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RagnarokAngel posted:
This is a pretty important part of the "asking questions during the interview" process. It's important to ask questions so you look engaged, but it's terrible to ask a question for which you should already know the answer. I think I'd rather not ask a question than ask something readily available in the materials they'd already provided. RagnarokAngel's question is perfect because it incorporates the stuff he's already researched and is familiar with, but then uses it to provide a further "what if" scenario.
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Jun 27, 2010 19:34
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Was just gonna bring that up and post the article. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/09/05/lesotho.peace.corps.death/index.html#fbid=Q6dWPaAfTVk&wom=false Sounds like it was just a mugging gone wrong? Terrible shame, though. CronoGamer fucked around with this message at 10:53 on Sep 6, 2010 |
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Sep 6, 2010 10:50
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Evil Adam posted:Plenty of people go for a second time, though I don't know if I've heard of someone that's done it three or more. A couple of years ago right as I was shipping out, PC was making a big deal about older volunteers and they frequently mentioned this pair of senior citizens who were on like their 9th stint. 9 might be an exaggeration, not sure, but it was definitely at least 7.
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Sep 7, 2010 03:27
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Moon Slayer posted:Hey, did you ever meet that older guy who owned a campground up in Siem Riep? He came into the lounge at HQ a few times. He had done three stints as a PCV, the previous one had been in the Ukraine. Nah, I never met him. We didn't start getting RPCVs coming around the office until around the time you guys were coming in- took about a year for people to become aware of the program, I think. The only RPCV in Siem Reap I ever knew was Lisa at the JPA. No surprise on the weirdness though; a good number of the people I met passing through the office were a little bit strange. Guess it's just kinda an awkward position to be in, though That absolutely blows for the poor woman, though. It really amazed me how many more people K2 and 3 lost than K1. I guess it's just a matter of having more people in the group or less attention from the staff or something, who knows.
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Sep 8, 2010 01:48
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Pocket DeSade posted:Yeah I imagined the ebook part is probably useless, but I heard something about internet-through-cellphone stuff that the Kindle picks up (obviously I don't understand it fully) The Kindle can use its Whispernet service to access the internet through 3G networks. it's incredibly slow, and you'll want to use only basic mobile sites or text-heavy websites, but it worked great for me checking my gmail when I didn't have internet for a month recently. Really a lifesaver. There's no extra charge for the browser usage, either. I wouldn't say the ebook part is "useless"- if you just want books for the sake of books, you can find plenty at the country headquarters or trade with other PCVs, sure. But if you want a specific book, it's often hard to find them in the second-hand shops that are often the only source of English books in Peace Corps countries. I feel like that's the kind of time that an e-reader would be handy, so you wouldn't need to ship it out and have it delivered to your site.
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Sep 11, 2010 10:57
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I think it varies very, very widely depending on the country you're in. I'm sure some places have great coverage, others probably don't have any in the entire nation. That might be the kind of thing to talk about with a current PCV in whatever country it is we're discussing here. I think the high-risk status varies too, depending on the country. What I'd recommend though is getting one of the nice covers for it. I have a black leather one that I got with it off of Amazon. It lets you hold the kindle more like a traditional book, which is nice, and it protects the screen and such during travel. More importantly for your question though- with the black cover on, mine just kind of looks like a day planner from a distance. I think if I'd had mine in Cambodia, people wouldn't have even known what the heck it was if they saw it.
