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I always heard medical clearance was super stressful and a secondary screening for people who can handle pressure and bureaucracy, but I genuinely did not think I would be one of those people—but my medical clearance process has been so terrible and expensive and pointless-feeling that I feel like I’m losing my verve for doing Peace Corps at all, even though it’s something I’ve wanted so extraordinarily badly for so many years. I have good insurance, but it doesn’t cover everything, and my clearance process has sent me (mildly allergic to cats and shellfish) on an absolute goose chase with tons and tons of required allergist appointments and lab work, just snowballing more and more every appointment and every document I submit. I’ve paid out probably almost $2,000 out-of-pocket for what hasn’t been covered by insurance, and it’s really, really wearing me down financially but also emotionally. I’m totally, perfectly healthy, and the costs for appointments that I know are pointless and that the HCPs I have been seeing are telling me are pointless so exorbitant that it’s really stressing me out. I’m fresh out of college interning at my dream organization right now making minimum wage in a super HCOL city, and MAN, IT IS HARD DOING CLEARANCE with those constraints. I haven’t been reimbursed for anything yet, although I’ve filed, and I really don’t want to start completing any more tasks until I’ve gotten at least a little bit of my money reimbursed because sometimes the bills take a while to come down. Logically, I know they just want to be very certain everyone is healthy, and logically, I know the medical clearance process doesn’t reflect the actual experience of Peace Corps. But I’m just sad and a little down about Peace Corps now because of all of this.

Has anyone else had similar experiences with the cost part/the cost part causing PC to lose some of its sheen? Or had those experiences/thoughts and then gone on to have an incredible time in your country?

Hi all,

I am still in the clearance process for a post that leaves in May. I've been having a lot of trouble and I want to apply to other things as a backup, would there be a problem with me applying to different jobs on USAjobs, especially because it's the same email I use for the Peace Corps?

Thanks!

Hi all! I had an interview on Tuesday and received an invitation to the PC a few hours later. I’m so excited and I know this will be a life changing opportunity but I’m just curious if anyone has any advice for someone going to Mongolia for these assignments. None of the RPCV I’ve talked to have been from Mongolia so they weren’t very insightful. Any advice/thoughts are welcome!

Looking for feedback on your essay? Have a newbie question you'd like to ask? Something on your mind you'd like to get out? This is the place for it.

Hey everyone! I’m a Senior in college and have been seriously considering peace corps for the past couple years. I have been lurking on this sub among other places. I am aware that actual service is stressful, and it is a big commitment. I understand that it will not be paradise and you will deal with stressful and difficult situations.

One of the biggest things making me nervous however is the return to the US. Two years is both a short and long time. In the time you are gone life is still going back home. It seems scary to me, you will come back and the people you know and their circumstances may change. The community you leave may change, and everything you leave behind will move on without you.

So Peace Corps, can I get some honest advice? Maybe some stories? I’m honestly curious how others adapted or coped? In general what was your experience coming home? Did your perceptions on home change? Any advice to someone aspiring to join the Organization?

Hey, everyone! I'm a currently serving volunteer. I wanted to ask if there were any resources that you wished you had as a volunteer or as a RPCV. Anything from resources to use in the class, clinic, community, etc., or resources you used when trying to find jobs. Anything that comes to mind. Thanks!

So I applied for a position, didn't get it, and they said I'd be considered for a position departing September of next year. I already had an interview, and my recruiter said I won't need to do another and will most likely get in. I'm wondering if could start doing doing therepy without having them find out about it. I was gonna start a while but then realized if you start within a year you would have to wait to apply to peace corp. but I've already submitted my medical questionarre. Idk I don't having any pressing mental health issues just would like to do it for my general well being and to learn more about myself

EDIT: also, I guess I more thinking about doing it now because my dad lost his house during these last couple hurricanes and I also work for him and it's just been a very tumultuous time. But I don't want to risk my plans for the next few years either

Hello!

I interviewed for a CED position in Georgia back in September. Thought it went pretty well, but have yet to hear back. Hoping to hear from any other Georgia applicants on their status. Part of me is also quite concerned that the US will withdraw its PC program from Georgia in light of the recent election and general democratic backsliding. So if any other applicants want to commiserate in the uncertainty of it all, I'm down for that too.

