As some of you know from my recent posts, I’m in a period of transition, re-evaluating my next move. I’ve recently trademarked:
GUTSY LIVING™
and I’m looking for other adventures, including the Peace Corps. On July 11th, I have an appointment with a Peace Corps recruiter to ask many questions, including my desire to blog for the Peace Corps, and more. Here is my list of questions for my recruiter appointment.
Peace Corps Questions
- I am fluent in French. How likely is it they will send me to a French speaking country?
- As a published author and blogger, can I blog for PC site?
- Do we get to bring our laptops?
- How likely is it that we have Internet in our country? Senegal, Madagascar, Benin, Vanuatu?
- Any Caribbean countries that need a French speaker?
- What about personal supplies like face cream, sunblock, toothpaste we like, etc? Can we receive care packages? How often?
- When do we need to start the doctor/dentist visits?
- I have a degree in Environmental Science but prefer to work with helping women and children. Is that possible?
- Can you connect me with other women 56+ who are PC volunteers?
- Can I work as a trainer for PC?
- How easy is it to get a job as a recruiter for baby boomers when I return? Is it a full-time paying job?
- Do recruiters get to travel around the US?
- Are there other jobs available for older PC volunteers when they return?
- An ex-PC volunteer sent me this. Is it true that I could perhaps apply for an assignment for 6 months ? “Peace Corps Response is now open to non RPCVs. It’s a shorter term assignment, usually about 6 months, and they take volunteers with specific skills. In your case, I’d imagine organizing and marketing. And the fact that you are already fluent in French can be a real asset.”
Yelena Parker is a global citizen who has worked in over twenty countries, and who just completed 4 months in Moshi, Tanzania, followed by Zanzibar. I first interviewed her with Monika Fox who founded “Give a Heart to Africa” where Yelena volunteered for two months.
Follow-up Interview with Yelena Parker after her 4 months volunteering in Moshi and Zanzibar, Tanzania. She also talks about her 6-day climb up
Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Yelena Parker is an expert on expatriate life and has published a guidebook-meets-memoir called Moving Without Shaking, available now in Kindle format, and very soon in print format.
I read your post “Writers: Keep Your Day Job” last week, and meant to comment then, but my time got away from me.
My husband and I are doing the same sort of soul-searching and transitioning as you are, and we have been traveling a lot over the last few years to see if we could find a place to go for our “Catch-55” years – the years when you’re too young to retire, but too old to be happily employed any longer, maybe been laid off, or just burnt out and don’t want to do what you’ve been doing for the last 30 years.
I’ve been writing about it on my own blog off and on, where to go, what can we do, how are others doing it without going broke or robbing their retirement funds.
We went to Thailand last month with the idea of checking out if that could be “the place.” Indeed, it could work for us, but we still have massive planning to do to make anything like that happen. While we were traveling, we met another couple a bit older than us (we’re baby boomers) who had sold everything and joined the Peace Corps. They loved it! They had made the connections while serving to open other doors after their 2 years ended. And yes, they told us also about Peace Corps Response which used to be open only to people who had volunteered a full 2 years, but they have now opened it up to first-time volunteers as well.
Good luck with your transition. I’m looking forward to hearing which direction you take.
Jenni Gate recently posted..Sleuthsayers Guest Post
Jenni,
So good to read such a positive comment. How was your Thailand trip? Have you thought of joining the Peace Corps yourself? I’m curious where you live now and it would be fun to chat with you on Skype as we seem to be like-minded. I shall write about my Peace Corps meeting next week. I shall also check out your blog. Thanks for writing to me. Sonia.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Volunteer in Africa: Tanzania, Moshi, Zanzibar, Mt. Kilimanjaro
Thanks, Sonia. Our Thailand trip was wonderful. It is a bit hotter there than we’re used to, but it is a definite possibility for our Catch-55 years. We are doing a lot of thinking and investigating our options, Peace Corps included. Please send me an e-mail (I think it shows up in your comments dashboard – if not let me know). I would love to connect further about all this.
Jenni Gate recently posted..Sleuthsayers Guest Post