Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
Moon Slayer
Jun 19, 2007

:siren: This site got the Peace Corps Medical Screening Manuel from a few years ago via the Freedom of Information Act. Read it if you have any questions about medically qualifying to serve! :siren:

Note: If you are really curious about or interested in the Peace Corps, your first stop should really be the Peace Corps’ website.

There's also the first thread, started by MadcapViking back in 2007. Information is kind of scattered in that one, but if you feel like reading it you can track several of us through the entire application process.

Moon Slayer’s Quick Guide to Peace Corps Acronyms (MSQGPCA)
PCV – Peace Corps Volunteer
PCT – Peace Corps Trainee
PST – Pre-Service Training
RPCV – Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
ET – Early Termination (going home early for whatever reason)
COS – Close of Service (finishing up your two years)
Site – not an acronym, but this is what we call the place where we live and work.

-What is the Peace Corps?
Chances are, if you are American, you have heard of the Peace Corps before. It’s been around since the 1960’s. But in case you aren’t sure, simply put the Peace Corps is an organization that recruits volunteers and sends them to developing countries. The official goals of the Peace Corps, as copied from my volunteer handbook, are:

1: To help people of interested countries meet their needs for trained men and women.
2: To help promote a better understanding of the American people on the part of the people served.
3: To promote a better understanding of other people on the part of the American people.

Peace Corps is part of the US government! It is not an NGO! My bosses’ bosses’ bosses’ bosses’ bosses’ boss is Hillary Clinton.

-What do the volunteers do?
Again, your best bet would be to check the website. But there are several fields that volunteers work in. Being in a country where there is only an English program, I can’t really talk a lot about the other programs. Hopefully the Peace Corps goons in this thread will give more information on them. These are the program, as cribbed from the Peace Corps website. If anyone who is currently working or worked in these programs wants to type up a short little description, I'll add it to the OP.

-English teaching: Can you speak English? Then you can teach it in a school, apparently. This is sort of the “catch-all” field in Peace Corps. Unless you have specific qualifications in the other fields, then this is what you will (most likely) be doing. If you DO happen to have English education credentials, you will probably be teaching at a higher level then those of us with useless liberal arts degrees. For example, I teach in a rural High School, but the volunteers who have English ed. backgrounds are teaching in Regional Teacher Training Centers or at very large High Schools in provincial towns.

-Youth Development:

-Health: The name pretty much speaks for itself. To be a volunteer in this field you need to have some sort of health background, such as being an RN, or certified in something. Health ed. volunteers typically (I think) work in medium-sized health centers.

-Business and Information and Communications Technology: Be an IT guy but in the third world!

-Agriculture: Goon PCVs currently working in this field: the shill

-Environment: Goon PCVs currently working in this field: SlantedTruth

Also, all volunteers are expected to try and do something related to HIV/AIDS prevention, regardless of what field you are in.

Peace Corps volunteers live in-country for two years + two months of training.

-I don’t have any background in any of those fields; could I still join?
Sure, but just know that you will probably be teaching English. As stated above, the English education field is where they put people without any other qualifications. For example, I have a degree in Political Science. No other English teaching skills. Before they let me join, though, I had to do 30 hours of volunteer English tutoring or teaching. I’ll talk more about this later.

-I'm a Computer Science major/have IT experience/want to do IT work! What do IT volunteers do?
Only one goon(that we know of) has been a volunteer working in the IT field. Here's what they have to say about it:

reddeh posted:

Alright, here is my story.

I graduated with a degree in Biochemistry, so no a CS degree is not mandatory. I have however worked several IT related jobs (web design, campus IT work), which is what got me the position. Initially I was accepted as a Secondary Science Education volunteer, but was called by the placement office to ask if I would be willing to change to an ICT program.

As far as actual work went, my assigned counterpart was the head of the IT branch of an NGO in my village. He was almost always in the capital city of the country and I barely saw him. I worked mainly with the 4 other people in the department. In my time there I helped teach web design principles, worked on a multi-day seminar on open source software, and helped draft a plan for a community multimedia center.

I also worked with a handicap cooperative that another business volunteer was working with to help revamp their website and create a way for them to market their goods globally. My biggest regret is that I didnt get to finish, or follow up on that project because both I and the other volunteer were separated within a month of one another for illnesses.

The third IT-related project I worked on was with an international organization (Plan) in my village to teach basic computing classes to middle-school aged children. This was tough at the start, because french is an evil language and difficult to master, but once the kids understood my accent everything went really well. This I would consider to be the most rewarding work that I did. Seeing children go from looking at the mouse, then screen, then back at the mouse to move the cursor to being able to type ~60wpm and navigate windows over several weeks was amazing and made me feel like I was accomplishing things.

Beyond that, I did alot of HIV/AIDS work as well as work with a local orphanage tutoring children there. There are all sorts of other little projects, but they arent as important. Basically as an IT worker, you do what is needed and hope that it amounts to something. I didn't have internet access in village, so doing research for projects was often times a lengthy process involving a 6 hour taxi ride to the capital where I could use the internet at the Peace Corps bureau.

Hope this was informative, if you have any other questions feel free to ask!

-What requirements are there for joining Peace Corps?
-You must have a bachelor’s degree, and you must be able to pass a medical and background check. Beyond that, you must have PATIENCE and FLEXIBILITY. You will hear those words a lot.

-Why join Peace Corps?
Now that’s a tricky question. After all, you are giving up two years of your life to live in conditions far less comfortable than the ones back home. Everyone has their own different reasons for joining Peace Corps. For one thing, Peace Corps service looks GREAT on grad school applications and resumes. With the economy tanking right now, it’s a great thing to do right after college. Maybe you just like to travel, or want to see the world on the government’s dime while doing something meaningful. If you are really interested, ask yourself what your reasons are.

