So you want to be a Peace Corps Volunteer...

Peace Corps is not for everyone, but I recommend everyone try. As I told one interested acquaintance: I have never tried so hard at something, failed, accepted my failure, kept trying, and felt like I was gaining from all of it. There are days I wake up thinking: if one more thing goes wrong I’m on the next flight home; but go to bed that night telling myself: I will never leave. It is certainly the toughest job you’ll ever love.

While my Peace Corps timeline is in many ways rather unusual, I think scanning through my blog will help give you a good idea of some of the potential ups and downs, some of the exciting adventures and ‘mundane’ work days that you might expect if you become a PCV.

My biggest piece of advice is: have absolutely no expectations. Peace Corps is a different experience for everyone-- from the first meeting you have with a recruiter, to your geographic and skill placement, to your site, your friendships, and your projects. You should have no expectations about the projects you will complete, the country where you’re going, or Peace Corps (outside medical and safety support). Peace Corps is notoriously disorganized as an organization. The countries where Peace Corps Volunteers work are underdeveloped for a reason (usually, several). The less you expect, the happier you will be.

The Application Process

The Peace Corps application process is long. I met a PCV who joined Peace Corps five years after she originally applied. I’d say the average application process takes between six to twelve months.

My process began in September of my senior year of college, when I applied as a Master’s International candidate. Eight months later, I decided it wasn’t the right time for a master’s degree, and switched my application to the "regular" pool. I received my Peace Corps nomination mid-May; was told I would receive an invitation in July or August; heard in August I wouldn't leave until February; received my invitation in early September; and left for Niger in late October.

To make your application process go smoothly, I recommend getting all your forms in as quickly as possible, with no errors. Get your medical and security clearances taken care of as soon as you can. Don’t delay doctor and dental appointments; send your fingerprints in as soon as you get the forms. Follow up with your recruiter or headquarters to confirm they have everything they need. 

In your essays and interviews, be honest. Also realize that the Peace Corps has three goals: two of them involving cultural exchange. I am confident that I am getting way more out of my Peace Corps experience than anyone I am trying to help. If you want to join Peace Corps to “save the world”, I would recommend you go elsewhere. I would also recommend you check your ego.

Packing

This seems to be everyone’s biggest concern. What do I pack for two years in a developing country? If you are reading this and you have received an invitation to a specific country, I recommend you speak with PCVs in that country, or look at the Peace Corps Wiki Page. However, some general advice:

-First, do some research before you go crazy. Again, talk to PCVs in the country where you’re being assigned, read some blogs. Then, try out some products. Particularly with outdoor gear, try not to get carried away. You don’t need to bring iodine tablets or your own mosquito net. Stick to the basics.

-Second, quality over quantity. The limits of your gear will be tested during your Peace Corps experience. Invest in a good pair of walking shoes, a solid backpack, and a good headlamp.

-Third, food. I often find that when people leave their country of origin for an extended amount of time, what they talk about missing most is the food. If you like to cook, bring spices, sauces, etc. If you don’t like to cook, I still strongly recommend stalking up on some of your favorite snacks and candies for the slow days.

-Fourth, use discounts! Many, many companies have discounts for Peace Corps Volunteers. Check out Peace Corps Wiki for a detailed list.

-Fifth, and most importantly: listen to your mother. She is right on all things packing related, and really all things life related. 

Now, for specifics:

Electronics—

Get a universal adapter. You'll need it.

Computer. I highly recommend having a computer during Peace Corps. You will use it for personal and work related reasons. I brought my Mac, and about a year in the screen broke. In Rwanda I purchased a Samsung Netbook, and while I would never buy this in the US, it serves me very well here. Having a small computer allows me to pack it up inconspicuously in my purse and take it into a city for the day to go to an internet café. Make sure you have some sort of anti-virus for your computer, whichever kind you bring—almost all USB drives I’ve come across in Africa are loaded with viruses. Which reminds me: I also highly recommend bringing a USB drive (8 or 16 GB) and an external hard drive (most PCVs come loaded with movies and TV shows you can exchange throughout your service).

iPod. I brought my iTouch to Niger, and it fell in a latrine after a month. My parents sent me my mini iPod, which has been great. Now that my iTouch has been restored, I really enjoy having both. I use my iPod when I run and sometimes on the bus, but I bring my iTouch to the bigger cities if I think I might be somewhere with wireless but I don’t want to worry about my computer.

