Peace Corps

[PhoenixAzul]

Originally Posted by IowaHawkeye

One of my TA's this semester has spent the past 3 years living in Benin, Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. She loved it - said it was the most amazing, uplifting, spiritual experience of her life. Things seem less trivial and complicated for her now.

She lived in a town that was something like 40 miles away from a paved road. no running water. she lived in a mud house. grew her own food. Her job was teaching the women of the village about "feminine concerns"

It's an interesting idea.. but i don't know if I have what it takes to do that...

My roommate from undergrad is in Benin with the Peace Corps right now. She has a nursing degree, so she's doing AIDS and general health education. I got a letter from her a few days ago, telling me about all the stuff she's doing, and it sounds great! She spends her days weighing babies, giving nutritional advice, and organizing community activities.

She didn't feel the drive to go to a commercial hospital in the states, and had always enjoyed the community health rotation, and she loves to travel, so it seemed the perfect fit.

Actually, I think out of my senior graduating class at OC, 4 people went into the Peace Corps.

[AGDee]

One of my best friends in college went into the Peace Corps a couple years after graduation. She did Pediatric Home Health Occupational Therapy in Jamaica. She loved the experience. From there, she did OT on a reservation in South Dakota and then decided she wanted to work in London for a while. She loved London and loved the man she met in London so she married him and is still there. I've always admired her for her sense of adventure. She is definitely the MOST stable person I know.

I have a co-worker whose son is in the Peace Corps now, teaching English to kids in Uzbekistan (sp?).

I definitely think you'd want to get a handle on your debt before you went. Although they covered living expenses and gave a small stipend, you may have a hard time covering those bills while serving in the Peace Corps. I know my OT friend got a lump sum at the end, based on how many months she was in, to "start over" with life.. security depost on an apartment, money to live on until she found a job, etc. But, she had also worked in her field for a few years before she went to the Peace Corps. So, you could work for a while, focus on paying off the debt and then go.