The Whole Peace Corps Thing

You're going where? To do what? For HOW long? How much are they paying you, anyway?

So here's the deal: In two weeks, I'll be leaving for Madagascar. After I meet up with other volunteers in DC, we will travel to Madagascar together for three months of training. We'll be learning Malagasy (the national language) and working on a series of diverse projects such as soil improvement and building fuel-efficient cookstoves. The idea being that we can then be a resource for the community we are placed in, collaborating on projects in the local language.

I don't know yet which community I'll be placed in or what projects I'll be focusing on--we don't receive specifics until we're well into training, when our skills and preferences can be evaluated. The broad job title I've been given is Natural Resource Manager in the Environment program. Once I am placed in a village for two years, I'll be receiving a small stipend that allows volunteers to live at the level of their neighbors and perhaps save a little for in-country travel.

Now, why am I doing this? Some people are understandably a bit baffled that I'm willingly giving up the amenities of Western living (hot showers, high speed internet) to go live in a hut on the other side of the world. But all in all, the job has advantages and is a good fit for me. It's a great skill-building job with benefits (government health care!) which allows me to work how I work best, by being self-motivated. And more importantly, I get to live in a fascinating country while doing it!

I am (I hope) realistic about how effective I will be while serving. How effective I am depends in large part on how much my community wants my input and is willing to team up on projects. Thankfully, technical help is not the only goal of the Peace Corps. Since its inception, the Peace Corps has had three goals as its mission statement:

1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.

2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.

3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

So 2/3 of the job is cultural exchange: acting as an on-the-ground ambassador for the U.S. and also conveying the experience of a different culture to people in the U.S. This blog is acting as part of the third goal--creating a better understanding of other peoples among Americans.