Elizabeth Schoene

Country of Service: Guyana 2001-2003
Program: Education - High School Math and Science Teacher
Current Work: Graduate Student in Physics

Guyana is beautiful country perched on the north-eastern side of South America, although its culture is that of the Caribbean. It was a former British colony, so while the evening news is spoken in something sounding like British English, the local dialect, called Creolese, is its own form of English. I spent my days living on the outskirts of the capital city, Georgetown, teaching remedial science and math at a local secondary school. I had the task of preparing some of the students for the Caribbean wide exam they would take to determine their eligibility for university study and employment opportunities after graduation. I taught elementary math, physics, and chemistry, and a subject called integrated science, which covered aspects from health education, environmental science, chemistry, agriculture, physics, and biology at a qualitative level. The idea was to introduce students to concepts that were relevant to their every day lives, like what factors influence rusting, and how to prevent or slow the process. This was the best class to teach out of the bunch because the students were able to see the ideas we talked about in the world around them. I was even able to take one class on a three day field trip to a small town out in the middle of the jungle. Though challenging, I was thoroughly rewarded by my teaching endeavors.

In addition to teaching I spent my time trying to blend into my community. I learned to play the steel pan drum, I became a decent Guyanese cook, I knew how to get anywhere in town on a bus, I figured out how to dance like they did, I became fluent in Creolese, I learned how to navigate the large indoor markets, and made friends with the local shop owners and bus drivers. I was able to travel around and visit the beautiful sights in Guyana, have my family come visit, and even won a 15 minute battle with a 5” spider that was determined to give birth in my house.

Before I graduated I knew I wanted to continue on to graduate school, so I applied to programs in my senior year before leaving for Peace Corps. Once I was accepted I asked each school if they were willing to defer my acceptance for 2 years so I was free to complete my Peace Corps service. I took their response into account when I made my decision where to attend.

I am half way through my fourth year as a graduate student in the physics department. I do research in an optics lab, where we use optically cooled and trapped rubidium atoms to study quantum measurement and quantum chaos ideas. I do not feel that my two year hiatus from academic work hindered my ability to perform or damaged my career in any way. If anything, I have insight and experience in an area that most scientists do not, which continues to be important.