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^^^ What does the 'MI' in PCMI stand for? edit: I did your survey. Stuntcat posted:People who have already gone through COS! I am putting together my COS conference with some other volunteers, and we want ideas. Was there anything your COS had that you think we should do? We're already doing an anonymous mailcall thing and t-shirts. For mid-service we had rented out a local bar (so we could close the doors) and had a talent show. At COS, the Country director invited a Foreign Service Officer RPCV to come talk to us about careers, I found that talk really interesting. People might not have these details yet, but it might be worth it to put together a little phone book of forwarding addresses and phone numbers in the US if your omnibus was close. the shill fucked around with this message at 13:30 on Feb 8, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 13:18
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Slaan posted:
Thanks! Our earliest leave by date is July 1st, so unfortunately it won't be Benin =( Also, we have different questions for RPCVs and for people who haven't left yet, but not for people in service. We didn't draft any unique questions for them because our primary resource for information is here on campus. Thanks for pointing out that it's going to the departing volunteer questions, I had meant for that option to take people to the RPCV side 
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Feb 8, 2013 18:06
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CHARLES posted:Thanks! Our earliest leave by date is July 1st, so unfortunately it won't be Benin =( Sorry, can you tell us a little more what the survey is for? I'm nosy...and also lazy.
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Feb 8, 2013 18:40
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CHARLES posted:Thanks! Our earliest leave by date is July 1st, so unfortunately it won't be Benin =( I see how it is. Us volunteers out there  Yeah, RPCVs and PCVs probably overlap quite a bit in this regard. I'll answer the questions later. But tonight is a local festival. Wish me luck (and a new liver); the local brew tastes like apple cider. :beer: ---- In other news, any of you guys work in Food Security or similar jobs? I'm in the process of redoing Benin's food security survey as part of my Master's International research work. If any of y'all have worked on similar projects or know someone in your cohorts/admin it would be great if you could tell me anything. Figuring out how to design a survey for illiterates is hard!
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Feb 8, 2013 20:20
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The official terminology is aspiration statement and I'm fairly sure that everyone has to do one. Usually this will take place around 130 to 140 days before departure.
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Feb 8, 2013 20:55
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Stuntcat posted:Sorry, can you tell us a little more what the survey is for? I'm nosy...and also lazy. Sure! So that's my post on the other page introducing my reasoning behind the survey, but basically I'm doing some graduate work this semester with two RPCV's to design a training module that could be used during the 3-month in-country training that volunteers get. We're trying to put together a short module where volunteers would create and share "asset inventories" (basically professional, unique, and specialized skillsets)with each other. These inventories could then be used by volunteers at their sites to identify other volunteers in the country who might be able to help them with issues that their specific communities are facing. We're also thinking about ways to generalize the module so that it could be run by volunteers with their host communities, but that step is a ways off. So yeah, the survey is just our first step in designing this thing.
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Feb 8, 2013 21:41
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Just got picked for Panama doing environmental work ad they are only allowing me 7 days to decide.  But it's the exact position and location I wanted... going to be a fun week of deciding if this will be my first job after college.
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Feb 8, 2013 23:27
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huhu posted:Just got picked for Panama doing environmental work ad they are only allowing me 7 days to decide. If you think it's going to take you the full week to decide if you want your dream country and assignment, I'd be quite concerned... If you already have doubts, I'd take that as your answer.
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Feb 9, 2013 01:20
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Grammar Fascist posted:If you think it's going to take you the full week to decide if you want your dream country and assignment, I'd be quite concerned... If you already have doubts, I'd take that as your answer.
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Feb 9, 2013 01:48
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huhu posted:Just got picked for Panama doing environmental work ad they are only allowing me 7 days to decide. Awesome! Everyone had major doubts before heading out. I know I spent the 3 months or so before service completely terrified. You should accept it; if it works out you have one of the best things ever on your resume, not to mention a lifetime of bar stories (and amazing self-confidence, etc.). If it doesn't work out you at least got to spend a few weeks for free in another country with language training and learned more about yourself. And well, Panama always has the merchant-marine crowd going through, so you will even get easy access to imported poo poo. If you have made it this far, I honestly think the decision should be easy (if still emotionally tempestuous). It should be hard only if you have access to multiple opportunities- like you also got your dream job and into your dream grad school. Few things are as life changing as PC.