Cell phone. Some PCVs bring iPhones or Blackberries over from the USA. Many find this useful, but it’s certainly not necessary, and I am perfectly happy with my very cheap locally bought phone. Phones are easily stolen/broken, so if you’re careless like me, you’re probably better off with a local phone. And if you decide you want a nice one, you can always buy it in country (although generally for a higher price).

Kindle. Originally, I was very opposed to Kindles. I love books. However, a Kindle was given to me as a gift early this year and I absolutely love it. It’s incredibly practical to have while traveling—very easy to carry, and you’ll never run out of books! Some Peace Corps posts have large collections of books left over from years of PCVs, but this is not true of all posts and so the large selection offered by a Kindle can be incredibly helpful.

Camera. I cannot say enough wonderful things about my Pentax Optio WG. This is the most solid recommendation I would make to anyone planning to travel to a developing country. The camera is waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof, and it takes amazing pictures. Often, dust or sand will get into the lens of your camera and cause it to stop opening or closing—not a problem for me! Also, kids (and adults) will instantly want to grab your camera to see the pictures you take, so having a shockproof camera comes in handy and saves me lots of anxiety. Even if photography is your thing, I’d think twice about bringing a DSRL camera—they’re very big and flashy, and will bring you way more attention than you probably want.

Solar chargers. In Niger, lots of PCVs had small solar chargers for their iPods and phones. This is practical if you’re in West Africa, and perhaps some other places in Asia or Southern Africa, but in Rwanda it’s unnecessary. While my house doesn’t have electricity, my workplace does, so I can recharge everything daily.

* A small endnote about electronics—if you are going to a very hot country, know that a lot of electronics lose battery life with heat, and sometimes just crash. For these posts, I would definitely skip the Kindle and be careful with other stuff.

Clothes—

Once you get to country, you’ll probably have time to buy culturally appropriate clothes, so I wouldn’t worry too much about this. Main advice here: dark colors are your friend, stay away from white.

You most certainly want to bring a nice pair of shoes and a “dressy” outfit. For men this probably means nice khakis and a button up shirt, for women a modest dress (at least half way down your shins, covering your shoulders, and hiding cleavage).

Footwear—definitely bring a good pair of walking shoes/sandals. I like my Chacos, although they’re really heavy to travel with. Other PCVs prefer Keen or Teva… it’s up to you.

Comfortable wear—the best clothing related item I packed were my sweatpants. You will have sick days (physical and emotional) where you want to lounge around your house. I find my sweatpants, gym shorts, and sweatshirt key for this.

Toiletries—

2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner. It saves me a lot of time and water during bucket baths.

Travel size containers. You’ll probably travel quite often within your host country to visit other PCVs, attend conferences, etc. It’s nice to have travel size containers for soap, shampoo, contacts solution, etc.

Pumice stone. Your feet get really dirty. Enough said.

Sunscreen. Peace Corps will provide all the SPF 30 you need, but if you want anything higher or special face stuff, bring it yourself.

Other Essential Items—

Headlamp! Most indispensable item I own in Africa.

Sleeping bag.

Sheets. Particularly the form-fitting sheets.

Pictures from home. Your colleagues and neighbors will love them. But—make sure they’re culturally appropriate. I brought a couple pictures from Halloween parties in college… I don’t show those to my neighbors.

Training

Pre-Service Training is a ten to twelve week summer camp. Some volunteers love it, others hate it. You should just know that it is absolutely nothing like the following two years of your PC service at site. 

Most Peace Corps posts do community based training (CBT), meaning you live in the community, generally with a family. This type of training gives you more cultural and language exposure, which are invaluable once you reach your site. Some countries do center based training, meaning you live with other Peace Corps Trainees and conduct most activities at the training center rather than in the community.