-I want to join Peace Corps so I can feed all the hungry people of the world and solve their problems!-
Reality check. You are one person in a very small part of the world, with almost no resources to work with. There is a chance are you will not make a significant difference in anyone’s life during your service. This is not just cynical goon talk here. It is widely recognized in the Peace Corps community that the most frustrated volunteers, and the ones most likely to early terminate their service, are the ones who come into it with this "save the world" attitude. Yes, you might have the opportunity to help people. But it will be on a very small scale. And so much depends on where your site is. What you will be able to do at your site varies widely not only from country to country, but widely within a country as well.

In the end, how much you are able to do during your service will come down to two things: your site and you. You might wind up at a site where people have plenty of enthusiasm to work with you, or find yourself having access to NGO's or other resources. Or you might find yourself at a site with nothing for hundreds of miles and with people who couldn't care less that you are there (or just see you as a potential walking ATM machine). Every situation is different; it's up to you to try and make the most out of what you get.

reddeh put it even better:

reddeh posted:

Also, time spent is amazingly beneficial. Don't look at it as "saving the world", look at it as a way to spend an extended period of time living in a completely foreign culture and learning all you can while also teaching people who may have never actually talked to an American before about US culture. Thats why the 2nd and 3rd goal of the Peace Corps are the most important/pertinent. Its a cultural exchange, with work thrown in that may or may not pan out.

If you're going in just for the grad school boost, good luck making it two years. If you're going for a complete change of scenery and a desire to do something beyond anything you've done before and completely challenge yourself then you're making the right choice.


-How do I join the Peace Corps?

We get a lot of questions in this thread about whether or not we think you will get in based on your resume. Iwate said this, which struck me as very poignant:

Iwate posted:

It is not just about how qualified you are, but more so about how much endurance you have to complete the application process. You have to be patient and flexible. These two words will come up the most during the application, and you should say "I am patient and flexible" verbatim during the interview at least 2000x's.

Ok, this is a long one. Joining the Peace Corps is a long, multi-stage process that can take a LONG time. I’ll break the steps down for you:

Step 1 - THE APPLICATION: Fill out the online application. It’s long, but pretty simple and self-explanatory.

Step 2 – THE INTERVIEW: After you submit your application, you will (hopefully) be contacted by a recruiter from your regional Peace Corps office, who will schedule an interview. You will also get several forms in the mail. Among other forms to fill out and information, they will include a form on which you will need to get yourself fingerprinted. This can be done at your local police station. Some regional offices will allow you to get fingerprinted right there after your interview, though. Make sure you ask them if they do since it will save you an extra trip. For the interview, you will go in to the regional office, and the recruiter will ask you questions. It’s a pretty typical interview, and the usual interview rules apply: dress nice, don’t be an rear end in a top hat, etc. At this time you will also be asked when you will be willing to depart the country. This, and your qualifications will do the most to determine what country you wind up in.

Step 3 – NOMINATION: Assuming you don’t completely bomb your interview, the recruiter will then nominate you to a program. This doesn’t mean you are in, it means you are being considered. But they won’t tell you what country you are in the running for. Some internet detective work, particularly among the various Facebook groups, will probably give you a good idea as to what country you might be going to, but there’s no way to be sure. At this point you will get the forms for your medical and dental checks.

THE MEDICAL CHECK IS THE MOST DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING PART OF THIS WHOLE PROCESS!

There are so many horror stories about this stage of the application process. My only advice is to get started on it as quickly as possible, because many, many things can go wrong. Mine went smoothly and only took a few weeks, but I’m sure other goons will be willing to share their horror stories.

Also during this time, if you have been nominated for an English education program, and you don’t have any experience in this field, you will be asked to get 30 hours of English teaching experience before you can go to the next step. Contact your local schools, talk to professors, do something to find a program that will let you volunteer. It really isn’t that hard to find something.

After you send in your medical and dental forms, they will be gone over at Peace Corps Washington. Any inconsistencies will require them to call you or send your forms back for clarification, which may require you to schedule another appointment, which can add weeks to this process, which may cause you to miss your programs departure date, which could add months to this process. It is very important that you and the physician doing your physical pay close attention to the form!

Step 4 – THE INVITATION: After your medical and dental forms are reviewed and cleared and your background check is done (and doesn’t come back showing you are a sex offender or something), you will receive your invitation packet. Congratulations! This means that you are in. Your invitation packet will tell you what country you are going to, what program you are working in, and some country-specific information typed up by the in-country staff. Now all you need to do is pack.

How long can this whole process take? Every one has a different experience with it. But a good rule of thumb is six months to a year. This is not always the case. It can take longer or shorter. For example, I started the process from the very beginning in late February of 2008. I had my interview at the end of March, my medical stuff sent in by the end of April, and my 30 hours of tutoring done by the first week in May. I got my invitation in mid-May and left for staging at the end of July.

But wait! You aren’t a volunteer yet. There are still a few stages to go through. Starting with:

STAGING: This is a two day event that takes place right before you leave the country. The city it is held in is based upon what area of the world you are going to. I was going to South-East Asia, so my staging was held in San Francisco. Also, I hope you like icebreaker activities!

PRE-SERVICE TRAINING (PST): This is your first two months in country. During this time you will be living with a host family and spending your days getting intensive language and cultural training. During the second month sessions will switch over to technical training.

SWEAR-IN: Congratulations, you are finally a volunteer! By this point you probably will hate all in-country staff and a good percentage of your fellow volunteers. Don’t worry; it gets much better from here. Interestingly enough, the oath you take to begin your service is the same oath taken by members of the armed services, and the Vice President.

Where do/did the Peace Corps goons serve?

Here is a list of goons who are currently serving in the Peace Corps, or are RPCV’s. Also, a link to their blogs for further reading on day-to-day life in the Peace Corps.

