|
| |
|
Why on earth are you doing this?
The adventure of
a Peace Corps assignment has appealed to me since high school. I love to travel, get immersed in the local scene, find the
places off the beaten path and get to know the locals so this is a chance to do that in, literally, a foreign culture for
a longer period of time than an average vacation. Since I've also always been happiest when I'm helping others, volunteer
work makes a lot of sense for me. I think the fact that I was born in 1968 has a lot to do with it. I just didn't get enough
of the hippie experience as an infant and need to make up for it now. And besides, how can I turn down a our noble President's call to service? ;)
|
Why now?
I've always planned to join the Peace Corps at some point in my life.
Last fall, I was looking into new jobs and nothing was catching my interest so it occurred to me that this is the perfect
time for me to volunteer with the PC. I don't own a house, don't have kids, no serious relationship on the horizon, my family
is healthy and happy, my friends are in stable places - it occurred to me that these things may be different in 5 years or
so. If I really do want to join the PC - now is the perfect time for me - with the exception of overall global security of
course. But the time is so perfect in every other aspect of my life that I took the plunge. I'm looking forward to changing
my work to match more of my personal priorities. I don't have real experience in the education field and am psyched to be
given the opportunity to get some teaching under my belt.
Can't you just volunteer
somewhere in the U.S.?
This is where
my reasons get selfish. To carry out effective volunteer work, you have to live at the level of the community you are working
with. There are many programs in the U.S. that carry out the same type of work as the Peace Corps. AmeriCorps is the U.S.
counter-part. But it would be really hard for me to live on a minimal income with the temptations
that are all over the U.S. Living in Fairfield County and working for huge corporations, I've gotten into some pretty decadent
habits. It would be really tough to give up things like cappuccino, HBO and spa weekends with the girls when they are available
all around me. And, regardless of how distressed communities in the U.S. may be, you really have to try hard to be in a place
where you cant get to Mickey Ds Fries or a glass of Merlot within a half hour. It will be easier for me to volunteer in a
setting where almost everybody is living at the same level. And why not try out a minimalist lifestyle for a few years?
How long will you
be there?
Peace Corps service is 3 months
of in-country training (for me in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent) and then 2 years of service on assignment. I'm scheduled to
return to the U.S. on October 26, 2004 so mark the date for a big coming home party.
Will you get paid?
Peace Corps will pay all of my expenses including travel. I will
live comfortably like a local with enough money to contribute to the local economy. The mean monthly income in Uzbekistan
cities is around US$50. The Peace Corps will be paying me about 3 times that for my living expenses. I will also receive a
"readjustment allowance" upon completion of my service to help get re-established in the U.S.
Why Uzbekistan?
You can find specific things about the country on the Uzbekistan page. When people ask me this question, they are usual asking why I ended up going to Uzbekistan out of all the countries that
Peace Corps serves. This is a big question with a long answer.
When I started the process of applying to the Peace Corps,
I tried figure out what location to request. (PC will try to place you where you request, but it definitely isn't guaranteed.)
My thoughts would switch daily I'd be swept up in the idea of the impact I could make in Africa and then catch "Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid" at 3 AM one night and decide it was a sign that I should go to Bolivia. Then I'd go back to my dream
of going to Nepal to chant with the Buddhist monks. Believe it or not, the Peace Corps also has placements in the Caribbean.
I thought I'd be more likely to get visitors in St. Lucia or Antigua than I would in Nicaragua or one of the Stans. (I guess
time will tell on that one!) Feeling overwhelmed by the vast advantages and disadvantages of each region, I decided to have
faith in the process. I figured that there had to be something to the 17 page application reaching into every depth of my
life that would give The Powers That Be a good idea of where I could help most. I also didn't want to be second guessing such
a huge decision so decided not to make one!
When my nomination came in for Central Asia, I was thrown -
I hadn't really considered that part of the world. So, I got out the map and did some research. Early on, it seemed that the
main advantage would be seasonal. I liked the idea of being somewhere that actually had a winter. Maybe I could even snowboard
in the Himalayas! I found the strong historical culture in the area fascinating. How could you not want to walk the
path of Genghis Khan and the Silk Road? And, most importantly, it was more likely that I would have internet access in Central
Asia than in regions of Africa or South America.