Edit: Thank you all for the helpful responses! I will continue to sit tight.

Hi, is medical clearance as difficult as people say? I completed the initial tasks and have no specific medical needs, but I haven't heard back. Is there a chance that I will get cleared immediately, or should I prepare to wait a couple more months even if all my labs are good?

Share with us any photo from your country of service! Please note that pictures of minors are not permitted.

My niece is serving in Thailand. I would like to send her a Christmas gift. However I do not know her address. It's in a different alphabet so my chance of making a mistake is pretty high. Is there a coordinator is the US I can send it to who can forward it to her? I would pay the postage to Thailand. I just want to make sure it has the best chance to get there.

I feel like we don’t talk enough about bugs in the pc. Once I stepped off that plane, the old days of seeing a couple spiders in my house were long gone. I’ve basically accepted that there won’t be a day in my pc life that I’m not living with ants in my home. Last night I was bucket bathing and saw a bug on my shoulder. Found a bug in my hair the other day. Grab a bowl… bugs. Don’t even think about having fruit in your house. Fruit flies. Eating breakfast next to a cricket. As someone who really hates bugs, this wasn’t talked about enough so just a warning to anyone who joins 😂

I was just given an invitation to serve and I'm absolutely over the moon. At the same time, as a final-year uni student, I have also been considering other options. Now that the offer is actually on the table, I feel both super excited and also very daunted, and the three days to accept the offer feels like a lot of pressure. I also have some other elements of my life that are moving at the moment, and I would love to take like two weeks to think about the decision. So my question is, how bad would it be if I accept the offer and then later decide against serving? Particularly because, if I decide against this right now, I may be ready in one year or so, and I don't want to hurt my chances in the future.

I'm entering my fifth month of service, and I feel like I've hit a roadblock with my attitude towards my site. I'm in education and my school is extremely dysfunctional, full of drama, and people are generally unwilling to change. I came in with this super eager mindset and willing to do whatever it takes, but no matter what, my plans seem to fall apart. I'm feeling much more pessimistic with the state of my school, since >60% of students are near illiterate, and there is so little only I can do to help fix it. Teachers are unwilling to change and have fought programs in the past to help reverse the literacy crisis at my school. Not to mention the amount of drama between teachers, the principal, and parents, it's a literal warzone. I don't get involved, but it does impact my ability to work and be successful when teachers are unwilling to work with one another, adopt new teaching methods, or get in arguing matches during meetings.

Other than that, I feel infantilized by my teachers, community, and my landlord. I'm an unusually young volunteer (21) and for me to be living on my own is seen as bizarre in the country I am in. I get comments assuming I am incapable of doing things or that I must be less knowledgeable about basic living things, which frustrates me to no end. I appreciate the care, but I feel like I'm demonstrating the skills necessary to live alone and that I've proven myself capable. I talked to my PM about it and was admonished for thinking this way, so I got no helpful advice other than to stop feeling the way I am.

All this leads me to feel jaded with my community and my school. Despite this, I don't want to leave and I've grown attached to the students at my school. I don't know if anyone has any advice or similar experiences but I want to move past this because I do ultimately like being here. I hate that I am pessimistic and jaded because I miss the excitement and optimism of when I first got here.

Our CD just sent out an email about Palau seeking third year volunteers for TEFL positions. I understand that it was closed for a few years, but if you have any idea of what it’s like today that would be awesome. I was wondering if anyone who served there could share what it was like. What were/are internet connections like? Counterparts? schools?

Thanks!

Im about to interview for a Peace Corp Response position in the Philippines. I am wondering for those who have served what the response position is like compared to traditional volunteering. Seems to be less focus on integration with the community but hopefully I could still get a lot done with a more directed goal and expertise. Do you feel like you got a lot out of your time in Peace Corps response and would you do it again?

Any and all input appreciated.

Thanks

Use this thread to vent your frustrations. We're all here to lend an ear.

