Interview with Barbara Mainster, June 16, 2021

Partial Transcript: Hello. I'm Carl Cheney. I served in the Peace Corps as a Volunteer in Sierra Leone from 1965 to 1967. Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Barbara Mainster who served in Peru, uh, during the years of 1964 to 1966. Today is Wednesday, June 16, 2021.

Segment Synopsis: Mainster grew up in upstate New York. Mainster's parents were German immigrants. Through her parents, Mainster developed an interest in different cultures. Mainster attended Michigan State University and Cornell University and majored in anthropology. While at Cornell, Mainster got married and she and her husband joined the Peace Corps together.

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Keywords: College majors; Cornell University; First generation Americans; Interests; Marriage; Michigan State University; New York; North Carolina; Undergraduate education

Subjects: Emigration and immigration; Immigrants; Parents; Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Universities and colleges

Partial Transcript: And when you applied, did you make any special requests of the Peace Corps, express any special interests?

Segment Synopsis: Mainster and her husband were both fine with being posted to Peru. Mainster's husband had studied Spanish a little in high school.

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Keywords: High schools; Posts; Spanish (Language)

Subjects: Emotions; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Peru; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: I, I would tell you that our training was very bizarre, as I look back on it, because there was a belief at that time, that if you could, um, make it through difficult physical circumstances, that that would equip you deal, deal with difficult circumstances in general.

Segment Synopsis: Mainster's pre-service training was in Oklahoma and Toluca, Mexico. Mainster thought their survival training was inappropriate.

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Keywords: Criticism; Cultural training; Language training; Oklahoma; Preparation; Toluca (Mexico); Traveling

Subjects: International travel; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Then, uh, what about your travel, uh, to Peru?

Segment Synopsis: Mainster's group flew from Miami, Florida to Lima, Peru. Mainster describes her work site near the city of Arequipa. Mainster's job was to assume responsibility for a preschool which had been started by an earlier Volunteer. Mainster's husband was in a community economic development program. Some women in the local community expressed an interest in birth control to Mainster. With assistance from the Peace Corps director, an arrangement was made whereby free birth control devices would be provided to a local doctor. Women brought in by Mainster could receive a birth control device and have it placed for free and the doctor could charge others for the device and service. The program became popular and another Volunteer was assigned to take it over when Mainster left the country.

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Keywords: Arequipa (Peru); Birth control; Changes; Community development; Cornell University; Cultural differences; Doctors; Interests; Lima (Peru); Local people; Locals; Miami (Fla.); Peace Corps directors; Politics and government; Poverty; Traveling; Women

Subjects: International travel; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Voluntarism; Volunteer workers in community development; Volunteer workers in education; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: And I was taking this nursery school which I, I have to describe.

Segment Synopsis: Mainster describes her school and the activities there. Mainster became friends with the mothers of her students. Eventually, the preschool function was assumed by the government instead of by the Peace Corps. Mainster relates some of the personal family problems which some local people presented to her. One time, Mainster was able to arrange a trip to the beach for about 15 of the children and some of the mothers. When Mainster returned to her work site after a 40-year absence, she was still recognized.

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Keywords: Changes; Clothing; Local people; Locals; Poverty; Problems; Quechuan (Language); Returning; Spanish (Language); Sustainability; Traveling

Subjects: Friendship; International travel; Language and languages; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Student activities; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: This, this town, uh, was I'd say about 5,000 feet and a very arid.

Segment Synopsis: Mainster describes the physical layout of her community.

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Keywords: Animal husbandry; Houses; Misti (Peru); Outhouses; Weather

Subjects: Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: We [adopted] a child in Peru.

Segment Synopsis: During her second year, one of Mainster's neighbors told her that her nephew was in an orphanage as the mother was dying of cancer. Mainster visited the orphanage and agreed to adopt the boy because she found the conditions ghastly in the orphanage. The Peace Corps director and Peace Corps doctor helped with the adoption process.

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Keywords: Acceptance; Adoption; Arequipa (Peru); Bureaucracy; Buses; Challenges; Deaths; Doctors; Examinations; Exams; Jewish; Legal paperwork; Lima (Peru); Peace Corps directors; Peace Corps staff; Transportation; Traveling

Subjects: Parents; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Peru; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Coming back and, and having to learn English was a huge, huge thing for him.

Segment Synopsis: When the Mainsters' child came to the U.S., he mostly learned English at school in kindergarten. Mainster regrets not continuing to speak Spanish with him.

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Keywords: Communication; Difficult; Family; High schools; Regrets; Returning; Siblings; Spanish (Language); Teaching English as a second language

Subjects: Families.; Language and languages; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Everyone who's been in the Peace Corps will tell you--I shouldn't say everyone, I'm going to say 90%, that they got much, much more from their experience there than they felt that they gave.

