Interview with Jessica Needles, December 6, 2022

Interview Summary

Jessica Needles, Ukraine 2004-2006, TEFL
Jessica joined Peace Corps hopeful she could work in a Francophone country given her French skills. Still, she was just as happy being posted to Ukraine although she knew very little about the country at the time. Jessica explains the three-month technical, language and cultural training period was really helpful, though it was the cultural training that stayed with her throughout her service and even today. Soon after arriving at her site in Sokal, L’viv, she adopted a puppy she named Sobaka (“dog” in Ukrainian), began teaching primary, middle and high school students, and adapted quickly to the inconveniences that came with her new apartment. She speaks of having to dispel stereotypes about Americans with her students and friends and even started a penpal program between American and Ukrainian students. Returning home was just as easy for both her and Sobaka. Jessica, now a practicing attorney in Delaware, received her Masters and continued to teach before shifting careers from teaching to law. She continues to stay in touch with her Ukrainian friends and speaks highly of Ukraine’s resilience in their fight against the Russian invasion.

Interview Keyword

Teacher of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Mass Communications French Peace Corps Peace Corps volunteer Angers, France Indiana sanatorium apples Obukhiv toilet paper host family Sokal, Lviv Poland shoes cross cultural training language training Ukrainian Russian Orange Revolution schools coordinator teaching high school middle school primary school pen pal program Plahotnik English textbooks bread with poppyseeds chestnuts dog Columbia Teachers College New York Media, PA substitute teaching paralegal Delaware Law School Associate Lawyer Crimea Marshrutka Russia Orange Revolution Maidan orange Russian discrimination bribery Ukrainian diaspora refugees war invasion social media safety and security

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