Hello all! My bf (hi sweet boy) is heading out for training Thursday morning! I’m am so excited for him but also scared of the extreme long distance peace corps brings. He is my best friend and I want to give him all the support I can before he leaves but I’m scared of letting my emotions prevent that.

I was hoping that anyone who has been in this situation could offer some words of wisdom! Or maybe some success stories! I’m desperately in need of some pick me ups for the next couple of days/weeks/months or hell the next 2 years.

I know many factors go into a volunteers having a bad experience from cohort issues, political upheaval, etc but is low satisfaction rating(by low I mean under 50% would recommend Peace Corps) largely mean that program is just poorly run and administration there really sucks? It's making want to avoid certain countries where had I not read the satisfaction ratings from volunteers I would be very interested in serving in.

Hi! My name is Shannon Harasta, and I am an RPCV who served in Nepal. I’m currently a PhD student at Michigan State University, and I am collecting data for a research project looking at Peace Corps volunteers and their experiences learning a language during their Peace Corps Service. If you are currently a Peace Corps volunteer living with a host family and learning a language as part of your Peace Corps service, I would love to hear from you! If you’re interested in participating, please fill out this survey which should take about 10 minutes to complete. I’d love to hear from as many PCVs as possible, so please feel free to share!

https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6msyp36I8tVYvAO

If you’re interested in participating further, I will be conducting follow-up interviews as well. If you’re interested in doing an interview, please indicate this at the end of your survey and I’ll be in touch! If you have any questions, my contact information is: Shannon Harasta [harastas@msu.edu](mailto:harastas@msu.edu)

I am about 6 months in, but have only been at site for a little over two months. Unfortunately, I contemplate leaving every day, multiple times a day. Nothing specific is really wrong, and my site is good for the most part. I have a big, friendly host family, I have decent amenities, and my local work counterparts are cool. Sure there are minor issues but who doesn’t have those at site. Still, I am having a really hard time and just feel miserable for atleast half of the day. I try not to, but I find myself counting the days until it is all over. I’m willing to stick it out as long as I can and don’t have any plans of quitting - just really, really want to.

I am wondering how often RPCV’s contemplated quitting / ETing. Is this normal, or should I be worried? I want to push through but then again I find myself thinking of going home more often than not. Did anyone have this same experience and see a change down the road? I really hope so.

Hi there, I am currently underway with medical clearances and I depart in July for Botswana. I have recently done some labs and my cholesterol came up as slightly high and my thyroid level being slightly low. My doctor said they aren’t anything to worry about and medication isn’t needed. I’m nervous what PC might ask for as a follow up. My doctor said he can write a note saying it’s ok for me to serve. Should I wait to submit these results and retest in a month? What is the worst I can expect if I submit them? Anything helps! Thanks :)

Only have about 8 months to go and im genuinely curious if you felt like time moved differently at the end of your service. Thanks

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I just got invited to interview as a Climate Change Awareness and Action Facilitator in Mexico, departing on August 24th, 2025. I'm so excited. I've also applied to a PhD program in atmospheric chemistry that starts around the same time, but I haven't heard back from them. They said that admitted applicants usually receive acceptances in early January. I fear that the middle of January is approaching and I've yet to hear anything. Even so, I find myself more excited about the potential Peace Corps experience than the PhD program.

Now onto the reason for my post. Has anyone else struggled with guilt about leaving their families? In particular, my sister and I are very close and she has two children, a 5 year old boy and 1 year old girl. I love them so much, and they love me too. I'm with them all of the time. Two years when you're that young is such a long time, and I know my sister will be crushed if I leave for so long. I can't stop feeling this immense guilt about the prospect of leaving them for two years, and the 5 year old asking where I am, and missing so much of their little lives.

My mother is from Madagascar, and I have been there many times. I am drafting my motivation statement for the English Education position in Madagascar, and I'm not sure whether I should emphasize my familiarity with the country and its culture and conditions. To me, it seems like a clear benefit to the program, as I'm less likely to quit and more likely to assimilate easily. Is this a good idea or a bad idea? I'm certainly not framing it as a homecoming, or an opportunity to be close to family

Hey everyone,

I was just wondering what people are using to stay on top of things during PST and service. Does anyone use a planner? Or do you prefer your calendar app on your phone? Or do you just rely on your memory!?

Share below :)

Hi all. I'm curious about the extent of "isolation" one might experience while serving in Mexico. Those who are currently serving and have served, did/do you have internet access? How often did/do you talk to your families? I'm mostly wondering about the feasibility of staying connected with those back home (for better or worse). Thanks!