Currently serving:
RagnarokAngel - PCV Indonesia (2011-2013)
Pieter de Hooch - PCV Kenya (2010-2012)
Fuschia tude - PCV Ethiopia (2011-2013)
Stuntcat - PCV Georgia (2011-2013)
HAIL eSATA-n PCV Zambia (2012-2014)
Darfuri War Orphan - PCV Mongolia (2012-2014)
the shill - Ecuador (2011-2013) Blog
SlantedTruth - Malawi (2010-2012)
Winna - Vanuatu (2010-2012)
Slaan - Benin (2012-2014)

RPCVs
Evil Adam - RPCV Madagascar (2007-2009)Blog
pragan4 - RPCV Nicaragua (2007-2009)Blog
CronoGamer – RPCV Cambodia (2007-2009)
Moon Slayer - RPCV Cambodia (2008-2009)
MadcapViking – RPCV Bulgaria (2007-2009) Blog
LabCreatedAmber - RPCV Macedonia (2003-2006)
reddeh - RPCV Togo (2008-2009)
melaneyelia - RPCV St. Lucia (2008-2010) Blog
Lisle of Beringia - RPCV Morroco (2008-2010)
lucky garnett - RPCV Kyrgyz Republic (2009-2011)Blog
Rush Limbaugh #1! - RPCV China (2008-2010), RPCV Bulgaria (2006-2008)
Heliotroph - RPCV Panama (2009-2011)
Aggro Craig – RPCV Jamaica Blog
Grimson - RPCV Cambodia (2011-2013)

Also, this site is a directory for the blogs of currently serving volunteers all over the globe.

NOTE: This list is just those that I could remember off the top of my head while at site. If you want to be included in the OP tell me where you are! Also, blog links would provide some nice extra reading.

I have a mental condition/drug allergy/dental issue/etc. Will this prevent me from joining?

That’s a very hard question for us to answer (not that it will stop people asking), but a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you would be fine living in a place where you do not have any access to medical facilities. If you don’t think you can, you will be severely limited in which countries Peace Corps will be able to send you to. Not that you couldn’t still join and even be a very effective volunteer, but with less places to choose from it’s more likely you will have difficulty getting accepted into a program.

-I want to do something like this, but I’m not American. Are there any programs like it outside the US?
There are indeed! You will want to check out the VSO or the VSA.

-Does anyone know anything about the Master's International program?
The Master's International program is a way for you to get graduate school credit while doing your Peace Corps service. It's only available through certain programs at certain schools, so check out the Peace Corps website for information on what can qualify.

Goons Mu Cow and SlantedTruth are doing Masters International programs, so address questions about that program to them.

If you have something that you want to add to the OP, or if I got something completely wrong, or if I just sound like an idiot, let me know and I will do my best to fix it.

Moon Slayer fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Aug 9, 2013

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Liar
Dec 14, 2003

Smarts > Wisdom
What happens if they send you off to some random country, and then you just say 'screw this' and leave? Do they court martial you, or are you free to come and go as you see fit?

Omits-Bagels
Feb 13, 2001
I sent my application to the PC in January '09, and I finally got my nomination in August '09. I'm nominated for Northern Africa/Middle East (only Morocco and Jordan are in that region) as a business adviser scheduled to leave September 2010.

I had my interview over the phone because my regional officer is in Chicago and I live in Kansas City. I found a list of typically asked interview questions on a Peace Corps wiki page and the interview was pretty much word for word. This helped calm my nerves because I wrote bullet points about each question. The interview took like 40 minutes.

When I first applied I was really only interested in serving in Eastern Europe. I was really considering going back to school after the PC to get an MBA with a regional focus on Eastern Europe. So when my recruiter asked me where I was interested in serving I told him I had a strong preference for EE/Central Aisa. I asked him if this would hurt my application and he said it was better to pick somewhere you're interested in than risk taking the chance of being send somewhere you would hate. So I limited myself to that region for that round of nominations (May '09). My recruiter call me up on the first week of May and said I didn't get a nomination. There were 10 people for ever spot and even people with MBAs were getting skipped over. He said I would have to wait for the next round on nominations in August.

Right before the next round of nominations rolled around I called my recruiter to tell him I was still interested. He then told me that they wouldn't even consider people who state a preference for a specific region and that only people who were 100% open to going anywhere would be considered. I told them to send me anywhere and a week later I got my nomination for Northern Africa/Middle East. I later found out that they don't even offer business advising positions in the Middle East region so that narrows my potential placements down to Morocco.

My nomination took so long because: 1) I stated a regional preference at first, 2)I don't speak and foreign languages and 3) my recruiter only felt comfortable nominating me for business advising positions (which is fine because I don't want to teach kids english as my main job).

I'm working on my medical junk right now (no health insurance). I got my dental done for free. My medical has been a little tougher. Getting all these blood tests done is expensive without insurance. I called my local health department and they told me they wouldn't do physicals for "work or school" and they also wouldn't do any of my blood work. Then I called the big VA hospital in KC and they said they were too busy to do stuff like this. Then I called the smaller regional VA clinics in the smaller towns within an hour of KC. They wouldn't do anything either. I then called another county health clinic in the county next to mine. And they were really helpful. They agreed to do the physical based on a sliding scale payment plan (I'm in the AmeriCorps so I get paid at the poverty level). Then they agreed to do my lab tests for like 50 bucks. They said that was lower than what they even pay for the tests. She said it should all cost $70-$90. I have to get some other shots (TD and polio) and Tb test so those will cost around $70. So I'm figuring around $200 for all my medical tests. Also, the PC reimburses you up to $125 so hopefully I won't have to pay more than $50-$70 out of pocket.

I still need to do my eye exam. I don't wear glasses and my eyesight is fine, so it is annoying that I have to get them tested. Luckily a family friend is an optometrist, so I need to see if she'll do it for free/cheap.

Hopefully the medical tests go well. I hear the real horror is when one of your tests is a little off and you jump through hoops to get it all figured out.

