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Nice. I think that's a fair way to put it, pretty balanced. Headed to PP for the festival? Or staying the hell away from that clusterfuck? Any actual plans? Any Halloween stuff going on with K2 and K3?
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Oct 31, 2009 17:28
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CronoGamer posted:Nice. I think that's a fair way to put it, pretty balanced. 4 million more people crammed into that city? No way in hell I'm going into town until at least Thursday. I'm just going to hang out at site and catch up on my webcomics and writing. I think there were a bunch of Halloween things at various clubs in PP, but that's not really my thing, plus getting into the city is already difficult so I doubt anyone did any Halloween stuff.
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Nov 1, 2009 00:42
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Thanks MS, I think that section presents it well. Halloween in China was insane, I didn't expect it to be big here but there were people in costume all over my city. I guess the PCVs teaching American culture the last 18 years did their jobs pretty well 
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Nov 1, 2009 02:12
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Evil Adam posted:By the way, I work with a girl who got back from Togo I think this year? Her site was Vogon, which always makes me think she did Peace Corps Hitchhikers Guide. Amusingly enough I talked to her yesterday, she is dating one of my best friends who ET'd to come back to the states when she CoS'd. Small world.
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Nov 1, 2009 19:08
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reddeh posted:Amusingly enough I talked to her yesterday, she is dating one of my best friends who ET'd to come back to the states when she CoS'd. Small world. Haha, I got drinks with them a few weeks ago. That makes 2 PC connections in this thread for me. One from Togo (work with), one from China (go to school with).
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Nov 1, 2009 20:46
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Our new thread title is awesome.
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Nov 3, 2009 13:13
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Hmm... I keep seeing USAjobs.gov postings for two really interesting Peace Corps administrative jobs that seem to be located in Japan (where I'm at). However, USAjobs has lovely search and has previously thrown other country's results into my Japan-specific search. Does Peace Corps even have offices, even a behind-the-scenes administrative office, located anywhere in Japan? I assume there are no volunteers working here, so either USAjobs is giving me lousy search results (most likely), or there are Peace Corps personnel in Japan to perhaps coordinate volunteers scattered on small Pacific islands... Any ideas?
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Nov 3, 2009 13:57
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I wouldn't stake my life on it, but I'd guess they're just bad search results. There's a CHANCE your idea about coordinating for the South Pacific is true... are they based in Okinawa, or somewhere else with strong American gov't presence (can't even really think of where that would be...)? Any chance of cut-and-pasting the job description/responsibilities here? If we knew what kind of admin job it was it might be possible to figure out if they'd be put in Japan.
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Nov 3, 2009 14:00
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http://tinyurl.com/ya8d5lq There's nothing location-specific, but it keeps showing up in my Japan searches. The other position I was eying has since vanished, but I'd still be curious to find out about this one. There are US bases all over Japan, but I've never heard of any Peace Corps staff working anywhere in the country... edit; thanks Crono! Suntory BOSS fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Nov 3, 2009 |
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Nov 3, 2009 14:08
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Yeah, I don't know why that's turning up in Japan searches. Program and Training Officer is an in-country position, it's sort of like a general supervisor for a lot of the work the volunteers are doing at their posts. They work in the main office in the country so that they can deal with the volunteers and all the other program staff in the country office, you can't really run something like that from a position out-of-country like Japan.
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Nov 3, 2009 15:05
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And now our thread title is kind of lame. 
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Nov 6, 2009 11:18
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I'm a teacher now. Err... an ALT in Japan like a few people on this forum. I am also really interested in PC, but I don't want to continue teaching. I want to build houses, farm, or anything using my hands. I would not mind teaching some times, but I would prefer not to do it all the time. This is really my only preference, aside from some place warm to hot. I am sane, reliable, healthy and have a degree. And I am sure that since I have 2+ years of teaching experience, I can get in as a teacher. But can I request to not be one? Also, how hard would it be to apply out of country? I have a friend who did it from Japan (she is in Tonga now), so I know its not impossible... well, regardless, if I am devout to joining the PC enough, I will make it happen. So I guess this is a moot point.
