I got my Peace Corps assignment!

[Kyla]

I am so excited, I wanted to share! My placement officer called me this afternoon to offer me an earlier spot*, I accepted, and she's FedExing me the paperwork today. I'm going to Mystery Location, Eastern Europe on April 14! I'm going to be teaching English to primary school aged children, but as you can probably tell, most of the details are still fuzzy.

Eeee! This process has really been a trial, it's such a huge weight off my shoulders. My potential logistical nightmare is solved, too; the lease on my apartment is up on March 31 and I'm going to spend the intervening couple weeks at my parents' house. Although I knew I was supposed to be leaving on my assignment in "the spring", not knowing the exact date was making me very anxious. Lord knows I love my mom and dad, but if I had to spend a month or so at their house I just might go insane. Two weeks is perfect, though!

Now, to figure out what to ship to mom and dad and what to give away and what to put on Craigslist and what to throw away and...shit, I have too much stuff.

So excited!

*Apparently, I was slated for some other, later program, but they never bothered to let me know. I was shifted from one placement officer to another and I guess they each thought the other had done it. Yay, bureacracy! Doesn't matter anyway now, fortunately.

[scout1222]

I just can't believe how excited I am for you. Seriously, I'm buzzing over this. YAY

[Kyla]

Thanks, scout! You're welcome to stop by any time you get a hankering to visit Ukraine or Albania or wherever.

I'm just dying to tell everyone, but I haven't given notice at work yet (and am not ready to), so I'm sort of boucing around my cubicle, trying to pretend nothing's up.

[The Big Cheese]

You'll like it. I've been to a few countries over there.

[Kyla]

I hope so, Cheese! I've been to a few countries in Western and Central Europe, but never Eastern. I can't wait to find out more specific information on where I'm going.

[Eonwe]

Woohoo, this is phenomenal!

Now I guess I'll have to go visit you in Randomistan to return your book to you. Ah well, there are worse things.

[psycat90]

I'm with scout, I'm so excited for you, I know how long you've waited for this.

Congrats!! You rock.

[Kyla]

Eonwe, I think you're supposed to lend the book to Lauren (Helen's Eidolon) next. No that you're not welcome to stop by, of course!

Thanks, psy!

[Antonius Block]

That's really exciting news, Kyla! I'm a lover of things Eastern European myself (currently limited to attending things like Bulgarian festivals here in the Bay Area).

I hope you can easily stay on the SDMB and post "from the field"!

I really wish you the best of luck; you already know how I feel about Peace Corps Volunteers from this post in even sven's recent Peace Corps thread.

[Go Banana Slugs!]

[Kyla]

Originally Posted by Antonius Block

[Go Banana Slugs!]

You're a Slug? I didn't know that! What college and year? I'm Oakes, class of 2000.

[gardentraveler]

How cool! Congratulations! I was just coming in to say what Antonius said: hope you get the chance to post from there.

Good luck!

GT

[Antonius Block]

Not actually a Slug myself, Kyla, although with several Sluggy connections (an ex-girlfriend who was a Slug, collaborations with some UCSC faculty, been to the campus many times for cultural events). I even had a Slug T-shirt before John Travolta made them popular.

[I've admired banana slugs as mollusks since they were described in Cecil's early books, courtesy of the "redoubtable Joyce K. of Seattle" before I ever saw one in the slimy flesh.]

I'd say that I've liked every UCSC alum that I've known, and there aren't many academic institutions of which I'd say that!

[Kyla]

Originally Posted by Antonius Block

I'd say that I've liked every UCSC alum that I've known, and there aren't many academic institutions of which I'd say that!

Well, that's a compliment! I must say, though, you clearly haven't spent enough time up on the hill, or you'd find someone that'd change your mind.

Thanks, gardentraveler! I sure I hope I have some regular internet access, or I will be very sad.

[even sven]

Congrats!!! I'm just so thrilled for you, and I'm glad everything will work out logistically. I know how it is to have to keep things quiet at work, too- at least you don't have too long of a wait. Best of luck!

