On this page, I'd like to answer a few questions people sometimes have about the Peace Corps. If you have another question, or feel that I have inadequately answered one of the existing questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
The Peace Corps: what is that?
Good question. The Peace Corps is an agency of the U.S. government, founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, created to promote friendship and peace. The agency has three goals:
- To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
- To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
- To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of the Americans.
What lead you to join the Peace Corps?
I had always heard of the Peace Corps, and during my junior year of college, a Peace Corps recruiter came to campus. What I heard sounded interesting, and I learned that my experience working as a tutor at my school's Writers' Center qualified me for a position teaching. Realizing that service was a possibility, I did more research and decided to apply. As far as specific reasons go:
- I was attracted to the challenge of living in and integrating into a community completely different than anything I'd experienced previously.
- I believe it's important to learn a second language, and wasn't sure I'd ever do it without living abroad and immersing myself.
- And lastly, I was attracted to the high ideals of the Peace Corps: that the things that make people similar can outbalance the things that make them different, and that exposure to those similarities will leave all parties better for the experience.
And what are you doing?
I am working as an Education volunteer in Lesotho, specifically a Primary English Teacher.
Lesotho: what is that?
Lesotho is a country in southern Africa, about the size of Maryland and home to two million people. It is one of a few countries that is entirely contained inside of another country (in Lesotho's case, South Africa). The official term for this type of country is "enclave," and people will think more highly of you for knowing it. Lesotho gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1966; the Peace Corps has been in Lesotho since 1967.
What was your application timeline like?
One of the things I really appreciated during my time in the application process was seeing how long things took for other volunteers. Any applicants should note that these timelines are useless as predictors of how long your specific process will take. I just liked them as a reminder that other people, real people who probably read books and eat ice cream just like me, had gone through the same long process and come out of it Peace Corps Volunteers. So, here is how my process went.
- September 19, 2012: submitted application for Peace Corps (I gave my first possible date of availability as September 1, 2013)
- October 10, 2012: received a call from my recruiter asking if I could interview the next day
- October 11, 2012: interviewed with recruiter
- October 11, 2012: received nomination for the Peace Corps (did not give an estimated departure time or region, only said: "most likely in a teaching capacity")
- October 11, 2012: received an email from the medical portal asking for documents about a few things from my Health History Form
- March 28, 2013: received another email from the medical portal, again asking for documents
- April 29, 2013: received an email issuing me a medical pre-clearance for service
- June 3, 2013: received invitation to serve as an Education volunteer in Lesotho
- June 19, 2013: received final medical clearance for service
- October 9, 2013: staging in Philadelphia
- October 10, 2013: leaving for Lesotho
This whole enterprise sounds fascinating, and I would like to learn more. Could you share some links for further research?
I would be delighted to share some links for further research.
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