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Nov 18, 2009 03:23
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Iwate posted:I'm a teacher now. Err... an ALT in Japan like a few people on this forum. I am also really interested in PC, but I don't want to continue teaching. I want to build houses, farm, or anything using my hands. If you do health, environment, etc. you'll have more hands-on time, but in reality all PC positions are teaching positions. What they have is able bodies (usually), what they don't have is the knowledge and skills. So even if you decide to go farm for a while, the reason you'll be there is to teach someone something. In terms of requesting not to be a school teacher, yeah I think you'll be alright. If they offer it to you, you can always decline. But show them there's some reason to put you as some other sort of volunteer. You need sooooome justification to be a health volunteer, even if its just one class and an expressed interest.
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Nov 18, 2009 04:17
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Here’s some unsolicited advice for new volunteers: get a hobby before you get out to site. Something that you can use to eat up the countless hours of free time you are going to have. I need a new one. My new site is urban, so my old hobby of throwing-stuff-at-chickens is no longer practical.
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Nov 25, 2009 11:46
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I have been nominated for a spot in Sub Saharan Africa, and assuming all goes well with the medical check, I'll be leaving in June. I know it varies wildly but anyone who has been volunteering could throw in their 2 cents. How do the people in town feel about you bringing western technology? I have a nice travel bag I have taken many trips with and is in great condition. I want to bring it with me but don't want to seem like a prick. I also want to bring my ipod because 27 months without my own music could drive me insane. Could I bring a solar charger and how do you think they might react? How difficult have you found it to acclimate to their food? How often do you run into other PCVs abroad? Do you know anyone who extended it to the 3rd year? Do you typically develop friendships with a few nice people and others don't want anything to do with you. I know this varies, but in your own experience how open have the communities been. Also maybe say how big the site you were in was population wise. Thanks!
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Nov 27, 2009 05:06
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Stoner Boner posted:I have been nominated for a spot in Sub Saharan Africa, and assuming all goes well with the medical check, I'll be leaving in June. I know it varies wildly but anyone who has been volunteering could throw in their 2 cents. I wouldn't flash it around. I had my iPod the whole time and I think I only let one person see it, and didn't use it outside my house. I know people who had solar chargers and I think they still kept it on the down-low as much as possible. I'm sure you could put it in a window and be fine, and people wouldn't give you too much hassle. I never really got used to the food (rice, rice, rice, and rice) but others did. Even when we were in town, some people would still make rice every day and order it at restaurants. I mostly ate pb&j, pasta, cous-cous, omelettes. The standard fare for the rest of my village was rice and spinach for breakfast, rice for lunch, rice and beans/meat for dinner. You run into other PCVs in your country anywhere from VERY OFTEN (you might live with another pcv in your town) or NEVER (meaning, only ever at the three conferences. Depends on your site and also depends on you. I'd say 3 or 4 people I met there will end up living in Madagascar for a while after Peace Corps. I think one person extended a 4th year with Peace Corps but honestly if you're there that long, you can get a job with an NGO and be paid to be there.
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Nov 27, 2009 06:31
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Stoner Boner posted:I have been nominated for a spot in Sub Saharan Africa, and assuming all goes well with the medical check, I'll be leaving in June. I know it varies wildly but anyone who has been volunteering could throw in their 2 cents. Defiantly don't be flashing the fancy technology around. If nothing else, it's a Safety & Security issue. Remember how impoverished many of the people you are going to be working with are. I have an iPod and a laptop, but I lock them up in my room even if I'm just stepping out to use the bathroom. Depending on how prevalent technology is at your site you can kind of take it from there. For example, cellphones in Cambodia are everywhere, and most people have one that can play music and videos, so I don't feel too uncomfortable going for a run while listening to my iPod or something. I hated Khmer food for about the first 6 months I was in country. I dropped about 15 or so pounds before my body and taste buds finally adjusted and I could eat it without having to suppress the gag reflex. Of course, my host family were not very good cooks, so others had a much easier time.
