I joined the Peace Corps in part because as a philosophy major in college, I wanted to know if my ideas about the world matched up with how the world actually worked - I wanted to see how the vast majority of humanity lives. I feel that the Peace Corps gave me an invaluable lesson as far as that is concerned.

I have heard of some people having trouble with Peace Corps medical, but by far my experience and that of most of the people I know was very positive. I always felt like my safety was a top priority for the PC staff.

The one thing that I didn't understand until I got there and wished that my recruiter had told me is that you are expected to be in your village at all times, so basically you are working (or "on call") 24/7. You don't get to leave on the weekends to visit friends, travel, or just decompress. I found that to be very unrealistic and a bit draconian. I couldn't be an effective volunteer without some time away from the village at least every 2-3 weeks, so I just did what I wanted and didn't tell my superiors about it. However, there were organizational changes made to make that more difficult over time. But this varies from country to country.

That's about it. Otherwise, I was very happy with my PC staff and would still recommend the experience to anyone who feels called to do it. Best of luck to you in your decision-making process.

Hi Heather,
I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bulgaria 98-00 and I ran their recruiting campaigns in southern Cal for nearly three years as well so I know quite a bit and would be happy to talk with you in much more detail about your questions. I've had to interview zillions for positions and having worked on both sides of things as a PCV and employee, I think I can be most helpful to you. Feel free to send me a personal email as your questions are important and I remember having the same ones before I made the decision. I'll be happy to give you the full scoop, the good and the ugly. All in all though, for me, it was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. In my case, I felt PCorps was extremely well run. However, I also know that experiences vary widely on a wide range of factors- who is in charge in your country, particulars about your specific site placement following training, etc. That said though, the biggest common denominator that I have found that determines whether people are glad they did it or not is the attitude and commitment level that they went in with. If you are clear about why you want to do this going in, you will be able to better weather the difficult times. I still think it is one of the best opportunities out there and am consistently amazed that so few Americans don't do it. Feel free to drop me an email. I have a really busy week ahead of me and a guest in town but promise to get back to you by the end of next weekend at the latest.

HI Heather, ut
glad your looking to gain some world experiance before becoming an international lawyer. PC is an excellent way to start I think. PC Namibia - while i was there- had SEVERAL pre law folks. (we use to joke that they would go back with broken english and address the judge saying, "well sir, I am comming now now with that." & "Well my client is just a little somehow." - but otherwise, it helped a lot of them focus what direction they wanted to go in. One of my best friends is now a lawyer and works with women's issues and goes to South Africa frequently with that. She went in orriginally wanting to do environmental law. Either way, I think its a great way to get some excellent experiance, plus make you an excellent candidate for law school. (plus - think of the fellowship programs offered for RPCVS!) - but ultimately, you have to want to just help people because that is what you will be doing for 5 years.

And for the person who had the question in the thread about women's safety. Most places (overall) you should be fine. I don't want to "blame the victim" or anything but - Make friends, but be culturally sensitive. (i.e. don't go wearing culturally inappropriote tank tops and shorts in an area that is very very conservative) - use the buddy system- be more cautious in cities- don't let men come "visit" after dark unless others are present... that kindof thing. Don't relax SO much that you forget where you are. Mostly though, if you are a valued member to the community and make friends, folks will protect you and let you know if your doing something that would open the door for someone to make you a victim. Ask Questions! As for harassment- ya- ALL the time. My best defense was sarcasm mixed with mild public humiliation mixed with straight forwardness. (you shouldn't need the pepper spray.)

peace, trish