Interview with Jesse Fowler, August 28, 2020

Interview Summary

Jesse Fowler was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mexico. He entered into duty in June 2019, was sworn in in August 2019, and was evacuated in March 2020 due to COVID-19. Fowler was a volunteer English professor in the English for Technical and Academic Purposes program. As such, he was the first volunteer at his site, teaching at Universidad Tecnológica de Xicotepec de Juárez in the State of Puebla. There, Fowler established the university honors program. He describes two cultural adjustments in Mexico, one during pre-service training, the other at his site. He credits both his training and site host families with helping him adjust. Fowler heard about COVID-19 only a couple of weeks before evacuation. He is now a Paul D. Coverdell fellow at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington. Overall, Fowler credits the Peace Corps with changing his life, giving him added direction.

Interview Keyword

Mexico (Country of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Honors Program Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Evacuated Peace Corps Volunteer (EPCV) Transitions Paul Coverdell Fellow 2019-2020 (Date of service) #covid19 Diversity in the Peace Corps Peace Corps Volunteer Job: English for Technical and Academic Purposes Professor

Interview LC Subject

Peace Corps (U.S.) Peace Corps (U.S.)--Mexico Mexico COVID-19 (Disease) Volunteers Voluntarism Language and culture Language and languages Intercultural communication Interpersonal communication and culture Interpersonal relations and culture Culture Communication and culture Acculturation

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