Interview with Sarah Wilkins, September 3, 2022

Interview Summary

Sarah Wilkins served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Yemen from 1982 through 1984, in the Education Program. Sarah grew up in Indiana, and attended College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. After teaching English in a small Iowa town for three years, she decided to apply to Peace Corps and see more of the world. Her parents were not supportive of her decision. Sarah’s training was conducted in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital. It included Arabic language, culture, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Sarah was assigned to the Yemen American Language Institute (YALI), teaching English to college aged students. She lived in a typical Yemeni neighborhood, contrasted with diplomatic service and other expats who were more separated from the average local population. Sarah had the opportunity to travel to many parts of Yemen, and acted as a guide for a visiting American couple for two weeks. She discusses her work and living situation, relationships with locals and fellow PCVs, and the impact of her Peace Corps experience on her life. Upon return she worked with political refugees in New York for some time, and is now an Interfaith Chaplin for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Yemen (country of service) 1982-1984 (date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Peace Corps (U.S.)--1980-1990 College of St Benedict Sana'a (training site) Teaching English as a Foreign Language TEFL Yemen American Language Institute YALI USAID

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