I'm still waiting to hear back about medical clearance. I hope I hear from them soon- well, I hope I hear good news from them soon.

[Ale]

Thank you Kyla, thank you for volunteer to make this a better world.

[Chouinard Fan]

Originally Posted by Ale

Thank you Kyla, thank you for volunteer to make this a better world.

Must concur, serving is a great thing to do that EVERYONE should do at least once.
Thanks

[Chouinard Fan]

Originally Posted by Ale

Thank you Kyla, thank you for volunteer to make this a better world.

Must concur, serving is a great thing to do that EVERYONE should do at least once.
Thanks

[Tomcat]

Enjoy and good luck! If ever swinging towards the more central part of Europe, drop me an email for a free beer in Prague.

-Tcat

[NinjaChick]

That's so exciting! My mother was in the Peace Corps (way, way back in it's very early days) and spent two years or so in Hoonduras - she's said many times that she'd definitely a better person for having done it.

(And I myself am heading abroad for a few months in April [not through Peace Corps], and am [quite literally] counting the days. So be warned - whatever urge to travel you have that drove you to the Peace Corps may well be some genetic quirk that will cause your future children to go to school on the other side of the country, then decide that's not far enough away and flee the country!)

[Missy2U]

Kyla, I'm so happy for you - what a cool adventure!

[Tripler]

Kyla, my cousin did it, and had an absolute blast!. I'm sure you'll have the same experience!

Good luck, and drop a line from over there--expand Cecil's global span of control.

Tripler
O great one! We bring yet another nation into the light.

[Hello Again]

Kyla, congratulations! That is sooo exciting and know you have been on pins & needles waiting to fnd out.

I hope my last Maslenitsa party was adequate preparation for your upcoming adventure.

[Kyla]

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone. I'll let y'all know as soon as I have a more specific idea of where I am going.

[Rhiannon8404]

I'm really happy and excited for you, Kyla! I can't wait to hear more about your assignment and where you're going, etc.

[Kyla]

Oh, and Hello Again, if I spend my Peace Corps assignment falling on my drunk ass in the snow, then your Maslenitsa party was perfect preperation. Ha!

[Billdo]

Come on, Kyla, we know this is the real reason you're going.

Good luck and safe travels.

[swampbear]

Yay Kyla! One of my doper quints is gonna go do good! I am excited for ya too.

[Mooney252]

Kyla --

The hardest job you'll ever love.

I'd orginally posted the information below in a Google Answer about a year ago, but for some reason it's missing from their database:

out that there have been 3 broad studies of RPCVs, with the latest being the broadest in scope:
• one by Louis Harris & Associates in 1969
• another done by a consultant for the Office of Special Services of ACTION/Peace Corps in 1977
• and finally one done by the Peace Corps Office of Policy, Planning and Analysis in 1996. In size and in scope, it is by far the broadest, answering many of your original questions about education and career after being a volunteer.



CREDITS
========

When I started work on this Answer, I knew that there had been some surveys done -- probably from participating in either the 1975 or 1996 survey.

But it took the efforts of two key people to get a copy of the 1996 survey:
John Coyne, author and webmaster for the Peace Corps writer site. As a former Peace Corps colleague wrote me, "He seems to know everything about Peace
Corps.":
http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/

John put me in contact with the right Peace Corps staff. And it was Douglas Moors, of the library staff there that tracked down the report done for the
Office of Planning Policy and Analysis


HARRIS STUDY (1969)
===================

The Louis Harris study was of 898 returned volunteers from 1962-66 It was too early to report their future education or professional development, though a list of prominent RPCVs includes many who worked for the Peace Corps in the 1960s.

The Harris study was released, with the New York Times reporting on it April 3, 1970 under the headline, "Less Zeal Found for Peace Corps. Survey for Agency Reports Disaffection of Volunteers." The same story reported that the Senate Foreign Relations Committtee had voted to cut appropriations by 10% the day the report was released.

