Advice about Peace Corps from an RPCV

The single most often asked question I get about Peace Corps, and the one I remember asking is: I always hear all these great stories and experiences. I want to hear the bad stuff. The things that might make me crazy and regret my decision. So please let me have it.

So here is my answer:

Red Tape
Make no mistake, you are joining a government organization. This means that there are policies that WILL NOT make sense to you. There are restrictions you MUST adhere to. There are forms and more forms and more forms. This is frustrating. One policy is that if you are out of the country during a weekend, this counts as your yearly vacation time. "But why should it count if weekends don't usually count????" That's what most volunteers complain about. What they don't realize is that they are volunteers 24/7. This means that if they're away from their sites and in the country, they're STILL PCVs. They're STILL representing the country. As soon as you leave, you stop representing America to your host country. Still, this red tape is annoying to many volunteers.



Down Time
It amuses me so much to hear future volunteers talk about how much they'll do at their site. They get the idea that they'll land in country and everyone will be so excited to see them and they'll have so many projects and be so busy. The reality is that a LOT of Peace Corps is the down time. In Ukraine the wintertime is harsh. It feels like it gets dark at 4pm, people stay inside, it's freezing cold. And you find yourself at home sitting, doing nothing. "I'll go visit my neighbors!" Well, what if they're suspicious of you and want you to leave them alone? (Yes, this happened to me). I personally watched a lot of tv. Some people read a lot of books. Others called their friends. Regardless, you will find your self with a LOT of time on your hands. Peace Corps is NOT just about doing your job. It's about living in the country.



Not properly utilized/not being NEEDED
Sadly, this has happened to many a volunteer. In some cases the site just doesn't want the person to do ANYTHING but their job, which in Ukraine means teaching English. Even though the volunteer may have grant writing experience, the site may not care. The volunteer may find that the host country nationals, while SAYING they wanted to help or get something done, may not actually have any follow through. Additionally, many volunteers feel like their skills and talents are going to waste. They have a lot of experience working on computers or with adults, and end up teaching children. This leads to a lot of frustration. Additionally, many felt like "Ukraine doesn't really NEED our help!" and they ended up leaving, wishing they'd been selected for a country that REALLY needed help.

Not appreciated
When you leave your home, your friends, and your country for two years, it's not unreasonable to think that you'll be appreciated. Your host country will welcome you, you'll be a celebrity, people will thank you, and you will have made a difference. But what if you end up in a town like my friend, whose neighbors kept telling her things like "You need to stop buying so many raisins" or "Stop running. It's dangerous for your health" or worse: they wouldn't allow her to help the students who were preparing for English tests. Imagine being bullied by people whose language you barely speak, who will reluctantly help you if at all, and who seem to feel you are more of a hassle than you are worth. This is not the experience of all volunteers, but I know more than one volunteer who has fallen victim to this.

Not the experience you expected
This one hit several volunteers hard when they were told they were going to Ukraine. There was a crestfallen look as they read their acceptance letter. Either because they were hoping for a proper third world experience, or they felt like this would be "Peace Corps Lite", or they were sad that so much technology (cell phones and computers and tv, oh my!) would be available. They had this idea of a rural living situation and got a post-soviet country. Or they hoped they would be working with their hands and instead were teaching children English.

Nothing to show
This one is very specific to the ESL job. When you build wells, you have something to show for it. You can look on your work and be very satisfied. When you plant crops, you have something very tangible and empirical that you can look at and say "See, I'm making a difference." With education it's nearly impossible to do. You DON'T see the results right away. You end up NOT feeling like you've really done anything. There is no proof of your efforts.

Being ON all the time
Some Volunteers never fully relax. They have this "I'm representing the United States and all Americans" thing going on all the time. They don't ever yell or show they're upset. They don't feel comfortable saying NO when men in their town ask for their phone numbers. They don't ever really make friends because they are not really people--they're representations of people.



Loneliness
This one is huge. This one got me. I had a million volunteers around me and I felt utterly alone. I was tired of just being able to say "I have a family. I have a mother. I have a father." etc and not really connecting with anyone. Even though at times it felt like "Hey, people are people!" other times I would be shocked at how utterly different we were, and that made me feel very alone. A friend of mine had literally no one in her town who was even close to her age. When the young people would come into town they wanted nothing to do with her. They were small town people not used to changes in their lives and didn't know how to incorporate this new, strange gal.

