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I love these threads! You can add me to the OP, RPCV Togo (08-09). Ask me about getting malaria and med-sepped for it (even with taking prophylaxis...). Did IT development work, and would be willing to answer questions about what its like to teach computers in a country where other volunteers are telling people that they should wash their hands before they eat.
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Oct 26, 2009 04:24
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apekillape posted:Same questions a couple of us have asked in the thread previously would be nice. Alright, here is my story. I graduated with a degree in Biochemistry, so no a CS degree is not mandatory. I have however worked several IT related jobs (web design, campus IT work), which is what got me the position. Initially I was accepted as a Secondary Science Education volunteer, but was called by the placement office to ask if I would be willing to change to an ICT program. As far as actual work went, my assigned counterpart was the head of the IT branch of an NGO in my village. He was almost always in the capital city of the country and I barely saw him. I worked mainly with the 4 other people in the department. In my time there I helped teach web design principles, worked on a multi-day seminar on open source software, and helped draft a plan for a community multimedia center. I also worked with a handicap cooperative that another business volunteer was working with to help revamp their website and create a way for them to market their goods globally. My biggest regret is that I didnt get to finish, or follow up on that project because both I and the other volunteer were separated within a month of one another for illnesses. The third IT-related project I worked on was with an international organization (Plan) in my village to teach basic computing classes to middle-school aged children. This was tough at the start, because french is an evil language and difficult to master, but once the kids understood my accent everything went really well. This I would consider to be the most rewarding work that I did. Seeing children go from looking at the mouse, then screen, then back at the mouse to move the cursor to being able to type ~60wpm and navigate windows over several weeks was amazing and made me feel like I was accomplishing things. Beyond that, I did alot of HIV/AIDS work as well as work with a local orphanage tutoring children there. There are all sorts of other little projects, but they arent as important. Basically as an IT worker, you do what is needed and hope that it amounts to something. I didn't have internet access in village, so doing research for projects was often times a lengthy process involving a 6 hour taxi ride to the capital where I could use the internet at the Peace Corps bureau. Hope this was informative, if you have any other questions feel free to ask!
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Oct 27, 2009 05:06
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Moon Slayer posted: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. Feel free to add whatever, I know I had a tough time figuring out what IT volunteers did before going and would have liked some sort of reference. 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... Also my old blog is http://marcointogo.blogspot.com if you want to add that to the OP
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Oct 27, 2009 21:00
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Moon Slayer posted: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 We just got Nigerian rap vcd's :/ Thesaurus posted:What are people's experiences with the local languages? How extensive is the language training you receive during the first two months? I'm sure it depends on the language in particular, but do most people attain some degree of fluency (or at least competency) during their two years? Or do you find yourselves getting by on English and not needing to learn the local language? Togo, being about the size of West Virginia, had over 60 distinct ethnic groups with their own unique languages. I picked up phrases in 3-4 of them, but wouldn't consider myself fluent at all. There was a volunteer who just COS'd though that was absolutely fluent in Kotokoli (local language) and would amaze HCN's because his intonation as well as word usage was perfect. Personally I had enough trouble just learning French, the official language of the country, that I didn't work too hard on my Kabiye.
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Oct 28, 2009 03:10
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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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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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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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Davish Krail posted:Has anyone ever run into people from USAID? What was your impression of them? I had a professor who had done work in Africa for USAID and quit after she realized it was essentially an arm for the US State Department and was really involved in a lot of corrupt dealings with local officials. Has anyone had a similar impression or anything? (I'm not looking to join USAID or anything, I'm just curious.) I don't know about other volunteers, but my service really destroyed the notion that foreign aid programs do anything beneficial. It seemed more like the individuals working in the country, both foreign and domestic workers helping, received most of the aid themselves, in the form of brand new land cruisers and expensive meals on a daily basis.
