Meet Jeff Zhou, a remarkable individual serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal. Jeff’s background is unique – born to Chinese immigrant parents in the United States, he now finds himself immersed in the culture of Nepal for the first time. Join us as we explore Jeff’s journey of cultural exchange and service in the Peace Corps, where his Asian heritage plays a role in shaping his experiences. Being an Asian American not only enriches his understanding of the local culture but also influences his approach to community engagement and collaboration.
Introduction:
Can you please introduce yourself, where you are serving, and share a bit about your background?
My name is Jeff Zhou. My parents immigrated from China to the U.S. where I was born. I’m currently serving in Nepal as a Food Security volunteer. This is my first time outside of the Americas.
Motivation and Inspiration:
What inspired you to become a Peace Corps volunteer?
I was inspired to become a Peace Corps volunteer to take on a more cosmopolitan perspective. I hope I will be better able to be a helpful person in an increasingly globalized world. I communicated a preference to serve in a country near China because I think it would help me meet my family.
Service Experience:
How has your heritage impacted your service experience in the community?
My service experience has been less trying than I had anticipated. I thought it would be more emotionally challenging to live in another country for the first time, but the care I’ve received from my community has made this a more easy transition.
I’m currently working to increase the community’s honey production capacity. We held a community meeting with local farmers and began the process of forming a farmers’ group with the municipal government. As a group, we are conducting bee-keeping training and distributing hives.
I have also been clearing land to be used for ginger and turmeric. The planting will be done with the local school children as an activity for our recently formed Eco-Club.
The area I live in is predominantly Magar and I seem to blend in. Upon seeing me I have heard people ask each other “Who’s son is this?” I’ve listened many times to my host family informing others that I am actually one of five American volunteers working in Myagdi, but the other ones are pure white Americans while my parents are Chinese and I was born in America. This explanation is followed by both parties agreeing I look Nepali.
Many women relate to me tenderly that I remind them of their son, or in the case of my first host family, a younger brother who had passed away. Yesterday a woman was happily studying my face and telling me how similar it is to her son’s. Her son is working in Dubai now. Many Nepalis hope to succeed in going overseas for work and education. It seems largely to be a consequence of economic pressures.
My host family explains my presence here by referring to the reasons Nepalis leave as being why I came here. When this explanation is delivered I often have a somber moment reflecting on the different reasons people have for leaving home.
There is something reciprocal in the dynamic of relating to each other through a familial aura. Both my parents worked full time so I was raised by my grandma who doesn’t speak English. Living in Nepal reminds me of living with her and having to meet each other via a shaky bridge of rough language. The love, frustration, and comedy feel familiar.
Challenges and Triumphs:
What challenges have you faced during your service, especially as an Asian American?
In my day-to-day life here I don’t find being Chinese American a source of difficulty. The interactions I’ve had here that might be categorized as racist or racially insensitive aren’t new to me. I do feel I am learning about identity by living in Asia but I don’t yet know how to articulate what I’m learning.
Empowerment and Impact:
How do you believe your presence as an Asian American volunteer positively has impacted the community?
I think my presence complexifies my community’s understanding of Americans. When I first visited the local school the kids were reading about the Zhou dynasty which led to some questioning about my potential connection given that my surname is Zhou. The headmaster of the school likes to expound upon how my Nepali name Milan means connection which is a good name for me because I am connecting Chinese, American, and Nepali cultures.
Cultural Exchange:
How do you navigate cultural differences and dynamics during your service?
I was navigating cultural differences when I lived in the States so navigating them here feels pretty natural
Personal Growth:
In what ways do you think your Peace Corps service is contributing to your personal and professional growth?
I think Peace Corps Volunteer is a good thing to add to a resume.
Advice for Aspiring Volunteers:
What advice would you give to other Asian Americans considering joining the Peace Corps?
Before joining the Peace Corps I called a friend’s friend who had served to learn about what it was like. It was while they were talking about the problematic nature of being a white savior that they realized I might not be white. I’m not claiming I’m incapable of operating from a savior mentality, it just seemed like a funny moment that foreshadowed how in some ways my heritage might lead towards a different service experience.
I don’t find it fun to dwell on race but I do recall that as an adult I’ve found myself in quite a few spontaneous discussions with other people of color about this stuff. Maybe it helps process the murky feelings that come with these categories.
When I was doing trail work in Zion my Mexican American friend was telling me about working on construction sites with his dad. His dad would make a point of telling him he ought to work hard so he could live a better life than that of a physical laborer. My friend laughed at the irony. The plan backfired because something about that life appealed to him and now here we were sweating in the desert covered in dirt, swinging mattocks.
I thought of him and this story while standing in a Nepali rice field. My dad, who grew up in rural China, had communicated the same warning to me as my friend’s dad. I also felt in violation of the aspirational story of progress my family might have enacted. My parents made it to the U.S. I could have built upon that achievement toward greater success. It’s hard to square that narrative with my decision to go to rural Nepal and do things like dig a landfill or bag manure.
There’s a Korean American volunteer who told me about crying when he met a 100-year-old Nepali woman who reminded him of his mom. He and I have had some convergence in terms of how we’ve experienced service and where we come from. We both made a choice where we left our family in the States, but in some way, we’ve drawn closer to something similar.
So my advice is to be open to feeling and talking things through because you’ll probably learn things and live a more enriched life.
To help celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, read more amazing stories from just a few of the Asian American volunteers in our series “Crossing Cultures” You will hear from volunteers who are currently serving, but also some who served in the past. You can find more here!
Legacy and Impact:
Reflecting on your time in the Peace Corps so far, what do you hope your legacy will be in the community?
I hope that the people I work with here will continue to work together.
