RPCV Winifred Huff traded her apartment for a house without walls in Samoa



Daily temperatures in Samoa are in the 90s year-round. Huff's house, which she shared with three other volunteers, had no walls. But it did have blinds that could be lowered to keep out rain and provide privacy when needed. "In Samoa, the older children do all the work," she said. "The boys cook and the girls take care of the babies." While she was in Samoa, Huff developed a friendship with the family of one of her students. "They had another daughter, which they named after me," she said. "Now my little Winnie is 16 years old."

RPCV Winifred Huff traded her apartment for a house without walls in Samoa

In their golden years, some want to 'give something back'

By Guy Keeler - McClatchy Newspapers

Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, July 29, 2007

Caption:

Huff is shown above with a village chief and his family.

Some older people never lose their thirst for adventure. Even with pensions in hand, grandchildren to spoil and the freedom to pursue personal interests, they crave the challenge of meaningful work in foreign lands -- often under primitive living conditions.

Winifred Huff of Clovis traded her apartment for a house without walls in Samoa.

[Excerpt]

"I was 52 at the time and was working as a bookkeeper for a Fresno radio station," she said. "I was tired of the routine and decided to take some time off to do something different."

Although she wasn't sure the Peace Corps could use her skills, Huff applied for a position and was sent to the South Pacific.

"I taught at a Catholic girls high school and lived in a compound with a group of New Zealand sisters," she said.

Daily temperatures in Samoa are in the 90s year-round. Huff's house, which she shared with three other volunteers, had no walls. But it did have blinds that could be lowered to keep out rain and provide privacy when needed.

"In Samoa, the older children do all the work," she said. "The boys cook and the girls take care of the babies."

While she was in Samoa, Huff developed a friendship with the family of one of her students.

"They had another daughter, which they named after me," she said. "Now my little Winnie is 16 years old."

Huff credits her Peace Corps experience with providing new direction to her life. After returning to the United States, she went back to school and earned a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She now teaches English to international students at California State University, Fresno, and is working on a master's degree in linguistics.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: July, 2007; Peace Corps Samoa; Directory of Samoa RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Samoa RPCVs; Older Volunteers

When this story was posted in October 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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