peace corps?

Question

can anyone give me a general explanation in there own words about the peace corps? do you get paid to do this or is it something you do with your own money? is it very dangerous?

Answer 1

You get paid enough to live like a local person, you get transportation and health care, and you get $6,000 on your return. It's not dangerous, although about 10% of people end up leaving early for medical reasons -- like if you have a dental problem that they can't solve locally, you go home.

The Peace Corps is an amazing experience, from what I've heard. It teaches you a lot about yourself and the world. Employers are very interested in hiring someone who has been in the Peace Corps, because they know you can handle problems that come up in life and you're tough.

You can also get your college loans deferred, you can get credit in school, and you might get reduced tuition. You should definitely look into it.

Answer 2

Peace Corps is about sharing knowledge. I was a volunteer in Malawi, Africa 2002-2004. There were 3 sectors: health, education and environment. These sectors might differ in another country. As a health volunteer, I focused on HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, cholera and any other seasonal illness that might have popped up. You don't have to be a doctor or nurse, or even have a clinical background, since you share basic knowledge. You definitely learn "on the job".

PC pays you a stipend which covers all basic expenses: shelter, food and clothes, and other incidentals. I made about $120/month. You do get paid $6,000 upon completion of service, but you pay your own ticket home out of that money (just so you know).

NO one gets rich off PC service, but you come back with a wealth of knowledge for yourself and others. The 3rd goal of PC is to "bring it home": share what you learned with family and friends.

It's not easy. You will be challenged, amazed and thrilled. You will cry at times and laugh like you never did before. You will know extreme highs and lows, and you will depend on your community and your new PC buddies to help you through the hard times.

It was an amazing experience, something that has made me more resourceful and---dare I say--clever. One becomes extremely creative when stripped of luxuries and amenities of the 1st world. Pretty soon you feel like you can make water out of mud, a garden out of sawdust. Also, you come back with fantastic stories, and memories of your village friends who became like family.

Look into it if you are interested. It's not for everyone. Find a PC representative in your area, if possible, and simply make an appointment to get more information. There's a reason they call it "The toughest job you'll ever love."

As for danger...well, the world is a dangerous place, of course. Bad things can happen to you here in the states. Common sense goes a LONG way in keeping you safe abroad. Always think, and don't drink so much you can't make a common sense-decision when you need to. You'll do fine :-)

Answer 3

It is a government program that matches Americans with skills with developing countries that have asked for people with those skills. Most Volunteers are teachers, nurses/health workers, agricultural advisers or engineers. Volunteers train for three months and serve for two years. The Peace Corps takes about one out of every 4 applicants. The most common reason people don't get accepted is that they don't have a skill a country has asked for.

Almost every volunteer has a college degree or a lot of hands-on experience.

You get paid what is called a "Living allowance", which you can live on, frugally. You won't have color TV or cable. You may have a laundry lady, oddly enough. In the country I served, people with a regular cash income were expected to share with those who didn't have it, usually by hiring someone to cook, clean, do laundry or garden. (Not all of the above; I paid a woman to do my laundry and would sometimes "hire" a student who was short of cash to hoe weeds.)

I was safer in the jungles of Borneo than I would have been in a poor section of any big city in the USA. I came home with a tan, a small machete scar (self-inflicted) and a three-foot long round worm, which I passed a couple of months later.

Read more:
http://www.tedpack.org/pchead/html
The page "PC Links" has a link to a PCV Web ring, with 48 sites by returned volunteers.