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Feb 9, 2013 08:11
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Grammar Fascist posted:If you think it's going to take you the full week to decide if you want your dream country and assignment, I'd be quite concerned... If you already have doubts, I'd take that as your answer. What? Some people are hesitant to make life-changing decisions quickly. Just because someone is uncertain doesn't mean they don't want to do it or that it's a bad idea, it just means they're more cautious in decision making. huhu, take your week to decide. But remember that if it really ends up being that bad, you CAN just come home and get a job in the states. It will be a lot harder for you to find environmental work in Panama at any other point in your life if you don't go down a path like this, I think. If you have other opportunities calling your name that make you want to stay home, that's legit, but if you have no other reason to go than the uncertainty, it's time to take the plunge.
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Feb 9, 2013 08:21
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Stuntcat posted:People who have already gone through COS! I am putting together my COS conference with some other volunteers, and we want ideas. Was there anything your COS had that you think we should do? We're already doing an anonymous mailcall thing and t-shirts. I went to my COS conference (even though I extended), and we did a cooking competition, a short talent show, and superlative awards (freaking hilarious). And the usual seminars about job searches and stuff.
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Feb 9, 2013 12:06
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A couple questions. Junior in college here, I'm wondering if my student loans will be put on hold during my stay in the host country, and what are the chances that I'll be placed in a Spanish-speaking country if I request it? I feel like learning Spanish would be the most beneficial to my career once I return to the states. I've never taken a Spanish class but I have two more semesters to take some and at least get a base understanding before I sign up for the PC. I'm aware that I don't have to know the language to be placed there, but I'd imagine that Spanish-speaking countries are probably the most competitive to get an English-teaching job in.
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Feb 9, 2013 17:43
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The student loans should be put on hold, and I believe Federal Loans are guaranteed to be on hold (not to mention other benefits such as partial cancellation of Perkins, etc.) You should ask your recruiter about this. About Spanish-speaking countries. Knowing the language certainly helps, but about 1/3 of my cohort in French Africa took 2-3 years of Spanish. You can, and probably should, say that you would prefer a Spanish speaking country. But if you basically refuse to go to some places (without a really good reason- near hydrophobia made me say I wouldn't go to a small island nation) you will probably be denied for anywhere. So stress your flexibility and realize that even if you don't get a spanish country, just about anywhere has a professionally applicable language. Even for places with 1-2 nation languages (Georgia?), knowing a less-spoken language is awesome on your resume. vvv drat commies   
Slaan fucked around with this message at 19:29 on Feb 9, 2013 |
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Feb 9, 2013 18:57
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Slaan posted:Even for places with 1-2 nation languages (Georgia?), knowing a less-spoken language is awesome on your resume. Eyyy now. As a Georgia PCV, you can learn Russian - which is seriously useful, depending on what job you want! (Sakartvelo 4 lyfe.)
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Feb 9, 2013 19:16
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You don't have a ton of choice on where you go vis-a-vis language. I'm a fluent in Spanish with ESL experience and they have me teaching literacy in Guyana. I even stressed my foreign language skills in my resume and essays to no avail. Personally, it didn't really matter to me. I'm happy with anywhere.
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Feb 9, 2013 19:54
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Thanks to anyone who responded to me a little ways back... Just received my invitation to China yesterday! I was actually starting to look forward to somewhere new, but am super happy to be going where I am.
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Feb 9, 2013 22:10
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Congrats!! I've met a few PCVs from China, and they were very cool. Speaking of Peace Corps China, though, we got the news a couple days ago: http://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/media/press/2187/ So sad
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Feb 10, 2013 02:16
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Monkey Fury posted:Thanks to anyone who responded to me a little ways back... Just received my invitation to China yesterday! I was actually starting to look forward to somewhere new, but am super happy to be going where I am. Sweet. I believe they only do English teaching there?
