The answer to my question “why try and fix the world” became clear. For whatever reason, in 2002 I’d been introduced to the world of international service and it changed me. It gave me purpose. I hoped that PC would give me more insight into how government volunteer programs work, and how NGOs went about […]
So why would one want to go about trying to fix the world? To answer that I have to take you back to my time in Zimbabwe. It was 2002 and I was invited to Zim as a guest of my daughter and her business partner, to visit a small rural village near Victoria Falls […]
At this point, every volunteer has fully assumed their shiny new identity. For older volunteers with a lifetime behind them, gone are the familiar old labels like wife, mother, coworker, friend, family. Everyone in the community knows you as only one thing: a Peace Corps volunteer. I honored the adoption of my new identity with […]
Settling-in to the hood. Coming from the USA, most volunteers will tell you they didn’t come from any sort of privileged life. However, in Africa just being American means locals are pretty sure you’re rich; and by their living standards, you are. The first greetings from village kids usually involves panhandling. PC believes the best […]
The mission of every volunteer is all about being your country’s ambassador; exchanging culture as well as knowledge. All PCVs embrace this with an abundance of passion and heart. But when it comes to age, differences do show up from time to time. The social bonds that bind. After three months of living together in […]
I am a happily retired PCV, US Peace Corps Volunteer. This means I dedicated two years of my retirement to living abroad as a volunteer representative of the United States. Now I’m fired up to explain why I joined and why I think it’s something other folks should consider too. As anyone who chooses to […]
