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Monkey Fury posted:and now that you apparently get some say in where you go, it should be even easier to have a better idea of what you're getting yourself into. What?! Is this true? What kind of "say" do you get in the application now? For the record, for those of us in the PC now, you got to select a preference region/s, which you were repeatedly told they were under no obligation to fulfill. There was also a strong vein of "if you have strong preferences about where you want to go, maybe the Peace Corps isn't right for you."
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Mar 28, 2014 00:23
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Times are changing, oldtimer. I'm not sure how much I can say but it's not going to be like that anymore. I'm pretty close to the planning for the new system at my post so I'll come in when we go live and explain a little more.
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Mar 28, 2014 01:29
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Yeah, I don't know how they are going to have people pick their posts in the new system. Because everyone will try to pick the prestige posts (like Ghana, Senegal, etc.) and/or posts in more comfortable areas. Places like Micronesia and Togo? They won't get anyone!
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Mar 28, 2014 01:39
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I think you get a choice of areas based upon openings, your departure date, and whatever job you're going to end up in, and then maybe get to rank them? I dunno, I applied before these ch-ch-ch-changes
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Mar 28, 2014 08:41
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My initial interview with my Peace Corps Representative was in August of 2011 and before that interview I had to fill out a big application asking me which regions (Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, ect.) I would be willing to go to. During the interview I asked about that and my Rep basically said that you can say you'll only go to X place, and they will take that into consideration, but you have to realize it lowers your overall chance of acceptance into Peace Corps. Also your site is subject to change at any time before your official invitation is sent out. Up until about two weeks before my invitation arrived in the mail I was scheduled for Eastern Europe. Once you're training in country, about halfway through PST, you get a little form to fill out that is a "Site Request Form". You can say whatever you want, "I want to be in this city" or "I don't want to be in the East", or whatever. However, what we were told was there are 7 criteria for placement and your personal preference is basically like 6/7 in importance. Things like your personal health issues and the need of the HCAs in your country are the things that really matter. But once your site is selected you can't change it unless you choose to just leave Peace Corps. I thought the Site Request Form seemed kind of pointless mostly because when we got it we had only been in country a little over a month and had been living in one tiny area, so unless you were very familiar with your country before you moved there you really don't know enough about the different villages/cities/areas to make an informed decision. In Mongolia most people just said "Don't send me to the Gobi" or "I want to have another volunteer at my site".
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Mar 28, 2014 09:59
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That is more or less what happened here in Benin as well. Though with the added 'bonus' of completely ignoring what the previous volunteers at the site said. Don't want to be replaced? Replacement! For the love of god don't put a female volunteer here! Good luck, sister! I want a replacement. None for you!
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Mar 28, 2014 20:14
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I think I can say that it's going to be a lot more specific then any of that. It's going to be modeled on the current PCRV application system.
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Mar 31, 2014 03:23
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Any advice on what kind of information to include or focus on in my cover letter/resume/application in general? I'm just starting the process, and I'm not really sure what they're looking for. I'm a recent college grad with a liberal arts degree and a media/politics/technology background, if that is relevant at all.
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Mar 31, 2014 06:25
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I would focus on these category of things: 1. Jobs or activities you do/have done that have included a lot of stress 2. Any intercultural things you have experienced. This doesn't have to be foreigners, even. For example, if you have done tutoring in a majority-minority Boys and Girls club or have worked with a physically challenged sibling. Anything goes really. 3. Language learning and skills 4. Teaching-related and interpersonal skills. The vast majority of our work takes place in small-group teaching sessions, whether its English teaching or showing farmers how to make natural pesticides.
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Mar 31, 2014 12:54
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Well, spouse got their psychological clearance sent in Friday. Today is the first time I've heard back from Peace Corps since I sent in documents like a month ago. I got a message from the medical side saying this:quote:We have reviewed your Health History Form and other medical information you provided and have issued you a conditional medical pre-clearance. But then later they say: quote:However, in order to accommodate your [MEDICAL CONDITION], there will be limitations on where we can place you.  Anybody else get this message?
