Will I have the chance to meet girls while volunteering in the Peace Corps?

Question

I am seriously considering joining the Peace Corps, but am weighing the pros and cons and a huge con right now is whether or not I would be able to meet and date girls during my volunteer period. I don't want to go the next two years without dating and when my volunteer period ends I will be almost 30, which is pretty late to just begin finding a wife... Finding love is one of my biggest goals right now, so I'm just wondering how isolated I will be while in the program.

Answer 1

I think Peace Corps is like college with slightly older people.  You will have a number of other volunteers in your country that you might like because they are like minded people--they want to help people, see the world and have that kind of challenge.  Many volunteers also choose to date the local people.  I was told during staging that 20% of the people in your volunteer group will get married--either to each other or someone they meet during their service.  Of the 18 people in my group, there are two marrying each other, one who married another Peace Corps volunteer from a group who came in country later and one who married a VSO (a British volunteer equivalent) who was serving in the same country.  I would say 90% of volunteers who were dating someone when they left broke up within 3-6 months of their service.  I remember thinking I could go 2 years without dating but that totally didn't happen.  Even without the people getting married there is LOTS of 'dating' and convenience relationships.  It depends on your group.  All the married/getting married people from my group were between the ages of 25-29 when they started their service.

Answer 2

There's a section in FAQs on the Peace Corps website that addresses dating, and I've read that some volunteers even find their spouse during that time. You could read the site or do a search for Corp blogs, ask former volunteers, etc.

Answer 3

I am waiting on my Peace Corps invitation to serve (d**n this holiday weekend for making me wait longer!) But I have always heard of people dating. Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) date each other and sometimes even Host Country Nationals (HCNs). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But there are maaaaaaaany stories of PCVs coming back married, engaged, or engaged soon after to PCVs and even HCNs.  It is certainly a very different situation, and you shouldn't go into the peace corps like you would....a bar.....looking at everyone you meet as a potential girlfriend, you should keep focused on your work. But Its not out of the question to easily be able to date volunteers from your group, or groups before and after you, or even volunteers from other countries like canada or england. With HCNs, some countries it is more acceptable than others, but it is still entirely possible to date/marry a HCN. But you need to be respectful of their culture in that situation and make sure you aren't putting the woman in a difficult position.

Answer 4

Your available pool is going to be WAY limited compared to say, working in a nice night club in Malibu or the library at USC. The number of host country women with college degrees is going to be small. Marrying a farm girl who doesn't speak English particularly well would be cruel; she'd be a second-class citizen in the USA.

You might meet a fellow PCV; there will be 10 - 100 in your training group. Roughly half will be women.

I went the two years without any serious dating, although I took a couple of ladies out for lunch. We always went in odd numbers; three, five or seven.

Answer 5

Listen mann. After your volunteer period you will be ALMOST 30. That is madd young still. You can find a girl easily. Do the Peace Corps. JFK would be proud!

Answer 6

Some times in life one must give up what they truly desire, in your case dating seems to be more important then really volunteering with the Peace Corp.  

Let love find you!   It works out much better... I know from experience.