Interview with Christopher Szecsey, May 26, 2021

Interview Summary

Christopher Szecsey was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador from 1971 to 1974, in agriculture, health, and nutrition programs. A book about Peace Corps in high school sparked his interest. He attended a high school which incorporated the study of other cultures, and required living with indigenous groups in the Southwest U.S. and families in Mexico. His college work also included cross cultural studies and a study abroad program in India. Peace Corps was a way for him to serve his country as a conscientious objector without participating in the Vietnam War. His pre-service training was for 3 months, split among three locations: Vermont, Mexico, and Kauai. Szecsey’s first assignment was with a federation of rice growers' cooperatives on the coast. Then he worked in an indigenous community, Tunibamba, near Otavalo, in the Andes. This was an integrated program of community organic gardening, with a health and nutrition focus. Szecsey extended a third year to complete the project. After service, he traveled extensively, and eventually pursued a career in international development. This interview discusses Szecsey’s motivation, training, life in Ecuador, and his post-Peace Corps professional life.

Interview Keyword

Ecuador (Country of service) 1971-1974 (Date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Agriculture Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Health Training Spanish (Language) Quechua (Language) Vegetarians Vietnam War Rice Gardens Water rights Quwi International development Appreciative inquiry Guinea pigs Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Nutrition

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Ecuador Ecuador 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

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Interview Usage

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