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Nov 27, 2009 12:31
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Stoner Boner posted:I have been nominated for a spot in Sub Saharan Africa, and assuming all goes well with the medical check, I'll be leaving in June. I know it varies wildly but anyone who has been volunteering could throw in their 2 cents. Depends where in Africa... If it happens to be Rwanda I can help you somewhat.
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Nov 27, 2009 17:31
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Here's my question. I was nominated for service in August, for Pacific Islands Sept. 2010. This is a long time from now, and I could and would leave tomorrow if they told me I could. So, i'm asking if ya'll know of any way I could leave sooner, what channels I could go through in order to get my medical clearance a priority and maybe get a placement officer with my sooner.
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Dec 4, 2009 08:39
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Only thing you can do is make sure that medical check gets through ASAP, get all the forms in and everything, and then badger your placement desk. Send them an email letting them know how excited you are to get going and how you're free to go as soon as they need you. Unfortunately, I'd guess you won't have much luck. I don't think they have too many posts in the South Pacific, and they're probably got their staging/PST schedules pretty set in stone. Unless you feel like switching to a different region or different assignment, you'll probably have to wait until September or thereabouts.
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Dec 4, 2009 08:45
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CronoGamer posted:Only thing you can do is make sure that medical check gets through ASAP, get all the forms in and everything, and then badger your placement desk. Send them an email letting them know how excited you are to get going and how you're free to go as soon as they need you. Yeah, all my paperwork for medical is in, i've cleared dental...and they're saying the only peoples medical they're processing are people leaving in the next 4 months. Yeah, I know i'd probably have to sacrifice the Pacific islands if I requested a sooner post. For sure i'd be a gamble all over again if I requested something sooner. & I find it hard to give up the pacific islands...haha
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Dec 4, 2009 08:59
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I don't blame you at all. Pacific was my first choice, I settled for East Asia (although ultimately I was very happy with that). If you're happy with Pacific you should definitely stick to it and just try to get another job or some experience in the meantime.
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Dec 4, 2009 09:18
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Winna posted:Yeah, all my paperwork for medical is in, i've cleared dental...and they're saying the only peoples medical they're processing are people leaving in the next 4 months.
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Dec 4, 2009 09:23
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Stoner Boner posted:I have been nominated for a spot in Sub Saharan Africa, and assuming all goes well with the medical check, I'll be leaving in June. I know it varies wildly but anyone who has been volunteering could throw in their 2 cents. Don't flash technology and you shouldnt have an issue. I made it through with my laptop in one piece by just following basic safety and security tactics that they go over with you in training. Ipod's are very common too, most volunteers had them. Solar chargers were pretty prevalent too with people who did not have electricity at site. quote:How difficult have you found it to acclimate to their food? Really just depends on your tastes. It took me a few months to get used to the west african fare, but by the end of training I was all about the traditional food and actually went out of my way to eat some. Be prepared to lose weight though, I dropped 20 lbs myself, and I'm a small guy (went from 165-145). quote:How often do you run into other PCVs abroad? As said before, its an all or nothing thing. If you're in a small country you'll see them all the time. I had another volunteer in my town, with 3 more within 20k. You see them as much as you want to. quote:Do you know anyone who extended it to the 3rd year? Unless they really had a strong project going that couldnt be picked up by another incoming volunteer most people weren't granted extensions during my time. It may vary by country and country director. quote:Do you typically develop friendships with a few nice people and others don't want anything to do with you. I know this varies, but in your own experience how open have the communities been. Also maybe say how big the site you were in was population wise. Thanks! I never met anyone in my community who didnt want to talk to me, everyone was really friendly and curious if nothing else as to what the white person was doing living in their town. I lived in a prefectoral capital, so I was in a larger town with infrastructure (had running water and electricity in my house). You will get alot of people asking for money or to take them to the states. Don't know of anyone who didn't have that experience, but you identify quickly people who are genuinely interested in being friends and not exploiting you. Hope that answers some questions for ya!