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Apr 15, 2014 00:52
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Without knowing what the condition is (and I understand why you'd like to keep that classified) there's really no more information any of us can give you than what it says right there.
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Apr 22, 2014 09:10
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I have this condition where people look into my eyes and just cannot look away. But seriously, I talked to somebody else and they made it sound like it would be okay. I just need to take this one pill every day. Somebody told me diabetics can serve, and my condition doesn't seem that severe.
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Apr 22, 2014 13:38
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For those of you in tropical climates, how bad is it to bring a pair of leather boots? I read a lot about mold and how bad it can be, but I also read if they are getting regular use it isn't that bad. I will be leaving for Sierra Leone in a little over a month and would love any packing advice.
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May 2, 2014 00:02
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I had a pair of dress shoes in Cambodia... got to wear them twice and threw them out at the end of service, they were just too moldy. If you're really dedicated you can make sure they don't get moldy I guess, but you're never going to be wearing them. It's All Tevas All the Time (or Chacos if that's your thing) out there.
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May 2, 2014 00:05
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Also if you keep them on the floor you'll find frogs in them like every single morning.
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May 2, 2014 04:38
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Are they cute frogs?
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May 2, 2014 04:41
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N. Senada posted:Are they cute frogs? No. But the Camel Spiders and Scorpions I find in my shoes here in Benin are rather adorable! I have CoS conference in exactly one week. Life is returning to normal rather fast! I'm not sure if I am  or  or 
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May 2, 2014 07:39
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Slaan posted:I have CoS conference in exactly one week. Life is returning to normal rather fast! I'm not sure if I am You and me both brother. Except all I feel is 
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May 2, 2014 11:47
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I'm now legally pre-cleared.
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May 13, 2014 14:49
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N. Senada posted:I'm now legally pre-cleared. I am now legally cleared to go home in early September!
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May 13, 2014 22:00
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I got my itinerary mailed to me and will be going home in just a few weeks. I just got back to site yesterday morning and at like 6 PM my Mongolian brother walks into my ger carrying a box filled with beer and says in broken English, "Tonight...maybe we...drink all beer." And we did.
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May 14, 2014 04:44
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Tequila Sunrise posted:I got my itinerary mailed to me and will be going home in just a few weeks. I just got back to site yesterday morning and at like 6 PM my Mongolian brother walks into my ger carrying a box filled with beer and says in broken English, "Tonight...maybe we...drink all beer." One of my finest memories of the month or two before COSing was after a farewell party the school threw for me... the school director sprang for a case of beer, so we were mixing lovely Cambodian beer (with ice of course) and some cheap rice wine to have a good party. But the beer ran out, and so people were kinda like "welp...", but I had enough of a buzz going that I was like "Don't anybody go anywhere," hopped on my bike and sped home, picked up some bungee cords, biked to the corner shop, bought a dusty case of beer for $12 (4 days wages), carefully strapped it on with the cords, and biked back to school with it so we could all keep the party going. Got nice and drunk and so had it in me to tell everyone just how much I loved them and loved working with them and how much fun I'd had over two years and how I was gonna miss them. I didn't even like all of them but it was just such a great atmosphere. I strongly encourage everyone to get really drunk with their friends at site before they leave.
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May 14, 2014 05:00
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My site is ultra-Muslim, so no getting drunk and eating pork barbeque for me.  However, they will probably let me ride a horse and take snuff tobacco.
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May 14, 2014 07:18
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I was going to pull the trigger on my application today when I just happened to find out that not only does the Peace Corps disallow people in or close to the intelligence community, the intelligence community also disallows people from the Peace Corps. Supposedly the government is so concerned with the image of the Peace Corps that they're willing to pass on people who might have gained language skills and foreign area expertise. Can anyone verify this?
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May 15, 2014 00:19
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Red Crown posted:I was going to pull the trigger on my application today when I just happened to find out that not only does the Peace Corps disallow people in or close to the intelligence community, the intelligence community also disallows people from the Peace Corps. Supposedly the government is so concerned with the image of the Peace Corps that they're willing to pass on people who might have gained language skills and foreign area expertise. Can anyone verify this? You can still work for pretty much the entire Foreign Service cadre of agencies.
