She had no running water or electricity. Water was from a communal pump and the only electricity was in the German-run hospital. They had a generator. “I bought food in the market,” said Lund. “It was open Wednesdays and Sundays. I ate beans, rice and potatoes. There was also fruits and avocados. I could get eggs and my choice of meats laid out on banana leaves. In order to eat chicken, you had to buy a live one. I read and kept a journal. I had a view of the river valley and would sit for hours and watch.” Lund spent three years in the Peace Corps, the third year as acting fisheries director. As a volunteer, each person receives a living allowance. An equal share is put into a readjustment allowance. Lund used her allowance to travel in Kenya.
JoAnn Lund shares Peace Corps Experience from Burundi
Lund shares Peace Corps Experience
By Michael Skubal - DAILY NEWS STAFF
The Peace Corps traces its roots back to John Kennedy in 1960 when, as a U.S. Senator, he called on students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. Since that time, more than 190,000 Peace Corps volunteers have been invited by 139 host countries to work on issues ranging from AIDS education to information technology and environmental preservation.
People join the Peace Corps for a variety of reasons, and not all are recent college graduates. JoAnne Lund works in Rhinelander for the Forest Service as a biological science technician studying plant and insect interaction. She has a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and served in the Peace Corps from 1988 to 1991.
“I was in my 30s when I went,” said Lund. “ I had traveled for a year by bicycle in western Europe, northern Africa and Iceland. That wasn’t enough; I wanted more. I was 33 and looked around for ways to live abroad. The Peace Corps offered those opportunities. When I came back I realized that I had superficially learned about people. I wanted a chance to learn about a community and spend time there.
“There is a long application process to get in the Peace Corps. After the application process and the interviews, if you’re accepted, they send you an invitation. That’s when you know you’re going. On your application you choose three programs and three areas of interest. They try to match you.” Lund listed fish culture, fish farming, and sub-Saharan Africa as areas of interest. “I wanted to go to a place that would seem to have the most differences,” said Lund. “I wanted to experience culture shock.
That first trip on the bicycle gave me the confidence to do that. They sent me to Burundi, a land locked country in east central Africa, east of Zaire, now called the Republic of the Congo. I had 10 weeks of fish culture training and ten weeks of French language training.” When a Peace Corps Volunteer is posted to his or her job, they live alone. Otherwise volunteers tend to hang out together and speak only to each other. Lund was sent to Karemba, a small village of about 500 in Burundi. The Peace Corps requires a cement floor for health reasons. Lund lived in a mud house with a metal roof that was whitewashed.
She had no running water or electricity. Water was from a communal pump and the only electricity was in the German-run hospital. They had a generator. “I bought food in the market,” said Lund. “It was open Wednesdays and Sundays. I ate beans, rice and potatoes. There was also fruits and avocados. I could get eggs and my choice of meats laid out on banana leaves. In order to eat chicken, you had to buy a live one. I read and kept a journal. I had a view of the river valley and would sit for hours and watch.” Lund spent three years in the Peace Corps, the third year as acting fisheries director. As a volunteer, each person receives a living allowance. An equal share is put into a readjustment allowance. Lund used her allowance to travel in Kenya.
Each year the Peace Corps sends reminders and asks former volunteers to go out in their community and tell their story. “I started by going to my daughter Julia’s class when she was in grade school. This past year I ended up going to three different classes in three different schools: Krista Klaus’ class at NCES, Kirby Kohler’s class at RESA and Linda Goldsworthy’s class at the high school. “I like to focus on the children, what the lives of children in Burundi are like. I take them to a typical Burundi restaurant. I like to put things in perspective.
We have a concept here in this country that we are the center of the universe. We’re not. “I would say the peace corps is a life-changing experience. It broadens your horizons. My friends tell me I came back with much more patience. That’s good.”
