Interview with Kristina "Nina" Boe, July 20, 2020

Interview Summary

Kristina "Nina" Boe was a Peace Corps volunteer in North Macedonia from December 2018 until she was evacuated in March 2020 due to COVID-19. Boe had a history of volunteering overseas, having earlier been in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a teenager and later in Brazil. She developed a love for the Balkans, and after getting her master's degree applied to Peace Corps Macedonia. With her love of languages, she was assigned to a Roma suburb of Skopje and learned Romani. She describes her work at two Roma non-governmental organizations and her closeness with a Roma family. She was in the process of filing for an extension when the COVID-19 pandemic began and she was evacuated. She talks about what it was like coming to New York City to live with her sister after evacuation, and what she thinks Peace Corps needs to do to become more truly inclusive in the future.

Interview Keyword

Evacuated Peace Corps Volunteer (EPCV) North Macedonia (Country of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Community Economic Development 2018-2020 (Date of service) Peace Corps goals Future of Peace Corps Coronavavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Peace Corps (U.S.)--2020-Evacuation #covid19

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--North Macedonia North Macedonia COVID-19 (Disease) 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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