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Dec 14, 2009 15:34
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CronoGamer posted:USAID is a different story and I don't know enough about the mechanics of the operation but it is easy to see the US personnel driving around in their jeeps and eating at Western restaurants and to get a bad impression of that. However, you've got to realize that not everyone wants to/is willing to rough it for a period of years in the host country the way PCVs do. If you want to attract these people with graduate degrees and lots of experience in development, you'll have to make it comfortable for them to work in these countries. Sure, in an ideal world they'd all accept a pittance of a salary and everything would go into the programs they were fostering throughout the country, but guess what fellas, it ain't an ideal world. My issue wasnt with the foreign aid workers, they have a salary. My issue is with the host country nationals working for the program skimming money off of the minor pittance that children would recieve in funding for school supplies to the extent that many were unable to afford school as well as supplies even though the amount sent to the organization was more than enough. Also, time spent is amazingly beneficial. Don't look at it as "saving the world", look at it as a way to spend an extended period of time living in a completely foreign culture and learning all you can while also teaching people who may have never actually talked to an American before about US culture. Thats why the 2nd and 3rd goal of the Peace Corps are the most important/pertinent. Its a cultural exchange, with work thrown in that may or may not pan out. If you're going in just for the grad school boost, good luck making it two years. If you're going for a complete change of scenery and a desire to do something beyond anything you've done before and completely challenge yourself then you're making the right choice.
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Dec 14, 2009 20:56
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Miranda posted:I'm an Australian and my boyfriend is in the Peace Corps in Moldova. He finishes in April and he's coming to Australia. What do you guys think were the first things you wanted to do when you finished up? Obviously we're going just have a lot of sex and I know some foods he really wants. Other than showers and I guess speaking English...is there anything you missed that you didn't expect and really wanted when you got out of the country? Surprisingly I missed sweet things, like sour patch kids or starburst that I would get in care packages occasionally. I never really ate them back in the states, but when your diet's sole sweet intake comes from the occasional coke they were little delicious treats. Oh and a steak. The "steaks" you could get in the euro restaurants in the capital weren't even close to a medium rare ribeye with asparagus...mmm...
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Jan 14, 2010 20:16
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Riven posted:My wife and I are thinking about joining in a few years when we finish our Master's in Educations. I'm getting mine in Special Education and she's getting hers in Early Childhood (PreK-3rd Grade) Education. I'm a Resource teacher at a middle school right now dealing with Learning Disabilities, Autism and Emotional Disabilities, she'll have a year or so of teaching (probably preschool or Kinder) under her belt by the time we would be going. Getting pregnant is a trip home, and medical separation. If she decides to abort, its a 3 week vacation in DC and then she can return to the field. I can't remember if PC pays for the surgery or not. Also, if you as the husband want to return home you have to ET, you don't get medical separation.
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Jan 22, 2010 14:28
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Africa is home to the best medical situations you can ever hope to find yourself in... In my little over a year there, I managed to contract (in no particular order): Giardia x2 Amoebas Upper respiratory infection (which turned into) Sinus Infection from Hell (104+ fever) Malaria The last one was the best...it gave me a ticket home! I was jokingly going to make a bingo card of maladies for my fellow volunteers because it seemed like someone I knew was invariably having to go to the country capital to receive medical treatment. The upside is that I don't feel nauseated by much anymore after spending days wondering why my insides were dying
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Apr 14, 2010 01:18
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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. If it will show up on a federal background check, mention it. If not, dont. All it makes is extra paperwork. I remember a girl in country who had to wait a year to be placed due to a public intox conviction, they take any sort of potential threats to the image of the program seriously. However once you're in country all bets are kind of off... Also keep the maladies coming! We had a saying in Togo that you weren't an official PCV until you pooped yourself.
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Apr 15, 2010 02:18
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Fuschia tude posted:I haven't heard back since I got a few more tests that they wanted after turrning in my medical forms months ago; my medical status is still pending. The application status site says they might not get to me any time soon since they're currently just reviewing people leaving within 4 months, and my date would be in May. Does this match other peoples' experiences? I had to wait 3-4 months to have the PC Med unit accept and clear a form saying that I didn't have asthma from my family practitioner who I had been a patient with for 20+ years. It turns out that having a university clinic doctor prescribing you everything imaginable for a sinus infection = asthmatic in PC's eyes. Just hang in there and keep filling out stuff, that experience only continues throughout your stay in country.
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Oct 29, 2010 12:11
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