Peace Corps
“The Peace Corps was established in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship through the service of American Volunteers abroad. In adapting to changing needs around the world, the Peace Corps remains guided by its founding mission – to help the people of developing countries meet their basic needs and to promote mutual understanding among Americans and people from other cultures. More than 153,000 Americans have furthered these goals through service in the Peace Corps for over 38 years and in 134 countries.”
- 1999 Peace Corps Volunteer Handbook
In this section I talk about my Peace Corps experience from February 2002 to May 2004 in the Kingdom of Tonga (info on Tonga). Although the Peace Corps is a well-recognized program, I feel that there is a lack of information available on many aspects of the service that discourage potential volunteers. I hope that my personal experience will help potential Peace Corps volunteers make their decision. Two years is a huge commitment, and it’s important to make sure that you are willing to follow through. As the slogan goes - “Peace Corps: The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love”
- Reasons for Joining - Why did I join the US Peace Corps? In this segment, I discuss both the practical reasons and the personal reasons that shaped my decision
- Application Process - In this segment, I go through my experience of going through the entire process of becoming a Peace Corps volunteer in detail (i.e. interviews, medical tests, paperwork)
- Information about Tonga - This is some information the Peace Corps provided me about Tonga
- Expectations - The beliefs I had before I joined the program
- Photos - A picture history of my time in Tonga. I haven’t included all the beautiful pictures of the islands, but just enough to tell my story. I have no regrets about the experience and loved my time there
- Final Thoughts – This was written in late 2007 as a summary of the biggest challenge of my Peace Corps experience – returning home and readjusting