Other
For me, the absolute hardest part of Peace Corps was the other volunteers. Before I offend everyone I have made friends with, let me clarify. I was in a country where volunteers had to be warned about alcohol abuse, as it was a very serious issue. Most volunteers were either fresh out of college or were seniors, and I fell in that awkward age of 30s. I absolutely hated the drinking parties and college frat feel that seemed to arise whenever volunteers got together. I absolutely made wonderful friends there, but I couldn't stand the party mentality. For me, it had no place in Peace Corps. I did have a reputation of being overly serious and caring too much about my job. In fact, every time I talked to volunteers I would talk about projects or ESL or teaching. I was there to do a job and was very very annoyed when volunteers would "cut loose." At one point I found myself at a party where the volunteers were SO LOUD that the Ukrainian police came, took everyone's passports, then agreed to accept a bribe to make this "go away." Which should be fine, except that a few volunteers were SO ANGRY about this CORRUPT SYSTEM and being loud and belligerent and being total JERKS. I have little patience for this. I wouldn't be surprised to know that many volunteers there didn't care for me, but honestly I don't care. I spent nearly all my time with my Ukrainian friends and hanging out with them.

These are what I feel were the worst things about Peace Corps where *I* was assigned. Your miles may vary, especially depending on the country you are assigned. For me, it was a really great experience, one I wouldn't change for the world. I was very lucky for a few reasons: I met some very outstanding Ukrainians who were absolutely ready to work, I met many Ukrainian women my age who spoke English, I felt comfortable being myself--I realized that I wasn't doing the US any favors by not being myself, I had a background in Education, so for me, having no "results" was absolutely no issue, I was properly utilized and appreciated at my site, and I personally loved all the down time.

I'm sure that these would be very different for people who are in Africa, but many will remain the same regardless. Just remember--the less developed the country, the more time you will have to spend on JUST LIVING. Getting water, getting and preparing food, etc.



Peace Corps is a very rewarding site, and truly the inflexible will not make it far. People drop out all the time. They realize it's just not for them for a multitude of reasons. But many times it's because they're absolutely inflexible. One girl quit after she was told where she'd be living. She went to visit and said "I'm done" because they couldn't accommodate her religion. Others would cry when they were told they'd be living in the East, or had to learn Russian or had to learn Ukrainian. It was as though they'd used up their whole notion of "flexibility" right before they landed in the country, then were absolutely rigid when they got there. Frankly, a lot of that made me absolutely sick to my stomach and made me fairly angry.

So my advice: put down on the application countries you DON'T want to go with. If you'd feel disappointed working in a 2nd world country, tell Peace Corps you don't want to go there. If you heard you'd be in Ukraine and that would bring tears to your eyes, tell PC you don't want to go there. You get my point of view. Your viewpoint will be colored when you get there, you'll be looking for reasons to hate it and back up your point of view, and you'll probably leave during training.

Good luck to you. I adored my time in Peace Corps, and hopefully this will help you in your journey. I am by no means an expert, I just try to be a bit observant and listen to what the volunteers I KNEW were complaining about. Just remember: BE FLEXIBLE! It will serve you well.

Operation: Legal Kitty

I have been having kitty related stress lately. The apartment complex I was to stay in in Korea has a no cats allowed rule. I worried about this, and I even considered sneaking her in.

After discussing it with my company, they talked with the landlord's wife. First she said no. Then said it was because cats make so much noise. I told them my cat is SO QUIET! and my company kept wearing her down. Finally she said yes, but her husband said no. Twice. Then today I got this news:

They finally called me today, and told me that she could bring the cat (Dr. Kim also talked to them), but if the residents complain, they can't allow her to have the cat there. Julia said her cat is so calm and does not make any noise at all. As long as she's careful when she brings her outside.

HOORAY!!! I am so excited about this!

I also received news that my paperwork is being processed and that everything should be finished on March 8. Once the paperwork is finished I will book an appointment with the Korean consulate in Seattle and then get my airline ticket! SO EXCITING!

So yes, I will be heading to Korea VERY SOON and I will be legally taking my kitty with me! YAY!

Preparing to leave: Wardrobe

The wardrobe takes careful consideration when you are going overseas for a set amount of years and are not given money for relocation.

You want to account for the weather, professional and personal, casual and dressy, etc.

