Peace Corps experience?

Question

I'm thinking of joining the Peace Corps. I know every experience is different, but I want to be sure that I'm not getting into a situation I won't like. What kind of experience am I likely to have given that I'm an English major who knows some French? Where am I likely to be placed and what kind of living situation will I have?

Answer 1

my sister is currently in the peace corpse shes coming back in October this year finally. she was assigned to live in Tanzania. she says it was a very life changing experience. it changed her views greatly. she says she appreciates what she has back home more.  living ina modern society and country is a bad thing to be in when u have to go to a 3rd world country.  

Answer 2

If you know French they will likely send you to French speaking Africa, but of course that varies.  I knew Spanish and they sent me to French speaking Africa!  Anyway, there is no way to find out beforehand if you will enjoy the experience but you can prepare yourself for it as much as possible, I would say mostly by doing some mental prep and also learning more of the language because that will make your life so much easier.  A year ago you could not have found someone more gung-ho on the Peace Corps than me but sure enough, three months in I decided to come home because I was miserable.  Most of my friends are still abroad though, so everyone's experience is different.  Some people love it, others hate it. The only way to find out which one you are is to go!  Do you know how many people told me before I left, "gee, I always wanted to join the Peace Corps!"?  A lot!  Even though I had a bad time I am so glad that I went otherwise I would always wonder.  Living situations vary from country to country. :)

Answer 3

You have a good chance of teaching English in a back country school. As to where - not Latin America, since, my daughter tells me, all LA volunteers have to speak Spanish before they go. Anywhere else is possible. You won't have a Starbucks in your village and you may not have running water 24 hours a day. (Back in 1971, I had water 24 hours a day and electricity for 16. My daughter has electricity 24 hours a day and running water from 5 am to 1 pm.)

http://www.tedpack.org/pchead.html

tells about my experiences. You can Google "Peace Corps Blog" to find more recent ones.

Answer 4

Join iwanttojointhepeacecorps in yahoo! groups