Liar posted:

What happens if they send you off to some random country, and then you just say 'screw this' and leave? Do they court martial you, or are you free to come and go as you see fit?

This happens all the time. You just meet with them and talk about it. If you still want to leave they send you home.

Omits-Bagels fucked around with this message at 17:06 on Sep 6, 2009

Evil Adam
Jul 18, 2003

He's very good.
You can add my name to the RPCV list. I was in Madagascar June 2007 until we were evacuated in March 2009 (coup d'état). My blog is at http://adamgascar.blogspot.com and was updated 2-3 times a week for almost my entire service.

Pharmaskittle
Dec 17, 2007

arf arf put the money in the fuckin bag

1. I've been totally cool since, but a couple years ago I was treated for a few months for depression. If they see that on my medical record, is it going to be an issue?

2. I'm a registered EMT-B (but, due to no job opportunities, have no field experience aside from clinicals.) Would this open up any other positions for me that my English BA wouldn't?

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen

Moon Slayer posted:

I got something completely wrong, or if I just sound like an idiot, let me know and I will do my best to fix it.

I don't care how many lols you've got for it, Kampuchea 1 is SO vastly superior to Kampuchea 2- admit it. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

Also, may make sense to link back to the original thread if people feel like poring over that big mess.

edit: also, I disagree pretty strongly with "Chances are you will not make a significant difference in anyone’s life during your service". You don't know what kind of impact you've had or will have had over your two years. While I may not have saved the world, or even my village, over the course of my two years, I am quite confident that I had a lasting, serious impact on the lives of a lot of people there- just as they did on me.

Evil Adam
Jul 18, 2003

He's very good.

Pharmaskittle posted:

1. I've been totally cool since, but a couple years ago I was treated for a few months for depression. If they see that on my medical record, is it going to be an issue?

2. I'm a registered EMT-B (but, due to no job opportunities, have no field experience aside from clinicals.) Would this open up any other positions for me that my English BA wouldn't?

If you so much as hint that you have a history of depression, you can pretty much forget about Peace Corps. On the plus side, they're a lazy government bureaucracy and won't check up on it if you lie about it and don't mention it.

You'd be qualified to do the health programs, but I know people who qualified to do health education because they took a single course in college about a health-related issue. So, not really.

Mr. 47
Jul 8, 2008

Well, I guess I'll just go fuck myself, then.
Question:

I've always thought that joining the Peace Corps would be pretty cool when I finish my degree. Here's the problem: I've been an Intelligence Specialist in the U.S. Navy for several years.

I was told from a somewhat-reliable source that the Peace Corps wants so badly to avoid even the image that they are involved in covert activities that any involvement with the Intel community renders you ineligible for Peace Corps Service.

Is this true? or was I misinformed?

Omits-Bagels
Feb 13, 2001

Mr. 47 posted:

Question:

I've always thought that joining the Peace Corps would be pretty cool when I finish my degree. Here's the problem: I've been an Intelligence Specialist in the U.S. Navy for several years.

I was told from a somewhat-reliable source that the Peace Corps wants so badly to avoid even the image that they are involved in covert activities that any involvement with the Intel community renders you ineligible for Peace Corps Service.

Is this true? or was I misinformed?

Working in intel is an automatic denial.


Pharmaskittle posted:

1. I've been totally cool since, but a couple years ago I was treated for a few months for depression. If they see that on my medical record, is it going to be an issue?

I hear the depression issue is a pain in the rear end. I've heard of people mentioned going to one session when they were 12 and having to jump through red tape and cut through hoops just for that.
Evil Adam is probably right about them not checking up on your past medical info. But, being in the PC can lead to depression (because of the isolation) so you have to remember that. Its a judgment call on our part.

Omits-Bagels fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Sep 7, 2009

Evil Adam
Jul 18, 2003

He's very good.

Omits-Bagels posted:

Working in intel is an automatic denial.


I hear the depression issue is a pain in the rear end. I've heard of people mentioned going to one session when they were 12 and having to jump through red tape and cut through hoops just for that.
Evil Adam is probably right about them not checking up on your past medical info. But, being in the PC can lead to depression (because of the isolation) so you have to remember that. Its a judgment call on our part.

Can lead to or will lead to? Rest assured you will be depressed many, many times throughout your service.

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen
But you'll also be thrilled and have an amazing time many, many times throughout your service. It's a rollercoaster ride, sure, but in my experience the ups were higher than the lows were low.

Peace Corps isn't an easy experience but I don't think it's fair to dump a lot of negative energy into this topic; it's fair to warn potential PCVs of the difficulties but I think it's a little much to say "Rest assured you WILL be depressed many, many times".

Pharmaskittle
Dec 17, 2007

arf arf put the money in the fuckin bag

Well, I'll probably just avoid mentioning it. It's not like I was committed or tried to off myself or anything nuts. Basically, things had ended between my fiance and I, and I was like, "Well poo poo, I feel awful. This is the kind of thing people go and see shrinks about to make sure it doesn't get crazy, right?" So it was me getting a professional to help me through a part of my life that I knew was going to be really terrible.

So, that spawned some more questions. Isolation? As in, you don't see other people that are in the program for most of the time you're there, or it's hard to make friends across cultural boundaries, or what? I'd think that lovely conditions would factor in, but I went to the University of Hurricane Katrina, so I think I have a little bit of an idea of my tolerance for that.

Also, if you get into teaching english (probably what I'm most qualified for), is that all you ever do, period? Or can you go do some manual labor on the weekends? I think I'd be okay with the "not making a difference" thing, but it'd make it a million times easier if I could see a tangible thing that I did. Even if it's just one house that I helped build/rebuild.

Evil Adam
Jul 18, 2003

He's very good.

Pharmaskittle posted:

Well, I'll probably just avoid mentioning it. It's not like I was committed or tried to off myself or anything nuts. Basically, things had ended between my fiance and I, and I was like, "Well poo poo, I feel awful. This is the kind of thing people go and see shrinks about to make sure it doesn't get crazy, right?" So it was me getting a professional to help me through a part of my life that I knew was going to be really terrible.