I made the mistake of bringing a lot of shirts that were like this:


The problem was that Ukraine ran hot and cold. So when it was cold I really wished I had two layers on. When it was hot I wished I could take one layer off or roll up the sleeves. A better solution would have been to go with two button up shirts and two sweaters or a sweater and a vest.

Another problem I had was going too professional. Nearly all my clothes were professional and I had very few lounging clothes. SO STUPID! Who wants to hang out in their house in a button up shirt and slacks? That's what t-shirts are for! and pajama bottoms! When no one is coming around, comfort should be priority! Argh!

So now that I'm packing for Korea I am trying to keep these things in mind. What can be layered. Can everything go with everything? Professional AND casual. Most of what I brought to Ukraine was clothes and books. Now I will be bringing very few books, less clothing, but still quite a bit of wearables.

My place in Korea will be miniscule, but still, it's important to bring nice things that remind you of home. I will be bringing some artwork with me--small and portable, they don't take up a lot of space, they will look very nice on my walls, and they are very personal.

I will be bringing three cross stitch projects: One I've started, one I intend to start, and one with a much lower level of difficulty just in case I want to do something different. That should be enough. I may bring some knitting needles, but no yarn.

Thankfully I'm getting things like a Kindle, and I have my hard drives, so I don't have to lug dvds or music or books.

Tomorrow we do a trial run of packing for Korea, just to see what kind of room we have. Then I'll make some choices and decide what should come with me and what should stay, going back into storage.

Some things I *am* bringing that will take up some space: games and a frying pan. I am taking my cast iron skillet with me. I can handle a lot when it comes to kitchens: poor burners, no space, but having a skillet that SUCKS is not stress I want to handle. Good skillet is high on my MUST HAVEs. Really.

I finally broke down and bought a gorillapod


It is a perfect tripod, and something I've had my eye on for 2+ years.

Also bought: a small "day bag"


And a matching purse or a "city bag" as REI calls it


And a pair of athletic shoes. So today was an astounding success. I was very happy with the outcome. Cheers!

Got myself a new laptop case

When I was in Ukraine, my laptop case's strap broke. This meant always carrying it by hand. And sometimes it was VERY heavy, especially since I would put papers or books in with it. So I was thrilled when we came across this beauty:



So now I'll be able to fit my laptop in it AND everything else AND not rip my arm out of its socket!

In paperwork news, my company received my paperwork and have begun processing it! Hooray! I told them I can't leave until March 1 at the earliest, but who knows how long it will actually be...I'll keep you updated!

Diva Cup

Shhh this isn't something women are supposed to talk about! BUT, let's talk about it anyway.

Going to less populated places, or foreign countries, it can be really difficult to find the feminine hygiene product you favor (you are welcome to stop reading now:). I got around this by having my parents send me Insteads, which have been my preference for years now.

Having someone send you products like these that you use on a regular basis isn't very practical. Not to mention expensive. Also, being a Seattle girl, I do have some green guilt, and thinking about all those products ending up in a landfill is really distressing.



Introducing the Diva Cup! :) It's reusable, simple, and clean. You can wear it up to 12 hours no problem. You don't throw anything away, just wash and reuse. I had wanted to get mine for Peace Corps but I never got around to it. Now that I'm going to Korea I finally splurged and got it. $40 for an entire year. I can't believe I didn't get this earlier.

UPDATE: 10/20/10
I am extremely happy with my Diva Cup. It's sometimes a hassle boiling it after use, and if you're living with a host family that can be EXTREMELY difficult. Some of these issues are discussed here:

The waiting begins tomorrow

Today I drove down to Olympia. My job in Korea requires I have a background check done and have an apostille. What is an apostille? I'm glad you asked. It's a bit like notarizing a notary. So after I went online to do a criminal background check for $15, I then had to print out the "your name does not match any known criminal names" page. After that I had to get it notarized by the Washington State Patrol. I could do this online, sending in payment there and then having it mailed to me, or I could go in in person and have it done within about an hour and a half.

I picked the faster route and drove down. I got there around 1pm, turned in my form, paid the $5, then sat down and read my book until it was finished (the paperwork, not the book). Next, I drove to the Secretary of State building and paid them $15 to sign a piece of paper. All done!

Tomorrow I FedEx all my paperwork in to Korea!

