Finding Our Way: A Newlywed Couple's Peace Corps Odyssey in 1960s Korea

In the summer of 1967 a young couple departed home and family in Southern California to embark on a grand adventure. Finding Our Way chronicles two years of their life together as Peace Corps Volunteers in South Korea. Living with a host Korean family, they discovered the patterns and rhythms of everyday life in a country whose culture and customs were unfamiliar. Stationed in Taegu, Korea's third largest city, they introduced spoken English to Korean middle school students. As guests in a foreign land they faced cultural dilemmas, embraced adventures of discovery, experienced trying times and built lifelong friendships.

Korea in the late 1960s was emerging from decades of Japanese occupation, and a devastating war with cultural neighbors and political enemies in the North. It was a time of economic hardship for much of the population as the country worked to establish itself in a competitive world. As the author was introduced to local traditions, the couple developed insights into their own lives. When troubling events occurred back home, they grappled with their own emotions and struggled to answer difficult questions. And when they encountered puzzling events they learned to accept and understand contrasting values.

Adventure was a constant in their odyssey of discovery. Camping in the mountainous countryside, a summer time trek along the peninsula's east coast, visits to friends in rural villages, and teaching seventh-graders create a mosaic of life as members of the Peace Corps. So much was new: the diet, local markets, family relationships, public transportation, and communal baths. All were part of the experience.

The story that unfolds in this memoir is unique, as is that of every Peace Corps Volunteer, no matter where they serve. Historic events of the late 1960s, in both Korea and the United States, are woven into a story that illustrates the impact of Peace Corps service. The experiences described by the author-some humorous, some joyful, some troubling, and others mysterious-are the stuff of lifetime memories.