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Acknowledgments 1. What is the
application process like? How long does it take? 11. What should I
bring? 19. What is
training like? 23. How will I get
paid? Where will I keep my money? 25. Will I live in
a mud hut? Will I have electricity or running water? 32. Will I get
sick? 42. How will I
receive mail in the Peace Corps?
47. How close will
I live to another volunteer? 52. What is the
work schedule like? 57. Will I be able
to have friends and family visit from the States? 66. Will I have the
opportunity to travel much during my two years as a volunteer?
69. How hard is
readjusting to life back in the States? A. Peace Corps
General Facts About the Author |
Preface This straightforward question-and-answer book is for anyone interested in becoming a Peace Corps volunteer. It sprung out of my own frustrations at being unable to find information on the "real" Peace Corps experience back when I was applying to be a volunteer. I remember trudging through the application process, filling out forms, and completing medical exams, all the while unsure of what, exactly, I was getting myself into. I knew as much about the Peace Corps as anyone else did---that it sends people overseas for two years to work and live in developing countries at the "grassroots" level. I had read through the information packets the Peace Corps sent me, but they were mostly promotional pamphlets and recruitment flyers which glossed over what, I knew, must be a more complex and comprehensive picture.
Thinking myself somewhat resourceful, I set out to find independent accounts of life as a Peace Corps volunteer in bookstores, career centers, and libraries. I wanted the real dirt on being lonely, getting sick, having enough money, dealing with hardships, accomplishing program goals, learning new languages, and so on. Surely someone must have returned from the Peace Corps eager to share their newly acquired knowledge with fresh recruits. Imagine my astonishment when I found nothing.
Undeterred, I barraged returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) with calls and e-mails. I contacted RPCVs who had served in places as diverse as Nepal and the Marshall Islands. The more people I spoke with, the more I came to understand two things: 1) this was the way most Peace Corps applicants gathered information to quell their curiosity, and 2) most Peace Corps applicants ask exactly the same questions. Fueled with that knowledge, I made it a mission to put this book together upon completion of my service overseas.
For two years I served as an agroforestry volunteer in a small village in Cameroon, West Africa. My life there was amazing and memorable in many ways yet, as I've come to find, most of my experiences were fairly typical for the Peace Corps. Life throughout the developing world shares a surprising number of commonalities when it comes to basics like health, safety, infrastructure, transportation, and so on. The Peace Corps world, too, can be surprisingly uniform when it comes to dealing with administration and policies, technical and language training, and program implementation. And life overseas as an expatriate entails challenging adjustments to culture, society, and environment that cannot be avoided. All of these areas and related experiences are detailed in this book, along with many more. I'm confident you'll find the information provided in the following pages helpful regardless of whether you end up teaching English in Mali or working with farmers in Guatemala.
Deciding to join the Peace Corps and live overseas for two years is not easy. The greatest hurdle is often a mental one: stepping into the unknown and hoping to find the strength, commitment, and flexibility to see it though. Not knowing what to expect raises the hurdle even higher. I hope the information here will put things into perspective and allow you to consider the Peace Corps in a less intimidating light. Regardless of what you decide, I hope you continue to pursue ways to help make this world a better one, all the while seeking adventure and fun in your life.
Happy Trails,
Dillon
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