Hello! I am an RPCV (Ethiopia) whose book was recently published. My purpose in writing it was to provide people contemplating Peace Corps, and their families, a taste of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Peace Corps. Tools are discussed to help volunteers stay safe, sane, and productive. Please check it out on Amazon or the publisher's website: https://www.amazon.com/Fiddler-Roof-Africa-Successfully-Volunteer/dp/1963117336/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=YJXG6SPJN6XA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.e-FTsiF3YKVg7JCNVZirigHxd8kFdShSPAOFEodCImsAwJKwyP2lFTqW-Nl6tmpi8QBo5AnBY605ap6q1opsJ77pBm-Ek0idYs1YsAlKCfo.fM_UZjL-RiC75MiGZaaIViAjaslBOD-g2dIxcsTTUGo&dib_tag=se&keywords=fiddler+on+the+roof+of+africa&qid=1736614093&sprefix=%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-1

Hello everyone,

I am currently in the process applying for the Peace Corps but I am trying to gather as much info as I can. I am interested in Youth Development in the Philippines. If you had experience working in this sector or the Philippines, can you tell me a little about it? For example, would you recommend it to others? What was your daily routine? Were the people friendly? What were the living conditions?

A little bit about me: I graduated from UNCW in December of 2023 with a BA in Criminology with a minor in Psychology. I did my undergraduate research on raising awareness for MMIW while doing this I worked as a Resident Assistant. Right now, I am just working part-time as a PSA at my local airport. I hope to volunteer in the Peace Corps before possibly getting my Masters in Criminology while also getting some much needed professional experience in the field. I am also interested in the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program so I can potentially get a reduced education after volunteering.

Thank you for your help.

i'm about 6 months into service and have been struggling. in mid-october, i told myself i'd give it until the new year and hopefully things will get better, but i keep having security issues and i'm just not sure it is good for my overall well-being to stay. i keep going back and forth because it's not my communities fault and they deserve a good volunteer, but i'm worried the way i'm feeling will lead to a lackluster job for them, in addition to hurting my mental health.

this is just not how i wanted peace corps to play out, and i'm worried that i'll regret both staying and leaving. it feels like i'm betraying my community, fellow PCVs, PC staff and resources by leaving, but i'd be betraying myself by staying. sorry for the drama, was just hoping someone could provide some guidance :, )

Hello everyone, I am currently in the process applying for the Peace Corps but I am trying to gather as much info as I can. I am interested in Youth Development in the Philippines. If you had experience working in this sector or the Philippines, can you tell me a little about it? For example, would you recommend it to others? What was your daily routine? Were the people friendly? What were the living conditions?

A little bit about me: I graduated from UNCW in December of 2023 with a BA in Criminology with a minor in Psychology. I did my undergraduate research on raising awareness for MMIW while doing this I worked as a Resident Assistant. Right now, I am just working part-time as a PSA at my local airport. I hope to volunteer in the Peace Corps before possibly getting my Masters in Criminology while also getting some much needed professional experience in the field. I am also interested in the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program so I can potentially get a reduced education after volunteering.

Thank you for your help.

Hi!! I have applied to peace corps in Jamaica and I have been doing lots of research but there are still things I’m curious about. Do you have to live with the host family your entire experience? Also if not, will the living stipend comfortably be able to afford rent?

Has anyone heard about any recent experiences in Jamaica? Such as location for a literary teacher. Do you find out before you leave or when you get there?

Thanks in advance!!! 😊

Hey I’m a RPCV (30F). I was in Ukraine until the pandemic. I want to join again this time with my fiancé (30M). I contacted a recruiter a week ago and haven’t heard anything, is that normal?

I have a few general questions, my fiancé is type 1 diabetic does anyone have any ideas on what countries he could be considered for?

Also I speak Spanish fairly well, I took it all throughout high school and through college but he doesn’t speak much Spanish, do you think we could still be considered for a Spanish speaking country?

I don’t know if this is necessary info but I have a degree in Biology and I’m getting a second degree in accounting so I’d like to be going for Community and Economic Development. He doesn’t have and teaching experience yet and he has a degree in Math.

Looking at the current openings we both really like El Salvador, does anyone have any experience being there?

Thanks!

I’ve been in legal clearance for Peace Service since June of last year, and when I followed up, I was told it’s still ongoing. I’m aware that debt can be a factor in clearance, and I have some debt I’m actively working on clearing. My student loans will be fully paid off when my AmeriCorps service is completed. Are there other non-criminal reasons that could delay or prevent legal clearance? I’d appreciate any insight or advice on this process.

Hello! I am a volunteer currently in the VRG trenches. I feel like most of the work I do is not really capturable in VRGs because we have to format everything so specifically. Every time I do VRGs I feel like a shit volunteer because the work I am doing doesn't count towards our formal goals, on a technicality. But I am meeting and exceeding the goals I personally set with my community and host organization.

