We knew a lot about Anna, thanks to her occasional e-mail messages home, which were widely distributed across a network of friends, family and others with an interest in everything related to Peace Corps in Tanzania. Anna didn't have e-mail access, or even electricity, in Kigwe. Her missives required her to travel into Dodoma and find an Internet cafe with a functioning computer keyboard. Often, her narratives lacked a letter or two, but they were always worth the effort to piece together. She recounted the most amazing adventures -- encounters with baboons, hyenas and elephants; long bus journeys that included hours stuck in rainy season mud; deflecting local suitors, despite a bride price of many more cattle than the usual rate; and learning through trials and tribulations how to fit into an entirely different way of life. There's a terrific book in all that, and Anna says she's working on it. The two had the experience of a lifetime. Justin climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Together they peered over the edge of Victoria Falls in Zambia, rafted on the Upper Nile in Uganda and saw the pyramids in Egypt. Most importantly, they survived -- even thrived -- in a culture and climate that might drive most Americans home in a month at most.
Justin Wild and Anna Kuhn were members of our son, Andrew's, Peace Corps group sent to the East African country of Tanzania in September 2005 as volunteer teachers
Doug Clark: Young Americans at home anywhere
Wednesday, April 1
( updated 3:00 am)
By Doug Clark Doug Clark
Staff Columnist
The Tar Heels were lighting it up against Gonzaga last Friday night, but our guest was stretched out on the couch asleep before halftime.
That's a former Peace Corps volunteer for you. They can make themselves at home anywhere, anytime.
We'd just met Justin Wild and Anna Kuhn earlier that evening when they arrived at our house -- another way station on their cross-country safari. Anna, motor always running, was still following the action on television, but Justin was plain worn out from a long, busy day.
Our short personal acquaintance didn't hinder a fond feeling for these engaging young people. We'd been following their fascinating stories for years and welcomed the chance to serve as their hosts for a night.
They were members of our son, Andrew's, Peace Corps group sent to the East African country of Tanzania in September 2005 as volunteer teachers. Although they didn't know each other beforehand and were placed at schools hundreds of miles apart, Justin and Anna fell in love and married at the end of their two-year assignment.
Then they extended their service for a third year, with Justin, previously in the southern highlands, joining Anna in Kigwe, a village near Dodoma in the hot, dusty central plains.
They finished up for good in December, visited Egypt and India and arrived back in the U.S. in February. They're driving from Florida to California, where Anna's family lives. Justin had an appointment Friday at Duke, where he's considering a graduate program if the price is right.
We knew a lot about Anna, thanks to her occasional e-mail messages home, which were widely distributed across a network of friends, family and others with an interest in everything related to Peace Corps in Tanzania.
Anna didn't have e-mail access, or even electricity, in Kigwe. Her missives required her to travel into Dodoma and find an Internet cafe with a functioning computer keyboard. Often, her narratives lacked a letter or two, but they were always worth the effort to piece together.
She recounted the most amazing adventures -- encounters with baboons, hyenas and elephants; long bus journeys that included hours stuck in rainy season mud; deflecting local suitors, despite a bride price of many more cattle than the usual rate; and learning through trials and tribulations how to fit into an entirely different way of life. There's a terrific book in all that, and Anna says she's working on it.
The two had the experience of a lifetime. Justin climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Together they peered over the edge of Victoria Falls in Zambia, rafted on the Upper Nile in Uganda and saw the pyramids in Egypt.
Most importantly, they survived -- even thrived -- in a culture and climate that might drive most Americans home in a month at most.
No electricity means no air-conditioning, refrigeration or appliances. Limited water means no showers and never wasting a drop. Chores that are simple at home, like preparing meals or cleaning, take hours of hard work.
But Tanzanians make the most of very little. They share readily and expect the same of others. They believe in using today what's needed for today, Anna said. If she had two loaves of bread, someone inevitably would ask, "Why do you need two? Give me one."
People are so close to one another, they have no conception of privacy -- a sometimes-troublesome attitude for newlyweds to deal with.
Nevertheless, Anna and Justin formed strong bonds with villagers and tried to meet whatever needs they could. Anna used her e-mail network to raise money to build a science lab at her school. She worked extra time in a health clinic that was overwhelmed with clients, finding herself frustrated that women with many children refused birth control.
They learned there were things they couldn't change. Their goal was to help in small ways.
We asked if they'll return to Tanzania. Both eagerly said yes. I got the feeling their return home was for the purpose of gaining additional education and training, and maybe affiliating with another organization that can accomplish bigger things.
Anna and Justin prove there are young Americans willing to share their talents in underdeveloped countries, but not by dictating American solutions. It's better to learn how others live, think and speak, and then work with them to discover together how to get things done.
Too many Americans know and care little about the rest of the world. Fortunately, there are those who can make themselves at home, and make a difference, anywhere they go.