So, that spawned some more questions. Isolation? As in, you don't see other people that are in the program for most of the time you're there, or it's hard to make friends across cultural boundaries, or what? I'd think that lovely conditions would factor in, but I went to the University of Hurricane Katrina, so I think I have a little bit of an idea of my tolerance for that.

Also, if you get into teaching english (probably what I'm most qualified for), is that all you ever do, period? Or can you go do some manual labor on the weekends? I think I'd be okay with the "not making a difference" thing, but it'd make it a million times easier if I could see a tangible thing that I did. Even if it's just one house that I helped build/rebuild.

The answer to a lot of these questions is "it depends on your site." I was isolated. No within a reasonable distance, no phone service for hours around, no post office even. I could have sent letters by taxi brousse to town and then off into Madagascar, but the time that would have taken/reliability never made it seem worth it. On the other hand, there were plenty of volunteers who had a sitemate (another volunteer from a different sector, usually) or even 2 or 3. Some volunteers had lots of foreigners in their towns. A few had internet in their town. Most had phone coverage. So, isolation is totally random (at least for Madagascar). I imagine other countries have better/worse conditions. But, when I went to site, I was off the grid entirely. I could not be reached by the outside world and I could not reach them.

Making friends depends on you, depends on who lives at your site, depends on the culture, depends on your language ability, even depends on your assignment. As an English teacher, I interacted with students 11-23 (I was 22-23 at the time). Sure, I became friendly with a few in a teacher/student way, and one guy I'd consider my friend (19 I think), but the problem was that almost none of them lived in my town. That is, 90% of the people I interacted with on a daily basis lived miles and miles away and went home as soon as school let out in order to get home before dark/to cook dinner. My town was very remote and therefore the other teachers lived in the big city a couple hours away. So they came for 2 days, taught their classes, and left. They were also typically quite a bit older than I was/am.

I was friendly with a bunch of people site, but the Malagasy culture is very resistant to foreigners and, at least in my town, always kept their distance. There were a few who would help me out in a bind, or I'd say hello to walking past, but by and large they wanted nothing to do with me. There wasn't a single time I walked down the road (in a town of about 1500 people) that I wouldn't be ridiculed, laughed at, mocked, and stared at. I can only speak for my own experience, your mileage may vary.

Your last question is easier to answer: absolutely. I was only asked to teach 12 hours a week the first year and 15 the second year. So from Wednesday afternoon to Monday morning I was totally on my own. My good friend spent way more time planting rice and cattle herding than he did teaching English. I chose not to and just made myself available to tutor at home (I'd usually get 1-2 students a day during the week). Basic existence was time consuming enough that cooking/cleaning/etc took up most of the daylight hours, and reading/studying/music filled the night hours. But if you want to do something more productive with your time, no one's going to stop you. You won't have much training on the stuff (planting rice for example) but you can either ask someone to show you, or ask Peace Corps for available resources (books, handouts, etc.) to show you what to do.

Omits-Bagels
Feb 13, 2001
On the medical physical, what does the anus/rectum exam entail?

Evil Adam
Jul 18, 2003

He's very good.

Omits-Bagels posted:

On the medical physical, what does the anus/rectum exam entail?

There is no rectal exam...

Call the police.

angrytaxman
Apr 16, 2006

Mr. 47 posted:

Question:

I've always thought that joining the Peace Corps would be pretty cool when I finish my degree. Here's the problem: I've been an Intelligence Specialist in the U.S. Navy for several years.

I was told from a somewhat-reliable source that the Peace Corps wants so badly to avoid even the image that they are involved in covert activities that any involvement with the Intel community renders you ineligible for Peace Corps Service.

Is this true? or was I misinformed?

Here's the form that talk about ineligibility due to working in the intelligence community: http://www.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/employment/form1336.pdf

GhostOfTomNook
Aug 17, 2003

El gallo Pinto no pinta,
el que pinta es el pintor.


You can add me to the OP. Nicaragua 2007-2009, blog. We finished in June but I still like talking to people about it. There's also another goon that is still in Nicaragua.

Omits-Bagels
Feb 13, 2001

Evil Adam posted:

There is no rectal exam...

Call the police.

I mean the anus/rectum check-box on the medical form.

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen
I didn't get the rectal exam on my medical. The doctor didn't wanna do it and i didn't want him to so it was just checked off, I think. But I know a lot of the other PCVs in my group were furious to hear that because they had to suffer a finger up the butt. Never really did determine if it's necessary or not, actually.

And the intel thing is cut-and-dry: if you've worked in Intel, you're outta luck. Sorry. They have enough trouble convincing locals that we're not spies to begin with, even with all the distance from the intel community. Peace Corps to intel, however, is a little different- you have to wait a period of 5 years after working for PC before you can take an intel job (at least the CIA and the DIA- I believe it applies to military as well).

edit: Huh. Just read the pdf up a few posts. My understanding was that non-CIA intel was off-limits too, from talking to friends in USMC intel. Maybe that's not the case. Interesting.

Mr. 47
Jul 8, 2008

Well, I guess I'll just go fuck myself, then.

angrytaxman posted:

Here's the form that talk about ineligibility due to working in the intelligence community: http://www.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/employment/form1336.pdf

Thank you. There was some really good info in there.

Dance McPants
Mar 11, 2006


Omits-Bagels posted:

I mean the anus/rectum check-box on the medical form.

I had one of those, as did about half the PCVs in my group. My physician told me she was just checking to make sure my rear end could handle potential violent diarrhea or what-have-you (and boy did I have it for the first two months.)