For those who have finished their DOS and/ or applied for Coverdell, how much of that information comes from VRG data? Do I have a chance at Coverdell if my VRGs are not very impressive?

Also, I know you are able to write a story about things you do in your community that aren't a part of your goals, do those count in your DOS? It is frustrating to me to have to write out an individual narrative about the other work I do in the community, I wish I could just write a monthly bulleted list of the things I do.

I am a firm believer in having clean and workable M&E data for the kind of work we do, but VRGs just make me want to tear my hair out.

My family member interviewed for a PCV position in Indonesia yesterday and they received their invitation email today. Their legal clearance will be no problem. They take Lexapro prescribed by their primary care provider (and have for a few years for unspecified anxiety) and have mild sleep apnea (recently started using a CPAP machine). Does anyone have any experience about whether they may have trouble with the medical clearance since they have these two issues (SSRI rx and cpap machine)? I'm so worried that they'll be told they'll be unable to be medically cleared to go to Indonesia in September. Any advice or experiences are appreciated.

Hello,

I'm part of the Kosovo group that's supposed to depart at the end of February... I was emailed a few days before New Years Eve about my Peace Corps Onboarding Portal tasks that they need me to complete, so they provided me a link to set up my account. For whatever reason the link gives me an error message: "Exception Error Encountered / This page cannot be displayed. A connection may have been lost or expected data is unavailable. Please contact your system administrator."

I emailed my Country Desk Officer three separate times but have yet to hear anything from them. I emailed them a few months ago in fact for a different matter and received no response. Is there any other way I can get in contact with someone about this? I would love to complete these tasks and put this behind me.

Has anyone heard back on their submission to the storytelling contest for this year? They said we would know mid-December at the earliest and now i'm getting so curious if anyone has heard anything. Thanks!!

TL;DR It gets approved fairly simply but it takes a long time.

I provided a detailed, itemized bill for services required:

• Vaccination
• Dental exam
• Lab work

And proof of payment:

• In my case, I just had receipts

I went to Quest Diagnostics and got single sheet of paper that was the receipt and the itemized bill in one. That went through pretty simply.

You don't need ALL the information the Peace Corps website and reimbursement portal states, but get as detailed of an itemized bill or invoice as you can. I'm still trying to figure out whether the itemized bill I got from where I did my physical has enough information.

Yesterday and today, I checked the reimbursement portal, and after a long time (two months?), the expenses I submitted were approved in full with no requests for more information or additional proof of payment.

I’ve been invited for an interview! I applied 12/31/24 for any position in any county. I got an email saying I’ll be going to Lesotho as a primary education teacher. Departing 09/21/2025. My interview is scheduled for 1/24/25 and they said I will know their decision by 03/1/2025.

SO, I plan to disclose that I was arrested in 2018 for theft and I did deferred adjudication of guilt (basically didn’t plead guilty, paid a fine, and took a court ordered class). I’ve seen post say I will have to prove this was completed….how would I go about proving that?

Also— in 2015 I was a freshman in college when campus police pulled me over and gave me a ticket for drug paraphernalia that they confiscated. Like I said this was on a college campus (college police— pulled me over bc I didn’t make a complete stop and ended up searching my car bc of smell) and I do remember getting a ticket (mostly bc I tried to hide it from my parents). Is this something I should also mention??? I’m also not sure how I would prove anything on this as I just paid my ticket fees and moved on.

Lastly I do want to mention that I would love any encouraging feedback….this has always been a dream of mine but not feasible I suppose. Now is the perfect time in life for me to do this however I’m semi nervous bc I REALLY want to get accepted and offered the position but I’m 29 and I’ve lived life yall. I’m not a perfect human but I’ve tried to learn and correct all of my mistakes. I graduated college with a marketing degree in 2019 and I have no gaps in my resume. I have high hopes of getting in but I’m also getting anxious.

Hi everyone, I'm currently a senior in college (Graduating fall 25) pursuing a bachelors in Linguistics and TESL certificate. I volunteer with an organization that tutors ESL students as well as minor work with my school's English Language Institute. This past fall semester, I sat down with myself and thought about what I wanted to do straight out of college, and while I know Peace Corps isn't really a permanent career goal, I figured it would be a step in the right direction for my future (As well as looking pretty good on my resume). I wanted to ask how I could help make myself stand out more for when I eventually apply. On top of everything listed above, I speak both English and Portuguese fluently. Any help is appreciated, thank you!

I was recently invited to be a Climate Action Facilitator in Mexico starting August 2025! I would deeply appreciate some insight as to what I can expect as a temporary resident and PCV. I saw the packing list on the website, but any extra pointers wouldn’t hurt. For some background, I am trans and Latina, though I am not hellbent on expressing my identity as I would in the states.

And if I can expect to see you in August, please message me!