Interview with John Wallace, April 30, 2021

Partial Transcript: Okay. Today is April 30th, 2021. This is Candice Wiggum, RPCV from North Macedonia, 2009 to 2012. And I am interviewing John Wallace who was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala from1984 to 1987 as a wildlife management/beekeeper Volunteer and from 1987 to 1988 as Peace Corps trainer.

Segment Synopsis: Wallace talked to Peace Corps recruiters and attended related meetings out of curiosity while he was an undergraduate at Pennsylvania State University. As a junior in college, Wallace traveled to Jamaica with his family and wanted to see more of the world.

Keywords: Animal husbandry; Family; French (Language); High schools; Interests; Peace Corps recruiters; Peace Corps staff; Penn State University; Pennsylvania State University; Spanish (Language); Traveling

Subjects: International travel; Jamaica; Language and languages; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1980-1990; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Universities and colleges; Voluntarism; Volunteer workers in environmental education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I was working in Florida and I said, "That's it. I'm sending my application."

Segment Synopsis: Wallace was earning a degree in environmental education and had work experience with kids at nature centers. Initially, Wallace was considered for a fisheries position in Africa but he was allergic to the anti-malarial medicine that would have been required. Subsequently, Wallace was considered for a position in youth development in Guatemala, which he accepted.

Keywords: Advice; Anxious; Application process; Applications; College majors; Dangerous; Dangers; Deaths; Education programs; Excited; Florida; Jobs; Kids; Leaving; Letters; Malaria; Medical clearance; Miami (Fla.); Mothers; News; Problems; Reactions; Scared; Undergraduate education; Vaccinations; Youth development

Subjects: Africa; Allergy; Central America; Emotions; Guatemala; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: After that, I went to this CREST and that's where we met everyone in our group.

Segment Synopsis: There were 46 people in Wallace's group. Part of the orientation was taught by two current Volunteers from Guatemala. Wallace says that nobody had a clear idea of what the goals of youth development were.

Keywords: Cohorts; Lectures; Staging; Traveling; Uncertainty; Youth development

Subjects: Guatemala; International travel; Niger; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Well, when I was in training, um, uh, I knew that I wanted to work in some kind of, um, uh, biological capacity. And, so I started learning beekeeping as a secondary project.

Segment Synopsis: During pre-service training, Wallace stayed with a host family who supported him and helped him learn Spanish. Wallace is still in contact with one of his host sisters. During pre-service training, Wallace was in poor health and lost weight. Wallace describes problems with his clothing. Wallace found technical training to be lacking focus and continuity. Pre-service training included a visit to the work site.

Keywords: Acclimation; Animal husbandry; Antigua (Guatemala); Changes; Clothing; Communication; Contact; Conversations; Counterparts; Criticism; Cultural training; Examinations; Exams; Fluency; Host families; Host sisters; Illness; Language barriers; Language training; Living conditions; Plans; Poverty; Problems; Rural areas; Secondary projects; Sickness; Site visits; Social interactions; Social media; Spanish (Language); Support; Swearing in; Technical training; Technology; Training centers; Traveling; Weather

Subjects: Acculturation; Guatemala; Health; Hygiene; Interpersonal relations; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: You get a, uh, uh, a moving in allowance.

Segment Synopsis: Wallace talks about his housing arrangement and says that he didn't spend money on cooking tools because he wanted to have his dinners with a local family. This saved him time since he didn't need to cook, etc. Wallace skipped other meals or had them on the go.

Keywords: Allowance; Amenities; Arrangements; Budgets; Cooking; Flexibility; Food preparation; Living conditions; Meals; Money; Pay; Plans; Preparation; Site visits; Stipends; Traveling

Subjects: Finance; Food habits; Guatemala; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: You know, I moved in and within--in, in about, um, uh, 2 months, when I swore in, um, there was a Volunteer that was killed.

Segment Synopsis: Because of previous violence, there were few Volunteers in Wallace's area. Several months after he had sworn in, a Volunteer was murdered in Guatemala. Subsequently, the other Volunteers in Guatemala were given the opportunity to terminate or transfer to another country. When Wallace first arrived at his assignment, he was asked to coach basketball, which he wasn't eager to do. So, Wallace worked on other projects like beekeeping. After a site visit by his program director, Wallace was formally switched into the beekeeping project.