Segment Synopsis: Mainster believes that most Volunteers feel that they got more from their service than they gave back to their community.

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Keywords: Personal growth; Resilience; Third Goal

Subjects: Lifestyles; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: We also, we also did other things. We, we also marched with them in town, with parades asking for the bus. They wanted the bus to come to their town.

Segment Synopsis: The Mainsters participated in protest marches to get the bus line extended to their community from the neighboring community.

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Keywords: Community involvement; Transportation

Subjects: Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Um, is there anything more that you'd like to say about your t--you know, your teaching work that you did there?

Segment Synopsis: Mainster was not a professional teacher and relied on the mothers at the preschool. The preschool was open only in the mornings.

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Keywords: Age ranges; Questions; Unprepared

Subjects: Hygiene; Parents; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Teaching; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: Well, I'm not sure if at some point we should be talking about what the Peace Corps experience, what effect it had on my career later on.

Segment Synopsis: When Mainster and her husband returned to the U.S., they first lived in upstate New York. Mainster's husband found a job with ACTION in Binghamton, New York. Once their son was in kindergarten, Mainster found a job with Planned Parenthood. Mainster and her husband later switched to jobs at a non-profit organization which worked with migrant workers. Subsequently, the principal at the local school at Sodus Point invited Mainster to set up a preschool program for 45 children with money which had been received through a grant from Head Start. Mainster gave up this teacher/director job after a year when she became pregnant. Subsequently, her husband got a job at a foster care agency and they adopted an infant. Eventually, Mainster returned to work teaching at night at a community college. Mainster and her husband both missed working with Spanish speakers. Subsequently, Mainster's husband accepted a job in Homestead, Florida working with migrant workers and Mainster found a job in migrant education. Mainster feels that her experience in the Peace Corps had a tremendous influence on her subsequent career.

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Keywords: African Americans; Binghamton (N.Y.); Black Americans; Career paths; Children; Coming home; Commitments; Decisions; Education programs; Encouragement; Grants; Homestead (Fla.); Interviews; Invitations; Jobs; Miami (Fla.); Migrants; New York; Preparation; Relationships; Returning; Santa Fe (N.M.); Self-confidence; Sodus Point (N.Y.); Transitional periods; Traveling

Subjects: Families.; International travel; Migrants; Minorities; Non-governmental organizations; Non-profit organizations; Parents; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Teachers; Voluntarism; Volunteers

Partial Transcript: We always--we always like to know a kind of something about, uh, your leisure time activities.

Segment Synopsis: Mainster enjoyed cooking, reading, and socializing with the local women. During one vacation, the Mainsters visited Cusco, Machu Picchu, Iquitos, and Chile with her husband's parents.

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Keywords: Books; Cusco (Peru); Family; Iquitos (Peru); Machu Picchu (Peru); Traveling

Subjects: Chile; International travel; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Recreation; Voluntarism

Partial Transcript: You've touched on a topic we always like to hear--uh, ask people about and that is: um, relationships with other Peace Corps Volunteers, with, um, other professionals that you may have, uh, met.

Segment Synopsis: After pre-service training, Mainster never had occasion to meet most of the people in her cohort again. Mainster was friends with two other couples in Arequipa but has lost contact with them after returning to the U.S. Mainster is a member of her local Returned Peace Corps Volunteer group. Mainster is volunteering as a literacy tutor.

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Keywords: Arequipa (Peru); Changes; Cohorts; Legal paperwork; Lima (Peru); Literacy; New York; Oregon; Pre-service training; Regrets; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Social media; Traveling

Subjects: Bolivia; International travel; Interpersonal relations; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Tutors and tutoring; Voluntarism; Washington (D.C.)

Partial Transcript: So, um, thinking back around Peru as a culture and a society, any observations you recall?

Segment Synopsis: While Mainster was in Peru, the president, who had ties to the U.S., was open to change. However, he was later overthrown. Mainster observed that corruption in Peru was widespread and the people were cynical about politics. Catholic religion was an important part of the culture.

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Keywords: Attitudes; Changes; Influences; Norms; Politics and government

Subjects: Manners and customs; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Peru; Voluntarism

Partial Transcript: What-what's your assessment of how well the Peace Corps, you know, does that third goal?

Segment Synopsis: Mainster feels that few Americans are aware of the Peace Corps and that the impact of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers with regards to making other Americans more global citizens has been limited. Mainster hopes that the Peace Corps is able to expand.

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Keywords: Americans; Attitudes; Awareness; Fort Myers (Fla.); Impact; John F. Kennedy; Returned Peace Corps Volunteers; Sargent Shriver

Subjects: Immigrants; Peace Corps (U.S.); Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970; Peace Corps (U.S.)--Peru; Voluntarism