Questions I've received about my Peace Corps essay

Hey, I'm trying to finish my application. I'm having a hard time writing the essays. Do you have any advice for writing the Peace Corps essays? 

I suggest that you write several versions. Some of my earlier ones were WAY too informal, and some were WAY too formal. I wanted to strike a nice balance and find my voice, and overall make it sound like ME.

I suggest an outline to keep you together.

Here was my outline for my Peace Corps essay:

1. My reason for teaching ESL--experiencing culture.
2. Why Peace Corps--personal
3. Why Peace Corps--professional

It's a tough balance--it's a little more than a job interview--it's two years of your life. I kept in mind that they REALLY do want to know WHO I AM so that they can determine IF I am a good fit and WHERE I would be a good fit.

Your essay should truly show an aspect of YOU. And yet at the same time you can't forget that it's a job interview. And memorable--if people in the office are discussing your essay, what will they say? In mine, they can say "Hey, did you read the Saudi Arabian essay?"

They read hundreds of essays, so include SOMETHING to be memorable. Something they can grab on to, or it will just be a generic "OMG I <3 b="b" c="c" change="change" i="i" me="me" p="p" pc="pc" pick="pick" the="the" to="to" want="want" world="world">
________________________________________________________________________________
is this the final version of the essay you submitted? i'm also having a bit of trouble with my essays. your comments are helpful.

This was my final submission! I was happy with it, as I felt it reflected me, and was memorable. I recommend some personal anecdote. Imagine if people in the PC office are talking about the different essays--with mine they could say "the girl who went to the Saudi Arabian dinner" instead of just "the girl who really really wants to join PC."

________________________________________________________________________________
do you feel it is important to specify what exactly you want type of work you want to be doing? 

I clarified the type of work I wanted to do because I clarified it on my application. PC gives you a choice: you can tell them you want a specific job but don't care about the country, that you don't care about the job but you want a specific country, that you want a specific job and a specific country, or that you don't care about either.

I cared about the job, but didn't care about where I ended up, hence putting it in the essay.

________________________________________________________________________________
Was curious what comments you might proffer regarding working with older peace corps volunteers, tips, etc. I am 54 and completing my application and would like considerable bluntness...  

I would decide where you want to go and don't want to go. Ukraine is very tough on older volunteers--the weather, the stairs, etc. You should also understand that in many countries there is serious ageism and organizations may not want an older volunteer at their site, however the time I knew about that, the gentleman involved was 70+.

Some PCV groups have support groups for older volunteers. In Ukraine they had a senior support group.

Also, the medical is fantastic.

It's also good to know that most volunteers are just out of college and some don't have all the partying out of their system. I was in a weird age group where I was too old for the partying, but too young to be going to bed when the older volunteers were.

Good luck to you! Peace Corps can be a really great choice for older volunteers!

_________________________________________________________________________________
I am not sure if you posted this under another topic on the blog, but did you ask to go to the Ukraine? Did they care about where you wanted to go? 

I did not ask to go to Ukraine. I specifically said "I want an ESL job, but don't care where I go." There are essentially four options:
1. You choose your job preference and not the country.
2. You choose your country preference and not the job.
3. You choose your job preference and country preference.
4. You choose "open" on both.

When you decide to state a preference, it may mean limiting your opportunities in Peace Corps. I would not have gone had they told me I had to dig wells or something. My background is in Education and I could not afford the two years out of my career - I needed the experience.

They told me I would be a teacher trainer, then said they had 3 openings - one was in Ukraine, one in Africa, and one in central Asia. I told them my preference was:
1. Ukraine 2. Africa 3. Asia - mostly because of the job definition.

Then I got my acceptance letter.

I *think* that when you restrict where you go that it potentially raises some red flags - like - why DON'T you want to go there? I also think if you sound reasonable and rational and not making a kneejerk reaction, that you'll be okay.

I didn't mind that I'd gotten Ukraine because I really didn't care where I went. Some people DO care, but either they don't want to admit it or they don't realize it. One of the gals I knew was terribly disappointed that she had gotten Ukraine because she imagined a more rural Peace Corps experience. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
I am a soon to be graduated college student and after reading your essay I fear that I don't have enough to offer in order to truly make a difference while I'm out there. I will have BFA after graduation, with minimal volunteer experience, but loads of traveling experience and a strong desire to serve. What do you recommend I focus on in the essays? 

Focus on what you know, what your plans are, and again - do something to make yourself stand out. Ultimately they're looking for people who will stick with this for 2 years, so if you can demonstrate that within your essay that's great. I'd suggest mentioning what inspires you, what will help keep you there, etc. I'd also recommend you try to think about what "make a difference" means to you, because if what you're doing doesn't match your thinking, that can create problems. I mention it in my post "Advice from a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer." 