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May 15, 2014 00:56
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Red Crown posted:I was going to pull the trigger on my application today when I just happened to find out that not only does the Peace Corps disallow people in or close to the intelligence community, the intelligence community also disallows people from the Peace Corps. Supposedly the government is so concerned with the image of the Peace Corps that they're willing to pass on people who might have gained language skills and foreign area expertise. Can anyone verify this? This is untrue. There is a waiting period between them which varies from agency to agency usually around 5 years I think, but you most definitely can work in intelligence as an RPCV. But you're right that the reverse is verboten.
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May 15, 2014 01:23
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Back in the USA after my service ending unexpectedly early. Found out that my spouse is pregnant, which has made for interesting life changes in more way than one. Learned the news one day in country and was back home approximately a week later. Things happen quickly, and it's all kind of surreal. I received an "interrupted service" and my spouse a medical separation. An honorable discharge, all in all. The PC pretty much told us to pack our things and be ready to leave ASAP, because it sounds like they don't give you much wiggle room now on pregnancies. Apparently in the past they'd let you stick around a while, depending on the country. Now I think they are more concerned about the liability of something going wrong if you stay at your site. I'm happy to answer questions if anyone has any.
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May 15, 2014 15:24
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You were serving with your spouse then, right? Were you guys trained together or separately? How much time did you get to see each other? What was your site (if you don't mind sharing that)? Assuming your pregnant spouse was a woman, how was she treated during her service? Were her ideas or actions undermined or dismissed because she was a woman? Did you both work together or have separate assignments. If your assignments were separate, could you describe what your daily schedule was like? Hope I'm not coming off too strong here.
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May 15, 2014 16:07
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N. Senada posted:You were serving with your spouse then, right? Not coming off too strong! I had all of the same questions when we were applying. We were in the same sector so we trained together. We got to see each other all of the time, because we lived together, trained together, studied together, socialized together, etc. We happened to be in the same language classes too, because we were at the same level. If we weren't, we wouldn't have been together for a good number of hours of language training. We were in a small town in the Dominican Republic. My pregnant spouse is in fact a woman. I would say that she was treated pretty well during our service. Women in the DR are subject to a lot of sexual harassment, but it was actually a lot easier for my wife than for single female volunteers. Whenever we were together, it was rare that people would make cat calls or approach her. She still had her fair share, however. (Dominicans aren't particularly faithful or worry too much about whether a person is married.) Although the DR is a sexist/machista country, women are involved in public life and I wouldn't say that her ideas or actions were dismissed or undermined much. I know that it would happen in subtle ways by men in positions of power, but it wasn't like she couldn't get work done. Again, this may have been less of an issue because we were often working together, so it's hard to say how it would have been different if it were just her. Overall, we spent pretty much all of our time working together and otherwise just together. Some married couples seem scared by this prospect and encourage you to spend time apart or pursue separate projects. I think it depends on your own relationship with your spouse. Some people can't handle spending that much time together or don't work well together. We and other PC couples I know work well together and opt to spend as much time together as possible, so it was actually a positive thing for us. I remember being advised by a volunteer to demand separate sectors, or at minimum, separate projects. We ended up with the same sector and project (as did the other married couples in our group), and I don't think this was an issue for us. With that said, we had slightly different focuses in our work due to our different strengths, and we could have pursued different projects had we chosen to. In summary, if you are in the same sector with your spouse, you will probably spend a LOT of time together. This could be super awesome for you or put stress on your relationship, all depending on your particular situation. Similarly, the way a married woman is treated in her work will depend widely on your host country/culture. I think we ended up with a really laid back site in those terms, but I know some people are in cultures where gender relations are really different and less flexible. Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 17:25 on May 15, 2014 |
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May 15, 2014 17:21
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Got accepted to do youth development, shipping out at the beginning of next year. Anyone want to give me some tips and tricks?