I've been getting very excited about this. I signed up at two different expat forums and started making connections, including meeting one very nerdy girl who will play boardgames with me. I also contacted the KOTESOL organization and talked to them about being a part time Teacher Trainer with their organization. I looked at another organization called KATE (Korean Association of Teachers of English) and they have a call for publications, so I will be writing a paper in hopes they will accept it! I also have decided I'd like to volunteer at a thrift store on the army base. 20 hours a month volunteering=free pass to get on the army base, which gives me access to free sewing lessons!

I am very excited about this. I am very much looking forward to doing well in my career.

The cat costs will be high, though. I was looking online and some of the fees were as much as $250 for taking a cat on the plane. Sigh. She's coming with me, regardless. Because how can you refuse a face this cute?

The next, new adventure: Seoul!

Since January I have been applying to various ESL jobs. I had a few criteria I was aiming for:

1. A salary of around $3000 per month
2. Adult students, 18+
3. Located in Korea or the middle east
4. Airfare and housing paid

I had an interview in January, shortly after applying for a teacher training job in Seoul. This phone interview went very well. I knew I would be working with the woman who was interviewing me--we would be colleagues, so I intentionally strove for a balance of professional and personal. For example, I asked questions about turnover rates in the company, and I also asked if the staff socialized in their off hours. I showed an interest both in the job and in the staff. We spoke for a very long time, and I was thrilled at how wonderful it seemed to go. She told me I should hear from her within a week or two.

So I waited. Nothing.

One important thing I learned from Ukraine is that the world moves at different speeds and urgency doesn't always translate. This is neither good nor bad, just important to note. While America often is very schedule and deadline focused, many other countries have a lackadaisical approach that seems to lack urgency. Knowing this, I was not concerned when I did not hear from them.

For the next month I heard from the woman twice to tell me that the director had not yet made up his mind (great idiom, right?), but that she would let me know as soon as she could. So I waited, but began applying for other jobs.

I've been unemployed since coming back to America. Money runs out, sadly. I had my heart set on the Middle East for a while, applied to several jobs there and waited to hear back from anyone.

I got a job offer from South Korea and Saudi Arabia on the same day. This was unexpected, but it gave me a lot to think about. I know I would like to live both places within my life, both are very appealing to me, so I made a mental list:

PRO - Saudi Arabia           PRO - South Korea
good food                    some of my favorite food
better money                 more freedom
extra plane ticket home      allowed to date
                          friends and family can visit
                          better job

Ultimately I ended up with South Korea, and I am excited about my job! Here are some of the nitty gritty details:

1. 20-25 hours a week teaching TESOL certification courses
   
2. 30 hours a week in the office
   
3. 4 weeks paid vacation
   
4. free housing
   

Additionally, I'll be right on the metro line only 4 stops away from my work. Convenient, convenient, convenient. I am very much looking forward to this new adventure!


_{Miau Miau will get to rack up some frequent flier miles! Ukraine to America to South Korea!}

For now I am waiting on paperwork. In order to proceed, I need to submit a Fedex package consisting of:

1. 3 visa sized pictures (35mm x 45mm)
   
2. my original diplomas (this is very normal for Korea)
   
3. current resume
   
4. 2 official transcripts from each school
   
5. criminal background check with a special signature from someone in Olympia, WA
   
6. signed contract
   

Thankfully a few weeks ago I contacted my schools and asked for 2 official transcripts already. I have all but one of them, and I expect the final ones tomorrow or Tuesday. I need to print the visa pictures, and I need to drive to Olympia tomorrow for the autograph. Beyond that I am finished. They'll fill out the paperwork and I'll make an appointment with someone in the Korean consulate in Seattle.

I could leave in as little as 3 weeks. This is amazing.

New language goals: read and speak Korean. Let's hope it doesn't mean I forget all of my Russian.

Hope you enjoy my new adventures!

Changes to my blog

I will be making changes to my blog.

1. MORE UPDATES! I had a very difficult time with Peace Corps's policy about blogging. All my blog postings had to be first sent to my regional manager who had to approve them. For some reason that step caused a huge mental block for me. Every entry I submitted was approved, but the fact that I had to take the step prevented me from posting as much as I would have liked. My goal will be to blog at least once per week. I also plan on adding more stories about Ukraine.