OP, here's a link to my blog if you want to include it:

http://craigspcblog.blogspot.com/

Also, here's a site that has links to lots of PCV blogs from lots of countries that would be good in the OP.

http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/?home

They must periodically search for blogs because mine is up there without me putting it on. I would highly recommend this for any Invitees, as you have little time to decide if you accept your given country and the blogs are a good example of what your days will be like. Also, you could email the PCVs with questions before you decide.

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen

Aggro Craig posted:

I had one of those, as did about half the PCVs in my group. My physician told me she was just checking to make sure my rear end could handle potential violent diarrhea or what-have-you (and boy did I have it for the first two months.)

Hahaha, what? How on earth does a finger (or two?) up the butt check if you can handle violent diarrhea? At least it was a woman :pervert:

quote:

They must periodically search for blogs because mine is up there without me putting it on.

Yeah, I think they periodically just google for it, though they don't actually check them at all. Mine is up there and I didn't update a single time in-country- my last post was at staging, which cracks me up because then it looks like my plane crashed or something.

Dance McPants
Mar 11, 2006


CronoGamer posted:

Hahaha, what? How on earth does a finger (or two?) up the butt check if you can handle violent diarrhea? At least it was a woman :pervert:

That was just her reasoning for the exam, I think she was just reaching for some explanation as to why the government wanted my rear end examined. She was very thorough and didn't sign off on anything she didn't do, which meant repeat visits for the tests and the aforementioned "Surprise! Finger(s)-up-the-butt!"

And no, I didn't ask/look to see if it was one or two fingers. I just know the lube was very cold, and there was a lot of it, which made for an awkward afternoon (I still had to get my eye exam that day and do some shopping.) And yes, it was a woman, who happened to look and talk almost exactly like my grandmother.

Oh, and whoever makes the next thread, please use the title "How on earth does a finger (or two?) up the butt check if you can handle violent diarrhea? - Ask us about the Peace Corps!"

CronoGamer posted:

Yeah, I think they periodically just google for it, though they don't actually check them at all. Mine is up there and I didn't update a single time in-country- my last post was at staging, which cracks me up because then it looks like my plane crashed or something.

They found some of ours before we arrived for staging. One volunteer said when he first met his APCD she told him she enjoyed reading his blog. Which is yet another reason to be careful what you put in there kids. (Seriously, some PCVs were ETed because of what they wrote in their blogs.)

EDIT:

The ETs were under the old CD, as the story goes someone who was probably on her way out already posted something along the lines of "Man Jamaican women are so fat and disgusting!" This was all before me so I can't say for sure, but I guess the best general advice would just be don't be an idiot.

v v v

Dance McPants fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Sep 9, 2009

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen
Either you've got a harsh son of a bitch for a CD, or you've got some dumb PCVs in your country. I can't imagine anyone writing something in their blog that'd get them kicked out. All of them in Cambodia are "rats ate my underwear again" "i hate biking in monsoons" "coconuts are delicious as hell" kind of one-off postings, with the VERY rare "i hate how much the kids cheat here" post you'll get once in a while. But they warned us up and down to watch out what we put on the internet, be careful, like a dozen different times they talked about what we could and could not talk about and gave us printouts of the appropriate sections of the PCV handbook.

From talking to other RPCV friends and reading the stories from other posters here I'm beginning to see how very differently every post is run, it's kind of interesting.

MadcapViking
Jan 6, 2006
Single malt Pork Baron
Yeah, I'm an RPCV, at this point. My blog, which updated sporadically at best, is here.

Dr_Amazing
Apr 15, 2006

It's a long story
This sounds like something I'd like to do but I'm not American. Can anyone from Canada recommend a parallel organization?

HeroOfTheRevolution
Apr 26, 2008

Aggro Craig posted:

I had one of those, as did about half the PCVs in my group. My physician told me she was just checking to make sure my rear end could handle potential violent diarrhea or what-have-you (and boy did I have it for the first two months.)

I'm pretty sure finger up butt tests are to check your prostate (or possibly for nasty hemorrhoids).

I got selected as an alternate for USMC OCS in October and after some soul-searching I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the military isn't what I want to do, so it's probably for the best that I won't be going. I started applications for a Fulbright (Bosnia teaching assistantship) and the Peace Corps. I speak Russian and Bulgarian with intermediate fluency (low 3 or so on the US gov't scale) and have previous English teaching experience in Eastern Europe, so is it likely I'll be sent to a place like Ukraine or Bulgaria? I wouldn't mind going to the Middle East or Central Asia, either, but I'd prefer not to go to Sub-Saharan Africa, the Far East, or Latin America.

MadcapViking
Jan 6, 2006
Single malt Pork Baron

HeroOfTheRevolution posted:

I'm pretty sure finger up butt tests are to check your prostate (or possibly for nasty hemorrhoids).

I got selected as an alternate for USMC OCS in October and after some soul-searching I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the military isn't what I want to do, so it's probably for the best that I won't be going. I started applications for a Fulbright (Bosnia teaching assistantship) and the Peace Corps. I speak Russian and Bulgarian with intermediate fluency (low 3 or so on the US gov't scale) and have previous English teaching experience in Eastern Europe, so is it likely I'll be sent to a place like Ukraine or Bulgaria? I wouldn't mind going to the Middle East or Central Asia, either, but I'd prefer not to go to Sub-Saharan Africa, the Far East, or Latin America.

Къде учеш Български език? Работиш/Живееш ли там? Ако да, къде работиш/живееш? Аз бях в Дупница.

Also, if you want to avoid those areas, just make it clear during the interview that you want to go somewhere cold. Anywhere that qualifies as "cold" is either Central Asia or Eastern Europe, and speaking Russian in any of those regions will help you out. If you end up in Macedonia, your Bulgarian will help out, too (but you already knew that). Really, as long as you play it up as more of a climatic preference, rather than a cultural/linguistic one, they'll be very accommodating. However, the fact that you have some experience with Russian/Bulgarian already may lead them to nudge you that way to begin with.

