Peace Corps - Houston,TX

I thought it about for about 10 minutes when I was young. I didnt have the money. Plus I heard the selection process and criteria was stringent. I guess I didn't feel qualified. Part of me was totally adventurous and looking for a drastic change of scenery. I wanted to go on a Morotrcycle Diaries type journey of self discovery. The other part was afraid that when all was said and done I wouldn't like what I discovered! Maybe I wouldn't be as brave as I thought I was about living outdoors without running water, electricity, eating stuff I wouldn't normally eat.

It's very expensive!

No college degree when I was young and single...

Better NGO's (pay, family accompaniment, etc.) now that I'm a parent.

They want you to have a college degree...I do believe :(

I worked with a co-worker who had joined the Peace Corps and went to Madagascar.

I can't help you.

He had NO RESERVATIONS before hand (except that he had to get extra shots because he was going to Madagascar) and said his experience was FANTASTIC and that he would do it again and would recommend it to anyone.

My neighbors daughter is in the Peace Corps. She speaks Spanish.
She has been through a lot in her 2 years as a Peace Corps member. She was raped at one location (they couldn't find the perpetrators) and they moved her, she got deathly ill at another location. She came home - got better and went back. Now she is in "bigger" countries.

I would google Dateline NBC or 48 Hours on ID - google Peace Corps rapes and murders...they have swept many things under the rug....that in itself would keep me from giving my approval for my child to do the Peace Corps.

i just wrote you a huge long response, and my laptop apparently found it so yummy that the whole thing got eaten up. argh.

here are the highlights of what i wrote:

i was a peace corps volunteer. my husband was too. it was amazing, life-altering, eye-opening. i have seen things i cannot describe adequately to people who weren't there. my time in morocco changed everything about how i see the world. DON'T HESITATE. DO IT.

it isn't expensive -- not sure where people get that idea. they pay for absolutely everything, give you a monthly stipend, and hand you a check when your service is complete. why are folks convinced that it costs you a penny??

while i served i knew 3 people who were assaulted -- 2 sexually, one physically. they were all incredibly well-supported by our country director, with love, compassion, and respect. i don't mean at all to minimize the experiences brought out by the women who appeared on 20/20 but what i saw personally was very, very different.

it is hard to get in. i worked for HQ for 4 1/2 years after i returned and spent most of that time in evaluation and placement. i know the lengths peace corps goes to to make sure its volunteers are excellent representatives of america abroad. a college degree is almost always required, except in areas like farming.

you are never too old! the oldest volunteer in my group was 72. she was incredible. anna. we all adored her.

language training was phenomenal. job training, not so much. i had to invent my own job when i got to my site. i ended up doing what my village needed me to do, instead of what peace corps expected me to do. that didn't always go over so well with my program director, but my local counterparts loved what i did.

i was homesick a lot but it was much worse when i got home -- that is, i missed morocco much, much more when i got back than i missed home while i was there.

i have dormant TB as a result of my service. peace corps paid for ALL of my post-service medical treatment. i followed all the protocols and took all my meds as i was supposed to, and have not had a single problem with that charming little problem in over 20 years.

DO IT. you won't regret it.

My daughter is currently serving with the US Peace Corps in Guatemala. Her term is up this AUG 2012.

It has been an incredible journey for her up until the last couple of months. A certain local man in charge of $$ that she did all the fundraising for to build the first ever free junior high school is sexually blackmailing her. He is married and is dropping hints that he won't sanction the funds unless he is 'happy' with...meaning he wants her to sleep with him in order for her to get her $$ for the project.

I just spent 2 hours this weekend discussing the details. She is only 23 years old of course thought no one would believe her if she told her Peace Corps chain of command.

My husband and I encouraged her to find a sympatico and trusted colleague within the organization and to definitely speak with the appropriate authorities. This type of 'business' would not be tolerated in our country, and would be prosecuted if reported in a timely manner. Although, undoubtedly it happens as there are always those who are vulnerable and always those who take advantage of such.

BTW, we are bringing her home for Christmas as the 3rd world conditions are taking it's toll on her. She needs a break. And of course, we are paying for it because she lives on subsistence wages. And I'll be going in March for a 2 week visit, to see her site and travel with her.

PM me if you'd like to peruse her website.
Best to your future!