Special K Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Hey guys, Just wondering if any ES posters have served with the Peace Corps? I'm considering joining because I find working in the developing world much more rewarding than my current career and being a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer opens up an wide variety of opportunites with both my career and potential doctoral programs. So, if anyone has served or know about the experiences of people who served, can you explain your experience (or knowledge of another's experience) in the program? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwpanic Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 i'm a pc volunteer in rural paraguay. i have about 5 months left in my service (22 months completed). we seem to be in similar boats. i'm 31 and decided a couple of years ago to stop working for the man in nyc and moved to the middle of nowhere to help underprivileged folks. i'm a rural health and sanitation volunteer so i do a lot of work with parasite-prevention, potable water, nutrition, etc. let me warn you: 3rd world living ain't easy. i'm pretty much uncomfortable 99% of the time (it's unbelievably hot here always). i constantly eat poorly-cooked parts of animals that aren't meant to be eaten. i've lost track of how many injuries/illnesses i've accrued (one time i cut myself pretty bad falling chin-deep into a septic tank and all that fecal matter caused the cut to get infected--yeah!) i have zero privacy and i'm bored...a lot. all that being said, i wouldn't change my decision to serve for anything. life as a pcv is a hard but it's truly a rewarding experience. i love my community and feel like i am really making a difference here and improving peoples' lives. feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions. also, even if you're just thinking about applying, start the process asap. it takes a loooong time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I worked at Peace Corps Headquarters for two years in the Domestic Programs office, so I spent a lot of time talking and working with current and recently returned volunteers. I also obviously as a result of that job have a lot of RPCV friends. From what I learned, I'd say keep a few things in mind... 1) Be prepared to go anywhere. I know people who were fluent in French but went to South America, or who had their hearts set on going to Central America and ended up in the middle of Africa. 2) I think you actually have a lot of advantages being an older volunteer. Many RPCVs serve right out of college, with no "real world" experience. I found that it then takes those volunteers a little longer to re-adjust to American life when they come home. All those things you experienced when you first graduated college, imagine experiencing them not only after college, but after living in a developing country for 2 years. Additionally, I know from your posts here that you already have experience working in PC countries, so you will be able to adjust much more quickly, and you would bring a level of experience and understanding that most volunteers don't already have, and you will have more awareness when you get back of the impact that your service had on you as an individual. 3) When you return, take full advantage of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) and the Fellows program (which I used to work for). If you have any questions about the Fellows program (it used to be Fellows/USA, now I think it's the Paul Coverdell Fellows Program), I'd be happy to try to answer them. The Fellows schools/coordinators I worked with are absolutely awesome, and many of the coordinators are RPCVs themselves. They and their schools partner with PC for a reason - they all have a very high regard for RPCVs and what you did as a volunteer. 4) Be prepared to become a part of one of the most tight-knit communities I know of. Seriously, if you know 2 RPCVs, they probably know each other, or at least know of each other. Every RPCV I know in the DC area has some connection to the other RPCVs I know, whether through work, their actual time in service, or through social interactions after they got back. Good luck with everything. As long as you can get over the kind of stuff that jw listed, it's an awesome decision to make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I think my step-brother might be involved with them, I'm not sure. I know he's been in some sort of overseas assistance program. I know he was teaching English and women's empowerment in (Mauritania?) but had to be evactuated due to unrest, which lowered security. Combined with the fact that the work he was doing didn't sit well with some locals, they decided to move him. He's in China now doing something else; we don't really keep in contact. Again, I'm not sure if it's peace corp, but it's something similar. I've heard that being in the Peace Corp can give you an inside track on jobs with the Department of State, specifically the foreign service, but can't vouch for that personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special K Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Thanks for your input guys Yeah, I've lived and worked in the developing world a few times, so I kind of know what to expect as far as living condtions. I can't think of a much more rewarding an experience than volunteering for the PC. I might shoot you guys some PM's if I have more questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I would love to do this. I have my dog though. If I could find somebody to watch her, I'd go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I would love to do this. I have my dog though. If I could find somebody to watch her, I'd go. A couple of my friends actually found pets while they were volunteering. One even brought her cat back and still has it to this day. Thought I will warn that in developing countries they don't exactly view cats and dogs like we do. One person I know had a taken in a pet dog and came home from work one day to find it missing. I don't think I need to say what happened. Needless to say, when she took in another dog she put a sign around its neck asking that people recognize that the dog is her pet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 It would be so on if somebody ate KB's dog for dinner!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 It would be so on if somebody ate KB's dog for dinner!!!! Sure would. Even here most people don't view any animal as a pet. It's been a real lesson to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Good luck with that K. I appreciate the efforts and excitement. But it is not something I could do when there are so many causes here that need volunteers and support. Besides, I love, love, love, air conditioning. KBs dog probably drinks jagerbombs and eats pineapple...might be tasty... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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