A bunch of friends and coworkers are returned Peace Corps and I spent some time in a remote village with one of them. Her plan, which she did, was to get a nurse midwifery degree after - in her village she became the traditional midwife's assistant. Not to many places would you get to help deliver a few babies a week with no experience. It helped when she went back to school. Most people join to change the world. In the end they are more changed than the world. That doesn't mean that come of the change they do create on their assignment doesn't end up being a huge world changer - it may just not be apparent for years. The Peace Corps is strict in some ways and may not be for totally free form nonconformists. In fact it isn't, one high school friend got kicked out for crossing the border to a neighboring country illegally repeatedly. The office said they liked him and his work, but if they didn't kick him out, they would never be able to kick anyone out! Some assignments are pretty remote with only occasional visits to the main office. It can get lonely. You have a lot of backup, medical (sometimes a day or two away), evacuation plans, often volunteers overlap, so you arrive in the mid posting of another volunteer. It took my friend about a year to really get the language and make some local friends. The Peace Corps is probably about the biggest risk you can take, you have good backup, but it's not like most NGO's which have a lot more social and other infrastructure. The result is amazing self sufficiency, confidence, and realism which you have forever. (Some of the newer economic development projects are in the capitals, way less intense. It is also a great background to get on staff of any NGO or the State Dept. I think there is also some tuition assistance after you get out.)

As for the image of the US - much better a Peace Corps volunteer than that of our fearless "leader", the most hated man on earth.

While 'spreading America' is ostensibly the mission of the Peace Corp, and yeah, you will techinically work for the state department, all the PCV's I know said they had pretty much complete discresion with what they did.

They do describe their infrequent dealings with PC HQ as your typical nightmarish beurocracy.

The book Alternatives to the Peace Corp addresses your concerns for precicely the reasons you stated:
www.amazon.com/exec/obido...431-5303927

Tulane did one in public health that freinds enjoyed.

PC... I think of my organic farming friend back on Vancouver island. He was in the peace core in the late 60s I believe. I guess he felt some remorse after having gone to India and helped to introduce industrial agriculture, 'teaching those Indians about growing rice the right way'. Can you say 'desertification', boys and girls. So maybe he will spend the rest of his life attoning for the 'sin' of modern developement.


Me I couldnt get a job with the C.I.A. but I got accepted to the peace core, God bless imperialism!
L

I too am a RPCV. Namibia 2001-2003 (then stayed another 2 years as a Consultant- which was a MUCH different experiance! whew- WAY different.)

All the stuff Meesha said was RIGHT ON! (well put and thurogh enough for me to just hit some highlights that I thought should be mentioned.)

I too had an incredible experiance. Not so for most of my fellow PCV's and DEFINATELY not so for the PCV's of the most recient group to finish. (at the COS- Close of Service- confrence- NOT ONE said they regretted leaving/would miss it/ or had in general had a positive experiance- there were 40+/- when they started and there were 12 when they finished.)

PC is a very different beast in most countries. (Your experiance varries from EVERYONE - no two are alike. but a lot of the factors mentioned by Meesha were the main reasons it is positive or negitive.)

I think Post 9-11 peace corps is a very different situation. Bush swamped us with new- VERY YOUNG - volunteers for one. Then slashed the budget up big time. What you get is very sketchy training at times (it is what you make it but when you have too few trainers and 52+ volunteers instead of more trainers and 12 like with my group...it does suffer) and you get a big lack in support. (granted, also the support that you need is your level of need. I never called them, talked to them about problems, or sought help, but then, i had an awesome situation. no one was stealing my stuff/ sexually harassing me/ trying to get me fired/ trying to lock me in my room/ leave me at my village / and a mirriad of other things that have happened to my friends.)
The lack in support that i saw reciently while i was no longer a PCV and still in the country, was that medical has gone down hill a bit. (couldn't even afford vitamins? come on! the nurse sent me on a 2 week paid leave to DC for my damned tonsils and someone with some severe malarial symptoms gets told she's tired and needs to rest now.) It comes down to money. they don't have it at the moment. Budget was cut, US$ goes down, they add volunteers to improve international relations... think about it.