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Sep 11, 2010 16:36
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In Cambodia, most host families were pretty good. Some were fantastic. Some weren't good and were very clearly trying to use the volunteer as a cash cow, skimping on meals and portions and things. In situations like that, though, Peace Corps Admin would step in and sort things out pretty quickly. One guy was being taken advantage of financially by his host family and admin helped him move out and into a nearby wat, where he stayed the remaining 20 months; one girl had issues with sexually inappropriate behavior by her host father (towards other Cambodians, not towards the PCV) and got herself moved out into another house as soon as one could be located. If you don't get along with your host family, they'll encourage you to stick it out and do your best to become a member of the family, but if there are actual legitimate problems then PC will definitely step in to help you out. I was supposed to be with one family and went to stay with them on site visit and everything, but in the remaining 4 weeks before Swearing In the would-be host mom started trying to drive a harder bargain with PC and demand more money... they pulled me right out and put me into a different family with virtually no problem. The best kinds of families, from my experience, are the ones with older parents who have already raised at least 1 or 2 kids to adulthood and will be comfortable having a young adult around the house. Every situation really is different though, and it's hard to say.
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Sep 22, 2010 14:24
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Mu Cow posted:I was looking over the 2008 Biennial Volunteer Survey and noticed that Cambodia got high marks in every category. What is it about the program there that you think sets it apart? Most likely, the fact that we were the first group in the country ever. It was a cool experience and we were treated pretty nicely, not to mention the ratio of staff to volunteers was something amazing like 1:2. Part of it was that, being the first and (at that point) only group in Cambodia, we were all in it together and committed to working hard and having a good experience and the like. I'd also guess that part of it was the fact that since there weren't any older groups there, there was less potential for jaded older PCVs to bring down the rankings any. I'm not ragging on Cambodia or anything, I'm happy with the experience I had there, I just don't think there's anything special about it that sets it above other postings.
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Sep 23, 2010 04:15
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Grimson posted:K4 Kampuchea here. I'm a teacher at a somewhat rural high school (except it's on the national highway). I'm a replacement volunteer so unlike K1's and K2's, a few more people are at least familiar with what I'm doing here. And this is the biggest group that Cambodia has had yet. We've lost maybe 4 in training and 1 after swear-in, but so far so good. The main office is really expanding, and so things were in a little bit of disarray for a bit. I really gotta thank and congratulate k1-3 for putting together some great materials and getting the ball rolling. Chum reap sua! Samnang laaw! The office is expanding? To where? I thought the Ambassador's residence took up the whole area behind the building. Which province are you in?
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Oct 28, 2010 11:39
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Corbet posted:I was exposed to TB as a young child but never actually got sick. When I originally got hired at my current job 5 years ago (at a hospital), I tested positive and had to go through 1 year of medication in order to ensure it wasn't a threat. I was told by doctors and my employer that I didn't have to take the annual TB check-up. No problem at all. I had the exact same issue, although my exposure was much more recent, only 3 years before applying. You'll just have to have your physician point out on the medical form that you have a positive PPD test and then go get a chest x-ray to prove you're not harboring an infection, and you should be good to go. The doctor should be totally familiar with it- it's more common than you might think. I didn't have any problems with my application whatsoever.
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Dec 2, 2010 15:54
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Moon Slayer posted:You need to have 30 hours of volunteer English teaching to be an English education volunteer. I'm pretty sure that work experience is also accepted, but that would be something you will have to ask your recruiter. I got all of mine by working (not volunteering) at my old high school as a substitute teacher. Work experience is definitely accepted.
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Mar 27, 2011 13:43
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RagnarokAngel posted:Just got into Surabaya. Peace Corps accommodations for hotels in San Francisco and Hong Kong were both surprisingly classy. Ready to start training tomorrow. Holy moley am I ever jealous. I went through Surabaya on my COS trip, cool area. Get out to Mt. Bromo as soon as you can. And like Moon Slayer said, be sure to keep us updated, I'd love to hear what PC Indonesia is like.
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Apr 8, 2011 08:48
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Is it your training site that's in the mountains, or your permanent site? Probably too early for them to be announcing permanent sites, I guess... Which islands does PC Indonesia work on? Do they have anyone on Sumatra? How far east does it go?
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Apr 19, 2011 12:46
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Moon Slayer posted:Not in Cambodia! You think the Royal D was good? When K1 first got out there Linda was actually giving us genuine bona fide Gatorade packets. I stuffed my pockets with Gatorade and condoms at the first medical meeting. The former saw significantly more use than the latter.... The Orange Royal D was pretty delicious stuff, though. We used to mix it with rice wine to make it go down easier.
