I’ve heard some whispers of worries and he can’t just…do that. Right? Right?!

Surelyyyy he has better things to do.

Marjorie Taylor Greene threatens to remove 'toilets in Africa' with help of Elon Musk:

https://www.rawstory.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-doge-toilets/

Just curious. I have some guesses what would be but could be totally odd

Hello Everyone,

I’m curious as to your thoughts on a recent situation of a YouTuber who goes by “Lotothemax”. He started his YouTube channel to document his journey as a PCV serving in Thailand. The content varied from life in his village to then progressing to his girlfriend who he met in Thailand, traveling around Thailand, partying, etc. Despite anything, his content wasn’t inappropriate and showed his life as a PCV.

Apparently this may have “rubbed” some other volunteers wrong who reported it to HQ in Washington which got back to his service director in Thailand. What I gathered (correct me if I’m wrong) is that Peace Corps didn’t like the image being portrayed, especially with the videos with his girlfriend. They requested either he delete/stop making videos altogether or leave the country. He chose to leave the country.

I’m curious as to what you all think of this situation, especially those who create content while serving. Do you feel his content was inappropriate and not a great depiction of Peace Corps? With vlogging being popular, do you think there will be more regulations put in place for upcoming cohorts? As an employer, does Peace Corps have the right to dictate volunteer’s content on social media or platforms like YouTube?

Thank you. I hope I provided enough background information, but I linked the YouTube video that explains the situation more in-depth.

I’ll probably get a lot of hate for this but I want to get it off my chest anyway. I’m leaving for Peace Corps in a few weeks; I let them choose my site for me and was surprised with my placement but came around to being excited. About a month or so after I accepted, the news about the 20k readjustment allowance pilot programs came out. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed I didn’t wait a few more months so I could have known and applied for one of them. I’m disappointed that PC didn’t place me in one of them. I wish I was going to Rwanda. I hear that a lot of people leave with way less than 10k after expenses and I really wish I had the safety net of 20k. I’d have so much more opportunity after service with that kind of money. I just wish I had known :(

It’s my understanding that you’re not able to hold a second job during Peace Corps service; does this mean you’re unable to make any money from outside sources?

I often submit my writing to contests with monetary prizes. Is this something I will have to stop doing during my service? Is it against the rules for me to make money by winning poetry contests?

Thank you

How to respond?

the more obscure the better

I wonder if him winning, and thus more people wanting to escape the U.S. and their politics, will lead to more applications. I remember reading a study way back when that, when the country’s in a recession, military enrollment goes up. These are very different scenarios, but I’m curious what you all think. Did enrollment increase under his last term?

Of course, PC is a government agency and we are representing the U.S. (and to some extent, his administration?), but just curious if people will see this as an escape.

I’ve been with my boyfriend for around a year, and I can’t imagine my life without him. He’s likely going to the peace corps next year, and I’m worried about what our future might look like with spotty contact and infrequent visits in person. Is it possible to maintain a long distance relationship while he’s in the peace corps? I truly want to so desperately but I’m worried.

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.

Thought I'd share my favorite pic of my site, given the winter chill is setting in!

Whether you are PCV, PCRV, PCT, or RPCV, even if you ET'd, were med/ad- sep'd and even if you are not currently a practicing vegetarian/vegan but have in the past.
I made a Google forms. It is anonymous so please be honest. I'm hoping we can use the information to better provide information for future vegan and vegetarian PCVs. I know a lot of PCVs go on Reddit and everything asking about the reality of serving with our diets. So even if you know someone who stopped being a vegetarian mid PST, please share this with them!

(Aside, if you would like to join the veg PCVs whatsapp chat send me a DM/chat)

I’m a U.S. citizen, and my fiancé is a British citizen. I’m applying to the Peace Corps, but I checked the dates for when you hear back and realized that I’d find out if I got an invitation about a month before our wedding. If I get the invitation and then marry my fiancé afterward, would this cause any issues? We’re just eloping and having a small courthouse ceremony. He’ll be going back to the UK after the wedding, and we plan to be together after I finish my service.

I also saw a rule (1.2.4) about marriage between a Volunteer and a non-U.S. citizen that mentions financial resources, the spouse’s job compatibility with Peace Corps goals, and knowledge of the host country's customs. Since my fiancé wouldn’t be living with me and would be in the UK during my service, I’m wondering if this rule would even apply to me and how I should disclose my marriage to the Peace Corps. Would it affect me negatively in any way if I got married to a non-U.S. citizen after receiving my invitation?

Here in Mongolia we for sure have a few words that have entered the volunteers' vernacular; "за," "тэгье," "явъя" etc.

Mostly just tiny bits of the language here and there but I'm curious if this has happened to anyone elses' cohorts

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, I'm curious if anyone has experience applying for non-volunteer positions? I submitted an application in July and got notice that it had passed the initial screening about a week later. But it's been almost 3 months and I haven't gotten any further communication.On USA.gov the job announcement still says "reviewing applications."

I have heard the process is slow...but 3 months seems like a lot and 'm starting to assume I wasn't selected for an interview.

Do they typically send out an email at least letting you know that you are not being considered?

Thanks!

Curious about how language training was for you all. What were the classes like? How proficient did you become during PST? What do you think works and doesn’t work in learning Chinese? If someone were to look for a teacher, what would you tell them to look for in a teacher/program?

The reason(s) for a specific rule, the outlandish adsep, that one volunteer of legend, etc...

For a couple years, beginning in 1971/72, the Peace Corps accepted families with children. We had maybe a dozen kids in our language school in Puerto Rico. Most of these were en route to Ecuador with at least one other family headed to Nicaragua, maybe another country too?

I’ve since met one other adult who was in Kenya as a child, and I’m curious about approximately how many other families there were, and where.

It was an odd status. You got the in-country ID card and got yourself integrated into the local society, but no recognition as a returned volunteer - this is entirely appropriate, but an asterisk would be nice :)

Would like to add a huge thanks to those who still go.

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)

Hey current and RPCVs in SA -

My gf is headed to SA next week. She’s trying to decide what to bring. Right now, she has lots of short shorts and tank tops. In my host country that would lead to shit loads of harassment. Does she need to dress conservatively?

She’ll be in Cape Town, Pretoria, and then hiking and on safari for a week. She has neutral clothes for this.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I would love some options from folks because I feel like I am literally at a cross road.

So long story short, I applied and received my official acceptance before being denied for a new (at the time) medication I have now stopped taking. Since then, I started a new job that I really like but something keeps drawing me to the question of do I reapply or not.

My great uncle did the Peace Corps back in the 70's and it has been a life long dream for me to follow in his footsteps but I don't think I could go through the heart break of being denied again. So my question for folks is: is it worth me reapplying or should I save myself the heartache and focus on the job I have currently and continuing to grow my career?

I would love all and any advice or opinion from folks.

Hi all -

Curious to get some thoughts on this opinion piece from our current Peace Corps director and the RPCV who runs LinkedIn for Good.

The gist of the argument: In light of the digital transformation and rise of generative AI, "soft skills" and resilience are the key skills for the work force of tomorrow, and Peace Corps is the perfect place to develop those skills.

What do we think? Spin or legit argument? Likely to resonate with potential applicants (young people) or not?

Note: I am someone who believes in the value of Peace Corps service (even today) as well as someone who works in digital media, so I have various biases at play...