Peace Corps

[KD5MDK]

I'm pretty sure that there are no longer programs in any Eastern European nation. There are certainly no longer programs in Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, or Slovakia.

How about Kazakhstan? I know a pretty good coach from there...

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Well, my brother in law spent most of his service in an area that didn't always have roads in the Congo, spending much of his time trying to avoid gunfire, an then finally got airlifted out when the civil war got too bad.

So I do have some idea of how bad it can be....

[Lemonaide]

If it sounds like a Mango and tastes like a Mango.....

Then....... but seriously folks!!! [ba-da dum]
It has ups and downs just like any other job, but it is true that because you'd be so far away from the United States, your reference point is completely different. I have to say that it was a good experience for some, but not for all.

What they did was called "Staging". You have to provide a bunch of stuff for them [including fingerprints], then they grill you, process it and you receive a letter of invitation with a destination. You can accept the invitation or if you can, decline.

If you accept you fly to a 'staging' site. For me, I was flown to San Francisco and stayed at the Radisson Hotel. For one week we conferenced and mixed with our group. Some people declined during staging and went home. We then went to the airport and fly out -and land in your host country. At the host country, they have already figured out how to handle us.

We checked into a hotel for a week, and were introduced to our language trainers, took language classes with them every day, and became familiar with local foods. Learned about the kinds of crops were available and how to eat. They literally showed us how to eat and dress for the host country. Then we went on to live in a village with a host village. We ate, slept and learned more language, went fishing, how to make mats and other things that people did, etc.

Then we bused across the country to another village and did the same thing with more language acquisition and how to dress and eat. After all of the people that met us approved of our conduct, we were allowed to stay and go onto another phase where we bunked out in a school for three weeks for more language acquisition and 'how to eat and dress'. If anyone diviated from the country's norms, they were weeded out. Several people were, or ET'd. Then we got our work assignments, and sent on our way. Then you go off, live in a place, meet your neighbors, eat and dress like the other folks and go to work. Eventually you will want to add entertainment - that's when you find sports clubs etc. It can be a good experience, but you always have to put your work first. 20 years ago was a great experience, but things change so you just want to make the right decision as far as where you try to get invited to. I read alot about my assignment first before I went, to make sure I wouldn't be interferring with anything substantial. A lot of our guys found wives -


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