How I Joined the Peace Corps and Thank You's

This first post may be a little long, so I’ve tried to give a header to each section, that way people can read what they want.

How it All Began

I graduated from college May of 2010 with a BA in International Relations and minor in Writing. I had the mindset that since I paid my dues and got my college degree, a job would fall into my lap, naturally. It turned out not so, as even in a good economy the places I was looking at working wanted more experience. On top of that, all the hourly wage work I was looking at to fall back on thought I was overeducated, as well as not having enough experience in their field whether it was the restaurant industry, landscaping, or even retail (yes, I was told at one point they wanted more retail experience). The summer of 2010 was a lesson in humility where I accomplished virtually nothing, and finally I turned to my Plan B, which was the Peace Corps.

My reservation about the Peace Corps, which kept me from applying earlier, was the 27 month commitment. That’s a long time to be away from family and friends, and even though there is a lot of good work to be done abroad, the same can be said on the home front as well. However, all those non-profits and government agencies wanted a minimum of two more years experience than I had, and the Peace Corps, along with many other things, was just that. The Peace Corps is everything I’m looking to do at this point in my life, the only thing it’s lacking is all of you.

Luckily we live in the age of communication technology though, and can only hope this blog, along with other forms of communication from e-mail to skype to smoke signals can keep me in touch with you all.

My Application Process

The first step was to fill out a fairly lengthy application process online on the Peace Corps website. There was some medical questions, a number of questions of asking why I wanted to join, assuring them I wasn’t running away from financial obligations, my resume, etc. On top of that I needed three letters of recommendation. I gave the Peace Corps their respective e-mails, and they were sent their own questions. What the question were I don’t know, and what answers were given, I don’t know either.

The next step was the interview with a Peace Corps recruiter. Mine was in Thornton, Colorado which was about an hour’s drive away. He didn’t have an office as apparently the Peace Corps have closed some offices down so they can spend the money on other things, like getting more volunteers. The interview went well. My buddy who joined the Peace Corps a month ahead of me told me to memorize their ten core expectations (all of which basically say don’t be stupid), and I told him how the experience I had through the Boy Scouts, and other things made me prepared. I also assured that I’d be fine with whatever diet my host country had, as well as be all right with whatever drinking policy said country had as well. He nominated me, and then in about a week I got the next set of paperwork.

I had to fill out a lot for a background and medical check. Fingerprints, immunizations, dental, eye exam, all of this took a little bit of time to get together, but I got it filled out. I had to resend one bit of the medical exam. When I said I took Claritin, I didn’t specify that it was just for mild seasonal allergies and they wanted to know exactly why I used any medication, including over the top. (For those of you nosey nancys, Claritin is the only thing I take, and even then only sporadically).

Then after a few months of going through each step, waiting for things to be processed, getting everything ready, I was contacted by the Placement Officer, the one who would officially accept me into the Peace Corps. It was here I hit my first snag. I was told that although my campaign work, volunteer work, leadership, etc was great, I was not a competitive candidate as I lacked any specific experience for their fields of interest such as youth development, teaching English, the environment, etc. I considered the problem for a few days, and reached out to her again saying that I’d get the experience they wanted.

So, I started volunteering at a youth shelter in Denver. It was a month into it when I contacted the Placement Officer again, telling her of all the experience I was getting, and with the promise that I would continue volunteering there until I left, she invited me into the Peace Corps, to go into the Philippines for Youth Development from July 1^st 2011 to September 9^th, 2013. More paperwork and now here I am ready to go.

Tips for Those Who Want to Join

So for those of you who want to join, here are a few tips on what to expect.

1)      It can be a lengthy process. Be prepared for it to take over half a year from when you start the application to when you actually leave. Often it takes even over a year.

2)      Get experience with one or more of the specific types of volunteer opportunities they have. For most of them, they want three to six months.

3)      You can get the experience by volunteering. There is a shortage of jobs, but there is never a shortage of volunteer opportunities.

4)      Be patient. There are a lot of forms and red tape.

5)      Be flexible, especially with where you will go to. The Peace Corps goes to a lot of places with different religion, diet, culture, climate, etc.

6)      Let them know your commitment. They want people who want to be in the Peace Corps. Make sure that comes across each step of the application process

Thank You

I do hope anyone reading this blog, reads this part as it lists the groups and individuals who have helped and inspired me along the way. Naturally this list will be incomplete, but hopefully will cover most of you, and I can always add onto this list in future posts.

Thank you to the three people who wrote letters of recommendation for me; my best friend Sarah Jones, my former employer and friend Terry Hanson, and my best Professor from college Joseph Schneider.

Thank you to Drake Track and Field. I never once beat my high school times, mostly from lacking the mental competitiveness, but most my friends from college were there, and it’s instilled in me the desire to keep in great shape. (Right now I’m probably in the best shape of my life).

Thank you to my other friends and teachers at Drake. You know who you are, and should know what you mean to me.

Thank you to the Obama Campaign of 2008. To the staff: You all rock my socks off. Good luck this next election cycle, whether you all sign on again, or are pursuing other career paths that hopefully have more humane hours and far less stress. To my volunteers: Now that you’re running the entirety of Arapahoe County, you have the means and tools to not only kill it in Arapahoe, but spread your organization and success to the neighboring counties.

Thank you to the ciee Peking University group spring 2009. This was the first time I met so many people in one concentrated area of whom I shared so much in common with.

And thank you to my language tutor Qin Ying for putting up with me while I was at Peking University and for still staying in touch with me despite myself.

Thank you to the people I met at the Home Depot. It was refreshing getting your perspectives and getting to know you all. You’re rock stars to me, and I thank you all for putting up with my stunning humor.

Thank you to everyone at Brent’s Place. You are part of a wonderful organization, and it’s people like you who make me want to dedicate my life to non profits or other philanthropic work.

Thank you to the staff and residents at Urban Peak Youth Shelter. The staff, beyond being extremely selfless and giving, have given me the experience I needed to get into the Peace Corps. The youth have given me a better perspective on how to communicate and respect people, along with reasserting why I’m going to the Philippines in first place.

Finally, thanks to my family. The truth is that I grew up in a loving and stable household. Despite the snags I’ve hit along the way, I know I’m leaps and bounds ahead of where I would be because of being in a family that made sure I got good grades, was active in school, and who took me back in when I was out of college without a job. Without it, I’d be one of the people needing help, not one of the people giving it.