Of course, proximity to some pretty volatile areas was a big
concern. The Peace Corps had closed their programs in most Central Asia countries when U.S. troops moved against forces in
Afghanistan in October, 2001. I would most likely be part of the first groups to return. (See the next question regarding
safety.) It also seemed that most of the world news was suddenly focused on nearby hot spots like Israel, Iraq, India and
Pakistan.
The short version of how I made my decision is that I did a
lot of research. I read everything I could get my hands on: State Department and CIA reports, newspaper and magazine articles,
histories of the region. I spoke to Peace Corps officials, former and current volunteers to Central Asia, other Americans
that lived in Central Asia, Congressmen and anybody I could find that could name a country in the region. I listened to the
concerns of family and friends with both my head and my heart. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't an easy decision. But after
all that, I can say that I made an active decision with my eyes open. (Special thanks to Jim J. for making sure that my eyes
were WIDE open.) What it came down to was that every single person that I had talked to that had been in one of the Central
Asia Stans encouraged me to go. The advice I received not to go to the area was all from people who had never been there.
Part of the nature of being a Peace Corps Volunteer is that it is risky whether that risk be monsoons, malaria, civil unrest,
wild animals or remoteness from medical facilities. And the people who had experienced the risks in Central Asia firsthand
advised that it was a reasonable risk. So, I decided to go with the advice I was getting from people who knew the area firsthand
instead of from those who were basing their advice on fears that were only a possibility.
Once I accepted the nomination for Central Asia, it was up
to the Peace Corps to assign me to a specific country. And so...Uzbekistan it is!
Will you be safe?
The Peace Corps fundamental tenets of Volunteer safety and
security are building relationships, sharing information, training, site development, incident reporting and response, and
emergency communications and planning. Here is a link to the Peace Corps site on safety, but let me explain a couple of things that have put people at ease...
-
A request for Peace Corps service is initiated by
the government of the country that would like volunteers to help them. The countries also request the type of assistance they
need. So, I will be an invited guest of the country - not there to force some
agenda.
-
I'll be living with a host family for at least the
first 3 months of service. My host family, neighbors, and co-workers will
keep an eye on me. In fact, Ive heard that host families and the community tend
to be very over-protective of the volunteers. The community has requested and
prepared for my arrival so they are not willingly going to let anything bad happen to me.
-
Peace Corps puts volunteer security at the
top of their priorities. Their information regarding safety in service countries
is amazingly good. In fact, some companies call Peace Corps rather than the State Department to find out how safe a country
is. A major part of my training will include safety procedures.
-
Each country with Peace Corps volunteers maintains
in-country staff that will be keeping close tabs on me.
-
The Peace Corps has a basic medical unit and medical provider in every country where volunteers serve. If the in-country medical staff cannot treat any health problems I may have, I would be flown to a qualified
medical facility in a nearby country or back to the U.S.
-
The Uzbek community is very friendly and supportive
of Americans. Although Muslim is the biggest religious group, most Uzbeks are
non-fundamentalist Muslim so their attitude toward women is not as extreme as other Muslim countries.
- You
may have heard that the Peace Corps Volunteers were evacuated from Uzbekistan last year.
I've spoken to a number of those volunteers and people in the administration about this. They all believe that the evacuation was unnecessary. When
the U.S. sent troops to Afghanistan in October, the Peace Corps was pressured by families back home to send the volunteers
home. Even though there was no danger or threat of danger to the volunteers,
the Peace Corps decided to suspend programs in Central Asia under the pressure from families.
Most of the evacuated volunteers were either re-assigned to other programs or returned to Uzbekistan in April 2002. Although it seems like the evacuation was unnecessary in retrospect, it is an indication
that the Peace Corps will always act to protect the safety of volunteers before a threat becomes present.
How
will you learn the language?
The Peace Corps has one of the most renowned
and intense language training programs in the world. The majority of my first
3 months in training will be language training. I'll also be living with a host
family so they will help make sure I am in a language learning mode 24 hours a day.
What can
you bring with you?
Not enough. I
can bring 2 bags to check on the airplane and a carry-on. The checked luggage
has to weigh less than 102 pounds. But, I am looking forward to learning how
little I need to live as opposed to how much.
Can
you come home?
Except for a family emergency, I would have
to pay myself to travel home. Because of the cost, the length of the trip and
re-adjustment issues I don't plan to come home during my service. So, I am encouraging
as many people as possible to come visit! I even have a separate page where
I hope to have details on how to make the trip.
What will
you do when you get home?
I have no idea yet.
|
