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The Insider's Guide to the Peace Corps

What to Know Before You Go

Dillon Banerjee

$39.99

Paperback

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English
Ten Speed Press
01 April 2009
So, you want to join the Peace Corps . . . If you are interested in joining the Peace Corps, you probably have questions that run the gamut from ""What is the application process like?"" to ""Is the Peace Corps effective as a development agency?"" In this updated second edition, former Peace Corps volunteer Dillon Banerjee shares candid facts and insights about the experience in a practical question-and-answer format. With input from recently returned volunteers who served across the globe, this thorough guide presents valuable information including-. What Peace Corps recruiters look for in your application. Items you should--and shouldn't---pack for your two-year trip. Useful gadgets and technology that help volunteers stay connected from far away. Real answers to personal questions about culture shock, safety, dating, homesickness, and moreWhether you're thinking of joining or have already been accepted and are preparing to leave, The Insider's Guide to the Peace Corps will help equip you for the unique challenges and rewards of the volunteer experience, regardless of your program area or country assignment. It's essential reading for anyone interested in ""the toughest job you'll ever love.""
By:  
Imprint:   Ten Speed Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Edition:   2nd ed.
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 150mm,  Spine: 12mm
Weight:   259g
ISBN:   9781580089708
ISBN 10:   1580089704
Pages:   192
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
"Contents   Acknowledgments   i Peace Corps Acronyms   x Preface   1   I. Pre-Application Jitters    1.   What is the application process like? How long does it take?   4    2.   Am I qualified to join the Peace Corps?   9    3.   What if I'm married and we both want to join?   11    4.   Can I serve in the Peace Corps with my boyfriend or girlfriend?   13    5.   What will my Peace Corps experience be like if I'm an ""older"" volunteer?   14    6.   What will my Peace Corps experience be like if I'm gay?   16    7.   What will my Peace Corps experience be like if I'm a minority?   18    8.   Will the two years go by quickly or slowly?   20    9.   Will I be lonely?   22    10.   What will I miss the most?   24   II.   How to Pack for a Two-Year Trip    11.   What should I bring?   26    12.   Can I really pack only eighty pounds to take with me?   30    13.   What kinds of games and toys should I bring?   32    14.   How many books should I bring?   33    15.   What about the water? Will I need a purifier?   34    16.   Can I bring my pet overseas with me?   36   III. Peace Corps Training—Learning the Ropes    17.   What is training like?   38    18.   How hard will it be to learn the language? What language(s) will I learn?   41    19.   Will I have enough technical training to do my job?   43   IV. Managing Your Money    20.   How will I get paid? Where will I keep my money?   46    21.   Will I have enough money? Should I bring extra money with me?   48   V. Living Like the Locals    22.   Will I live in a mud hut? Will I have electricity or running water?   52    23.   How will I wash my clothes? Do my dishes? Clean my house?   55    24.   What is the food like?   57    25.   What if I'm a vegetarian?   58    26.   Can I buy or adopt a pet overseas?   60    27.   How will my neighbors and colleagues view me?   61    28.   How will I travel around my work area?   63   VI. Common Medical and Safety Concerns    29.   Will I get sick?   66    30.   Will I get worms?   68    31.   Will I lose weight? Gain weight?   70    32.   What medical services will be available to me?   71    33.   What if I become too sick to reach help?   74    34.   What if I get pregnant or impregnate someone while I'm in the Peace Corps?   75    35.   Is AIDS a big concern for Peace Corps volunteers?   77    36.   What if there is a crisis and I have to be evacuated from my post?   79    37.   Do local police and government officials harass volunteers?   80    38.   Is sexual harassment a problem for female volunteers?   81   VII. Staying in Touch with Home    39.   How will I receive mail in the Peace Corps?   84    40.   Will people be able to send me things through the embassy's diplomatic mail pouch?   88    41.   Can I get magazine subscriptions sent to me?   89    42.   Will I be able to call the States?   90   VIII. Peace Corps Gadgets and Technology    43.    Will I have access to the Internet?   94    44.   Should I bring my laptop?   96    45.   Will I be able to use a cell phone in the field?   98    46.   Should I bring a digital camera? GPS unit? MP3 player?   100    47.   Do I need a shortwave radio?   102   IX. The Social Scene    48.   How close will I live to another volunteer?   104    49.   How often will I see other volunteers?   106    50.   What is the drug and alcohol situation like?   108    51.   What is the dating scene like in the Peace Corps?   110    52.   What happens if I want to marry a host country national?   112   X. The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love?    53.   What is the work schedule like?   114    54.   How much supervision is there for volunteers in the field?   115    55.   Will I work with other international development agencies while I'm overseas?   117    56.   Is the Peace Corps effective as a development agency?   119    57.   What are some common criticisms of the Peace Corps?   121   XI. Rules to Live By—Peace Corps Policy    58.   Will I be able to have friends and family visit from the States?   124    59.   How often do volunteers quit before their two years are over?   126    60.   What is the procedure for quitting early?   129    61.   Can I get kicked out of the Peace Corps?   131    62.   How many volunteers extend their service beyond the first two years?   133    63.   Will I be overseas for the whole two years or can I come home in between?   135    64.   Can I transfer programs if I don't like what I'm doing?   136    65.   Can I transfer countries if I don't like where I am?   138    66.   Will I have access to embassy, commissary, and American Club services?   139   XII. Traveling Like a Pro    67.   Will I have the opportunity to travel much during my two years as a volunteer?   142    68.   Can I travel to other countries after my Peace Corps service is over?   144    69.   Will I be issued a diplomatic passport?   146   XIII. Post–Peace Corps    70.   How hard is readjusting to life back in the States?   148    71.   Does the Peace Corps look good on a resume? Will it help me get into graduate school?   151    72.   What is ""noncompetitive eligibility"" and what can it do for me?   153    73.   Can I bring my Peace Corps pet back to the States with me?   154    74.   Would you go back and do the Peace Corps all over again?   155   Appendices    A.   Peace Corps General Facts   158    B.   Peace Corps Country Map   159    C.   Peace Corps Programs Overview   160    D.   Medical Information for Applicants   163    E.   Peace Corps Master's International Program   166    F.   Peace Corps Regional Offices   169    G.   Peace Corps Information Online   171    H.    Vegetarian Questionnaire   173    I.   Romantic Involvement Worksheet   175    J.   Joining Peace Corps as a Couple   176    K.   Volunteering at Age 50+   177   Index   179 About the Author   182"