Keywords: Autonomy; Cell phones; Changes; Communication; Dangerous; Dangers; Deaths; Friends; Guatemala City (Guatemala); Kathmandu (Nepal); Leaving; News; Peace Corps directors; Peace Corps staff; Secondary projects; Site visits; Swearing in; Traveling; Youth development

Subjects: Belize; Culture; Ecuador; Guatemala; Korea (South); Lifestyles; Nepal; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Well, so, the main crux of that job--now remember, I'm in the western highlands. It's higher elevation.

Segment Synopsis: Wallace describes the beekeeping program. Because of the approach of the African honeybee, beekeepers in Guatemala needed to change their techniques. During the rainy season, Wallace had time to spend on secondary projects.

Keywords: Acclimation; Adaptation; Animal husbandry; Changes; Differences; Distance; Flexibility; Preparation; Resilience; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Techniques; Weather

Subjects: Acculturation; Africa; Bee culture.; Central America; Guatemala; Manners and customs; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: What I was getting to with adaptation is that, you know, um, is developing secondary projects to fill those times periods when you're not working your main program.

Segment Synopsis: During the rainy season, Wallace's project with beekeeping was mostly inactive. Accordingly, Wallace developed numerous secondary projects for which he applied to get grant money through the Small Project Assistance Program which was funded by USAID but run by in-country Volunteers. Wallace's secondary projects included school building, road construction, and potable water delivery systems. During Christmas season of 1985, Wallace returned home for 3 weeks. While there, the local church provided funds to be used for his secondary projects. A new challenge was to get the local people to provide the labor for these projects.

Keywords: Activities; Adaptation; Application process; Applying; Challenges; Dangerous; Dangers; Difficult; Extensions; Funding; Grants; Holidays; Language training; Local people; Locals; Norms; Professors; Returning; Running water; Scared; Small Project Assistance (SPA) Program; Support; Telephone calls; Transportation; Traveling; Weather

Subjects: Emotions; Guatemala; International travel; Non-governmental organizations; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; United States. Agency for International Development; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Was there any time that you got hurt or, or got terrified that you were going to get hurt or, or anything like that?

Segment Synopsis: Wallace describes several incidents from which he escaped with minor injuries. These include motorcycle accidents and bee stings.

Keywords: Changes; Dangers; Home; Motorcycles; Quetzal preserve (Guatemala); Refugio del Quetzal (Guatemala); Returning

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

Partial Transcript: The night before I left, uh, my parents' house, we're sitting on my parents' front porch and they're saying, "You're going to be gone two years."

Segment Synopsis: Because he had so many projects in progress, Wallace wanted to extend his service. In order to extend his service, Wallace agreed to Peace Corps' request to move to the Quetzal preserve and do wildlife management and train local guides.

Keywords: Budgets; Education programs; Extensions; History; Letters; Loret Miller Ruppe; Loret Ruppe; Peace Corps directors; Quetzal preserve (Guatemala); Refugio del Quetzal (Guatemala); Uncertainty

Subjects: Finance; Guatemala; Parents; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Voluntarism; Volunteers; Washington (D.C.)

Partial Transcript: And so, you know, I had to get ready to move to another part of the country.

Segment Synopsis: Wallace describes the difficulty of leaving his work site as he had become a member of the community.

Keywords: Community; Conflicts; Decisions; Dialects; Difficult; Distance; First Goal; Fluency; History; K'iche' (Language); Language skills; Letters; Montana; Olintepeque (Guatemala); Parties; Pedro de Alvarado; Preparation; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Returning; Second Goal; Spanish (Language); Third Goal; Transition periods; Traveling; Villages

Subjects: Guatemala; Interpersonal relations; Language and languages; Minorities; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Retirement; Teaching; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: When Peace Corps sent me home for my month, um, I had to go back to the church.

Segment Synopsis: During his home visit, Wallace returned to the church to show the members photos of the projects which the money had funded. Subsequently, the church members gave Wallace an additional $1,000 which Wallace used for an irrigation project at his new work site and to take the guides Wallace was training on orientation excursions in-country to other nature preserves.

Keywords: Budgets; Challenges; Conservation; Education; Holidays; Quetzal preserve (Guatemala); Refugio del Quetzal (Guatemala); Regional conflict; Returning; Speaking; Support; Training; Traveling; Weather

Subjects: Finance; Guatemala; International travel; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: You know, most Peace Corps Volunteers, if they don't find, um, uh, their way into reading before, they do there.

Segment Synopsis: Wallace discusses how he was influenced by a book he had read before his service entitled "Blue Highways" which is by a Native American author.