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Feb 10, 2013 08:39
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Just got the details about our one-day staging that's coming up in a few weeks. We have training in DC from noon until 7pm, and then we are supposed to get on the bus to the airport at 2am... why must you haze us PC, why?! I imagine most PCVs are just going to be up drinking and hanging out and get no sleep. Sounds like a great way to spend day one! Being the sedate people we are, I'm sure my wife and I will try to go to bed at 9pm or something. Feels good to get a plane ticket, too. Big difference between someone sending you an email saying "you're in!" and having a specific ticket in your hands. They're letting us fly out a few days early, too, so that we can catch up with some old DC friends. huhu posted:Just got picked for Panama doing environmental work ad they are only allowing me 7 days to decide. My wife and I literally accepted our invitation within one minute of receiving it. But do take the full seven days to think about it. We were already 100% ready to go anywhere, anytime at that point. Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Feb 11, 2013 |
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Feb 11, 2013 00:45
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Got some questions... - Anyone know of people not passing training? I read that 9/10 get placed after training. - For visits from family/friends what is a typical "acceptable" stay? It says that if they stay for an extended period of time you need approval. - I don't know exactly where I'll be placed in country until after training. They say they'll look at my skills and I have some say in where I'm placed. For Panama, if I already have experience with envrionmental health and five years of Spanish could that mean I work on bigger projects in a town where Spanish is spoken? It says 30% of people will work with indigenous people in very small communities and I'm not so sure I want to do that. huhu fucked around with this message at 19:38 on Feb 11, 2013 |
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Feb 11, 2013 19:31
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1. We had 2 people not make it through training in my cohort. One dropped out after 2 weeks because her grandparents were both seriously hospitalized and dying. The other didn't really want to be there in the first place. So don't worry about not passing training. Its really easy stuff- its there more to get you familiar with the language and culture than actually learning things. 2 of my class didn't pass the 'final' French test. They were just sent to their posts with vouchers for free French tutoring and told to come back in 3 months for another test. 2. Basically vacation length- 2 weeks at most. Families visiting is an awesome time, but it does disrupt your work as you show them around the country and herd them like cats around your village while they complain/are horrified at your (i.e their current) living conditions. And well, a bunch of rich foreigners who don't get the concept of 'integration' can be something that hurts you. A week of bumbling is seen as cute by local. 2 months of it? Hurts 2nd/3rd goal hard. 3. Pretty standard; and you do get a good amount of say in where you are posted. I had 5 interviews within the training period with my APCD/PTAs on placement having me rank types of work wanted, need for electricity/water/medical, etc. I eventually got placed in a larger town than most because I need electricity to email my professors on my Masters International research, but in the 'large town' 5 hours away from anything else because I didn't really care otherwise. If they dont think you can handle a small indigenous community, they won't put you there. I promise. But even if you do? You'll learn to love it. I promise. From what I've seen, if you make it through training then you make it through your service. The only people leaving early have medical/family problems, or get jaded with administration issues as they work on their larger projects (NOTE: admin can be awesome or terrible depending on country, don't think this means yours will be bad). I entered my town not thinking I could live out in the 'brush' likes some other volunteers without water and electricity, but now I do most of my work out there and am thinking of moving over in my second year. Oh, and at least here in Benin, we don't really get put in 'very small communities.' There is a basic standard of living thanks to the Kate Puzy act that is Peace Corps-wide which requires reasonable access to emergency medical care, safety, etc. You don't find housing (or work partners, really) in the smallest villages. We do work with those, but we are generally put in the central village of a cluster and work and many smaller ones around it. The exceptions are like me (large town with nothing but desert around it) or one of my friends in a 'very small community' just outside the densest part of the nation. Though, I'll also say your Spanish skills may make you more likely to work with indigenous populations. Admin can start you on local languages immediately, so you can enter service knowing language X of your village as well as the common language of Spanish. Not to say it will be like that though. One of my friends went through 3 different local languages over training and then was given to a village that speaks a 4th language. tl;dr Don't panic, be flexible. It'll turn out great as long as you try.
