary projects; Speaking; Teaching English as a foreign language; Traveling

Subjects: Emigration and immigration; Immigrants; India; International travel; Minorities; Peace Corps (U.S.); Public health; Schools; Teachers; Tutors and tutoring; Voluntarism; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Well, just tell me what your life was like in the, in the village.

Segment Synopsis: Kim spent most of his time at the school. Initially, some of the local people had unrealistic expectations about what Kim could do to help them. Kim describes his village of 300 people and how he fit in. Kim enjoyed living in the village and mostly got along with everyone.

Keywords: Expectations; Living alone; Local people; Locals; Misconceptions; Population; Problems; Villages

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

Partial Transcript: So, I, I think the biggest problem I en, en--I encounter from the village side, like from the villagers, was pretty much right at the beginning.

Segment Synopsis: Soon after Kim arrived in his village, he met as many residents as possible. This included having tea with the mother of some of the students at Kim's school. Unfortunately, this led to a misunderstanding with the woman's husband which the police helped to clear up.

Keywords: Cell phones; Friends; High schools; Invitations; Local people; Locals; Problems; Socializing

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

Partial Transcript: Um, and were you getting pretty good at the language at this point?

Segment Synopsis: Kim remarks that his native language fluency became adequate for his needs. Kim was not bothered by the isolation of his site. The nearest Volunteers were three hours away by bus. Kim says that in his village he could escape the personal drama that was occurring between some other Volunteers.

Keywords: Autonomy; Communication; Distance; Fluency; Improvements; Isolation; Language skills

Subjects: Interpersonal relations; Language and languages; Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Stress (Psychology); Teaching; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Did you get away from the, the village occasionally, uh, and visit other parts of Fiji?

Segment Synopsis: For shopping, Kim would take the bus a couple times a month to the town of Tavua. Every few months, Kim would meet with other Volunteers in the area. Kim regrets that a big storm changed his plans to visit other islands of the country.

Keywords: Distance; Holidays; Plans; Regrets; Tavua (Fiji); Villages; Viti Levu (Fiji); Weather

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

Partial Transcript: Oh, you mentioned a big storm. What, what, what happened?

Segment Synopsis: During his second year, Kim's village and much of the country was damaged by Cyclone Winston. Consequently, Kim's activity came to focus more on cyclone recovery work. Kim describes helping with the re-building of the school dining hall. Kim's house was one of the few in the village which was relatively undamaged. The Red Cross provided tents for many of the villagers.

Keywords: Changes; Charities; Fiji Red Cross; Friends of Fiji; Funding; Houses; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

Subjects: Cyclone damage; Fiji; Natural disasters; Non-governmental organizations; Nonprofit organizations; Peace Corps (U.S.); Schools; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: After I'd gotten more or less, um, all the immediate fires put out in the village, I took a quick vacation for my--like a two week vacation, for myself.

Segment Synopsis: Rather than traveling in-country as he had intended before the cyclone, Kim took a 2-week vacation which included going to New Zealand.

Keywords: Traveling; Villages

Subjects: International travel; New Zealand; Peace Corps (U.S.); Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What did you do for fun?

Segment Synopsis: On weekends, Kim would often have a meal with one of his co-teachers. At school, Kim played volleyball with the students and his co-teachers. Kim started a small vegetable garden in his backyard. Villagers came to Kim to borrow movies to watch on the computer. Kim also went hiking in the area and tried rugby once.

Keywords: Co-teachers; Drinking; Kava; Recreation; Socializing

Subjects: Religion

Partial Transcript: What, what were some of the things that you enjoyed most about the life out there in the village?

Segment Synopsis: Kim enjoyed the quiet of the small community and the available support it provided. In his own house, Kim had privacy and still felt welcome throughout the village. Kim found the scenery beautiful, especially the night sky. Kim misses the local people and his pets. Kim feels that the isolation of the site matched his introverted personality.

Keywords: Assignments; Cell phones; Distance; Local people; Locals; Support networks

Subjects: Kenya; Lifestyles; Manners and customs; Peace Corps (U.S.); Stress (Psychology); Technology; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Right. So, after two years out there, were you, uh, ready to come home or did, did you consider extending?

Segment Synopsis: Kim found his work after the cyclone to be exhausting. Consequently, he decided not to extend beyond the end of the school year. Kim had decided to pursue a master's degree and preferred to return to the U.S.

Keywords: Decisions; Extensions; Future plans; Leaving; Master's degrees

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

Partial Transcript: Tell me, what are, what are the Fijian people like?

Segment Synopsis: Kim found the Fijians to be friendly to strangers. Furthermore, Kim found them open and willing to help. The Fijians liked the ability to live off the land independently. Kim maintains contact with friends in Fiji via social media.

Keywords: Characteristics; Contact; Friends; Independence; Local people; Locals; Outsiders; Pre-service training; Social media

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

Partial Transcript: Must have been, uh, difficult to leave the village after a couple years, huh?

Segment Synopsis: Leaving the village to return to the U.S. was emotionally hard for Kim. Kim told the villagers that he would return to visit, which he still hopes to do.

Keywords: Airports; Co-teachers; Difficult; Future plans; Peace Corps offices; Returning; Social media; Traveling; Villages

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

Partial Transcript: What did this Peace Corps experience teach, teach you and how do you think might have made you a different person other--had you not gone to Peace Corps?

Segment Synopsis: Kim learned that sustainable environmental change can only occur at the grassroots level. Because of his Peace Corps service, Kim is much more adaptable and self-confident.

Keywords: Adaptation; Changes; Flexibility; Learning; Personal growth; Problems; Self-confidence; Study abroad; Sustainability; Traveling

Subjects: Culture; Fiji; Homophobia; International travel; Misogyny; Peace Corps (U.S.); Research; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: So what, what have you been doing since you left Peace Corps?

Segment Synopsis: Kim has completed a master's degree in environmental management and is now working towards a PhD at the University of Miami. Kim describes his present research project.

Keywords: Environmental problems; Future plans; Graduate schools; Master's degrees; Professors; University of Miami

Subjects: Caribbean; Education, Higher; Fiji; Pacific Islands; Peace Corps (U.S.); Research; Universities and colleges; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Do you, do you think that, uh, Peace Corps is providing, um, something of value to, to Fiji?

Segment Synopsis: While he was in Fiji, Kim believes that Peace Corps was doing very important work. Kim states that many Volunteers are relatively unskilled. Accordingly, Kim agrees with the idea that more Volunteers should be assigned to local communities to serve as liaisons rather than be assigned to a post in some government office. Accordingly, the Volunteers could share their culture and help bring in outside resources. As Kim was completing his service, another Volunteer came to replace him.

Keywords: Assignments; Career paths; Cohorts; Community; Criticism; Cultural exchange; Future plans; Resources; Second Goal; Skills

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