Interview with MaryJean "Mo" Moser, April 5, 2021

Project: Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project

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Interview Summary

MaryJean "Mo" Moser was assigned to Kiribati (formerly Gilbert Islands) from 1979 to 1981 as a Public Health/Generalist volunteer. She was uncertain whether to join the Peace Corps with her boyfriend until her teacher colleagues urged her to do it. She and her fiancé went through CAST (Center for Assessment and Training), an intensive week of information and exercises to determine which volunteers were most fit for the remote assignment. There was no professional Peace Corps presence on Kiribati, so they were met by an employee of the World Health Organization. Moser ended up teaching on the island of Onotoa three days a week while spending much of her time on subsistence living and building relationships. She also learned some dances, an integral and challenging part of the Gilbertese culture. Before leaving, she helped train new volunteers for Kiribati. Since returning to the U.S., she has enthusiastically embraced the Third Goal of Peace Corps and given multiple talks on Peace Corps and Kiribati culture.

Interview Accession

2021oh0198_pcrv0155

Interviewee Name

MaryJean "Mo" Moser

Interviewer Name

Candice D. Wiggum

Interview Date

2021-04-05

Interview Rights

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Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

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Moser, MaryJean Interview by Candice D. Wiggum. 05 Apr. 2021. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Moser, M. (2021, April 05). Interview by C. D. Wiggum. Peace Corps: The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

Moser, MaryJean, interview by Candice D. Wiggum. April 05, 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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