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Feb 11, 2013 20:52
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For the English teachers on here, what kind of secondary projects do you do, and what percentage of your work is comprised of doing these activities?
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Feb 12, 2013 06:38
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xcdude24 posted:For the English teachers on here, what kind of secondary projects do you do, and what percentage of your work is comprised of doing these activities? I do grant work, work with two NGOs in my area (volunteerism and youth career development), three national programs (a spelling competition, a writing competition and gender equality stuff), design work (summer camp logos, journal formatting) and so on. I also do a lot of PC work - I was on the committee for rewriting our program framework, I helped rewrite our PST curriculum, I've taught 5 training sessions, I'm one of the heads of the COS committee. I'd say it ends up being 60/40 secondary/primary for me. My secondary work fills in around my primary work and occasionally I let it take precedence. My school is very forgiving, and I've helped them gain access to a lot of other opportunities and helped my teachers start new practices in the classroom/done cute holiday things. We're NOT there to be substitute teachers, so I think that is enough. At least here the secondary/primary balance is VERY MUCH what you make it. You can choose what you want to do as long as you have a basic level of support for your school.
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Feb 12, 2013 06:49
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Slaan posted:Sweet. I believe they only do English teaching there? Yep, China is just English teaching at universities/trade schools. There used to be a environmental volunteers, but they kept on trying to actually do things, which the PRC didn't care for.
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Feb 13, 2013 02:01
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xcdude24 posted:For the English teachers on here, what kind of secondary projects do you do, and what percentage of your work is comprised of doing these activities? It really depends on your country. In Bulgaria, I spent the majority of my time on secondary projects. In China less than 20%, and PCVs are generally discouraged from working with any NGOs or non-profits.
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Feb 13, 2013 02:03
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Rush Limbaugh #1! posted:It really depends on your country. In Bulgaria, I spent the majority of my time on secondary projects. In China less than 20%, and PCVs are generally discouraged from working with any NGOs or non-profits. Are there chances for volunteers to run meaningful secondary projects in China? Also -- does the Peace Corps run a second NAC before staging/departure? I (honest to god) haven't done anything wrong since my legal clearance, but I'm just curious. And thanks to China being super special, I get to find out for the third time in less than a year that I do not have TB. Woooohoooooo.
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Feb 15, 2013 01:23
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Monkey Fury posted:Are there chances for volunteers to run meaningful secondary projects in China? Yes, absolutely. Lots of people do meaningful secondary projects, but you have to be very proactive and also willing to not push too hard if you think it's going to ruffle any feathers. For example, one volunteer did amazing work at a special needs orphanage, but it took her a year to convince the administration that she wasn't just trying to get inside to do a smear piece. Just be patient at your site while you build connections and figure out what's actually possible. I have no idea about a second NAC, but I doubt it.
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Feb 15, 2013 01:55
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I accepted Panama! Now comes the fun of finishing all the paperwork and preparing. Did it before when I lived in Shanghai for a year, this should be a little more interesting. I'll definitely be back in the coming weeks with lots more questions.
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Feb 16, 2013 05:43
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I also accepted my invitation yesterday, although I'm headed to Ethiopia in July. Is it worth picking up some language software/phrasebooks, or should I just wait until training to start getting the language down?
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Feb 16, 2013 17:03
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xcdude24 posted:I also accepted my invitation yesterday, although I'm headed to Ethiopia in July. Is it worth picking up some language software/phrasebooks, or should I just wait until training to start getting the language down? Can't hurt starting now. I lived in China for eight months and it took me about 3 to 4 months to grasp a lot of the basics. If I'd started in America I could have moved to China being able to make basic sentences and I would have learned a ton more while I was there.
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Feb 16, 2013 17:15
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xcdude24 posted:I also accepted my invitation yesterday, although I'm headed to Ethiopia in July. Is it worth picking up some language software/phrasebooks, or should I just wait until training to start getting the language down? Every PCT that comes to Ethiopia having studied Amharic is destined to be placed in Oromia or Tigray. You have been warned.