The more language skills you pick up during training, the better prepared you will be for two years as a volunteer. Take advantage of your Language and Cross-Cultural Facilitators (these are host country nationals who teach you language) and ask them questions, when you get to your site it will be more difficult. During training, I highly recommend focusing on the grammar aspects of the language you learn. You can always point at something and learn its name—vocab is easy; sentence structure and verb conjugation, not so much.

Site/Post

The following are some of the questions I’ve received over the months…

* Again, every experience is unique and entirely different.

What’s your village like?

I live in a ‘village’ of approximately 400 people which is part of a larger cell (comprised of five villages) with approximately 3,500 people. I am very fortunate to live right next to the district hospital, so while the area is very rural, there is a relatively large population of well educated, employed people. There is no running water where I live.Many houses in my community have electricity, although mine does not. There is a very modest evening market each day, several small shops with basic necessities, a few bars, and a few nice ladies who serve tea. My town is on the ‘main’ district road, so I have regular public transportation in and out, although it takes two hours to reach pavement.

What’s your main assignment/work?

I work at a rural health center serving a population of over 16,000. I work on infant and maternal health. My primary focus is on childhood malnutrition, but I also work with infant vaccination services and prenatal healthcare. I also work generally with all the health center staff on data management, monitoring and evaluation, behavior change communication, customer service, and English language.

What kind of secondary projects do you do?

The students and teachers at the secondary school (similar to high school in the U.S.) have been very active in my community and I work extensively with them. With the teachers, I do a weekly English Club, and with the students a weekly ‘Life Skills’ Club where I facilitate sessions on decision making, communication, and relationship skills. Partly as a result  of these clubs, I organized two youth camps for my district, attended by approximately 30 male secondary students and 30 female secondary students in November 2011.

What’s the work environment like?

Nothing like any work environment you will experience anywhere else in the world. For American standards, it is extremely slow and laid back. For African standards, I think it’s rather strict. Rwandans put a lot of emphasis on appearance, so everyone always shows up to work—how much gets done depends on the day, the person, and maybe the weather.

Do you have a lot of control over your work?

Yes and no. Peace Corps is certainly not looking over my shoulder to make sure I cross my t’s and dot my i’s, but there are certainly activities that I have been advised (and sometimes explicitly told) to stay away from, sometimes by Peace Corps, sometimes by my supervisors and coworkers.

Do you receive sufficient support from Peace Corps?

Yes and no. I often appreciate the liberty and independence I have as a volunteer, but sometimes resent the lack of specific, structured support I receive, particularly in technical training. I think after two years of observations, I can safely say that most often the happiest volunteers are the ones who are the least involved with the Peace Corps country office.

What do you do on an ‘average day’?

There is no such thing as an average day in Africa. However, most Mondays through Fridays I wake up around 5:45AM, heat water for my bath and breakfast, and head out to work by 7AM. I spend the morning at the health center, assisting various health workers with different services (infant vaccinations, outpatient malnutrition, prenatal consultations, data management, etc). I leave the office around noon and head home to cook lunch and take a break. Around 2PM I go back to the health center, head over to the secondary school for student or teacher clubs, or travel to any of the nearby villages to make home visits with Community Health Workers and health center patients. Around 5:30PM I usually stop by the small market and buy some vegetables. At 7PM I turn on BBC to listen to Focus on Africa while eating my dinner, and by 9PM I’m generally in bed.

What are your living conditions like?

My house is tucked into a hill, which is very cozy and safe. It has no water or electricity, but lovely neighbors. I live in a long house, which is subdivided into three houses. My ‘section’ has three rooms and a small living room area. One room is my bedroom, another I turned into my ‘kitchen’ (where I store food and prep it before cooking outside), and the third very small room serves as a guestroom/storage room. I have an outdoor shower, latrine, and kitchen. The other two sections of the house are occupied by my fantastic neighbors, two Rwandan women who work at the district hospital and pharmacy. This is in many ways a perfect situation because I have lots of shared space but also lots of privacy.

What are your biggest challenges?