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May 30, 2011 15:30
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I didn't get prodded in the butt, but roughly half of the guys in my group did. It was a source of great indignation (and hilarity) when they found out not all of us had had to submit to it.
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Jul 9, 2011 02:36
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I would be shocked if they expect you to do that daily. That's absurd. It's probably the distance to the nearest significant town, or something.
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Dec 15, 2011 09:48
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CHARLES posted:So I recently found out that I have TB (It's very WTF.) I'm currently treating it and it will be resolved just after I apply this summer, but does anyone know if that might effect my application? I don't know how much the recent nature of the condition will affect your chances, but I had to take the meds for TB 2 or 3 years before my application and I was fine. Since I had a positive PPD, they just asked for a chest x-ray to ensure that there was no infection and that was that.
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Jan 11, 2012 03:05
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Thesaurus posted:This is a crazy question, but does anyone know whether it's possible to get access to weight lifting equipment in any of your assignment areas? I'm a pretty regular weight lifter (powerlifting). I imagine that larger cities might have some gyms. Our PCMO actually paid for several of us to get sets of dumbbells as a "health" measure. My host brother used to LOVE struggling to lift the lightest one while I was working out, it was really cute. I don't think most PCMOs will cover it but its worth looking into when you're out there.
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Mar 9, 2012 11:40
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Thesaurus posted:Also, did you find that the whole application process took longer, or was it about normal? I know the PC warns that it can take a lot longer... I wasn't part of a married couple, but I was good friends with both married couples in my group, so I can answer these I think... 1. I know for one of the couples it took a bit over a year. But I think part of that was because they were engaged when they applied/interviewed, got married shortly after the interview, and then had to wait about a year. I think processing the marriage stuff just makes things take longer. I'm not sure about the other couple, who had been married for a decade or more at that point. 2. Both couples stayed together through training and through service. In each, the wife was a teacher trainer and the husband a regular English teacher, so the wife worked at the provincial teaching university while the husband taught at a high school. 3. Both couples stayed with a family for PST. On moving out to site, one couple immediately moved into their own house, while the other lived for a few months with a host family until they moved into a house nearby. Both had their own houses for the majority of service, though, even though all the rest of us were with host families.
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Mar 16, 2012 01:20
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Thesaurus posted:When to the doc today for my medical test and everything is falling into place... I had a positive TB result, but mine was from years before I applied. I did the 6 month regimen of Isoniazid when I first discovered it so all they needed from me was a chest x-ray showing I was clear. My guess is that if you show up positive again, they'll ask for a chest xray to show you aren't currently infected, and if that's the case then they'll ask you to take the antibiotics and you should be fine. They might not even delay acceptance in that case- I knew a PCV who had to start taking them while in service and he didn't have to do anything special besides avoid booze.
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May 7, 2012 09:21
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Same for my wife. 
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xcdude24 posted:One of the options I've considered is the Peace Corps, as it seems to allow me to experience another culture while at the same time being able to "do" something. Due to a lack of relevant experience on my resume, I'm guessing English teaching is going to be my best bet. It looks like October is going to be the next deadline, and I should be able to meet the volunteer requirement by then. I've got really good references, a great academic background, and I'm a solid interviewer, but will my lack of extensive experience in a relevant field prove to be too much of a burden? Nope. A lot of us go out straight from college. Don't wait until October though, start your application now! I'm not aware of any yearly application periods; I'm pretty sure when I applied (6 years ago now, fwiw) it was just rolling admissions and they'd stick you in where they could. I'd be a little concerned, though, if I were you (or your recruiter) about your insistence on being able to "do" something. A lot of people in PC end up being frustrated by a lack of results or a seeming inability to affect any change in their communities. A lot of the sense of accomplishment and impact comes from more intangible results that take longer to recognize.