2. MORE PICTURES! I went back and put a few pictures in to nearly every entry. I plan to upload and post pictures relevant to the journal entries. Pictures make things more interesting, break up the monotony of words, and are fun! Plus, it means I'd be uploading my pics to the Internet. Sadly, after coming home, my hard drive failed and I lost every picture I took in Ukraine. :( Uploading them will help prevent that from happening.


_{See how much more interesting this is? :) It is I, at Beth's!}

3. MORE ADVENTURES! While I do love sitting around and watching tv more than your average bear, it doesn't really make for interesting blog posts. So to remedy that, I shall have more adventures.

4. MORE INFORMATION! I'm an English teacher and I find language fascinating. I find that in general most people don't have a strong level of awareness about their language. For example, if I asked you which idioms you use most, could you tell me? I know many of the ones I use a lot, such as "yanking my chain" or "on the fence" "pick you up (in a car)" or even "change my mind." They seem like "normal" English to most Americans, but they are idioms and their meanings are unintelligible unless you learned it as a phrase. I find this very interesting.

5. MORE TAGS! Tags are useful and should be used!

I hope you continue to read as I continue to write! Thank you again!

Goodbye, Ukraine

I am no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer. I am now a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. Those four initials, RPCV, will follow me for the rest of my life. I will forever be an RPCV.

I finished my Peace Corps service in November, 2009. I haven't written about it because I felt like my emotions have been too close to the surface.

Leaving Peace Corps is not quite as simple as it should be. First, there is all the paperwork. They give you two papers that must be filled with signatures. These items range from: closing out your bank account, to getting your final dentist checkup, to receiving your plane ticket home. This is impossible to do in a single day. I started mine very early and thankfully finished very early.

I am happy to say that before I left I was able to go to Lviv, finish my host sister's wedding cloth, and go to her wedding.

Here is a picture of the finished wedding cloth. I had an incredible time finishing it. I had to teach myself hardanger (cut work) for the ends.



Here is a picture of me and my host sister at her wedding. Isn't she beautiful?



Okay, back to the leaving part:

Then there's the process of packing all your belongings. Difficult to do, but then begins the more difficult task of deciding what comes and what goes. You end up with so much STUFF. Thankfully there was a wonderful PCV who took ALL my clothes. You have to remember who gave you what so that you don't accidentally offer it back to the person. You lug the extra stuff to the Peace Corps office to leave for other PCVs. You say goodbye to your friends and colleagues. I ran around asking people about letters of recommendation.

Then it's time.

My final day was spent with my best friend in Ukraine, Maryna. My friend Ira and her helped me do the final packing and cleaning. The night before I'd gotten maybe 4 hours of sleep and I was exhausted. They let me sleep while they cleaned. It was amazing. We hung out, packed, weighed suitcases, repacked them, weighed them again, and finally finished.

Going home, I was traveling with my cat. We went from Kyiv to Moscow, Moscow to New York, and New York to Seattle. My first flight was at 8:30am, so I hired a friend to drive me, Maryna, and Miau Miau to the airport. He came at 3 or 3:30 am and picked us up. We got to the airport, and Maryna waited with me until it was time for my flight. It was really great being with someone special on my last day. We really tried to stay positive. I miss her!

Finally I got on the flight and sat with Miau Miau the whole way home. It was such a long ride. She was fairly scared, so she stayed in her carrier the whole way. She only drank a little bit when we got to New York, and she ate a TINY bit of salmon on the way to New York. Overall it was not so stressful. Traveling with a cat means you have to have the vet check her over, she has to have her vaccinations and have a kitty passport :) Getting her through customs was a breeze. Total cost for kitty: $150.

Since "graduating" I've been living at home. I moved into my parents' house, stayed in Colorado for a month with friends, visited my grandmother and dad's side of the family for a week or two, and have been doing my best to see all my friends. I haven't been working, just living off of parents and Peace Corps funds. I have been going through my belongings, repacking, reducing, recycling, and selling. It's really nice to get rid of things, and amazing how much STUFF I've managed to save up over the years. I am enjoying and also stressing out about this process.

While my Peace Corps adventures have come to a close, my life adventure has not. I am, after all, an ESL professional with a passion for living around the world. This blog has changed from "PC Ukraine" to "Where in the World?" It is no longer simply a chronicle of my journey through Peace Corps, but a journey throughout my career. As such, I changed the format of this blog just slightly, and I hope you will continue on with me. Thank you for all your support.