Life Philosophy Discovered As Peace Corps Volunteer

Judi Munn learned long ago that her life need not be lived in some predictable series of boxes, confined to a social structure that defined success.
It’s a lesson she learned as a Peace Corps volunteer 35 years ago, but a life philosophy that Judi still follows today.

When she joined the talented assembly of artisans in the Craft Village at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in 1992, Judi broke ranks with family expectations for her career, mostly after a two-year term serving in Paraguay with the Peace Corps. It was a dream she’d always wanted to pursue to improve her language skills and understand a bigger world than she knew from a rural North Carolina upbringing.

“I felt like it would be fascinating to live in another country, and do something helpful, and not just pass through the territory as a tourist,” Judi said. “It was a very appealing idea to me to do something beautiful that you could leave behind.

“And I was a horrible student of foreign language, but I learned to speak the language there in Paraguay because I wanted to eat,” she said with a laugh.

Read the full story in the Feb. 9 issue.