The 1969 study done of the first groups of volunteers found that:
• 90% recommended it to other college graduates
• 92% said it was "very valuable" to them
• 40% said it was "very valuable" to the United States
• 46% said it was "very valuable" to the host country, with 5% saying their work did NOT contribute to the development of their host country.

More than half reported problems in re-adjusting to life in the U.S.


WINSLOW STUDY (1977)
=====================

The Winslow/1977 survey was done with 201 RPCVs who had completed service in 1974 or 1975.


I've found no direct reports of the Winslow/1977 or 1996 surveys in print or online. There are some references to the 1996 survey in another study:
"Self Efficacy and Cultural Awareness: A Study of Returned Peace Corps Teachers" (Cross, April 16, 1998)
peacecorpsonline.org/scanned/ returnedvolunteerteachers.pdf



THE 1996 STUDY
===============

The Office of Planning, Policy and Analysis did this study in early 1996, with RPCV Juanita Graul, Jamaica (1992-94) designing it.

It surveyed 2,500 RPCVs in early 1996 and had a 50% response rate. It was done of volunteers who'd served more than a year (N = 94,586) between 1961 and 1993.

By decade the respondents were:
1961-69: 42%
1970-79: 27%
1980-89: 12%
1990-93: 18%

In this survey only 3% were older than 50 at entry into the Peace Corps and 90% were in the 18-29 age range. Education at entry included 78% with a bachelors degree and another 8% with "some college." The survey group had 10% who entered the Peace Corps with a masters degree and 2% with an LL.B, J.D. or Ph.D.

As previously mentioned, the percentage of volunteers with work experience has been increasing, reflected in the average ages. The percentage of volunteers in the 18-29 age range has declined consistently from 96% in the 1960's to 93% in the 1970s to 79% by the early 1990s. And the number of volunteers in the 30-39 age range has risen from 3% in the 1960s (and only 2% in the 1970s) to 11% by the 1990s.

The survey asked:

Why they joined the Peace Corps?
75% said they wanted to experience a different culture
74% said it was for travel and adventure
73% said they wanted to help others

Did it succeed?
All survey measures said that at least 91% said yes. In fact 94% said they would still make the same decision to join the Peace Corps and 70% felt that it had a positive impact on their careers. Only 1% said that they wouldn't join the Peace Corps again, if faced with the same decision. The returned volunteers felt that as a result of their experience they were better informed and had a broader awareness of cultural differences and world issues than their contemporaries.

56% have been involved in some post-Peace Corps activity, from recruiting to programs with local RPCV organizations or the National Peace Corps Association.


IMPACT ON CAREER
=================

Measures of the impact of volunteering on career had the following results, increasing slightly on impact over the decades:


1960s
======
Been of great help: 31%
Been of some help: 39%
Not much difference: 22%
Slowed you down: 3%

1970s
======
Been of great help: 27%
Been of some help: 39%
Not much difference: 23%
Slowed you down: 6%

1980s
======
Been of great help: 38%
Been of some help: 35%
Not much difference: 15%
Slowed you down: 4%

1990s
======
Been of great help: 35%
Been of some help: 40%
Not much difference: 13%
Slowed you down: 3%


More than half of the RPCVs had earned another degree since returning (54%), with another 10% reporting that they were working on a degree. "The longer the time since their Peace Corps service ended, the more apt respondents were to have earned another degree," says the report.

Overall, here were the numbers -- with the 1960s volunteers being the most-likely to have PhDs or JDs, followed by the 1970 group, then followed by the 1980 group, etc:

Degree (All RPCVs surveyed)

Bachelor's: 8%
Master's: 50%
PhD: 10%
LL.B or JD: 3%
MD: 2%
Other: 5%

Some 3% of these had participated in a Peace Corps Fellows program, a program that allows returned volunteers to earn a Master's degree at reduced tuition.


