Why I Volunteer For the Peace Corps

 Why We Volunteer for the Peace Corps: Ode to Joao

At our recent Peace Corps gathering, a fellow volunteer read a story he had written about his first three months of integration.  He relayed a scene of a tortured night, trying to sleep in excruciating temperatures in a house where the few windows allowed in only hot and heavy air.  He sought relief by placing a wet towel over his body only to awake in the morning wet and miserable.   

Trying to escape the searing heat today, lying on the cold cement floor in a most appropriate crucifix position, I think of Joao.  The only thing I can do is let the air from the fan move over me.  But at least I have a fan.  He is without electricity or options other than his wet towel.  The things we do in the name of Peace Corps.

So what is it that drives volunteers to such extremes?  My friends ask why I do this.  “Why don’t I find worthwhile community service in the US?”  “What is it that keeps me from enjoying the comforts of home?”  These questions are particularly acute at this time of my life when I should be enjoying the fruits of my labors from the past thirty-some odd years of working.

It isn’t easy to describe this internal force that navigates as my co-pilot.  And, I’m not talking about hearing voices or a choir of angels that point their harps towards these developing countries and peoples.  There is an inner desire to be a part of these places, not simply to travel through.  There is a yearning to try to understand, first hand, what it really means to live in a dusty village in Africa, or upon a forested mountainside in China, or any other place that is not what I had previously known as home.  An ache dwells deep within to experience the everyday that is the life of others.  And there are strangers awaiting to become friends. 

I share my insights, experiences and knowledge along the way.  It might be teaching a few English phrases, that while they may never be put into use, they build ties of friendship and confidence.  More often than not, my queries provoke more than a simple question and answer dialogue. Contemplation and consideration ensue.  Maybe somewhere down the line, behavior is changed, the proverbial seed now planted.  And the questions are posed to me also, allowing the opportunity to present our country in three dimensions, dispelling their mythical images based only from television and films.

And, I have opportunity to pause also, viewing life from this other vantage point.  Like piecing together a puzzle; the picture slowly revealed, the image brought into focus, sharpened after some adjustments,  this is my experience with the Peace Corps.  The thing is, the puzzle pieces are many, maybe countless, so while the image is outlined, there are always more bits or layers to discover, explore and work on joining together.