Peace Corps: Update
As it turns out, getting into the peace corps is quite an intensive process. It's a lot like applying for a job. In fact, in many ways it's exactly like that. I have to have some background in volunteering, certain types of references and write essays about who I am and what I hope to get out of the entire process. I also need to pass a physical, a dental physical and a credit check. The entire application takes close to a year. Give or take 3 months. And, apparently, it's a very competitive program. The woman I spoke with (a former Peace Corps volunteer and now employee) said that they get about 13,000 applicants a year applying for 4,000 positions. So naturally they want the cream of the crop.
If/when I am selected as a volunteer, they place me based on my skills and talents. If I speak a language other than English I my possibilities for placement increase dramatically. But even if I don't, once I arrive at my destination there will be programs I can enter to learn an additional language. There are a number of options open to me, I just need to find out which one best suits me.
During the recruiter meeting that I went to I heard the term "village" used frequently by the presenter. And it dawned on me. I'm not going half way across the world to help build a house or some such in a very urbanized and developed part of the world. I'm going to an area with little development, where running water is scarce and electricity perhaps more so. I will truly be roughing it. Taking this journey is a dedication to sacrifice and those running it want to make sure you're ready to make that sacrifice. I'm still deciding whether I can or not.
I've walked away from that meeting with a greater understanding of what I need to start this journey. It's going to take a battle just to get in the door. And once I am in the door, I'll realize that the battle has only just begun.
If/when I am selected as a volunteer, they place me based on my skills and talents. If I speak a language other than English I my possibilities for placement increase dramatically. But even if I don't, once I arrive at my destination there will be programs I can enter to learn an additional language. There are a number of options open to me, I just need to find out which one best suits me.
During the recruiter meeting that I went to I heard the term "village" used frequently by the presenter. And it dawned on me. I'm not going half way across the world to help build a house or some such in a very urbanized and developed part of the world. I'm going to an area with little development, where running water is scarce and electricity perhaps more so. I will truly be roughing it. Taking this journey is a dedication to sacrifice and those running it want to make sure you're ready to make that sacrifice. I'm still deciding whether I can or not.
I've walked away from that meeting with a greater understanding of what I need to start this journey. It's going to take a battle just to get in the door. And once I am in the door, I'll realize that the battle has only just begun.