My identification with the goals of the peace corps actually
took place before formation of the Peace Corps. In fact, during my senior
year in college, my good relationship with a fellow student from Ethiopia,
Terrefe Raswork, led to my inquiries to the Ethiopian government about volunteering
for a teaching position there upon my graduation. Although these efforts did
not meet with success, the Peace Corps was formed the following year by President
John F. Kennedy. And, although I had already started my graduate program
I immediately applied for a volunteer teaching position in West Africa. A
barrage of testing and interviewing in the spring of 1961 led to acceptance
into the 3 month training program at UCLA. The telex from Sargent Shriver
informing me of this gave no indication of the intensity that this training
would entail. It included medical, cultural, language and other subjects.
In September of 1961 I joined up with other volunteers on the UCLA campus.
NIGERIA III
In spite of the demands of the program, the
group that came to be known as Nigeria III
still found time for parties and recreation.
Though a few of the volunteers and even one
of the instructors, dropped out of the training
program, most of us completed it and eagerly
made preparations for departure to Nigeria.
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