DILLON BANERJEE served as an agroforestry volunteer in the Peace Corps from 1994 to 1996 in Belo, Cameroon. He currently works as a U.S. diplomat in Lisbon, Portugal, where he is the director of the American Embassy's International Trade program. THE AUTHOR SCOOP Read any good books lately? I was on a roll a while back with books like Blindness, Bel Canto, Life of Pi, Perfume, and The Road. I just started The Friends of the Earth by T.C. Boyle and am hopeful. What was the hardest thing about writing a book? Having it edited. After laboring for endless hours over the manuscript, my initial reaction to recommended changes was usually denial. Nothing could be changed because it was so obviously perfect. Between my wife and the top-notch editors at Ten Speed, however, I came to accept that too many cooks can't spoil the broth when it comes to polishing a book manuscript. Revisions usually translate to improvements. What's the first concert you ever attended? Tenth grade, Siouxsie and the Banshees at Warner Theater in Washington, DC. I had my black jeans, black sneakers, and black concert-T on, but felt like a preppie as I watched grown men in ballroom gowns scaling the stage speakers and jumping into the crowd below. Know any good jokes? My five-year-old son loves to tell this knock-knock joke- Knock knock Who's there? Nobody. Nobody who? ...(silence)... Don't know why, but it still kind of cracks me up. What's the farthest you've ever traveled? My second assignment in the Foreign Service was to Moscow, Russia, where I served as a Commercial Officer at the Embassy for two years. About halfway through my tour, I was asked to lead a business delegation to the capital city in Siberia - Novosibirsk. Russia is an enormous country with 11 time zones; it's shorter to fly from Moscow to Boston than Moscow to Vladivostok (in the far east). My flight to Novosibirsk carried me over vast expanses of nothingness, and when I landed, I spammed friends and family in the States with SMS's just to tell them that I was in Siberia. In truth, Novosibirsk is a nice town with over a million people, replete with a metro system, opera house, cafes, university, and a huge manmade lake (the Ob Sea). Still, it felt way off the beaten path.

Reviews for The Insider's Guide to the Peace Corps: What to Know Before You Go

Dillon Banerjee has done a great service to anyone interested in becoming a Peace Corps volunteer. He offers a wealth of practical information and realistic, straightforward advice on key topics like foreign language competence, work requirements and challenges, and housing. I highly recommended this book. --A. Peter Burleigh, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1997-1999), U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldive Republic (1995-1997), and Peace Corps Volunteer, Nepal (1963-1965) A must read for anyone considering 'the toughest job you'll ever love, ' Dillon Banerjee's honest and thorough guide provides advice for every stage of the journey. ...Banerjee offers straightforward answers without any insincere fluff. --Sierra Club The Green Life Blog the perfect way to present information to readers who are undoubtedly brimming with very specific questions--about issues (seemingly) large and small--that no one else can seem to answer. --Campus Career Counselor


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