Peace Corps?

First of all, that answer by Ted Pack is probably a bunch of malarky. He’s just trying to be a smartass and scare you. Don’t listen to his drivel.

I was a PCV in eastern europe from 02-04. Best experience of my life. It’s not easy, I will say that (there are definitely good AND bad days), but overall it was an amazing life experience. I made a lot of great friends in my town I lived in and am still in touch with people today. I taught at a high school and did some other projects as well. Felt like I was able to do something positive while having a great experience too. I also got to travel all over eastern europe on time off.

Don’t let all the people out there scare you by telling you you’ll get diseases and get sick and you’ll get bombed and the third world is dangerous and blah blah blah. People who say that stuff are ignorant people who probably get most of their info about the world from Fox News and who have never traveled outside of their own state before. In all honesty, I felt safer and more secure while I was living overseas than I do here in the States. The people in my town over there really looked out for me and helped me all the time (which is common worldwide for most PCV’s).

The main health problems that most PCV’s face will be stomach issues from water, different foods, etc. That’ll most likely happen wherever you go, so be prepared for it, but you’ll adjust over time. Occasionally something more major may happen (it’s life after all!), so if you do have health problems, the health care PC provides is great. Everything is covered (and I mean everything!) so they’ll take care of it. If it’s major, they’ll even fly you back to DC to get it taken care of.

Don’t let fear stop you. The rest of the world is actually an amazing place, contrary to what you hear on the news these days. Go for it, we need good people to be ambassadors for our country these days (and that’s what you’ll be while in PC) so if your heart is in the right place and you are flexible and have a sense of humor, do it. You only live once and you won’t regret it. Good luck!

Oh come on now. All of those infections can be cured.. you just go to the doctor, they give you some pills or an injection and you are on your way again. I have had my share of stomach problems in Honduras, and I really get angry when my neighbors burn their trash (since there is a trash pickup!) .. loads of other things cause me problems here in this dumpy 3rd world country, but over all it has been a good experience. Go for it.

Don’t let petty concerns over your health stop you .. There are very few diseases in the 3rd world that will cause permanent damage, while not doing something because you were worried can definitely cause permanent damage in the form of regret.

My biggest intestinal parasite was 18 inches, although it has “grown” an inch or two every couple of years, especially when I’m having dinner with other Returned PCV’s. There are 9 of them in my church, which has a social program called “Circle Dinners”. 8 of us have potluck dinners once a month for 4 months, then the coordinator shuffles the groups and we do it again. Every couple of years I’m in a circle with other RPCVs.

During the soup course we tend to talk about noble ambition and youthful ideals.

With the main course we get into funny stories. (“Bhutto”, the surname of two Pakistani prime ministers in the 1970’s – 1980’s, father & daughter, means “penis” in the Malay, Bidiyah, Melanau and Iban languages. That made current events class in Malaysia a real circus.)

With the port and nuts we and start lying about the length of worms we passed, much the way mountain climbers brag about how many toes they have lost to frostbite.

I’ve got a shiny scar on the side of my thigh from the time my machete slipped. (Machetes are pointed in Borneo.) It dug in, twisted and fell, scooping out a chunk of meat the size of a chickpea. Sometimes people ask about it and sometimes they don’t. I usually tell the story anyway, even if they are too shy to ask (or too slow to leave the pool area.)

On the other hand, two of my former students and a girl in a family I spent a week with all have Ph. D.’s now, and write to me via E-mail from 30 years and 8,000 miles.

All in all, I’d say if you can, go for it. Read more:

http://www.tedpack.org/pchead.html