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 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! 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. -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. -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 |
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Sep 6, 2009 07:52
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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 |
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Sep 15, 2009 06:02
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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. 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.
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Sep 17, 2009 01:25
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Yeah, the reason the health volunteers here are English teachers first is only because the program is so young. Peace Corps uses English teaching to get their foot in the door of a country, and then slowly expands into other areas. In a few years Cambodia will have health volunteers who are just that.
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Sep 18, 2009 02:22
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In Cambodia you either sleep with a prostitute or get married. There are no alternatives as far as relationships with the locals go.
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Sep 18, 2009 12:30
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Zombie Kohlhaas posted:Probably much nicer than the living standards in most Peace Corps countries. We had electricity, running hot and cold water, effective heating, and even DSL (averaging about 250 kbps down). God drat you to hell. Although, there's a new phone/sim card combo on the market here in Cambodia where you can pay $.70 a day for unlimited internet and hook your laptop up to the phone and use it as a modem. I'm probably going to buy it after I get paid on the first. Stop posted:Also, how important is building a relationship with your recruiter before going through the application/interview process? Is it essential or recommended, or would it not make any difference at all? Can't speak to the other stuff, but you will build a relationship with the recruiter by going through the process. At least that's how it worked in my experience. If you already know a local recruiter though, go for it.
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Oct 17, 2009 04:24
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Ok, Ok, now that I have my new Nokia cellphone that I can use to access the internet from site, I will re-word the OP to be more positive sounding. It probably didn't help that when I wrote that I was in the process of watching my work at site self-destruct and trying to get Peace Corps to send me to a new one. They did, and it's awesome, and I have internet now, so service is looking up.Rush Limbaugh #1! posted:I disagree with this idea that there are some sites where absolutely nothing productive can be done. Omits-Bagels posted:I have a question: What did you all go into after your PC service? If you're still in/applying, what do you plan on doing? I'm thinking of joining the Army. Seriously. It's always something I've thought about doing but never thought I could handle it. Peace Corps has taught me I can handle a lot more than I thought I could. Moon Slayer fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Oct 22, 2009 |
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Oct 20, 2009 11:35
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CronoGamer posted:Happy Birthday, Moon Slayer! Ah-kun. I biked into Phnom Penh yesterday and ate an entire pizza at Pizza Company. Felt like I was going to die for the rest of the day but it was totally worth it.
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Oct 24, 2009 01:24
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Winna posted:Can anyone tell me about training? DO you go to DC for a certain amount of training or is it done at your local station? 100% of training is done in-country. The only time you gather together on US soil is for the two days of staging before you leave, or if the US Embassy in your country has a function of some kind and invites you all. Way back in the day they did all of PST in the United States, in the backwoods of like Hawaii or Arizona, but that was back in the '60s and '70s, when Peace Corps was hardcore.
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Oct 24, 2009 05:51
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Lets gently caress Bro posted:1. I have a degree in English Literature. Were I to join the Peace Corps, would I be forced into teaching English somewhere? What is teaching English like when you have very little or no knowledge of the native language? I would have no idea where to begin, and I have some elementary school teaching experience. Honestly I think I'd really rather be doing manual labor somewhere. 1: You will most likely be following the curriculum approved my the Ministry of Education in whatever country you are in. And you will be working with a native co-teacher. You aren't just put in the classroom and told "go to it." Hardly any of us in this thread had any experience with teaching before we joined Peace Corps. I sure as hell didn't. 2: You will probably not know any of the language of your host country before you leave. 3: For the love of god don't tell your recruiter that you smoke marijuana. Lie to them. Other than basically being healthy there are no physical requirements. It's not the military.
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Oct 26, 2009 07:48
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Gonna add all that to the OP, if that's ok with you, reddeh. The last thread always get a lot of CS majors wondering what they would do in Peace Corps.
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Oct 27, 2009 05:11
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I'm loving getting to it man, christ.
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Oct 27, 2009 13:30
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CronoGamer posted:Well, it's been a week since you said you'd use your brand new everyday fancypants Nokia damned johnny-come-lately mobile internet access (am i getting my bitterness across enough?) to change it... Been too busy using it to download porn. BTW, people who haven't left yet, if you are leaving for a post that already has volunteers, offer to burn a bunch of porn to DVD and sell it to them. You could probably make a lot of money.
