Thoughts about Peace Corps

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So last night we have the Peace Corps 50th Anniversary Dinner. This is an international holiday and people all around the world were having dinners to celebrate. I helped to plan the one that happened on the ship and it ended working out really well….we had a huge turnout.

I ended up talking to two different people about their experiences. One woman went when she was 24 with her “just married” husband to the remote Soloman Islands. Her husband’s specialty was French and she was an anthropology major. Once she mentioned that fact, I started to listen a lot more. They both got placed with education jobs. They would teach night classes to adults who had a 3rd grade education any kind of skills they thought they might need.

I then asked her the big question, which I guess was on everyone’s mind. “How did you deal going to a remote place for 2 years of your life?” She was really positive about it and told me that it was hard at times (especially because they went to such a remote island), but you get used to it and it was soooo worthwhile! She also made note of the fact that now we have technology that allows us to communicate and she had her husband with her….along with the 15 other couples that were placed in the same location as them.

This is actually something I have been seriously thinking about and to hear some positives about their experiences really helped me feel at ease about it. But two years is still a really long time. Especially when you in your early to mid twenties. I have met so many people on this ship that have done some extensive traveling and are still under thirty. It’s amazing…but also crazy! When I tell them about my aspirations to travel the world, the answer I always get is “just do it”. But in reality, you have to leave everyone behind; you don’t have a permanent home, job, or plan. Maybe because I’m a “planner”, the idea of that freaks me out…who knows? But this is definitely something I’m keeping in mind.

Oh, I didn't mention the alternative option they talked about at the dinner. You can also become an AmeriCorps volunteer. This program is only around a year and you don’t have to go to a remote island or country, instead they station you somewhere in the US and keep moving you around the US. I would miss home and my friends and family too much, but I’m still keeping all this in the back of my head…

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