Keywords: Books; Deaths; Difficult; Drinking; Friends; Influences; Native Americans; Olintepeque (Guatemala); Outhouses; Problems; Readjustment; Traveling; Volunteers

Subjects: Culture; Emotions; Guatemala; Interpersonal relations; Latin America; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: We were 46 trainees.

Segment Synopsis: Wallace's cohort had a high attrition rate. Four of Wallace's friends and cohort members were sent home within a short period as the Drug Enforcement Agency implied that a number of Volunteers were involved with illegal drug trafficking. One result was that Wallace lost part of his support circle.

Keywords: Changes; Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA); Drug trafficking; Early termination; Extensions; Friends; Leaving; Problems; Social interactions; Support circles

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

Partial Transcript: But, you know, as you know, you go through a COS conference, a Close of Service conference. And that's to really help you to try and understand how to put all of this into perspective but then re-enter American society and be productive.

Segment Synopsis: After returning to the U.S., it took months for Wallace to readjust. Wallace feels fortunate that he got a job researching birds in the wild and was able to limit his human interaction.

Keywords: Close of Service; Difficult; Jobs; Reverse culture shock; Transition periods

Subjects: Culture shock; Guatemala; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Research; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: After I finished my extension, I became a trainer.

Segment Synopsis: After his extension, Wallace was asked to stay on as a trainer in the beekeeping program. Wallace eventually married one of the members of the new cohort. After concluding his part of the training session, Wallace returned home and started graduate school. However, Wallace returned to Guatemala twice and got engaged to be married.

Keywords: Cohorts; Coming home; Conversations; Difficult; Extensions; Friends; Graduate schools; Marriage; Peace Corps staff; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Returning; Telephone calls; Training centers; Translation; Traveling

Subjects: Guatemala; International travel; Interpersonal relations; Manners and customs; Parents; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Management; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Is there anything that disappointed you or that you feel like you didn't get done or didn't turn out the way that you wanted it to?

Segment Synopsis: In retrospect, many things that frustrated Wallace during his service were not so important. Wallace wonders if his projects have been sustained. Some of the guides that Wallace trained have gone on to higher education. Certainly, things bothered Wallace during his service, but his time in-country was only temporary compared to the local people.

Keywords: Cell phones; Changes; Dangerous; Dangers; Deaths; Differences; Examinations; Exams; Friends; Gender roles; Isolation; News; Older volunteers; Personal growth; Perspectives; San Diego (Calif.); Self-confidence; Sustainability; Technology; Understanding; Young people

Subjects: Education, Higher; Guatemala; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Social norms; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I--and I tell my students, you know, that are interested, you know, you're gonna experience--

Segment Synopsis: Wallace has encouraged his students to consider Peace Corps service but does not gloss over the negative aspects of the experience. At school, Wallace is involved with an entomology club whose members have raised funds to support Volunteers' secondary projects.

Keywords: Friends; Funding; Leaving; Nairobi (Kenya); Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Secondary projects; Students; Support

Subjects: Guatemala; Lifestyles; Morocco; Nepal; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; United States. Agency for International Development; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: You know, a friend of mine from college, we all joined Peace Corps together. One went to Nepal, one went to Morocco, and I went to Guatemala.

Segment Synopsis: Wallace comments on the bond that often quickly develops between Volunteers regardless of country of service. Wallace includes a volunteer activity in all of his classes. Wallace has considered becoming a Peace Corps Response Volunteer.

Keywords: Accomplishments; Books; Changes; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Counterparts; Decisions; Emails; Future plans; Montana; Mothers; Peace Corps staff; People with disabilities; Relationships; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Support circles; Swearing in; Traveling

Subjects: COVID-19 (Disease); Guatemala; Morocco; Nepal; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Retirement; Student Activities; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: When I came back, I went and got a master's degree.

Segment Synopsis: After returning to the U.S., Wallace earned a master's degree. Wallace describes a series of chance encounters during his life all of which had a link to his university or to the Peace Corps.

Keywords: Books; Conversations; Fluency; Friends; Holidays; Master's degrees; Michigan State University; Penn State University; Pennsylvania State University; Santiago (Guatemala); Spanish (Language); Training centers; Traveling

Subjects: Brazil; Central America; Ecuador; Education, Higher; Guatemala; International travel; Language and languages; Mexico; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--Guatemala; Universities and colleges; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I mean the--being a trainer was a whole new ball of wax.

Segment Synopsis: Wallace comments that being a Peace Corps trainer was good preparation for his becoming a professor.

Keywords: Animal husbandry; Career paths; Close of Service; Community; Counterparts; Pre-service training; Preparation; Professors; Returning; Special occasions; Technical training; Traveling

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