Steve
and I taught English in Lampang in the secondary schools there for
two years. We stayed a third year and moved to Lopburi where I taught
at the teachers' college and Steve was at the boys' secondary school.
When we finished our Peace Corps service, we traveled home overland.
We spent a month in Indonesia and another month in India. We went
to Nepal and Ceylon also. We took a bus through the Khyber Pass
from Pakistan to Afghanistan. While in Afghanistan, we visited the
Wyants who had trained with us for Thailand. After crossing the
border from Afghanistan into Iran, I was arrested by the Shah's
secret police and held for 36 hours. For some crazy reason never
to be explained, they thought I was a terrorist. Luckily, they let
us go unharmed We went on to Turkey by train and then flew to England
and home!
We settled in Chicago where I went to graduate school at the University
of Chicago and Steve embarked on a business career. In 1975, we
divorced. Steve later moved to New York .
His death was quite a shock. As a result of his death, I heard from
the student who lived with us in Thailand, Saard. He went on to
college and worked for the Thai ministry of Education and now does
teacher training for Longman's Press. John Keaton who was the northern
director in Chaingmai also helped Saard after we moved to Lopburi.
Saard was in touch with Steve because Steve was living in Singapore
just before he returned to the US and had his fatal heart attack
while jogging with a friend in Chicago.
Heidi and Heather at Heidi's Graduation |
I have remarried and have two daughters. The youngest, Heather,
is a junior at St. Thomas University in St. Paul. My elder daughter,
Heidi, is an army nurse stationed in El Paso, Texas. She had accepted
an ROTC scholarship before 911. Little did we know how the world
would change after that. She'd rather be in the Peace Corps, but
I am continually reminding her that she is helping soldiers who
deserve our support. She read that Gandhi was a medic so that has
helped her.