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Aug 9, 2012 05:49
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Full Battle Rattle posted:It might be worth noting in the OP that you cannot join if you've ever been part of the intelligence community, and if you've ever served in the peace corps it can disqualify you from obtaining a security clearance. I think you may be a bit mistaken on the latter. As i understand it, being an RPCV wont preclude you from a clearance any more than another stint abroad might. However, the intelligence community has an understanding with PC where they will not hire RPCVs for something like 10 years post-service in order to keep PC free of suspicion.
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Sep 28, 2012 08:23
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Intelligence first, then PC is most definitely a no-no. I wasn't disputing him on that. But yeah, I think it *may* vary from agency to agency insofar as how long they will wait before you're allowed to work, I've heard 5 but I'm somewhat certain I've heard 10 for others. Maybe it's "5 required, 10 unless they really want you."
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Sep 28, 2012 15:54
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Winna posted:But you all must understand that the intelligence agencies are not the organizations that created that policy. It is the peace.corps whom do not want to be accused to having volunteers as a CIA cover as the organization has been accused of heavily in the cold war era. ...yeah? I don't think that anybody was saying anything different. It's not like the CIA would NOT want to recruit volunteers, who have a more intimate understanding of life in their host country than most Americans would. But the CIA has those restrictions in place to keep them well separated and to keep from making life difficult for the Peace Corps.
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Oct 14, 2012 09:14
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Thesaurus posted:
I got my invitation for a January 29th departure at the end of October. I think it may actually have been on Halloween. But when I talked to people in-country, I discovered that I was one of the earlier invitees; some of my friends didn't get their letters until nearly Thanksgiving. So I think it's safe to say 3-4 weeks? Now, we were group 1 for our country so things may have operated a little more differently, but I would give it at least a month before you write it off entirely.
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Oct 15, 2012 17:56
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Moon Slayer posted:http://whatshouldpcvscallme.tumblr.com/post/33183677098/when-i-go-to-an-all-you-can-eat-buffet God that was embarrassing. Hahaha. I can't believe they didn't learn the lesson after K1 at Piper's, and they actually extended the offer to K2 as well. Do you know if K3 was invited?
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Oct 17, 2012 07:31
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"You're Gonna Poop in a Hole," a song about PCV life. Applicants should watch this to counter some of the rosy pictures PCHQ paints of life in PC. It's still totally worth it, but man, some of the poo poo you put up with... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koUWaAr-itY
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Nov 17, 2012 10:38
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the shill posted:This is the only Peace Corps forum we have, right or is there another for RPCVs? If not, what is being an RPCV like? Did the organization help you find jobs? It didn't help me specifically, but I know people who have utilized the RPCV network for job opportunities (not to mention people who came back and worked as recruiter). Although I didn't get a job from being an RPCV, I did go to one of their career fairs soon after COS and found it IMMENSELY useful. I reworked my resume pretty hard and was very happy with it afterwards. They also offer a lot of workshops, tips, and practice with 1 on 1 interviews, panel interviews, informational interviews, elevator pitches, and a slew of other stuff that is helpful for getting a job, whether one year out of service or ten. The final day of the workshop was a job fair with a solid number of consulting firms, teaching gigs, grad programs, etc. and that was a good chance not just to hand out resumes but also to practice everything they'd taught us the previous two days.
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Dec 19, 2012 02:52
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Those should be fine. They look enough like regular slacks that you won't look weird, I think, and they'll probably be cooler than jeans (and easier to dry). That said, you should also bring at least a pair or two of actual slacks, like Dockers or something. I served in Cambodia, and maybe things were a bit different there, but most teachers wore slacks and short sleeved button-downs every day. You'll want actual quasi-dressy pants for any more serious occasions, I would imagine.
