Oral history
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Collection
RPCV-ACC-2019-019
Asiha Grigsby served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador from 2013 to 2015 in the Community Organization and Economic Development (COED) program. She also served as a Peace Corps Response volunteer in Chiriqui, Panama, from 2016 to 2017, training members of an organic farming cooperative in small business development strategies in the community of Volcan. Grigsby initially discusses her participation in the Peace Corps Masters International Program at Rutgers University and the unexpectedly long road to becoming a volunteer and completing her degree due to a previously undiagnosed kidney disease. After three years of treatment while her application was on "medical hold," she was eventually accepted into the Peace Corps and earned her Masters degree. In retrospect, she considers her diagnosis during the application process to be a blessing because early discovery of the illness has allowed her to maintain a healthy, happy lifestyle. Once stationed in Estanzuelas, El Salvador, Grigsby shares how the community members reacted to her as a very tall, unmarried African-American woman without children. She describes the work she did empowering the local women and girls to come together to address domestic violence issues. She also talks about restrictions on volunteers in El Salvador because of safety concerns, which eventually led to the closure of Peace Corps in the country only three months after she completed her service. Finally, Grisgby discusses reentry issues after each of her tours of service. Interviewed and recorded by Evelyn Ganzglass, September 23, 2018. 2 digital audio files (web streaming files combined into 1 file).