TravelingEv
Armenia,
Female, 27
I live and work in Armenia as a computer teacher at a college in one of the regions (not the modern capital city). Peace Corps service is a 27 month commitment in a 3rd world or developing country. I teach computer teachers and students about basic computer maintenance; I also teach software programs like Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, Photoshop, and CorelDraw. Everything I do--from teaching, buying food, visiting friends--is done in Armenian, which I learned since I arrived in country.
You will be a Peace Corps volunteer for 2 years straight, but during that time you will accrue vacation days and be able to leave the country if you want. You can choose to go home or somewhere else; that's totally up to you. You will be spending your own money to take a vacation (or several shorter vacations), and there are a few restrictions, but you will be allowed to go home and see your family and friends if you want.
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Yes, I have had many negative (and positive) experiences in Armenia. It's life. The same would be true no matter where I was. But in Peace Corps, the highs are usually higher and the lows are lower, and the ups and downs happen much more frequently than in "normal" life.
It's hard to give advice to someone applying for the Peace Corps, because there is so much to say that might "help," but most of the things I would say wouldn't make sense until that person was actually in the middle of Peace Corps and had already figured it out for themself.
So I'll give the standard responses that everyone gives, but are extremely important. Be flexible. Be patient. Be culturally sensitive. Don't expect to make huge visible changes during your two years in Peace Corps; focus small, and there will be a ripple effect years into the future. Trust that everything will work out. Peace Corps stretches you way way out of your comfort zone, and sometimes you have to purposely push yourself even farther, if you want a fulfilling experience. Try to be the best "you" that you can, during Peace Corps, and people will appreciate that.
If you jump through all the hoops in the application process without giving up, you will probably get into the Peace Corps.
Good luck!
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Chances are that some of the other volunteers you meet during your service will become some of your best friends, which means you will absolutely not be "without friends" for 2 years. However, it may take a little time to build up friendships, you may not see other volunteers often (totally depends on your country and your site placement; I see other volunteers every single day), and there will be bouts of loneliness no matter what.
To deal with loneliness, I try to keep busy with different things, like play my mandolin, read, exercise, or work on my Peace Corps projects. I also go to visit my neighbors and Armenian friends, which relationships I have built up over my Peace Corps service.
In short, it's hard in the beginning, but once you get into it, you'll find that it's fairly easy to start building relationships with host country nationals and other volunteers. And while loneliness is real, you don't need to think of joining Peace Corps as a solitary pursuit where you will be without friends or a support system for 2 years.
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I know they take a pee sample, but I'm not 100% sure what they're testing for. To be on the safe side, I would assume that they do a drug test, because they have strict policies against drugs, similar to other governmental jobs.
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I'm not sure I understand the question, but I'll try to answer. In Armenia, volunteers are placed with a host family for the first 2 months of living at their permanent site. After that, they are free to move out on their own. The host families might have one person, or they might have 7 or more. It's common to have the grandparents, parents, kids, and a couple in-laws all living in the same house. There are certain standards that Peace Corps requires, such as a private bedroom for the volunteer, when living with a host family. If the volunteer moves out, they usually have help finding a suitable apartment or house. Their host family, their counterpart, or other Armenian friends usually help. And again, there are certain standards that Peace Corps requires, before the volunteer moves. There is a ceremony for receiving our site assignments, and most volunteers in the country come to the ceremony. That is when we find out how many and how close other volunteers will be. I live on the same street as 2 other volunteers, and a 3rd lives a 15 minute drive away. Other volunteers are the only ones for miles around. The number and density of volunteers depends on the need and size of the community.
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Yes, I think this would affect your chances of being accepted, but that doesn't mean you WON'T be accepted. It will probably just make it a little harder to place you, because some countries aren't as accessible to reliable healthcare.
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We technically accrue 2 vacation days for every month as a volunteer, which means 48 total vacation days. (The first 3 months you are a "trainee," not a volunteer.) You cannot take vacation your first 3 or last 3 months of service, so in order to use all your vacation days, you have to "borrow" against the future. This is accepted practice and happens all the time. Before you can take vacation, you have to clear it at least a week in advance with your work supervisor and a designated person on the Peace Corps staff, which for Armenia means our regional manager. Some people spread out their vacations over the two years and other people take all their vacation days at once. In-country vacation does not count weekends or holidays. Out-of-country vacation counts all days, no matter what. It's a way to encourage volunteers to explore more of the country in which they serve.
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