Hi everyone! For some background I’m in the begging of my service in a larger village as an EE volunteer, in a school that teaches kids from villages around us as well. My school is a little on the larger end, but our community doesn’t have a whole lot of resources available when it comes to after school activities or extra classes for kids who need help. A lot of kids have difficult home or financial situations, and one of my goals is to create clubs especially for kids who’s families wouldn’t normally to be able to pay for them to take part in extracurricular activities. I started a couple English clubs about a month and half ago and found that there was a HUGE amount of interest. I had about 50 kids signing up and have had about 35-40 participants at each meeting. I opened another club for homework help in hopes that some students would attended that instead and create a more manageable group size, but so far all three clubs have been so popular I’m not sure how to manage it. It’s pretty challenging to create activities and manage so many kids I’m not even sure how useful the clubs really are for English learning. I have lots of ideas for some other clubs I’d like to open, not related to English, but at the moment I’m scared I’ll end up in the same overwhelming situation. So my question is:

1. How on earth can I limit the number of members in the club without leaving kids discouraged or seeming like I’m playing favorites

2. Anyone have any suggestions on how to manage such a large group of students and any activities you’ve found useful in the past? Is it even feasible to run a club with so many participants?

I’m thrilled that my clubs have been so popular, I fully expected to have the opposite problem and don’t want to sound like I’m complaining. Just wondering if anyone else has experience with this!

Hello! I know Vietnam is a relatively new program, but does anyone on here have access to the language learning materials that new volunteers get? For example, from my time in Georgia, I have PDFs of 2 textbooks, as well as several long supplemental documents such as a huge one on verbs.

I've been interested in studying Vietnamese and I liked the way PC taught me Georgian so I'd like to get my hands on those.

Thanks!

Basically I'm worried about my med clearance. I was invited to serve a couple months ago. Almost done with all my tasks for med clearance. I was asked to complete a mental health evaluation form and personal statement. In my personal statement, I explained that I was diagnosed in Jan 2022 and started meds at that time. I also started therapy then too and stopped therapy in May 2023. I got off meds in August 2023. I changed therapists, however, in December 2022. I had my most recent therapist fill out the mental health evaluation form. On the form, she mentioned the date given for my anxiety condition was December 2022 and the duration was 5 months. She also forgot to put that I had taken medication on the form. I already turned in the mental health evaluation form a few weeks ago, but I didn't notice until I just looked it over today that she had forgotten to mention I was on medication (or perhaps just forgot). Should I bring this up this inconsistency with the nurse? Is this going to be a problem? Do I have hopes of being medically cleared?

I've been seriously considering Peace Corps as I'm a working professional with over a decade of experience. I have always been devoted to community service and would like to explore opportunities abroad. What has me a bit puzzled is it appears Peace Corps is shifting, or at least trying to, to being an organization that want to function on many levels like an NGO/Consulting firm with requiring candidates (Peace Corps Response)to have many years of experience and also have little to no requirements of full immersion/cultural integration of not living with a host family. Wasn't the most important reason for Peace Corps cross cultural exchange and not operating like an NGO/Consulting firm?

The two year volunteer positions also seem to be shifting to wanting a working professional with minimum 5 years work experience within a specific field(this would mean they want someone almost 30 years old), and looks more favorably with someone with an advanced degree. It feels like Peace Corps is shifting to something that feels more corporate?

What I find puzzling reading through all these reddit threads about recruitment is all over the Peace Corp website they emphasize "professionalism" and wants established working professionals to join, yet what working professional with an established life can leave their job, their home, and all their responsibilities like a 23 year old recent college grad at the drop of a hat with less than a week?! Peace Corps emphasizes DO NOT quit your job or make any life changes to your living situation until medical/legal clearance, but this often isn't done until the very last minute. Reading about how often legal clearance isn't given to people a week or two, sometimes days before departure is totally insane. Being "professional" means giving a current job proper notice, and also giving a working professional time(more than a week) to take care of things like a house/apt(lease).

The screening process is geared mostly towards young grads with unestablished connections/lives, and yet they seem to want established working professionals, and also seem to be fine if you live/work in a foreign country and do not really integrate(Peace Corps Response). Shouldn't the most experienced with the most to give be required to integrate more fully than a 23 year old with absolutely no professional experience? It seems so backwards. Older more experienced people have more to give, so more should be asked of them.

I'm not sure Peace Corps is for me as I'm not sure what the values of the org are? I'm glad Reddit exists bc it honestly shows what can/will likely happen if you do get approved to serve, and that is you will likely be left hanging until the very last minute with the expectation that you are supposed to leave your life in the US for years in an extremely unprofessional way.