MEASURING PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
===================================
Beyond the measures of further degrees, how can you judge what happened to former volunteers? The 1996 survey did it by looking at where people were working -- and at income levels. The decade in which people were volunteers
had a strong influence on whether or not they were self-employed and on level of income, with a 1960s volunteer being 13 times as likely to be making over $100,000 per year as a volunteer from after 1980. Note that the self-employment information correlates with studies of entrepreneurs: the successful ones tend to be older, have worked for other businesses and even have started several businesses.

The 1980s and 1990s volunteers were also 50% more likely to be working for a non-profit organization than their predecessors.

Here are are the income splits:

PERSONAL INCOME

1960s
=====

Under $20K: 9%
$20K-$40K: 22%
$40K-60K: 28%
$60K-80K: 13%
$80K-$100K: 8%
Over $100K: 13%
No response: 7%

1970s
=====

Under $20K: 13%
$20K-$40K: 24%
$40K-60K: 29%
$60K-80K: 14%
$80K-$100K: 6%
Over $100K: 8%
No response: 6%

1980s
=====

Under $20K: 25%
$20K-$40K: 36%
$40K-60K: 22%
$60K-80K: 8%
$80K-$100K: 4%
Over $100K: 1%
No response: 4%

1990s
=====

Under $20K: 36%
$20K-$40K: 43%
$40K-60K: 12%
$60K-80K: 1%
$80K-$100K: 0.4%
Over $100K: 1%
No response: 6%


OTHER MEASURES
=================

Two other things stand out in this survey: the extent to which former volunteers travel and their use of local languages. Some of us used one of the top five world languages, which many volunteers used a regional language (such as KiKongo, Lingala, Tshiluba or Swahili in the Congo) and some learned a tribal language. Overall, 63% used the language "occasionally" or "frequently", a number that's been pretty consistent across the decades.

Also, more than 86% of the RPCVs have traveled abroad again, with more than half (54%) visiting four or more countries. This number also increases with time, as 72% of the 1960s volunteers have visited four or more countries.

You'll do things during your Peace Corps duty that might not even be possible in later years. For example, my roommate and I took a 500-mile bicycle trip N across the Equator to Kisangani. Doing that today would be most hazardous to your health.

Best regards,

Mooney252
RPCV, Congo/Zaire 1973-75

[Mississippienne]

Kyla, that's so fabulous! If you get posted to Bulgaria or Romania, let me know, I can probably arrange for us to meet some weekend (I'm moving to Istanbul in May).

[Antonius Block]

Kyla, your mention of a Maslenitsa party reminds me of the martenitsa, the red-and-white-tasselled symbol of the uniquely Bulgarian Baba Marta (Grandmother March) festival, which just so happens to be March 1st, i.e. TODAY!

Chestita Baba Marta to you and to Dopers everywhere!

[UncleBeer]

Congratulations, Kyla. I'm happy to hear everything's gonna work out okay with your apartment. Well hafta have some kinda send-off for you in Chi-town before you go. If there's anything Barb and I can do for you, let us know.

[Kyla]

Mooney252, thank you for your post. It's so great to hear encouragement from someone who's been there, so to speak.

even sven, how's your own medical clearance going?

Mississippienne, that would be awesome - BucharestDope, anyone? (Or maybe we could go crash at Tomcat's and have PragueDope).

Billdo, I saw that on Saturday and cracked up. My secret has been uncovered!

UncleBeer, there has been loose talk about doing something the last weekend of March, but nothing is set in stone. I'm sort of in a state of agitation/paralysis. There's a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it and I'm sort of stuck trying to figure out what to do first.

[The Big Cheese]

Originally Posted by Antonius Block

Kyla, your mention of a Maslenitsa party reminds me of the martenitsa, the red-and-white-tasselled symbol of the uniquely Bulgarian Baba Marta (Grandmother March) festival, which just so happens to be March 1st, i.e. TODAY!

Chestita Baba Marta to you and to Dopers everywhere!

I put mine on my tree!

[Eve]

Originally Posted by Kyla

I'm going to Mystery Location, Eastern Europe on April 14!