_________________________________________________________________________________
The Peace Corps requires two essays. One about why you want to do it and one about an experience you had working with people of another culture. Did you write this second one or was it not required or something?  

I wrote it but couldn't find it to post it.


I really don't have additional tips for your essays other than stand out, be yourself, and make a good impression. Good luck to you.

Cat Adventures in Ukraine

I just realized I'd never posted this article, so I'm sharing it now. I wrote this 5/11/08 for the Peace Corps Newsletter. Hope you enjoy!

Cat Adventures in Ukraine

I am a cat person. Not to the extent that I strive to become a crazy cat lady, but were I to become one it would be a nice consolidation prize. I have been sans cat for the past several years, with only my roommates to fill this void. Not exactly them per se, but rather the pets that they had. One roommate had two cats, which worked marvelously until she went a bit mad and got rid of everything of value to her, including her friends, and got a rat. My next house was entirely without pets, but I'm sure would have continued the rat tradition because they were the filthiest pigs I'd ever lived with. To finish out the year of the rat, the final apartment I lived in had two rats in it, of the pet variety, and they were absolutely sweet and loveable, but still, not cats.

So after settling into my apartment in Zhytomyr, I decided it was high time to get a cat. I live in Alley-Cat Alley, so it occurred to me that I should abduct a cat off the street (more on that later), but I also realized that I love cats rather than kittens, and the transition from filthy dumpster to not-always filthy apartment might prove more difficult than it was worth. So I went into a pet store and asked the woman working there if she knew someone who had an older cat that needed a home. I think I may have literally said "you know someone with old cat not want? I want old cat. Not from street." Thankfully this message came through and I was hooked up with a gal who had a cat that needed a home.

Waiting for my cat proved to be an adventure. I had asked the woman if I needed a package for the cat and she said no, so I half expected to be greeted by a woman simply holding a cat. Or perhaps the cat would be in a box. Either way I was surprised when a young Ukrainian walked up to me holding a small babushka's bag. She opened it and big eyes peered up at me. I thanked her and rushed home to let the cat out of the bag.

Once out, I had to get food and litter, so I let the cat acclimate to my house while I fetched its supplies. The cat pulled a David Kot-erfield on me and disappeared itself. The first time I found it when I lifted up the seat of my couch and there was the cat. Then I simply couldn't find it. I nick-named the cat Waldo.

One morning, while preparing breakfast, a tuft of fur fell from the heavens. I looked up and there was my cat, now freaking out because I was in the same room with it. At this point in our relationship, my cat had only greeted me with hisses when approached, though otherwise completely silent, and this time was no different. As my refrigerator is, logically, in my hallway near the door, I left the kitchen to grab some breakfasty foods. I heard my cat jump down, and when I went back into the kitchen my cat was presented with a new dilemma―it was in the same room with me! The solution was, clearly, to run behind the gas stove.

I opened the windows a small bit to let fresh air in while cooking. I went back and forth between the living room and kitchen a few times, ate my food, shut the windows and went to work. When I got home I passed through Alley-Cat Alley and was shocked to see my cat hanging out with the pack of dumpster cats!

I put down my bags and ran after Waldo three-year-old style: hands straight in front of me saying "kitty kitty kitty." After chasing him around for several minutes, I caught him. I asked some random Ukrainian to help me carry my bags, as my arms were full of cat. I let the cat go in my house and he immediately ran into the kitchen and attempted to jump out the closed window. Aha! That was how he'd gotten out before. He was mewling up a storm and running around desperate to get out. After watching him spray my walls, I called the vet and made an appointment to get him fixed.. Waldo wouldn't stop mewling, but he would now let me pet him. It was amazing how much he'd changed in those five hours outside. He was like a whole new cat. A spraying, mewling cat, but a cat who would let me pet him and who would sit in my lap and who would eat all his food down in a wolfing manner. After wearing himself out with loud meows for several hours, Waldo went to sleep on the couch.

That's when my cat came out of hiding and stared at this cat and then at me as if to say "who the hell is that?"

I almost decided to get the big tom cat who happened to look exactly like my cat fixed. I imagined him telling his friends "Worst. Abduction. Ever. First she kidnapped me, then she cut off my balls." But really, he wore me down with all his loud mewling and stinky spraying and I let him out.

My cat has finally come out of hiding and she and I are getting along well. Either that or she has Stockholm Syndrome, but I'm okay with either scenario. I renamed her, partly because I realized she was a girl―after she went into heat, and partly because "Waldo" isn't the easiest name to say. Her new name is Мяу-Мяу (Meow-Meow).