Interview with Steve Blanchard, June 10, 2022

Interview Summary

Steve Blanchard Thailand 1981-1984 - Before entering the Peace Corps, Blanchard studied civil engineering and worked as a surveyor, skills that proved helpful in his service in Thailand. During his first year there, Blanchard lived and worked in Yasophon near the Loatian border where he designed and built a bridge that enabled people to safely cross the river, especially when the river flooded. During his second and third year of service, he lived and worked in Mae Hong Son, near Chiang Mai in the mountainous north. There, along with another volunteer, he designed and built a suspension bridge. After his service, Blanchard, still in Thailand, worked with the UN to build refugee camps for Cambodians, particularly roads and water supply routes, and subsequently, he worked with an entrepreneur who built shrimp farms. Blanchard built generator plants, installed power lines and built aquatic animal life support equipment. Blanchard learned from his Peace Corps experiences that he loves to travel, that he strives to live a simple life, that he can cope with isolation, that he is self-sufficient.

Interview Keyword

Thailand Civil Engineering Surveyor Yasophon, Thailand Bridge Mae Hong Son, Thailand Suspension bridge UN Refugee camps Cambodians Shrimp farms Aquatic animal life support equipment Self-sufficient

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