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Dec 4, 2009 20:49
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Stoner Boner posted:Do you know anyone who extended it to the 3rd year? From what I heard, when a volunteer extends a 3rd year they take the place of another volunteer who would have arrived in the next group. Again, it depends on the country. We take all the extensions, 3rd year transfers, and response volunteers that we can get (probably because our ET rate used to be extremely high and we wanted to keep all the committed volunteers we had.) Out of about 75 volunteers on island now, we have 4 extensions, 4 transfers, and one response volunteer. To all the other PCVs, are any of you active with the VAC or SPA in your post? I'm on both committees, and am curious as to how they work at other posts. (VAC = Volunteer Advisory Council; sort of like Peace Corps student government. SPA = Small Projects Assistance; small grants from U.S.A.I.D. coordinated through PCVs.)
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Dec 6, 2009 06:13
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I doubt that anyone will be able to answer this but does anyone have any experience going from the Peace Corps to a top business school like HBS/Wharton/Stanford? I've heard mixed responses ranging from "They'll look at it as you sitting on your rear end for 2 years and being a hippie" to "They'll absolutely love it!". I feel like it would look really good as far as leadership experience goes and it would definitely make you stand out, but you do lose 2 years of financial experience. Is it probably just a better idea to do the two years, work for another few, and then apply?
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Dec 6, 2009 07:33
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Aggro Craig posted:To all the other PCVs, are any of you active with the VAC or SPA in your post? I'm on both committees, and am curious as to how they work at other posts. (VAC = Volunteer Advisory Council; sort of like Peace Corps student government. SPA = Small Projects Assistance; small grants from U.S.A.I.D. coordinated through PCVs.) I was a VAC, mostly because I thought if I joined than I would get an extra trip into the capital on Peace Corp's dime. Sadly, we only had one meeting, and it was during one of our lunch breaks at IST. It was mostly just a lunch with staff where they asked "are there any concerns volunteers have?" and that was about it. We did get free pizza, though. In other news, I've decided to ET. My new site very obviously does not need my help, and now that I know what I want to do after Peace Corps, and the fact that it's something I can't get started on until I get back to the United States, there's really no point in me staying. Especially if all I'm doing here is killing time until I can go home. Also it'll be nice to be home for the holidays. Going back to winter after a year and a half in SE Asia is going to suck, though.
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Dec 6, 2009 11:28
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Does anyone know if there is a British equivalent to the Peace Corps?
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Dec 6, 2009 12:12
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Aggro Craig posted:To all the other PCVs, are any of you active with the VAC or SPA in your post? I'm on both committees, and am curious as to how they work at other posts. (VAC = Volunteer Advisory Council; sort of like Peace Corps student government. SPA = Small Projects Assistance; small grants from U.S.A.I.D. coordinated through PCVs.) We had a SPA committee in Bulgaria and it seemed like their job was to obstruct others' projects as much as possible because there wasn't enough money to go around. China doesn't have SPA, because we're not really supposed to do much for development. Both places have VAC, which is known as the PCV Pity Party. The student government analogy is apt - they most notable thing I recall them doing in Bulgaria was organizing a PCV 'prom'. The useful volunteer organizations were ATIP (Anti-Trafficking in Persons) in Bulgaria, Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and WID/GAD (Women in Development, Gender and Diversity) in both. I'm on WID/GAD in China, and we maintain a website with lesson plans and other resources for volunteers to do Women's Development projects, gender issues, and HIV/AIDS awareness. There's also a newsletter sent out every month with notifications about events, potential funding opportunities, etc. NOTAVIRUS.jpg.exe posted:I doubt that anyone will be able to answer this but does anyone have any experience going from the Peace Corps to a top business school like HBS/Wharton/Stanford? I've heard mixed responses ranging from "They'll look at it as you sitting on your rear end for 2 years and being a hippie" to "They'll absolutely love it!". I feel like it would look really good as far as leadership experience goes and it would definitely make you stand out, but you do lose 2 years of financial experience. Is it probably just a better idea to do the two years, work for another few, and then apply? I have one RPCV friend who got into HBS and another who is applying to top business schools this year. What I've heard is that they love it if you were a very active volunteer and accomplish a lot at your site. Even if you're youth development or teaching English, if you write grants and head up projects and keep busy it shows you can succeed in any situation.