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen

HeroOfTheRevolution posted:

I'm pretty sure finger up butt tests are to check your prostate (or possibly for nasty hemorrhoids).

I got selected as an alternate for USMC OCS in October and after some soul-searching I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the military isn't what I want to do, so it's probably for the best that I won't be going. I started applications for a Fulbright (Bosnia teaching assistantship) and the Peace Corps. I speak Russian and Bulgarian with intermediate fluency (low 3 or so on the US gov't scale) and have previous English teaching experience in Eastern Europe, so is it likely I'll be sent to a place like Ukraine or Bulgaria? I wouldn't mind going to the Middle East or Central Asia, either, but I'd prefer not to go to Sub-Saharan Africa, the Far East, or Latin America.

When you meet with your recruiter for the interview, you can specify to them that you'd prefer not being stationed in any of those areas, or that you'd like to be in the areas listed. It won't help your application, since all it does is limit the number of positions open to you, but I don't think it hurts it otherwise. And if they ignore your requests and just end up placing you elsewhere, you're more than free to tell them you'd prefer not to go there. They'll put your application back in the pile, but I've heard it's pretty difficult to nigh-impossible to get a placement after you've turned one down (unless you had very good, specific reason for doing so).

Still, with your familiarity with not only Eastern European and Central Asian culture/language but also teaching out there, I don't know why they wouldn't consider it. It could work out nicely for you, who knows.

Phlairdon
Apr 15, 2003

If you can't stand up you can't do war!
As a recent college grad, this has been something I've been interested in participating in lately, especially considering the crap job market, and the desire to uproot myself and do something meaningful with my life. Now in my research in what they look for in possible volunteers, I have not seen anything to suggest that they might be interested in someone with two art degrees.

How particular are they about volunteers having certain skills in order to qualify? Is there any role that I may be able to fulfill with my art experience, such as possibly working as an educator, etc..., or would they rather have someone with more specific qualities?

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen

Phlairdon posted:

As a recent college grad, this has been something I've been interested in participating in lately, especially considering the crap job market, and the desire to uproot myself and do something meaningful with my life. Now in my research in what they look for in possible volunteers, I have not seen anything to suggest that they might be interested in someone with two art degrees.

How particular are they about volunteers having certain skills in order to qualify? Is there any role that I may be able to fulfill with my art experience, such as possibly working as an educator, etc..., or would they rather have someone with more specific qualities?

One of my good friends from my group was a dual major in Art and Biology. I guess he was good at drawing leaves and muscles and stuff, I don't know. Anyway, he was a great volunteer and made it in fine. Though he had done Americorps first... but regardless, you don't NEED to have been an English major, or an ESL tutor, or anything like that to qualify. It certainly helps your application, but it's not required.

melaneyelia
Apr 4, 2006

put on your adventure helmet, it's time for an adventure!
I'm a current PCV serving in St. Lucia (a nation itself but the "country" as far as PC is concerned is Eastern Caribbean). My blog! Check it soon--within two days I'll update it about the fire at the hospital down the road.

My post is pretty awesome, I gotta say. Most people speak English, public transport is fairly easy to find (except at night or on Sundays), internet isn't too expensive, cable is freaking cheap. But! Homicide rate is high, culture shock is still hard to get through, poverty, unemployment, etc. 2 PCVs in my cohort on St. Lucia, and a couple PCRVs have ETed in the year that I've been here, so it's definitely not a walk in the park for everyone.

Grammar Fascist
May 29, 2004
Y-O-U-R, Y-O-U-Apostrophe-R-E... They're as different as night and day. Don't you think that night and day are different? What's wrong with you?

Phlairdon posted:

How particular are they about volunteers having certain skills in order to qualify? Is there any role that I may be able to fulfill with my art experience, such as possibly working as an educator, etc..., or would they rather have someone with more specific qualities?

I think art skills are really useful for PCVs. A couple in Nicaragua is really artistic and has done all sorts of really amazing, sustainable art projects (their blog is here and they write about the projects. Other PCVs I know that are good at/like art have done world map mural projects and had art clubs. As far as I know there aren't any projects that have art education as their main focus, but I think secondary projects based on your interests are generally much more fulfilling anyway.

Dance McPants
Mar 11, 2006


melaneyelia posted:

I'm a current PCV serving in St. Lucia (a nation itself but the "country" as far as PC is concerned is Eastern Caribbean). My blog! Check it soon--within two days I'll update it about the fire at the hospital down the road.

My post is pretty awesome, I gotta say. Most people speak English, public transport is fairly easy to find (except at night or on Sundays), internet isn't too expensive, cable is freaking cheap. But! Homicide rate is high, culture shock is still hard to get through, poverty, unemployment, etc. 2 PCVs in my cohort on St. Lucia, and a couple PCRVs have ETed in the year that I've been here, so it's definitely not a walk in the park for everyone.

Hello fellow Beach Corps member!

I'm actually surprised to hear St. Lucia has a high homicide rate. I guess all the Caribbean countries are facing a lot of the same issues, but hopefully you don't also have the coke trade there too. I think Jamaica is on pace to be #1 worldwide in homicide rates yet again.

The differences in posts here is huge though. We have volunteers who literally walk out of their house onto beach sand. I get to walk through the concrete jungle of metropolitan Kingston, but it's growing on me. I came from working in Detroit though, so it was kind of a lateral move.

Oh, do they burn trash there? The government is trying to crack down on that here, but even what they collect goes to the landfill which catches on fire once a month. The gullies and drains are choked with plastic bottles and people just pitch whatever rubbish they have out their window when they drive. My big secondary project is going to be expanding existing recycling programs and teaching environmental awareness and the dangers of burning plastic.

melaneyelia
Apr 4, 2006

put on your adventure helmet, it's time for an adventure!

Aggro Craig posted:

Hello fellow Beach Corps member!