Good day, I have accepted a Peace Corps recruiter position and so far the onboarding process has been very slow/opaque and not involved any contact with humans.

Is there any kind Peace Corps employee or recruiter who remembers their onboarding process and would be willing to discuss that with me as well as their present job?

Would be looking to talk on the phone if that is something you are open to. It's hard to get information. I have emailed HR and received no responses.

Shoot me a DM, thank you so much!

Ok, I’m going to ask this question KNOWING that it is near impossible to answer given the circumstances of different countries, cultural practices, finances, personal relationships etc etc etc But, those of you who have given their counterparts Christmas presents in the past, what did you give them? I understand not every country celebrates Christmas in this way, however I want to do something nice for my host organization and give them some sort of gift (physical, craft, card, etc) to show them an American “tradition” and show them my appreciation. Anyways, don’t come for me for asking this I really just want some ideas of what you’ve done to be culturally appropriate during Christmas!

Please use this thread as a catch-all for questions about:

• Considering Peace Corps / Is PC right for me?
• General application process
• Medical/legal clearance
• Denial/appeals
• Application timelines

While some questions may be unique or complex and may merit their own posts, many application questions are repetitive and can be answered by searching the sub, checking out the Wiki/FAQ, or reading peacecorps.gov.

I'm currently in my second year as a PCV and I just need a break. I'm having some issues at site (nothing too horrible just some construction thats hindering my service) and issues with another PCV that lives nearby and it's just been weighing on me and bringing me down more than I thought it would. I really really really need a couple of mental health days to myself. Another PCV mentioned that they were offered a few days in the capital city to recharge by our PCMO. Does anyone know how to go about asking for that? Or is it only when it's offered? I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to get a free trip to the capital but I genuinely feel like this will be the best for my mental health at the moment.

PCVs are uniquely positioned to help fight bias toward the global north on the biodiversity-monitoring platform iNaturalist. Follow this link to iNaturalist and join fellow (R)PCVs throughout the world in crowd-sourcing global biodiversity data.

See here for more details!

https://preview.redd.it/36781s5n9exd1.png?width=1864&format=png&auto=webp&s=35ea707a60c21ac6c6a72b97dd52ec343a1186d7

This is an idea I'm pulling from previous international stuff I've done before.

Make a small photo album with your family in it so you can pull it out to use when talking to your host family.

I'm 37, so I've got a bit more family story than when I was 27, let alone 17. I'll need more pictures, but it will help me tell the story.

It gives you something to find more universal points of connection with people from a very different culture. Loads of conversation topics can come up from talking about family history, too.

Make it a physical one, not just one on your phone.

Hello all, I am still waiting on my medical clearance, but as long as all goes well I will be headed to Ecuador with the PC. I’ll be doing health and wellbeing promotion. Any and all advice is welcome.

This is a pretty personal question about a mix between mental/physical health, cultural differences, and access to resouces.

I am close to swearing in as a PCV. I have already completed most of my training, so I understand a lot of cultural differences. Before coming to country, I was obsessed with cleanliness and terrified of getting sick. For example, I used to shower and change my clothes if I sat on grass or concrete and I wouldn't even drink tap water in the US for fear of getting sick. I used to wash my hydroflask daily, even though it only ever had water in it.

That all changed immediately when I to country and I had to reshape my mindset A LOT. But after being here, I've realized that the lack of running water where I am gives me a lot of anxiety. Dishes are washed in buckets, which I kind of understand but still haven't really gotten the hang of. Since I don't really speak the language, I don't really understand even when it's explained to me. Which means usually my host family does it for me. It makes me feel a little incompetent, and it makes me feel like I need them to do it for me, because I genuinely feel like if I do it myself it won't seem clean enough (becauseI don't see how you can put dirty and clean dishes in the same water and they'll get clean) and I get so paralyzed with fear that I just don't do it.

It's not just that, but also washing fruits and vegetables, and similar things. I'm seriously concerned, but I'm more concerned about the fact that I've already made it this far, enjoy it here otherwise, and just don't want to come across as stupid or too needy, but also have had some bad immune system issues in the past and don't want to take any chances.

What would you do?