Susan Caster, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana from 1977-81, was the winner of Global Atlanta’s “Winter Wonderland” contest held over the Christmas holidays.
The contest asked respondents to identify the countries on the basis of the ornaments hanging on fir trees displayed at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. She identified 12 of 16 trees in the contest correctly. Fernbank had trees representing 41 countries in the exhibit.
Fernbank curator Bobbi Hohmann was motivated to organize the holiday display because she wanted the museum to celebrate the Christmas season without excluding other cultures that don’t.
By encouraging the local consulates and international organizations to decorate fir trees with cultural artifacts from their countries, Dr. Hohmann accomplished both goals.
Since her return from Ghana where she was a teacher and involved in community work with women’s groups, Ms. Caster has maintained ties with friends there and has been involved with the Ghanaian community in Atlanta.
She is a past president of the Friends of Ghana organization and a founding board member of the Atlanta Area Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
Ms. Caster said that her Peace Corps service led to a career in education including positions as a math/science teacher, university instructor and high school principal.
She is passionate about the prospects for on-line education as a means of providing new opportunities for learning across all social and economic groups.
A compulsive traveler, Ms. Caster is currently hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mexican border to Canada, and may be reached by sending an email to Susan.Caster@gmail.com.
For winning the contest, Ms. Caster joined the Global Atlanta staff for a festive lunch.
To see the ornaments and trees, click here. The answers follow: 1) Peru, 2) Argentina, 3) Canada, 4 )Norway, 5) Denmark, 6) Ireland, 7) Haiti, 8) Kenya, 9) Brazil, 10) Venezuela, 11) Taiwan, 12) India, 13) Nigeria, 14) Turkey, 15) Japan, 16 Turkey.
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