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Jan 12, 2013 06:41
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Slaan posted:Right, TEFL teachers, and I assume a few other sectors like the IT guys, are supposed to wear nicer clothes since y'all work in more official/officy situations. So bringing some some light khakis (not expensive because they WILL get dirty) and a few casual button downs is generally enough. American office clothing breaks too easily in the third world but you still want to look nice. For my off-time pants, I still thought jeans were too hot (this was in Cambodia) so I, and most of the other volunteers from what I remember, often wore athletic pants. Things like http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13070704&cp=694014&parentPage=family Jeans work too though, if you're okay with them not being very breathable. None of the locals in my area wore jeans so none of the volunteers really did either. Just go with what the locals do.
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Jan 12, 2013 09:04
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Moon Slayer posted:A krama and nothing else? Lucky if they even had a kromah. One of the guys in Prey Veng told a story about how he was sitting out in front of his house sipping coffee, looking out across the street, and the man who lived on the other side came out of the house in a long white undershirt and seemingly tiny underpants. Walked around the front, saw a part of the gutter that was hanging loose, reached up to fix it, and as his shirt rode up it became apparent that he wasn't wearing any underpants at all. And I thought I was racy free-balling in my kromah...
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Jan 12, 2013 12:16
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Grammar Fascist posted:If you think it's going to take you the full week to decide if you want your dream country and assignment, I'd be quite concerned... If you already have doubts, I'd take that as your answer. What? Some people are hesitant to make life-changing decisions quickly. Just because someone is uncertain doesn't mean they don't want to do it or that it's a bad idea, it just means they're more cautious in decision making. huhu, take your week to decide. But remember that if it really ends up being that bad, you CAN just come home and get a job in the states. It will be a lot harder for you to find environmental work in Panama at any other point in your life if you don't go down a path like this, I think. If you have other opportunities calling your name that make you want to stay home, that's legit, but if you have no other reason to go than the uncertainty, it's time to take the plunge.
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Feb 9, 2013 08:21
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Monkey Fury posted:Also -- does the Peace Corps run a second NAC before staging/departure? I (honest to god) haven't done anything wrong since my legal clearance, but I'm just curious. With about one week left in our PST, right before swearing-in, one of the members of my training group packed up and left overnight in a huge flurry of tears and goodbyes and a choked out explanation that his sister had been hit by a car and he needed to go home to be with his family and help her recover. Those of us who lived nearby him were able to say goodbye but most of us didn't even get to see him, he was hurried away overnight. We didn't really think much of it until halfway through service, one of my friends was back home for a visit and went to a Khmer holiday celebration of some kind. Talking to other partygoers, one of them women there found out he was in the Peace Corps and happily declared that her nephew had been there, too, until he left because it was too dangerous and he said someone had mugged him and someone else had pointed a gun at him. Both of those were stories that had happened to volunteers, but they were two different people, and were still volunteers... eventually it all came out that this guy who left during training had lied to both his PC friends and to most of his family, and had been kicked out because Peace Corps continued to run background checks on everyone up until swearing-in, and they discovered that maybe two weeks before shipping out to Cambodia, he had been arrested at a house party where some guys were dealing. He ended up not getting in trouble for it, as I understand it (which could be mistaken), but because he didn't report the incident to Peace Corps and kept it hidden, they caught him and sent him home over it.
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Feb 18, 2013 00:47
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Monkey Fury posted:Seems weird that they would go to all the trouble and money of sending someone overseas and training them just to give them the boot right before swearing-in. And it turns out I might have done something wrong, because I had applied for a job in an intelligence field about two months before my invitation! In summary, gently caress my life, here's to hoping for the best. Our program manager told me during service that it was seen as very important to get those cases out of the way before swearing-in because until they swear-in, they're not an actual volunteer, and thus won't count for the country program's overall attrition rates. I imagine they factor in a good number of flakes and freakouts in the first 6 weeks so it's not as big a deal. As far as why they let the guy go out there in the first place-- I imagine it's a matter of not having time to complete thorough background checks on every volunteer before service? I'm not sure. We were the very first group that PC Cambodia had though, so I imagine some of it might have been a matter of ironing out the kinks and getting things in working order. And as for your intelligence field thing... what does it matter? You didn't work for that field, did you? You just applied, but didn't have the job, right?
