Essays, Art and Plays by Dan

Dan Campbell (RPCV El Salvador, 1974-77) reviews David Greegor’s (Mexico, 2007-11) Going to México: Stories of My Peace Corps Service. This memoir is available on Amazon, Abe Books, and Barnes & Noble.

In Going to México: Stories of My Peace Corps Service, David H. Greegor doesn’t deliver a sweeping saga or tightly plotted memoir. Instead, he welcomes readers onto a sun-baked, slow-moving bus heading deep into rural Mexico—windows down, humor stashed alongside a practical stash of toilet paper. What follows isn’t so much a linear tale as it is a loosely woven tapestry of dusty afternoons, comical misadventures, and sincere cultural exchanges.

Greegor, an ecologist with a doctorate (and a mountain in Antarctica named after him), arrives in Mexico with his beloved wife Sonya, not to lead or to teach, but to listen. That attitude—part humility, part curiosity—is perhaps the heart of the book’s magic. 

His reflections feel more like entries from a naturalist’s travel notebook than a traditional memoir. He has an awareness for noticing things—whether subtle shifts in landscape or the social rituals of a village—that most of us would likely overlook.

Some readers might crave a stronger narrative arc, but the book isn’t built for dramatic turns. It’s more hammocks and tamales than lofty sermons. The tone stays mostly light, peppered with dry, observational wit and tinged with a quiet reverence that feels uniquely Greegor. His stories—be it about a creaky bus navigating the Sierra Madre or teaching the rural folk about solar cookers are told with fondness. 

But the real touch is in how Greegor sees people: Figures like Papa Ricardo, the local elder with wisdom as weathered as his hat, are portrayed with warmth and respect. There’s a soft, almost folkloric quality to these portraits. One moment we’re navigating environmental bureaucracy; the next, we’re seated on a plaza bench, absorbing the idle gossip and birdsong of a small town afternoon.

Going to México doesn’t posture as an exposé. It’s not out to critique systems but to share experiences. And it succeeds. Greegor offers companionship on the page, not conclusions—an invitation to witness, not to analyze.

What’s most striking is how interesting that simpler approach can be. Greegor and his wife weren’t idealistic college grads chasing the Peace Corps dream; they were older, seasoned, and armed with patience rather than plans. There’s no savior complex here. Just the steady, attentive presence of people willing to learn from a very different culture. 

In a world growing more fractured by the day, this collection serves as a subtle antidote. It reminds us that human connection—real, meaningful connection—often grows in quiet, slow-moving moments. Shared meals. Missteps. Laughter that doesn’t need translation. For Peace Corps hopefuls, cultural storytellers, or anyone aching for an empathetic form of engagement, these stories feel like refreshing water from a well: humble, nourishing, and unexpectedly profound.

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Dan Campbell served in the Peace Corps in El Salvador from 1974-77 and was part of a team that planned and launched the country’s first national park. Since his service the Peace Corps, Dan has worked for USAID and the U.S. State Department, and helped to plan research information centers in Nicaragua, Kenya, Ghana, Thailand and other countries.

https://peacecorpsworldwide.substack.com/p/review-going-to-mexico-by-david-greegor