April 13, 2005: Headlines: COS - Nepal: Orion Online: Despite getting sick, Jerry Ringel said his experience in the Peace Corps in Nepal has been one of the best of his life
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April 13, 2005: Headlines: COS - Nepal: Orion Online: Despite getting sick, Jerry Ringel said his experience in the Peace Corps in Nepal has been one of the best of his life
Despite getting sick, Jerry Ringel said his experience in the Peace Corps in Nepal has been one of the best of his life
Despite getting sick, Jerry Ringel said his experience in the Peace Corps in Nepal has been one of the best of his life
Students enlist for peace
Lauren Brooks
Staff Writer
April 13, 2005
[Excerpt]
However, learning about other cultures and international issues is why some faculty members, such as Jerry Ringel, director of user support services, joined the Peace Corps. In 1978, Ringel worked as a volunteer in Nepal.
"It makes you think about how your culture works," Ringel said. "It's about you sharing your experience."
He said one time he tried to explain air pollution and traffic accidents to the villagers.
"But all they could think is, 'You have cars,'" Ringel said.
They thought Americans were living in paradise, he said.
At least that's what they thought until he told them about college.
Ringel explained how many young adults move away from their families to go to college.
"They were just flabbergasted that we could do such terrible things," he said.
It's normal for them to have three or four generations living together, so that concept came as a shock, he said.
Ringel stayed in Nepal an extra year to finish building a drinking-water system, but while he was there he became extremely sick.
Banishing evil spirits
When his host realized Ringel wasn't getting better, he tried to cure him by chanting next to him. He put a straw to Ringel's neck and started sucking on the straw and spitting into a bowl, Ringel said.
"He was sucking the evil stuff out of me," he said.
The man also told Ringel to take an aspirin because he knew that was part of western culture.
"I got better the next day," Ringel said.
But Ringel didn't think the straw had anything to do with it, he said.
Despite getting sick, Ringel said his experience in the Peace Corps has been one of the best of his life.
"It had a profound impact on the rest of my life," Ringel said.
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Story Source: Orion Online
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