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Feb 20, 2013 06:52
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pfffft, says YOU You'll always be able to talk to other RPCVs that you meet about your poop though, regardless of the country where they served. Gastro-intestinal woes may be the single most unifying bond across all of PCVdom.
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Mar 12, 2013 14:58
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Moon Slayer posted:Don't murder anyone or get arrested for selling drugs, I guess? You sound like the perfect candidate. Yeah, this. Graduate with decent grades, keep doing what you're doing, and on the application just write some bullshit about how adaptable and flexible you are and they'll snatch you right up.
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Mar 13, 2013 14:29
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laxbro posted:Do you mean in terms of growing a beard? I don't think anyone is going to judge you for growing a beard no matter what your country. I am definitely going to attempt a beard at some point during my service. I have never followed through with a full beard while back in the U.S. since it grows in kind of weird. I had to fight quite a lot with our AO and PM over my beard because they considered it unprofessional for Cambodia. Cambodians don't grow them because they're unable to grow anything more than scraggly face pubes, and so there was this blanket policy of beards being against the rules. But I was stubborn and we were the first group in our country so we got away with a lot, so I managed to hold onto it for the entirety of service... but they definitely cracked down in later groups so I'd say it's certainly possible he could be judged for growing a beard.
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May 21, 2013 02:08
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Don't use dog poo poo for shaving cream then i guess? I dunno man people shave in the tropics every day all around the world and there isn't a spate of razor infections. Clean your stuff but more importantly don't worry about it. And you're probably gonna get a host of infections no matter what so just accept it and keep your PCMO on speed dial
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May 21, 2013 05:35
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Anyone who thinks PC Mongolia is Posh Corps is either outta their mind or just bitter that they're stuck in sub-saharan Africa. You guys are nuts up there.
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Sep 13, 2013 16:49
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Thesaurus posted:Question: Are any of you guys allowed to ride on the back of a motorcycle? We've been told that we are one of the few PC countries that allows it because it tends to be very dangerous, but it wouldn't surprise me if that's not ture. The issue here is that almost everyone travels by motorcylce because it's an island. We are all issued motorcycle helmets and if you're ever caught or reported to not be wearing one, you are immediately kicked out. Just happened to a person in my cohort. I just read that the DR is now ranked the most dangerous country in the world for drivers... mmhmm. DR is definitely an exception to the rule. Cambodia has a flat-out ban on any motorcycle/moped transportation... which is pretty ridiculous, because it's the way 90% of the country gets around, especially if they're traveling any less than 20km. But the law of the land is, if any PC staff catch a PCV riding a moto, they're done, no second chances, admin sep. I would guess that at least 2/3rds of my group rode them at some point during service regardless, more out of necessity than anything else, but we were always very paranoid about it, and never did it in the major cities. What I heard is that, back when PC first started, volunteers were issued motorcycles to get around. But then at some point in the early 80s, there was a survey done and motorcycle accidents were the leading cause of death among PCVs, so they stopped handing them out and now most of us get bikes instead. That's how our AO explained it, at least. Also, as far as the PC/Mongolia thing goes, we used to get a lot of their PCVs coming down to Cambodia to visit and would often run into them at hostels, around Phnom Penh, sometimes stopping by the PC Office. Drinking with them was always a fun exercise in mutual respect because we would marvel over how brutally cold it would get, but several times the Mongolia PCVs were just blown away at how "the whole goddamn country is trying to kill you every single day!" Malaria, dengue, scorpions, snakes, landmines, giardia, ameobas, trichinosis, that thing you get from the snails and from swimming in fresh water that I can't remember right now... it was a lot of fun, rather than saying "you guys are posh corps!" to go back and forth demurring to the ruggedness of the other's posting. I like Mongolia PCVs.
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Sep 18, 2013 03:12
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