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Dec 6, 2009 15:45
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Igiari posted:Does anyone know if there is a British equivalent to the Peace Corps? As stated in the OP, you should check out the VSO.
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Dec 6, 2009 15:56
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I have some questions about the application process. I was recently nominated to serve in Sub Saharan Africa in November to teach science. I just got my medical kit and assuming I submit it by the end of January, when do you think I'll hear back from them? My recruiter said the position is pretty competitive, but what is the general acceptance rate for this type of program? Also I am graduating from my university in a week with a BS in Geology and I don't know what to do in between now and November/the decision from the placement officer. My recruiter suggested that I tutor or teach as much as possible. Does anyone have any suggestions on this? I have tried to apply for short term geological internships, but I had no success. Please tell me what to do with my life. Thanks.
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Dec 8, 2009 02:56
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Serving in Panama 2009-2011 Ag vol; completely missed this thread. I had a religion BA but also logged serious hours volunteering with non-profit educational agriculture programs and had additional sustainable farming experience so had no problem getting in. I originally wanted to go to North Africa/finish learning Arabic but ended up in one of the supposedly most competitive areas with just 5 years of Spanish in high school.
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Dec 8, 2009 05:36
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heliotroph posted:Serving in Panama 2009-2011 Ag vol; completely missed this thread. You were in high school for 5 years?
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Dec 8, 2009 05:55
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Some schools combine junior high (7th and 8th) with standard high school (9-12) and just call 7-12 "high school". That's how I took 6 years of Latin (ha!) in high school, at least.Pieter de Hooch posted:
When my recruiter told me to get some more experience teaching or tutoring, I went to all of the elementary schools and high schools in my area and applied to be a substitute teacher. Took a while, but I ended up getting a good number of hours. However, when PC contacted me later to check up on my progress, it seemed more that they were just interested in whether I'd been making any sort of effort or not and when they heard I had gotten a few hours subbing that was enough, I got a call for my official nomination 2 days later. Just try to get cleared to sub at a few schools, and tell them you're hoping to fill in for science classes. Really it's more about getting up in front of classes of any kind, though. CronoGamer fucked around with this message at 06:15 on Dec 8, 2009 |
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Dec 8, 2009 06:11
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 I guess I passed the medical. The medical went pretty quick, especially considering that I am nominated to leave in September 2010. Here has been my medical clearance process: Mid/Late August 2009 - Received medical packet Mid/late September - finished all my medical/dental paperwork. Then realized that my doctor checked a box wrong and I had to go back in and get that fixed. It took me a while to find people to do my medical stuff for cheap because I didn't have insurance. Early October - Turned in all my finished medical paperwork. Late October - I got a letter back from the PC saying that I needed some followup medical questions. December 4th - I finally get around to getting followup question filled out and faxed in. December 8th - I get medical clearance. So it took 1 day from the time I sent in my final medical questionnaire to get medically cleared. I assumed I wouldn't hear anything for a few months. I guess its time to wait... Omits-Bagels fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Dec 8, 2009 |
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Dec 8, 2009 16:52
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Rush Limbaugh #1! posted:We had a SPA committee in Bulgaria and it seemed like their job was to obstruct others' projects as much as possible because there wasn't enough money to go around. China doesn't have SPA, because we're not really supposed to do much for development. Both places have VAC, which is known as the PCV Pity Party. The student government analogy is apt - they most notable thing I recall them doing in Bulgaria was organizing a PCV 'prom'. The useful volunteer organizations were ATIP (Anti-Trafficking in Persons) in Bulgaria, Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and WID/GAD (Women in Development, Gender and Diversity) in both. I'm on WID/GAD in China, and we maintain a website with lesson plans and other resources for volunteers to do Women's Development projects, gender issues, and HIV/AIDS