Interview with Barbara Mainster, June 16, 2021

Interview Summary

Barbara Mainster grew up on a farm, studied anthropology at Cornell University, and with her husband joined the Peace Corps to serve in Peru. Stationed in San Juan de Dios, a settlement near Arequipa, and with no teaching background, she took over a pre-school. She describes daily life where she served, including few amenities, the dry high-plains climate, and a reliance on guinea pigs for meat. Soon after arriving, to meet community interest, she established a family-planning clinic. Later, she and her husband adopted a five-year old Peruvian boy. She developed close relationships with the community and learned how to teach. Mainster tells of the Peace Corps’ impact on her career, which included serving 45 years as Executive Director of an organization serving migrant farm workers in Florida. Reflecting on the Peace Corps’ Third Goal, she shares her disappointment in many Americans’ low interest in other cultures and negative attitudes toward immigrants.

Interview Keyword

Peru (Country of service) 1964-1966 (Date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Spanish (Language) Quechua (Language) Toluca, Mexico Arequipa, Peru San Juan de Dios, Peru Campbell Foundation Mollendo, Peru Misti Mountain, Peru Viraco District, Peru Redlands Christian Migrant Association Homestead, Florida O.M.I.C.A. (Organized Migrants in Community Action) Mennonite missionaries Machu Picchu, Peru Chile Bolivia Iquitos, Peru

Interview LC Subject

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