It really depends on the day you ask. Some challenges PCVs face are universal, but others really depend on the post. Niger was an incredibly physically challenging place to serve as a PCV, but the people made it worth it. Rwanda is one of the most pleasant geographical locations in the world—the temperature is mild year around, there are a variety of locally grown healthy foods available, and the scenery is beautiful. However, the emotional and mental challenges of living and working in a post-conflict country are extremely difficult.

When I first arrived, I’d say my biggest challenge was dealing with my role as a ‘replacement’. I was constantly compared to the previous PCV who was best friends with everyone, spoke the language perfectly, and did incredible work. After about a year at site, I would probably say my biggest challenge was dealing with a few unmotivated coworkers. Now, almost twenty months into my time here in Rwanda, it’s actually the smaller things that have become challenging. Rwandan culture is not open, and people are extremely skeptical of anything different or unknown. So, being constantly stared at, harassed, and excluded, after almost two years, can sometimes feel heartbreaking.

How often do you see other volunteers?

As a PCV you can see other PCVs as often or as seldom as you like. The volunteer closest to me is three hours walking or forty five minutes by moto (you can guess how I usually get there). I see her about once a week. PCVs often have social and/or work gatherings in larger cities, and I attend these probably once a month or once every six weeks depending on my work at site and my work with other volunteers.

How often do you have internet access?

At least once a week, sometimes more—but it’s slow. I have fast internet access (to download anything more than a simple word document and skype) about once every two months.

What do you wear?

Rwandans are rather formal dressers compared to many other Africans, certainly compared to Americans. I often wear nice jeans and a button up shirt or a skirt/dress that covers my knees to work. It’s not necessary to cover myself as much as it was in Niger, although I would never go to work wearing anything that showed my knees, my cleavage, or my shoulders. When I’m in the bigger cities I feel more comfortable wearing perhaps tank top or slightly shorter dress, but I remain pretty conservative about my legs. Shorts are completely inappropriate for women (this is pretty universal around Africa). 

What’s your financial situation like?

Well, I am a volunteer. Peace Corps provides me with a monthly living allowance, deposited into my local bank account they helped me open when I arrived in country. I visit the bank once or twice a month to extract cash, sometimes via ATM sometimes at the actual office. My living allowance covers all my basic needs and provides some extra for what I consider necessary de-stress pampering. It’s enough money that I have more than plenty to buy what I need to survive, but little more. It is possible to save some, and I’ve seen penny-pinching volunteers take fantastic vacations after saving their allowance for months, but this is certainly not the norm.

Vacation/Travel

Peace Corps provides volunteers with two vacation days per month, which accumulate and can even be taken in advance. Most volunteers take time to travel to the countries that surround the post where they volunteer.

I have had the very, very unique opportunity of seeing West, North, East, and South Africa during my service—all on Peace Corps! This is, however, rather unusual and you should not expect it. I have used my vacation time to travel to Spain and the USA to visit with family, and also take some time to explore Tanzania.

Health, Safety & Security

You will receive excellent training on how to stay healthy and safe during your training. In my experience, Peace Corps is very accommodating with volunteer safety, security, and health concerns and does their best to take care of the volunteer. That being said, it is in your best interest to always be polite and professional, particularly when dealing with security issues. I’ve seen many PCVs get flustered and (rightfully) upset about security issues, but take it out on the wrong people (i.e. Peace Corps Staff). This will only hurt you. My best advice on staying safe is to keep a low profile at all times, and make sure you greet everyone in your village—you’ll become part of the family and be treated and protected as such.

Before leaving for Niger, I read a blog where a PCV said “you’re not a real PCV until you shit your pants”. I thought: that will never be me. I do not want to shit my pants. Well, one week into training, I did. Moral of the story: you will get sick at some point during your service, probably more than once, and it will probably involve your bowels. Know that the first time you’re sick is by far the hardest.

Basic medical supplies (band-aids, Tylenol, etc.)are generally supplied by Peace Corps throughout your service, as are malaria prophylaxis medications (in areas where malaria is endemic), as well as most other medications you need.