I'm not saying that its any reason not to go. its just something to think about when you start applying to any international program.

Peace Corps- is still government. you are still considered a diplomat. But because PC has gotten younger and younger- more rules are being layed down now. I felt pretty free but many of my friends and other PCV's after me- they felt 12 years old and grounded most of the time. (one screws up, we all suffer)

I did get a chance to meet PCV's from all over the world once, and it was interesting. The experiances varry so very much. your country staff, your attitude and expectations, the country, the climate, the family you live with. (i lived with a Damara family for 2 years. I saw another American once every 3 months or longer. but i had satalite tv/ internet sometimes/ running water sometimes/ and NO money but tons of friends and amazing experiance and the work was incredible.

Its definately not for everyone. Not once did i want to go home. but for somereason i had it in my head that it was never an option in the first place. you sign up- you do what you promised. however- thats me. and there is NOTHING wrong with going home early. dissapointing for everyone involved though.

A word on the Masters Degree folks. Its interesting. they started that after I was out but i had the chance to meet them. It was all a bit upside down and backwards for them. Its definately not the easy route and since its a new program, they havn't worked out all the kinks. want to know more, just mail me. i can share then.

in a word (or few more) its definately a big decision due to the effects you have on others in a short period of time. So while its only 2 years out of your life, you can effect others in drastic ways. those ripples of things you have said and done live on and take on lives of their own. this can be good/bad/or just plain interesting. I visited 2 years after my experiance. VERY interesting realizations came from that.

like i said- happy to share more if need be.

There are some Yahoo groups that have current/past/future pcv's on them chatting.

the list of schools offering the masters is available on the PC website. Also a list that cooperate with RPCV's for fullbright or other Masters degrees. (i'm going that route)

There are also LOTS AND LOTS of other organizations - with more specific job duties/ shorter time periods/ in more or less PC like settings.
The mission of Peace Corps STATE- that its to promote "American" culture and bring back their culture to America and to give skilled assistance to those that need it. (wording change- but the meaning is the same.)
which means exactly what one guy commented on- the capitolisim and "development" that WE do. my motto was to expand and develop what THEY wanted- but "they" (namibians i lived with) wanted to be just like us. ... scary.
I discovered what Development really was.

Glad your asking people who may know. I didn't. i just jumped in. I did NO research. I knew what i wanted to do sorta... that was bout it. time of my life. so are these days. its what you make of it.

OH- and if your having trouble finding PCV's while traveling- that seems strange. Go to a backpackers or the CHEAPEST hostel that you can find... or just go to the PC office and ask. (or the cheapest bar) I traveled and stayed with tons of them. there was a revolving door on my house for PCV's and some travelers as well. not many on tribe i regrett.

1 luv,
trish

VSO is an alternative that I have considered in the past...
L

Gretchen I am sorry to hear about your friend but personally I would not blame the Peace Corps.

People get sick while traveling, at home and in 3rd world countries it is usually 10 times worse and finding good hospitals and dorctors is hard.

I have met so many people while traveling who have worked for various NGOs and a lot of them hated the organization. BUt I have never in the past 10 years of travel met anyone who regreted their PC service.

Gayle,

That is my blog that you cite there. I have been doing quite a bit of research on the PC since my wife and I have applied to serve. You can see several posts on my blog that bring up the concerns that I have.

Recently, someone commented on how the PC made them remove any material critical of George Bush from their blog when they became volunteers. This is tremendously creepy since it is so partisan.

What PCVs don't seem to get is that they are being used by the government as "good press" despite the fact that they have a tremendous amount of independence and seldom interact with the government.

There are many disturbing stories. And, it really frightens me to work for a government that is this corrupt. If you are willing to put your trust in the government for two and have absolutely no expectations of help or assistance or anything but hassle from them, then the PC should not be a problem.

There are so many great NGOs out there that I really think it is better not to be a representative of the US government abroad.

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