Interview with Dylan Hallsmith, August 26, 2020

Interview Summary

Dylan Hallsmith served in Botswana from July 2019 to March 2020 when he was evacuated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His parents worked in higher education and international development. He had been in 27 countries before joining the Peace Corps. Hallsmith studied International Politics and Governance at George Mason University. He was accepted to the Youth Development/Life Skills project in Botswana. The application process was stressful, because he and his partner waited for both of them to be accepted. Hallsmith found pre-service training to be effective with excellent staff. He was assigned to Kanye, Botswana, the third largest village, working in 20 primary, 15 middle, and 5 high schools as well as NGOs and government centers. His Botswana name is Tlotlo, meaning "respect." Being a mixed-race couple, Hallsmith and his partner experienced different reactions from their Botswanan colleagues and friends. They first learned of Covid19 in December 2019, but it did not seem relevant to Botswana. They felt safer in Botswana. Peace Corps did the best they could in evacuating Volunteers given the situation.

Interview Keyword

Botswana (Country of service) 2019-2020 (Date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Youth Development George Mason University Kanye (Botswana) Life skills Communitarians Workdays Mixed race couples Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Evacuations International Politics and Governance #covid19

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Botswana COVID-19 (Disease) Travel Voluntarism Volunteers Acculturation Communication and culture Culture shock Culture Intercultural communication Interpersonal communication and culture Interpersonal relations and culture Language and culture Language and languages

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