Interview with Tondalaya Gillespie, April 27, 2021

Interview Summary

Tondalaya Gillespie served in the Peace Corps India 16 group that held its pre-service training at St. John’s College in Maryland, as well as in Israel due to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. As a poultry extension volunteer, Gillespie lived in Solapur, Maharastra and worked with farmers in surrounding villages, teaching them the nutritional value of eggs, and the process of debeaking chickens, of marketing chickens, and creating marketing contracts with sellers of chickens. She felt she made an impact in her community by giving farmers tools to use on their own. For Gillespie, India was “a second home,” as she developed life-long relationships and developed an egg cooperative that still exists. She learned to be culturally sensitive by respecting those around her. After completing her two years of service, she extended her work with Peace Corps as a program assistant in India, finding future sites for volunteers and matching them with those sites. At Penn State University, she served as a cross-cultural coordinator for India 26, specializing in female tribal agriculture. In both Micronesia and Maylasia, Gillespie was a volunteer staff person.

Interview Keyword

India (Country of service) 1965-1967 (Date of service) Micronesia (Country of service) 1972-1974 (Date of service) Malaysia (Country of service) 1974-1976 (Date of service) India 16 St. John's College Israel Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Poultry extension Solapur (India) Farmers Eggs Chickens Egg cooperatives Cultural sensitivity Program assistants Pennsylvania State University Peace Corps staff

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--India India Peace Corps (U.S.)--Micronesia Micronesia Peace Corps (U.S.)--Malaysia Malaysia Acculturation Communication and culture Culture Culture shock Intercultural communication Interpersonal communication and culture Interpersonal relations Interpersonal relations and culture Language and culture Language and languages Lifestyles Manners and customs Voluntarism Volunteers Peace Corps (U.S.)--Management

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Interview Usage

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