Older Peace Corps Volunteer (Aired on June 15 and 16, 2019)

RadioRotary interviews Kathy Sanderson, who decided at age 61 to join the
Peace Corps after she became a widow “and the children left and the dog died.”
After preliminary training, Ms. Sanderson was stationed on the island of Vanua
Lava, among the larger of the 82 islands that make up the nation of Vanuatu in
the South Pacific, a 3-hour airplane trip west of Australia. Having been a
mathematics teacher in the United State, Ms. Sanderson’s assignment was to
teach arithmetic and algebra to about 200 middle-school students. Vanuatu is
part of the British Commonwealth, so classes were in English, although students
also spoke a form of pidgin English among themselves. Although she loved her
students, the actual school was not in very good shape and there were also local
hazards, such as centipedes and spiders. Because electricity was on and off, she
became used to rising at dawn and going to bed at sunset. A fascinating program
that may make you want to sign up for the Peace Corps, whatever your age.

Learn more:
Peace Corps Opportunities: https://www.peacecorps.gov/
Vanuatu: http://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/vanuatu
Life on Vanua Lava where Kathy Taught: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6fxuecfr38

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June 28, 2019 · Posted in Aging, Education, International Programs, Travel, Volunteers