Joining the Peace Corps – Is It Right for You?
Successful Volunteers Have Skills, Grit, and a Sense of Humor
Oct 24, 2009
Since President Kennedy created the Peace Corps in 1961, almost 200,000 Americans have volunteered in countries around the globe. For most, it’s a life-changing experience. Peace Corps volunteers serve in Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia—parts of the world many Americans know little about. Many return home after two years to continue working for social justice and international understanding.
The Peace Corps application process is long and complex, so it’s worth taking time to reflect before you start down that path. Successful and satisfied volunteers tend to have a number of traits in common.
A Desire to Help and Skills to Offer
Helping others is the bedrock value of the Peace Corps. If it’s not part of your value system, the experience could end up feeling pointless.
Volunteers face steep challenges while living and working in developing countries. Workplace conditions are often difficult, and the job you were recruited for may be ill-defined. While your stipend covers living expenses (and student loans are deferred while you serve), you won’t save much money. Whether you’re teaching English, working in a health clinic, helping small farmers, or providing technical assistance in an office, a desire to give back will help you keep on going.
Peace Corps accepts generalists without special technical skills. But they’re eager for people who have expertise in fields such as agriculture, health, environmental protection, or information technology. If you have such knowledge, it can help you make a bigger contribution in your host country.
Zest for Cultures and Languages
Face it: some people are homebodies. If you shudder at the thought of hearing foreign languages around you, puzzling out local customs, and confronting weird foods on your plate, Peace Corps might not be for you.
But if you find other cultures fascinating and you long to learn another language well, Peace Corps offers a terrific opportunity. The language training is generally excellent, and living in a place with few English speakers ensures total immersion. Just don’t expect it to be easy.
Tolerance for Physical Discomfort
Some volunteers live in apartments with hot showers, electricity, even Internet access. Most are housed far more modestly. You could end up in a mud-brick dwelling with a bucket shower, kerosene lanterns for light, and a pit latrine. Adaptability and a sense of humor are key.
Ability to Get Along with People
Volunteering is a strange combination of isolation from your family and old friends and constant togetherness with your new neighbors and co-workers. In small villages with few other foreigners, volunteers become minor local celebrities. This can be fun, but it’s also demanding to be constantly in the spotlight. An outgoing “people person” may have an easier time.
In many posts, poverty will be all around you. Despite your modest stipend, you’ll have more money to spend than most of your host-country neighbors and co-workers. This can be an uncomfortable feeling for those who have never thought of themselves as particularly wealthy. Local traditions may dictate that the rich give generously to the poor, and you’ll get more requests for help than you can possibly meet. Sensitivity, kindness, and friendliness will help you through.
Joining the Peace Corps involves many uncertainties. But if you serve, one thing is sure: You’ll return to the United States with a new understanding of your own country—and of yourself.
 |
 |
 |
 |