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Oct 27, 2009 13:57
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Thesaurus posted:I take it you mean "before you leave from the US" (as opposed to after you finish your service in the country)? Yes, that is what I meant. reddeh posted:Oh and to comment on the "bring porn with you", gather seasons of TV shows/new movies instead. Theres nothing like seeing how low your dignity can sink when you're bored and watched all you have on your hard drive and you turn to the episodes of Ugly Betty that were added to your external HD by a sitemate... Or you could live in a country flooded with Chinese bootleg DVD's. Back in May I picked up all 10 seasons of Stargate: SG1 for $20 in Phnom Penh  .
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Oct 28, 2009 01:04
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There you go, I re-worded the OP. If anyone still has a serious problem with it, feel free to type something up and I'll include it in the OP as sort of a point/counter-point like dealy. Also, happy Water Festival.
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Oct 31, 2009 08:23
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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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Our new thread title is awesome.
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Nov 3, 2009 13:13
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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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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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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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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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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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reddeh posted:I don't know about other volunteers, but my service really destroyed the notion that foreign aid programs do anything beneficial. I absolutely agree with this statement.
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Dec 14, 2009 15:50
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Peace Corps can be a highly effective grassroots outreach program for the United States. However, and this is just the way I see it, it is only successful if the volunteer is one of the above-described “super volunteers.” If you are just a mere mortal who thinks that if you just put in your best effort good things will happen, you will be crushed. Unless you luck into a site that has all sorts of stuff already going on that you can join in. My service, however, made me very cynical about foreign aid in general. Pretty much the only aid projects that I see actually making a difference or going towards improving lives without furthering corruption are scholarship programs that give disadvantaged people an opportunity to get an education. Everything else seems to either not help the people who it is meant to help or simply lines the pockets or the people in power, indirectly helping them to stay in power. Corruption makes me rage. 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. This is great and I’m going to add it to the OP. Miss Fats posted:Is anyone familiar with the Masters International program? I could have sworn I included something in the OP which said that there are no goons currently doing the Master’s International program, but I guess I didn’t. So I’ll tell you that no, there doesn’t seem to be anyone familiar with it here. And I’ll add that to the OP. Moon Slayer fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Dec 15, 2009 |
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Dec 15, 2009 13:57
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Cojawfee posted:Is there something about the peace corps that makes you untrustworthy to the military? Earlier in the year I was at MEPS to pick jobs in the Air Force and I noticed that some of the jobs I could choose very clearly stated that anyone who has been in the peace corps could not apply for them. You are prohibited to serve in any intelligence-gathering activity for four (I think) years after you have been a Peace Corps volunteer, and are prohibited for life to serve in an intel capacity in the country you were a volunteer in. This includes all the three-letter agencies (CIA, DIA, NSA, etc.) and all branches of military intel. Which is too bad for me because I'm going into the military soon and going intel is the one thing I would find really really neat.
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Dec 22, 2009 23:44
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Stoner Boner posted:Can more people post pictures of their villages or surrounding area and living arrangements? Sure! Here's the house I lived underneath.  And my room.  EDIT: And some newborn puppies too. 
Moon Slayer fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Jan 23, 2010 |
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Jan 23, 2010 23:30
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I used to know what it was in Khmer because one of the first things I had to tell my permanent host family when I got to their house was "the door to my room is supposed to have a doorknob on it." Don't ask me to tell you what it is now though. Three months out of Cambodia and I've pretty much forgotten everything I picked up.
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Mar 18, 2010 04:51
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Of course the only reason I knew it in the first place was because I called up an LCF and asked him how to say it. Good ol' Kimkong; he was confused as to why I wanted to know, but he was confused by everything, really.
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Mar 19, 2010 04:28
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Stoner Boner posted:I just got my second package from the peace corps that wanted more information about some stuff I believed was clear in the first place. I am getting discouraged now, and I've been jumping through hoops for a long, long time. How many pieces can they possibly ask for? If you think this will stop after you become a volunteer, you are sadly mistaken. This will continue until your close of service, and potentially beyond that. So good luck!
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Mar 25, 2010 19:26
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In Cambodia we got about $200 a month, $100 of which was meant to go to our host family for room and board. For those of us in rural sites it was more than enough to get by on. Hell, when I would stay at site I would really only spend about $25 a month. The rest would be blown in a single weekend in Phnom Pehn though.
