Has anyone been in the peace corps?

Question

i am planning to apply to the peace corps after college. i am an english major and i'm hoping to teach english in Africa. i am planning to volunteer in a hospital in haiti and i speak french, english, and italian.

does anyone who has been through the peace corps know if these qualities guarantee a spot?

can anyone tell me about where they went, how they liked it, if they were homesick, how the application worked, ect..., any information would be nice.

Answer 1

I'm not American so I haven't done the Peace Corps, but my friend did it for 2 years in Russia. From what I understand, you don't get to choose where you go. You may get to state preferences, but you don't always go where you want to.

Having the qualifications doesn't guarantee you a spot. Get involved with international organizations and clubs at your college to have an upper hand. Show them that you really want this - a LOT of people apply and it's good competition.

Homesickness and culture shock are both givens, but I've lived overseas and know that you WILL get past it. It's not easy and I wanted to go home so many times! But if you stay, you'll find it goes away and you'll be so happy you stuck it out.

My friend loved it but said it was hard. He was sent to a VERY remote village in Russia. Nobody within a few hours drive spoke a l**k of English, so he was basically left in a community where he barely understood anyone and nobody understood him. He taught English and there were literally NO other English speakers. He did practice and learn Russian, but it's a hard language. He felt very alone and wanted to leave most days. You really need to be prepared for what's coming. I think a lot of people leave the PC early.

Answer 2

I can give you a tiny bit of information.

When I looked into it, they told me that there was no guarantee that you could go where you wanted to.  Nor that they could place you according to the languages you already know.  That was many years ago, so I don't know, but I believe it's still true.

My niece is in Moldova with the PC right now.  She is definitely going through some growing pains and homesick issues.  A lot depends, of course, on whether you get sick (you ALWAYS want Mommy when you aren't feeling up to shuff), how mature you are, and how much experience you have in foreign countries.  Remember, you are going to wind up somewhere where the water probably isn't pure, there is no indoor plumbing, and health care may not be what you are used to.

That's what I can help with.  I DO believe it's a REALLY good experience, and you will come away with some really good friends and experiences under your belt (sorry for the redundancy, there.)

Definitely go on with the application process.