Interview with Joe Lurie, October 13, 2022

Interview Summary

Joe Lurie served in Kenya 1967-1970 as a teacher. Inspired by JFK'S vision, Joe joined the Peace Corps, welcoming its military deferment from the Vietnam war which he opposed. Three-month training was at Columbia University where Joe studied Swahili and lived with an African-American family for a week as an introduction to a different culture. Joe lived in Kerugoya, a remote village near Mount Kenya. For a year, he lived in a house without electricity or running water, 15 minutes from his secondary boys’ school assignment. He lived at the school with Kenyan colleagues for two subsequent years, teaching two grades English, history and PE. He extended a year to help his students prepare for their final exams, which all passed successfully. Joe described his PC experiences, including various community development projects, as transformative cultural awakenings, inspiring a career of building intercultural understanding through international educational exchanges.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (U.S.) Kenya (Country of service) 1967-1970 (Date of service) Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Education Kenya Tanzania Uganda Peace Corps (U.S.)--1960-1970 Vietnam War English Swahili

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Interview Usage

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