My great-grandparents were born in Mystery Location, Eastern Europe!

[even sven]

Originally Posted by Kyla

even sven, how's your own medical clearance going?

Waiting. Waking up hours early to see if my toolkit's been updated. Phoning home from work to see if anything has come in the mail. Learning what it is to live in a perpetual state of nervousness.

They've had my papers since Feb 14th. I've heard some recent applicants have heard back immediately, but I also heard someone today was quoted 4-6 weeks. It's up in the air as to how big of a process this will be. I had some slightly abnormal CBC results that they can either interpret as perfectly insignificant (like my doctor did) or that they blow up in to a big deal. I just wish I knew which route they will choose!

[Kyla]

Originally Posted by Eve

My great-grandparents were born in Mystery Location, Eastern Europe!

Mine too! I think it's a little funny that I'm going to be in a region that my great-grandparents escaped from a hundred years ago.

sven, good luck, I have my fingers crossed for you. You never know what crazy ass things the bureacrats will come back with. I had been seeing a chiropractor, which the Peace Corps decided to classify as "physical therapy", and told me I couldn't go into service until I had been out of therapy for six months, which screwed everything up. My protestations that my back problems were extremely minor meant nothing to them. After the six months were up, I had to see an orthopedic specialist to prove that my back was okay. The appointment took five minutes, and the specialist thought it was funny that this was what had held everything up.

It sucked. Hope things are easier for you.

[A.R. Cane]

If your not already doing so, I suggest you keep a journal. I had a friend who's daughter went to Kinshasa w/ the Peace Corps. in the 80's. Her letters were extremely interesting. I encouraged her to write a book, don't know if she ever did.
Congratulations and best of luck.

[Kyla]

*bump*

I'm going to Bulgaria!

[LiveOnAPlane]

Originally Posted by Kyla

*bump*

I'm going to Bulgaria!

Yumm....kick--butt FOOD!


....at least when you get to town(s).

Congrats and best wishes!

[even sven]

Awesome! Congrats!

[The Big Cheese]

Kyla, dobra den,

Did they say where in BG? That's the place I was refering to in my post. I've been there on more than one occasion, all over. Feel free to email me for anything, I think my email is up there. Plus I know a few people there now, and a few that grew up there now living in Canada--they'd all be willing to answer anything you need.

t

[Kyla]

Cheese, nopers, no idea where in Bulgaria. In fact, I may not even know until I get there. Who know?! I'll drop you a line, though, I looked up the Wikipedia article on Bulgaria, but I don't really know anything, other than...oh fuck, I have to learn to read a new alphabet.

[Antonius Block]

Zdraveyte, Kyla! That's wonderful news! I guess Baba Marta really is smiling on you!

Bulgaria has a wonderful cultural life, the best-known aspect of which is probably the women's open-throat vocal style. This was popularised worldwide by the Bulgarian State Ensemble "Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares", but here in the US the Oakland-based group Kitka produce the most beautiful vocal sounds that I've ever heard in person, singing most frequently in Bulgarian but also in several other Slavic and Balkan languages. Did you by any chance hear them back when you were in the Bay Area?

There's also a major Roma (aka Rom or Rrom) population in Bulgaria, with their own amazing cultural traditions, although they've been heavily persecuted and forced to stay somewhat low-key (e.g. there's a Rom musician now living in the Bay Area who was never allowed use his real name when performing in his native Bulgaria). Things are supposed to be getting better, however, as Bulgaria is getting ready to join the EU.

Anyway, congratulations! Chestito!

And, of course, Thank you! Blagodarya! for your service.

[I'm sooo jealous, however!]

[Kyla]

Originally Posted by Antonius Block

Did you by any chance hear them back when you were in the Bay Area?

Nope, but I've heard of them. Does that count?

Chicago has a very large Eastern European population, and my friend Ms. Eva Luna happens to be an expert on all things Eastern Europe, so I am going to bug her into giving me a crash course on...stuff.