awareness. There's also a newsletter sent out every month with notifications about events, potential funding opportunities, etc. Yeah, with no official authority it's unfortunate how little VAC can directly impact. We do have a few IT volunteers that are helping develop our sharepoint site to make sharing resources much easier, and that's also a project I hope to be working on soon. Our health committee did a ton of work with a classroom art project for world AIDS day, working with other posts from Africa and Central America. Our SPA committee is mostly volunteer run, with 9 PCVs, the CD, and a USAID rep. I'm sure many volunteers here have the same complaint about us obstructing their projects, but there are many cases where we revisit the projects down the road and they completely misused the funds. Plus the whole so-much-money-to-go-around thing. We hear a lot that our SPA has the most PCV input out of any other post, and I was curious as to how other committees are run. The experience has so far made me very interested in aid and development, and I'm contemplating a future career in USAID. I'd like to get some more business education before (plus you need at least a masters to work for USAID,) so I'll be looking at business or international development schools soon.
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Dec 8, 2009 16:52
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Pieter de Hooch posted:I have some questions about the application process. If you can make it through the application process and interview process while proving that you are competent and actually interested in the proposed work, you're in. It took ~10 months total for my application -> placement process, so it takes time and patience is a virtue. Just hang in there and you'll be at PST before you know it 
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Dec 8, 2009 18:36
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Aggro Craig posted:Yeah, with no official authority it's unfortunate how little VAC can directly impact. We do have a few IT volunteers that are helping develop our sharepoint site to make sharing resources much easier, and that's also a project I hope to be working on soon. Our health committee did a ton of work with a classroom art project for world AIDS day, working with other posts from Africa and Central America. VAC wasn't bad in Cambodia. Things may have changed like Moon Slayer said, and maybe they don't meet anymore, but when I was in it, the committee met every three months, and we raised the issues that the majority of PCVs were bitching about. I think the fact that we were the first group in the country and that the post was just starting up and trying to get all of the kinks ironed out meant there was a lot more room for improvement so we were able to help guide it a bit. For example, early on, sometimes Peace Corps personnel would just roll up randomly to our houses to drop in for a quick site visit or to check up on any issues we might have raised in quarterly reports or what have you... made lots of volunteers nervous, partly because it got our host families jittery (because they always thought they should be providing lunch or a snack or whatever for the visitors), partly because it made the volunteers nervous because we didn't know when they'd be coming and we'd want to be prepared, and if you were off on a bike ride 20km away you'd feel like a fool if you got a call and the PTO or whoever was calling you up asking where you were (not to mention when people were slipping away from site undercover for a night to head into town to get internet access or to buy some western items or meet another PCV or whatever). So, we raised the issue with VAC, and it took a little while to finally get things in motion, but we made a rule that staff had to inform volunteers 24 hours ahead of time before any visits to "give the family time to prepare" or whatever. Worked out pretty nicely. There were at least 3 or 4 other rules/requests I can think of that we got put together (got them to install storage lockers for us in the volunteer resource room, hammered out some vacation policies, etc.) so I would definitely call it a worthwhile group for us.
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Dec 8, 2009 20:06
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Rush Limbaugh #1! posted:I have one RPCV friend who got into HBS and another who is applying to top business schools this year. What I've heard is that they love it if you were a very active volunteer and accomplish a lot at your site. Even if you're youth development or teaching English, if you write grants and head up projects and keep busy it shows you can succeed in any situation. Awesome, thanks! =)
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Dec 9, 2009 00:54
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Hey, I'm just wondering for people who lived near lots of other PCVs if you actually hang out with them often or pretty much everyone spends most of their time with HCNs thank you
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Dec 9, 2009 01:11
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