Interview with Andrew Steven Messecar, April 27, 2023

Project: Peace Corps: COVID-19 Evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers Oral History Project

Interview Summary

Andrew Messecar served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia from 2018-2020, until his evacuation due to the COVID–19 pandemic. He discusses joining the Peace Corps to be of service, the death of a fellow trainee during training and living with a host family during training. He talks about difficulty gaining respect from his secondary school students in Rietoog because he didn’t use corporeal punishment, and problems he had with a fellow teacher. He discusses successes in tutoring students in STEM subjects, which led to implementation of school–wide study halls; and helping with a Khoekhoegowab language adult literacy class, which helped him learn the language and overcome the stigma of being considered German. He discusses working with the Rietoog Community Empowerment Project and his interest in extending his service to work on this project. He discusses the evacuation process, his third goal activities, and how Peace Corps made him a more resilient, confident, and empathetic person.

Interview Accession

2023oh0147_pcrv0757

Interviewee Name

Andrew Steven Messecar

Interviewer Name

Evelyn Ganzglass

Interview Date

2023-04-27

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Messecar, Andrew Steven Interview by Evelyn Ganzglass. 27 Apr. 2023. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Messecar, A.S. (2023, April 27). Interview by E. Ganzglass. Peace Corps: COVID-19 Evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

Messecar, Andrew Steven, interview by Evelyn Ganzglass. April 27, 2023, Peace Corps: COVID-19 Evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.





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