Interview with Leonard Oppenheim, January 16, 2024

Interview Summary

Len Oppenheim served in the Peace Corps from 1964-1966 in Afghanistan as an English teacher in the country’s Cadastral Survey School. He was a Sociology major at Syracuse University and attended a Peace Corps recruiting session on campus where he signed up for service and took a test as a part of the application process. Len’s motivation to join the Peace Corps was greatly affected by the assassination of President Kennedy. He was hoping for an assignment in India, Pakistan, or Nepal. All positions were filled for those countries, so he was offered service in Afghanistan which he readily accepted. After his graduation that spring, Len began a three-month training program in Vermont focusing on learning the language of Dari, the Afghan form of Farsi, instruction of English as a foreign language, and survival skills for living in Afghanistan. Along with about 56 other Peace Corps volunteers, Len then flew from New York to Afghanistan via Paris, Rome, Beirut, Tehran, and then into the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, by way of Kandahar. An Afghan newspaper article was published concerning their arrival since his group was the largest volunteer group to serve in the country at that time. Len spent about 10 days in Kabul in an orientation program with the other PCVs of his cohort. He and his colleagues experienced a very positive reception. Then Len was flown, along with 9 other PCVs to Kandahar, about 300 miles from Kabul, where his group at first stayed in a hotel and then moved into personal apartments. He had one roommate at the time. Their lodging consisted of two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Len moved to a different home during his second year. Len had a male servant helper in his home who secured groceries for him, chopped wood, did laundry, and did some cooking. He said that the local bread was excellent, and he ate rice, lamb, chicken, goat, and beef. The vegetables were fresh and delicious. Each volunteer was issued a bicycle. His school was three miles away from his home. The school was situated on the grounds of a former airport. His assignment was in a specialized school set up by the country’s Ministry of Finance in conjunction with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for the purpose of instructing selected males in the skills needed for cadastral surveying. Women had little or no status in the country at that time. In the winter some of his classes were held outdoors as the unheated school building was too cold, and the sunshine made the outdoors more comfortable than the indoors. Women had little or no status in the country at that time. The technical subjects taught to Len’s students, approximately equivalent to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors in high school, were taught in English. Instruction was from a set curriculum with a varied schedule, and each day he met with his classes during different time periods. His students were well motivated to succeed, which helped him as an instructor, and he became quite close to many of them throughout his work. The students, who came from all sectors of the country, were housed in dormitories, and had all meals provided for them. He became friends with a neighbor and his wife who both spoke English. During vacation time, Len traveled through Afghanistan, occasionally with other volunteers, and he went to Pakistan, India, and Nepal, the three other countries on his original application list for service destinations. He also spent some free time in Kabul and worked for the Cadastral Survey there. During his tour of duty, Len experienced some stomach problems and saw the Peace Corps staff doctor in Kabul on occasion. After Len finished his service, he returned home through Asia visiting Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan over a two-month period. Back home, he enrolled in graduate school at Syracuse University and took courses in television and radio broadcasting and then worked for a time for the State of Delaware in its closed-circuit television network focusing on public school programs. After various other jobs, including with an international airline, Len started law school in his early 40s and practiced law for 30 years. He has kept in touch with many of his former students and even traveled back to his service locale in Afghanistan. He feels that his Peace Corps experience brought a better understanding of his home country than he had had before he went overseas and said that his service may not have accomplished much, but, overall, it was quite worthwhile and rewarding.

Interview Keyword

Peace Corps (US) Country of Service: Afghanistan Dates of Service: 1964-1966 Peace Corps Volunteer Job: Teacher of English Peace Corps (US): 1960-1970 Languages: Bari, Farsi Language Training: Vermont, Kabul Cultural Training: Vermont, Kabul, Kandahar

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