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Feb 16, 2013 17:42
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Cras posted:Every PCT that comes to Ethiopia having studied Amharic is destined to be placed in Oromia or Tigray. You have been warned. Eh I don't know about that, the past few classes I've seen come through have had people going to SNNPR, Gambella, etc.
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Feb 16, 2013 19:14
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If you don't mind the expense, it doesn't hurt and it will probably help you get integrated faster. But Peace Corps language training is generally excellent so you don't have to really worry.
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Feb 16, 2013 19:33
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Forgot to say it, thank you Slaan for answering my questions. Emailed the head of my program, the head of Panama, and posted here, and this was the only place I got a reply. Hopefully if I need help in country I'll get a reply.  Browsing for my packing list and just came across this in case anyone is interested: http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/Volunteer_discounts huhu fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Feb 16, 2013 |
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Feb 16, 2013 20:46
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huhu posted:Forgot to say it, thank you Slaan for answering my questions. Emailed the head of my program, the head of Panama, and posted here, and this was the only place I got a reply. Hopefully if I need help in country I'll get a reply. Those discounts are definitely great. I've hit up Merrell and backcountry.com for some good stuff with deep discounts. I'm trying not to get too carried away and be decked out for a camping trip or something.
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Feb 17, 2013 00:42
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Diplomaticus posted:Eh I don't know about that, the past few classes I've seen come through have had people going to SNNPR, Gambella, etc. You'd still end up speaking Amharic if placed in SNNPR. Volunteers still aren't allowed to travel to Gambella - I doubt that will change any time soon. I was just warning xdude24 of the possibility that Amharic won't be useful at his potential site if it's in West Oromia or Tigray. Granted, it will still be useful when travelling - I feel pretty useless whenever I'm in Addis due to my lack of Amharic.
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Feb 17, 2013 06:59
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What are the thoughts on bringing a DSLR camera with me to Panama? I've always wanted to improve my photograph skills and I figure living abroad in Panama would be a great opportunity but I've read it's best not to be flashy.
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Feb 17, 2013 07:16
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Cras posted:You'd still end up speaking Amharic if placed in SNNPR. Volunteers still aren't allowed to travel to Gambella - I doubt that will change any time soon. I was just warning xdude24 of the possibility that Amharic won't be useful at his potential site if it's in West Oromia or Tigray. Granted, it will still be useful when travelling - I feel pretty useless whenever I'm in Addis due to my lack of Amharic. That's my point though, if he's an Amharic speaker, he could go other places (like SNNPR)*. They aren't allowed to go to Gambella? At the swearing in a few months ago I could have sworn I talked to someone who said they were going to Gambella. *"could" meaning theoretically go somewhere the language is useful; I have no idea how PC in Addis does their assignments. Leif. fucked around with this message at 07:21 on Feb 17, 2013 |
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Feb 17, 2013 07:17
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Monkey Fury posted:Also -- does the Peace Corps run a second NAC before staging/departure? I (honest to god) haven't done anything wrong since my legal clearance, but I'm just curious. With about one week left in our PST, right before swearing-in, one of the members of my training group packed up and left overnight in a huge flurry of tears and goodbyes and a choked out explanation that his sister had been hit by a car and he needed to go home to be with his family and help her recover. Those of us who lived nearby him were able to say goodbye but most of us didn't even get to see him, he was hurried away overnight. We didn't really think much of it until halfway through service, one of my friends was back home for a visit and went to a Khmer holiday celebration of some kind. Talking to other partygoers, one of them women there found out he was in the Peace Corps and happily declared that her nephew had been there, too, until he left because it was too dangerous and he said someone had mugged him and someone else had pointed a gun at him. Both of those were stories that had happened to volunteers, but they were two different people, and were still volunteers... eventually it all came out that this guy who left during training had lied to both his PC friends and to most of his family, and had been kicked out because Peace Corps continued to run background checks on everyone up until swearing-in, and they discovered that maybe two weeks before shipping out to Cambodia, he had been arrested at a house party where some guys were dealing. He ended up not getting in trouble for it, as I understand it (which could be mistaken), but because he didn't report the incident to Peace Corps and kept it hidden, they caught him and sent him home over it.
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Feb 18, 2013 00:47
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