PC-Peru FAQ's for Family and Friends

idea for this post shamelessly stolen from my PC-blog friend Sherlie.

I have NO idea how June 9th is only 10 days way. WHAT.  So, for those of you that I haven't talked to in person recently, here's what I've got ahead of me.  Thank you to my wonderful friends that I don't deserve, that are somehow still interested enough in my life to ask me these questions.

Are you excited?
Yes, definitely.  Since I applied October 2009 and was pretty sure from that point onward that this is what I wanted to do, I'd say I'm pretty well mentally prepared.

Are you nervous?
Less so that I thought I might be.  I definitely have jitters but I think most of them are like starting any new job... will I make good friends? Will I like my work?  The biggest thing I'm 'nervous' about is what I will miss at home.  It's scary thinking that many of my good friends may be settled into totally different lives by the time I get back, and I might come back a somewhat different person too. Basically, I'm most nervous for what I don't see coming.  I see the bugs, bucket showers, food illnesses, and language frustrations coming so I feel pretty settled with that.

Where exactly are you going to be in Peru?
I don't know yet.  I'll be in training about 1 1/2 hrs outside of the city of Lima (still in the 'department' of Lima) for the first 10 weeks, and I'll find out my 2-year site placement towards the end of training.  This allows time for the staff to scope out specific host families and work sites, and supposedly I get some level of participation in the placement, but no promises.  I'll be somewhere in the western half of Peru, either on the coast on in the mountainous areas (the Andes).  No Amazon or George of the Jungle for me.

So you know Spanish already?
I've studied it since 8th grade and have spent some helpful times abroad so when I'm in 'Spanish mode' I am maybe almost fluent, but definitely have LOTS of room for improvement.  If anything, my times abroad (Argentina, Spain, and Nicaragua) have taught me that there are always plenty of more accents and topics I can't understand or express well.  My level of comprehension can range from 100% to 30% depending on the source, accent, topic, my level of fatigue, etc. so I am bound for lots of trying times in Peru.  However, thinking back on how much my comprehension improved during my 5-week homestay in Spain, I am confident that I will have enough skills to do my job after 10 weeks of training (which includes language training and a homestay).  My speaking ability is definitely rusty and in need of some practice.

Do you get to come home at all?
Yes, after getting on site (mid-August) I start accruing 2 days of vacation a month.  I can't leave or have visitors during training or the first 3 months on site, so I will probably do a week-long trip home around Christmas (when I think I'll have 8 days accrued, maybe 6).  I have to pay for all that travel though, so it will probably be 2 trips home total, maybe 3 if something big like a wedding or funeral comes up.

Do you get paid at all?
My travel to and from Peru at the beginning and end of service is covered, I get full health insurance coverage including any prescriptions and procedures, living situation is arranged for me, and I get a stipend of about $300 a month, which will be enough for meals and incidentals.  I also get other small amounts for "resettling" at site and about $6000 when I get back to the States.  Basically, I'll be breaking about even, which is what I think I'd be doing living in DC or NYC, if you think about it!

What kind of living situation are you going to be in? Are you going to be near a city? You'll have other Peace Corps Volunteers close by, right?
All of Peace Corps Peru involves living with a family.  During my 10 weeks of training I will be with a host family that has probably hosted other Trainees before.  There are something like 53 people in my training group (Peru 17), and total Volunteers in country are around 270.  But no, I won't be living with other Volunteers after training.  I will live at my 2-year site with a host family, which will be very helpful in terms of community integration and safety.

In terms of rural vs. city expectations, supposedly they are moving Small Business Development Volunteers (me) into more populated areas this time than they did last time (a year ago).  From what I hear, they thought SBD Volunteers could make a big impact in rural assignments, but in reality they haven't had enough to do, so they are moving us the other direction (more populated) now.  However, I've been warned that my idea of what constitutes a "town" or "small city" is going to vastly change in Peru.  So I might not be in a rural assignment, but I definitely won't be in Lima.  Peru has a ton of smaller cities located in all regions of the country though, so I won't be out of touch with the 'outside world' for more than 2-3 weeks at a time.  I hear that Volunteers & staff meet in our regional capital every 2-3 weeks and I will frequently (maybe every 2 weeks or so) travel to see other Volunteers on weekends.

Do you know what exactly you are going to be doing?
I have a vague idea, yes.  You can check out My Assignment description for details.  The specifics will of course depend on my site placement.  I'm really pumped about the Small Business program, especially in an emerging market as interesting as Peru.

Will you have internet? A cell phone? Electricity? Running water?
According to my Volunteer Assignment Description, it is "very likely" that my site with have electricity and "at least one source of running water."  All PC-Peru Volunteers can buy into a cheap cell phone plan that allows us to call each other for free and call internationally or text cheaply.  I may or may not have cell service at my site, although it sounds like many Volunteers do.  If I do, I will be able to use a cheaply-provided wireless card to get internet. At a minimum, I will be checking into my regional capital every 2-3 weeks where I will have all the amenities my heart desires.

So what made you want to do this?
For a number of years I've been interested in a career in global development work (more specifically, social enterprise work).  I would only feel comfortable speaking on behalf of the developing world's people and their needs if I had lived and worked along side them for a significant amount of time.  So while I am giving up some creature comforts of living in the States, I definitely do not feel like I am "sacrificing" two years of my life- this experience is very much a mandatory (and exciting) stepping stone to my life/career goals.

What do you plan on doing after Peace Corps?
My plan for now is an MBA, at a school that has a strong social enterprise program.  I've taken the GMAT so that if I'm still wanting this route after Peru, I might be able to go straight into school upon my return (my service is schedule to end mid-August 2013).  At the same time, social enterprise is a field that definitely encourages innovation and 'out the box' approaches, so I'm not tied to the idea of business school if it doesn't seem necessary for my next steps into the field.  It's also very possibly that my point of view will change radically enough over the next two years that I completely change career/life goals, so only time will tell!