I'm actually surprised to hear St. Lucia has a high homicide rate. I guess all the Caribbean countries are facing a lot of the same issues, but hopefully you don't also have the coke trade there too. I think Jamaica is on pace to be #1 worldwide in homicide rates yet again.

The differences in posts here is huge though. We have volunteers who literally walk out of their house onto beach sand. I get to walk through the concrete jungle of metropolitan Kingston, but it's growing on me. I came from working in Detroit though, so it was kind of a lateral move.

Oh, do they burn trash there? The government is trying to crack down on that here, but even what they collect goes to the landfill which catches on fire once a month. The gullies and drains are choked with plastic bottles and people just pitch whatever rubbish they have out their window when they drive. My big secondary project is going to be expanding existing recycling programs and teaching environmental awareness and the dangers of burning plastic.
Last year the homicide rate was 36 for an island of about 160,000, and this year we've already had at 26 murders. A large portion of it is shown to be gang related, and of course it doesn't include people killed (with or without good reason) by police. Ok, so maybe our rate isn't that high, but for such a tiny island where news travels so fast and half the murders are shown on the news without warning from people sending in pics from their phones, it instills fear in most of the populace.

According to a recent US survey of some sort, St. Lucia is the second poorest island in the region, after Haiti of course. They judge it based on the number people living on less than $2 USD/day. People were very upset and offended by this report. I really want to know how they got the numbers, though.

I don't think any SL PCVs have beach front houses, but a couple have absolutely fantastic views.

I don't think there's much trash burning here, people just leave it in the streets mostly. With my afterschool programme starting in a couple weeks, I hope to do a fundraiser in Term 2 involving a pledge drive/community cleanup day with the programme participants. Apparently a few years ago Government started a campaign to prevent litter, and it seems to have had an effect--I rarely see rats, even in the Castries, the capital and principal city. Packs of dogs are still incredibly common though.

melaneyelia fucked around with this message at 13:10 on Sep 12, 2009

Moon Slayer
Jun 19, 2007

I just came in to Phnom Penh and have access to the internet again, so I'll get that OP updated in a bit. Right after my appointment with the dermatologist to try and figure out why I've got mysterious open sores forming on my arms. Peace Corps is fun!

EDIT: Turns out it was just me infecting my insect bites with my filthy fingernails.

CronoGamer posted:

I don't care how many lols you've got for it, Kampuchea 1 is SO vastly superior to Kampuchea 2- admit it. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

You guys certainly thought that, and made sure we knew it too. Which is why we were specifically instructed last month to "be much better to the K3's than the K1's were to you." She was probably talking about a certain Korean, though.

Moon Slayer fucked around with this message at 11:14 on Sep 15, 2009

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen

Moon Slayer posted:

I just came in to Phnom Penh and have access to the internet again, so I'll get that OP updated in a bit. Right after my appointment with the dermatologist to try and figure out why I've got mysterious open sores forming on my arms. Peace Corps is fun!

EDIT: Turns out it was just me infecting my insect bites with my filthy fingernails.


You guys certainly thought that, and made sure we knew it too. Which is why we were specifically instructed last month to "be much better to the K3's than the K1's were to you." She was probably talking about a certain Korean, though.

Well come on. Look at all the allstars we had in our group. You never had anyone in Group 2 to watch battlestar with in PP, did you? I saw James watched it recently, but I imagine you didn't watch with him, or else he'd have posted a page long note about it and probably uploaded 3 or 4 useless 15 second video clips of it onto facebook. Amazing reply to his latest, by the way.

How are the health volunteers working out? Is there a lot of crossover between the TEFL and the health vols, or do they stick to themselves or what? And are you still looking into JET?

As for the topic at large, it's amazing how many RPCVs you meet when you get back. I had NO IDEA so many people had done peace corps- it's like being part of some special club or fraternity of some kind that had previously been a mystery to you, some kinda Masonic poo poo. Really cool to have that instant connection to so many interesting people at work and such.

JG_Plissken
Oct 22, 2005

I went to a four year college and all I got was this stupid look on my face!
Peace Corp's website states "The Peace Corps provides Volunteers with a living allowance that enables them to live in a manner similar to the local people in their community". Do you find what money they give you while your working to be acceptable?

MadcapViking
Jan 6, 2006
Single malt Pork Baron
The thing about that is that they give you sufficient to make sure that you are not at starvation wages, in the case that said wages are the local standard. From my experience, it's sufficient and, if you're careful, you can even afford a few splurges (in-country).

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Moon Slayer
Jun 19, 2007

CronoGamer posted:

Well come on. Look at all the allstars we had in our group. You never had anyone in Group 2 to watch battlestar with in PP, did you? I saw James watched it recently, but I imagine you didn't watch with him, or else he'd have posted a page long note about it and probably uploaded 3 or 4 useless 15 second video clips of it onto facebook. Amazing reply to his latest, by the way.

How are the health volunteers working out? Is there a lot of crossover between the TEFL and the health vols, or do they stick to themselves or what? And are you still looking into JET?

I actuall did watch the last half-season with him, which is sad. But BSG is actually turning into our group's "Moby Dick," which should tell you a little something about our group's coolness level vs yours.

All the health volunteers are health volunteers second, English teachers first. Sort of like how community development is our secondary task, apparently. By all accounts, they were not very happy to learn this fact and a lot had to be cajoled to still come to Cambodia. 3 of them actually wound up in Svay Rieng.

JG_Plissken posted:

Peace Corp's website states "The Peace Corps provides Volunteers with a living allowance that enables them to live in a manner similar to the local people in their community". Do you find what money they give you while your working to be acceptable?

As far as money goes, it again all depends on your site. In Cambodia we get around $100 a month for our living allowance. People who live in the provincial towns and actually have social lives find their budget streatched by the end of the month. Those of us who live in really rural sites find that we can go an entire month and only spend about $15. I built up a cash cushion of about $500 this way, which I will completely blow on my trip to Bangkok in a few weeks.

  • Locked thread