[The Big Cheese]

Cyrillic. It's not too bad though, but completely different. After a while I started figuring some of it out, and wasn't really studying it. pechtophat = restaurant, govorite li angliski? Do you speak English. In Sofia and other spots, most under 25 speak some English.

Get used to cucumbers and white cheese(sort of like Feta), sometimes very salty white cheese--Shopska salad, being a vegetarian I had my fill of that. Good though.

You'll love it, don't worry. Lots to see there, the little towns are really nice. Good bus service to them, but have someone go with you to the bus station--it's the definition of chaos.

Antonius, are you from there?

[Shirley Ujest]

How totally exciting! I am thrilled for you!


I always thought it would be such an incredible thing to do, the Peace Corp. Not so much as a gift to humankind, but as a gift to yourself. To see what you are truly made of and to see just how fortunate we really are here.

Will you have internet? Are you taking a camera? Will you write to your poor doper family trapped in their sad pathetic lives longing to hear of your adventures and verbal faux paux's? " Yes, I would like to eat your pussy."

We are going to be living through you, girly. You best live up to our lofty expectations! Cause our own expectations for ourselves is in the toilet.

Are you allowed to take stuff along to give to kids? ( toys, clothing, candy, books, writing implements....) Or can you receive it when you get there.


Cause you know dopers love to give.




I'm not thinking of humanity, I'm thinking of culling the stuffed animal herd here as Casa Ujest.




Oh yeah: YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!

[Antonius Block]

Originally Posted by The Big Cheese

Antonius, are you from there?

No, from the UK originally. I have no Eastern European heritage that I'm aware of, and have not even been to Bulgaria yet!

[Bulgaria-related hijack]
I attended a couple of Kitka concerts, got chatting with some of the singers, and found myself invited to some Balkan events here in the Bay Area. I immediately felt kinship with the local Bulgarian community (they sure know how to have a good time, and welcome interested outsiders!), and learned some vocabulary and a few phrases, which I got to practise at the Oakland Baba Marta Festival back in 2003 -- which is where I got the martenitsa that I wore on my wrist yesterday. I understood precisely two words of Bulgarian comedian Shkumbata's act, but they got a huge laugh every time they were repeated:

SPOILER:

George Bush!

(sometimes a standup can be hilarious even if you don't understand what he's saying).

The First Annual Oakland Baba Marta Festival was also the last, unfortunately, and in any case I'm not currently in a position to join in with Bulgarian folk-dancing, but I can still remember a couple of words here and there, and attend performances (usually in Oakland or Berkeley) by local Bulgarian-influenced fusion groups such as The Toids and Trio Mopmu .

I'm very interested in the idea of living and working in Bulgaria some day; they're joining the EU, so I'll have automatic right to work there once they do, and Sofia's going to be the next Prague, I tells ya!

[Sorry about the hijack, Kyla, but it is Bulgaria-related!]

Back on-topic; you ought to have good Internet acess while you're there, certainly compared to many places that Peace Corps volunteers go, so you have no excuse not to post to the SDMB frequently!

[The Big Cheese]

Originally Posted by Shirley Ujest

Will you write to your poor doper family trapped in their sad pathetic lives longing to hear of your adventures and verbal faux paux's? " Yes, I would like to eat your pussy."

Which reminds me. The "ok" sign of ours, with the thumb and forefinger touching....don't do that over there. It means you want ...ummm, a woman, or so I was told--and they used the word Shirley used.

There's a fun, crazy band in Madison that plays Balkan music too, but not much of a BG community here. Reptile Palace OrchestraThey are playing in Minn., but not Chicago in the near future.

[Shirley Ujest]

Hey, look! Google Ads for Slovakia Real Estate!


Images of Steve Martin and Dan Ackroyd instantly pop into my mind.



Far Out!

[Mississippienne]

Kyla, you and me will definitely get together sometime, either in Bulgaria or Istanbul. Buses run between a number of Bulgarian cities and Istanbul, including Sofia, Plovdiv Haskovo, Kardzali, and others.