During my short month in Costa Rica—and it was
much too short—I had the most
incredible experiences, made some crazy friends and met some of the most
amazing people. Ultimately, one of my goals while in this beautiful country was
to learn more about the peace-keeping environment for which they are known. I
had the opportunity to meet and talk with David Kaufman, “Don David,” the
director and founder of the Conversa program and Peace Corps member.After receiving a Spanish degree from Ithica College, Kaufman became a dedicated member of and language instructor in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. Then going on to serve as the Spanish Language Coordinator in Puerto Rico, he was inspired to create the programs in Conversa based upon the same values.
Of his time in the Corps, Kaufman was more
than eager to discuss. A lot of people are reluctant to join due to an
environment foreign and possibly dangerous. “You’ll get frustrated, you’ll get
sick,” he
explained, “but they take care of you.” The opportunities within the
Corps as Kaufman describes them are endless and open to a variety of experience
and skill levels. If a program doesn’t work, it gets adjusted. “The toughest
job you’ll ever love” was a life changing experience for this American tico.
Why? Why did he join and why should anyone
else? The division in the world, Kaufman laments, has taken opportunity and life
away from the people of developing countries the Corps seeks to help: “I had to
see, given where and who I was, how I could help.” In helping the people in
these countries, Kaufman saw the opportunity that lay with the structure and
techniques used within the Peace Corps. “This could work as a school,” he
recalls. He had helped children with language instruction and wanted to provide
that opportunity to those outside of the Corps. It was the kids, he claims,
that led him to where he is today. They “really grab onto you—they want to see
your stuff, they want to watch. Reaching the youth is sometimes the most effective
thing: 30, 40, 50 years go by and the kid remembers you.”
What better way to spread that opportunity
than to move to Costa Rica and found Conversa Language school? Now, almost 40
years later, Kaufman passes the director position down to his son Andy Kaufman
to carry on the family business. And still, he is “always equating things to
that experience [in the Peace Corps] and looking for ways to improve [him]self
and the school.” The Corps was the world’s way to peace but has become this
tico’s way of life.
Emily Wirtz is a student at Ashland University and a member of the ACN Steering Committee.
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