Whoa Peace Corps

Peace Corps just announced that they will now be allowing applicants to pick their preferred program and country of service.

This is creating a lot of buzz within the Peace Corps community. It's definitely game changing. Possibly even mind blowing.

In the past, applicants simply did not have this option. My Peace Corps mentality began, not when I stepped foot in Africa, but when my application got sent back to me from the recruiter with an email that basically said: You've indicated a strong preference for Latin America in your application. However, what we are looking for in applicants is the flexibility and willingness to go anywhere  that they are needed. Please let me know if this is something you're okay with because if not, your Peace Corps journey ends here.

After much soul searching, ("Is this something I really want to do?" "What if I get sent to Africa for two years?"- ha ha, funny how life works) I realized that my reasons for serving in the Peace Corps would not be nullified by where I was physically placed.
In fact, stripping away the romanticism of where I envisioned myself serving and what I expected to be doing was just the first step in making me aware of the challenges and adjustments I would have to make in order to make it through my service.

I replied back to the email: "Yes, I'll go anywhere."

So I was nominated to be an Education volunteer in Eastern Europe and I began mentally preparing for that, and when my invitation finally arrived, I held that manila envelope in my hands and knew-even before opening it- that I would go wherever I was called.

And I did.

I served as a Health volunteer in Southern Africa, a world away from what I had originally set out to do (during the application process), and from what I had been expecting to do (during the nomination process).

It was not all peaches and roses. I didn't love it every single minute. Some days I wondered what it would have been like to be in another country or region or program. But then again, that's everywhere.

I cried when I found out I was going to Mozambique, but I also cried when I left. That's the beauty of Peace Corps. While I wasn't a huge fan of the selection process at the time, ("Uh, I'm going to Mozambique for two years? Where is Mozambique?") in hindsight, it allowed me to fall in love with a country that I had never even heard of and a region that, frankly, I had no previous desire to serve in.

The application process was lengthy, and I absolutely understand the need to streamline it,
and if there's a way to give volunteers more time to prepare before they leave, then I'm all for it.
But choosing where you want to serve is like asking where you want to vacation- most applicants will choose based on location features and program description, which prioritizes the needs of the applicant over the needs of the country or region.   (How many applicants would choose Sub-Saharan Africa over the Caribbean? ) And here's the kicker- applicants who choose specific countries or programs will still have no idea what they're getting themselves in to. They'll have greater expectations, which all RPCV's know, tends only to lead to greater disappointments.

So call me old-fashioned, but that's my two cents on the changes coming through. Either way, Peace Corps is exactly what they call it- "The toughest job you'll ever love" and who knows- maybe if one day I decide I want to live in the Caribbean for two years, I'll sign up again.
;)