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Mar 31, 2010 23:15
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Miss Fats posted:Ok. A few years ago I was charged with Careless and Imprudent Driving with a BAC (basically a step down from DUI and in fact I was only charged because I was under the age of 21) but the charges were dropped and I was only "convicted" of Improper Use of Turn Signal. Not ignoring your question, I just honestly have no idea. I think asking the recruiter will be your best bet. Whether or not it will hurt your chances is already decided; asking about it won't change it one way or another. EDIT: Oh poo poo we're talking about illnesses? I didn't have it too bad: got an amoebic infection during PST and a light case of giardia later on. I got food poisoning twice, both times in Phnom Pehn. I was cool with the first one though because it was during the middle of our week-long In-Service Training and I got to miss the most boring day and hang out in my air-conditioned hotel room and watch TV. Second time I got food poising was two days before I flew home THANKS CAMBODIA. Other than some allergy troubles, I didn't have any other problems. EXCEPT... Every few weeks or so, my right hand would get this rash which would turn into these big yellow blisters on my fingers. It was ugly and itched and nobody could figure out what the hell it was. The PCMO had never seen anything like it and neither had the local dermatologists they took me to. They had a few theories that never quite matched up with the facts. So that was weird. I'll see if I still have my pictures of it. Moon Slayer fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Apr 14, 2010 |
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Apr 14, 2010 19:14
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CronoGamer posted:Hahaha. Awwww, a whole 2 cases of giardia AND a case of amoebas? Hahahaha, I remember the Tropical Sprue story. A quick note to the rest of the thread, it looks like "sprue" but it's pronounced "spoo." Or at least that's just how everyone who told me the story pronounced it. Spoo seems more appropriate. Also, anyone thinking about joining Peace Corps should know that after your two month training, you will be perfectly comfortable discussing your gastro-intestinal problems in graphic detail with other PCV's over a meal.
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Apr 16, 2010 15:33
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Pocket DeSade posted:Someone mentioned something about people ending up marrying local people after or during their mission. Like the answers to most "how should I act in country" questions, it pretty much all depends on the local culture. All I can really tell you is that in Cambodia, the only way you could date a local, although there are a few exceptions, is if you planned on marrying them. And the only pre-marital sex that's culturally acceptable is between a man and a prostitute. But that's Cambodia, and small-town Cambodia at that. Cultural mores can vary widely not just between countries but within countries as well. But one thing to keep in mind is that by and large the countries Peace Corps operates in have significantly more conservative cultures than the US.
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Apr 26, 2010 19:26
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I'm pretty sure he's talking about trying to apply to Peace Corps from Japan. As in, he's living in Japan right now.
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May 18, 2010 16:58
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Miss Fats posted:Well I've finished my application except for the essays. I also need to finalize my three references. I really hope this pans out. Good luck!
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May 20, 2010 04:01
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Aggro posted:My girlfriend got assigned to Mali yesterday and is currently freaking the gently caress out. She'll be doing Health Education. She's lived abroad in Rabat, Morocco, for five months and adapted reasonably well to that. However, she still had electricity and running water and showers and a real toilet. The idea of living somewhere with none of those things terrifies her, and she's really questioning her ability to deal with that. I'm not sure what to tell her Well, not to be a jerk to someone I don't know, but what exactly was she expecting when she joined the Peace Corps?
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May 20, 2010 15:36
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Pocket DeSade posted:I don't think this has been covered in this thread, but what IS it like to take a shower from a bucket regularly, or use the toilet without running water? (not LITERALLY what is it like, but please share your experienced, and how that works in the long-run) It sucks a lot at first and continues to suck a little but god drat do you appreciate running water when you get it again. Also gently caress toilet paper. Using it again was like the single biggest readjustment issue I had. Sprayers are where it's at.
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May 21, 2010 23:17
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Fart Car '97 posted:Just got my invite packet in the mail. Holy moly this is a lot of paperwork and reading! But it says I get assigned a mountain bicycle And you will spend so much time on that bike... People here in the US get this weird look on their face when I tell them I would bike for 45 minutes to town because I was bored and wanted to check my e-mail, like it's a long time to bike or something.
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May 25, 2010 04:10
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Pocket DeSade posted:So did they say "OK, get 30 hours, and then reapply" or was it like "OK, you're in! just get 30 hours before we send you!"? Neither. Your 30 hours is kind of like your medical paperwork. If you don't have it already you need to "submit" it (have the person you worked or volunteered for fill out a form) before you can receive your invitation. Honestly it's not that hard to find something to do. If you live in or near a city call the local schools and see if any of them have an accelerated English program for kids of recent immigrants, and then talk to whoever is in charge of it and explain your situation to them. That's what I did. I got my 30 hours in the first week and stuck around for another month on my own.
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May 28, 2010 13:22
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Pocket DeSade posted:Hm, but should I have done all that BEFORE my phone interview? Yes, you can do it after the interview. That's what I did.
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May 31, 2010 03:44
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