TravelingEv
Armenia,
Female, 27
I live and work in Armenia as a computer teacher at a college in one of the regions (not the modern capital city). Peace Corps service is a 27 month commitment in a 3rd world or developing country. I teach computer teachers and students about basic computer maintenance; I also teach software programs like Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, Photoshop, and CorelDraw. Everything I do--from teaching, buying food, visiting friends--is done in Armenian, which I learned since I arrived in country.
You have to go through extensive medical checks before you join Peace Corps. They have strict policies against using drugs, and you will be sent home if you are found to be using them. They do not do random drug tests during Peace Corps service like other governmental organizations. They also have policies about drinking, but they are not as strict as for drugs. There are certain times and places that you are not allowed to drink, such as during training events, and it's up to the country director to decide on how strictly he/she wants to enforce a drinking policy.
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The Peace Corps volunteers who serve in the same country together become very close, and would almost definitely get together and help each other out, post-Peace Corps. More formally, in most big cities in the U.S., there are "Returned Peace Corps Volunteer" (RPCV) groups that get together on a regular basis, to hang out, get to know one another, talk about Peace Corps, and do service projects in the community. There are also usually country-specific RPCV groups, so people from the same country of service can keep in touch, no matter where in the world they end up after Peace Corps.
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No, that would not rule you out completely, just don't make it a big point in your interviews. There are many people in Peace Corps who aren't very good at learning new languages, and somehow they get by. Just keep in mind that without language skills, every single thing you do will be at least 10X harder, including socializing, buying groceries, paying utilities, getting to know your coworkers, figuring out what you are supposed to do at work, taking public transportation, finding the bathroom... EVERYTHING. Not being able to communicate can cause tremendous stress. So think about how you will communicate with people before committing to joining Peace Corps. You may get lucky and end up working with people who speak English, but chances are, you will be plopped in the middle of a foreign-speaking community. But with total immersion, you may find that learning a new language is a bit easier than book-study.
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I don't actually know the answer to this, but I am starting to think about my life post-Peace Corps. I know many people go to grad school, enrolling in the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program which offers benefits and financial aid. Other people take advantage of their one year of non-competitive eligibility status and get a job with the federal government. Often people stay working with non-profits, aid programs, or the foreign service.
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I can't speak for all foreigners, but many people assume that it's easy to get a job in America and everyone there is rich. Compared to where I live in Armenia, that's probably somewhat true--the unemployment rate in my town is over 60% and people don't have a lot of money. They also don't realize how big America is. Armenia is roughly the size of Maryland. So when they ask if Michigan (where I'm from) is close to Glendale, CA (where there is a huge Armenian community), I have a hard time putting it into perspective exactly how far away the two places are.
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No, Peace Corps doesn't pay for college or pay off college loans, but many loans qualify for deferment while in Peace Corps. There are also many programs through the Peace Corps Fellows program, which offer financial aid to returned Peace Corps volunteers.
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I have rarely had a "normal" 9-5 desk job, and I didn't really like the ones I did have. So I can't really see myself having that kind of job in the future. This has nothing to do with having joined Peace Corps--it's just who I am. But it probably has a lot to do with why I joined Peace Corps.
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