MARTHA COOPER

I spend entirely too much time at my computer--it's no wonder that I was your first response. I'm from group 5--1963-1965.

Attached is a photo from 1964 in the mountains near ChaingRai with Meo women (Hmong to be politically correct).

(Later....) Here are a couple more photos scanned quickly from an old album. Both show students from Satri Rachinootit, the girls' school I taught English at in Udorn before transferring to the north. One shows the students wearing wraparound skirts they sewed from a pattern based on one I had (in fashion at the time). I took them on a "fashion shoot". The other was on Red Cross Day when we all wore hats and ties--I'm in the background. Feel free to use these anywhere you want.

The third photo was taken a few days ago on the mall in Washington where I now have a photo exhibition at the Folklife Festival. My specialty is New York City urban folklore. I'm headed back down there in a couple of hours for some July 4th festivities.







BOB GUREVICH

The thing I remember keenly was ten members of my group getting on the train in Bangkok heading north to our new assignments. We were all TEFL volunteers working in secondary schools, teachers colleges and a few in universities. With a strong mixture of apprehension and excitement, each one of us wondered what our town and our assignment would be like. As the train made each stop, one by one they slipped off into the great unknown. I remember that Elaine Welch, Sue Hall and I were the last ones on the train. We finally arrived in Pitsanuloke and were met at the train by the Director of the Pibulsongkram Teachers College and faculty from the English Department. Sue was met by people from the Girls Secondary School.

I think all of us in Thailand, "lucked out" in being assigned to such a hospitable and warm country. But being in Pitsanuloke was its own form of luck. I had a wonderful two years and went on to a career in development and education, something I can trace directly to my Peace Corps experience.

To you all I can only say "Choke Dii."

Regards, Bob Gurevich,
Thailand V