Interview with Carol Kirwin, February 1, 2021
Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Carol Kirwin is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her family was working class and religious. Her art education B.A. is from Chatham College. A speech by Sloan Kaufman introduced her to the Peace Corps. She was offered a position in Brazil in the Health Sector. She was trained at the University of Wisconsin. Her site assignment in Krata took 17 hours by train from Rio. She expected to teach teachers about health: washing hands and boiling water, but her assignment fizzled. Initially, she lived in a seminary, and under tutelage of a nun Carol worked with women's clubs on health and provided art lessons to kids. She lived in a small house made of wattle and daub with a cement floor and electricity, but no water. She encountered cockroaches, rats, and tarantulas. She was medically evacuated, but returned. She developed confidence to travel, take care of herself, and become a problem-solver. After a career as an artist, she got an M.A. in teaching English as a second language (TESL) at 50 to work with immigrants and refugees.Interview Accession
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Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Brazil 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 VolunteersInterview Rights
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Kirwin, Carol Interview by Randolph A. Adams. 01 Feb. 2021. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Kirwin, C. (2021, February 01). Interview by R. A. Adams. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Kirwin, Carol, interview by Randolph A. Adams. February 01, 2021, Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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