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Jun 17, 2014 20:58
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Start ramping up your drinking now so that your liver is used to to by the time you go. Actual answer: I'm not sure what Youth Dev. does, really, but it sounds pretty obvious. I would try to read up on how youth programs work here in the States and issues common amongst teenagers- sex ed., anger/time management, sports, etc. In a lot of (most?) places, we do not have transportation other than our feet or maybe a bike. Get used to walking around if you don't already run/walk; preferably, with a light backpack on to harden your shoulders too. I walk about 2 hours a day to various things with a backpack weighing 20 pounds. Make sure you call the guys at med, transport, etc early to make sure that all of your things are going through. If I hadn't called medical, I wouldn't have known that they had lost a test result that I needed to redo. So call them to keep things moving. But no, really, start drinking now. 
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Jun 18, 2014 07:26
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Youth volunteers run lots of youth groups. In training they'll give you a handful of materials for running different groups. Camp GLOW (Chicas Brillantes) and Supermen were two popular programs in my country for girls and boys, respectively. Another one was for teenagers and was mostly about sex stuff and making good decisions. Some people did a sports/AIDs thing, Grassroots Soccer. I was always a little jealous of the youth volunteers, because I felt like we all ended up gravitating to that stuff anyways, and working with youth groups is probably the only sure fire success for most people's service. Since I was in Education/Literacy, I would joke that it was like the youth sector with the fun parts taken out ("Hey kids, let's learn basic literacy!"). All the kids wanted to do was be in a fun club anyways, and you could better convey a lot of the same literacy/education stuff through that informal channel without kids realizing it. Get comfortable embarrassing yourself in front of assorted groups of people. That's basically what PC boils down to.
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Jun 18, 2014 16:44
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Slaan posted:
Joke's on you, I'm going to a predominantly Islamic state where alcohol (while not strictly illegal) is discouraged. 
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Jun 20, 2014 17:11
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N. Senada posted:Joke's on you, I'm going to a predominantly Islamic state where alcohol (while not strictly illegal) is discouraged. May I ask where? In my experience that was not a severe limitation.
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Jun 21, 2014 07:32
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I was going to PM you, but I guess it's not a big deal. It's Morocco. Anyone stationed there right now?
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Jun 21, 2014 17:02
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RagnarokAngel posted:May I ask where? In my experience that was not a severe limitation. Yeah, the whole thing about being flexible, adapting to local customs, learning the ways of our host country nationals? They don't mean things like adapting to local religious customs and dress code. They totally, 100% mean that we are to be flexible and adaptable with how we get and hide our booze.
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Jun 21, 2014 23:00
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Slaan posted:They totally, 100% mean that we are to be flexible and adaptable with how we get and hide our booze. If that's the case, I'm gonna be one hell of a PCV!
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Jun 29, 2014 07:59
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Made it safe into PSt in sierra Leone or the Ebola capital of the world right now. Been here for almost a month and am really enjoying it. Learn my site placement on Wednesday and can't wait to find out.
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Jul 14, 2014 20:42
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Question to couples who met in PC, and maybe married couples as well. What do you guys do for fun? I'm getting a little tired of meeting up in the regional capital and getting a hotel room.
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Jul 30, 2014 20:04
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huhu posted:Question to couples who met in PC, and maybe married couples as well. What do you guys do for fun? I'm getting a little tired of meeting up in the regional capital and getting a hotel room. Honestly, my wife and I (met before PC) would lay low, watch stuff on our computer, and maybe wander around our podunk town a little and have a beer on weekends. We liked to take long walks through the campo, which was the main form of entertainment. Wish I had a better answer for you--PC can be boring. I imagine it's more so for single volunteers. Since we were in the Dominican Republic, we tried to hit the beach every other weekend or so. We were actually some of the PCVs farthest from the beach, for what it's worth. I think the others were beaching it much more regularly. I know a lot of the single volunteers would have to coordinate their R&R days to meet up, which could get expensive. We had the advantage of always being able to share a cheap hotel room.
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Jul 30, 2014 20:39
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