When you don't want to be a PCV...

The days I haven't wanted to be a PCV are few and far between, but they are there.

They are the days when miscommunications and unexplained rules stop something great from happening.

The days when after weeks of careful planning, everything comes crashing down around you.The days when something happens at home and you can't be there to hug your friends or be hugged by them.

Being a PCV is hard. Sometimes, I think my friends and family know more about me now then they did when I was at home. I blog, I write emails, I complain on the phone. I talk about me 24/7. Now, I am no where near as humble as I should be, but even I have to admit, that's a lot of me.

I know so little of what is going on at home. It's hard to think about that. It's hard to to think about it because it hurts to know what I am missing. The first kisses of new couples. The helping to paint a spare bedroom wall. The 2nd coffees and political debates.

I missing being a shoulder to cry on and crying on the shoulder of friends. After all is said and done, being a PCV is 2 years of my life. Being Löki has been, and will be, forever.

There are days when I don't want to be a PCV. Today, yesterday, and last week have been some of them.

Why I Joined Peace Corps - Revisited

As we continue our week-long Peace Corps Week festivities, I thought I would revisit an old blog post: Why I joined the Peace Corps [link].

It took me a few minutes to find this blog (I think I categorized it wrong), but once I did...I sat down to really contemplate what (if anything) has changed 17 months in. Written on July 24, 2008, I wrote about making a different, helping people, my love of volunteerism, my hope to finish my MA degree, the challenge of Peace Corps and becoming a better person.

What do I feel now?

Well, the same really. I joined for all those reasons, but I am staying for slightly different reasons. I stay because I am not a quitter. The harder things get, the more I want to finish. I stay because I can see the horizon - the hope of influence and development and change - and I want to see it happen. I stay because I really like some of the people here. I still wake up and am startled by the realization that I am still here, still working. I stay because I know the language and can actually talk with someone about my personal thoughts. I stay because now, it is time for people to get to know a more accurate Löki. I stay because it's what I need to do.

A Brief History of Practically Everything Peace Corps

Happy Birthday Peace Corps!

As I prepare for a week of Peace Corpsy-activities, I realize that we've (you all and me) have never covered the Peace Corps basics...so...

What is Peace Corps?

Peace Corps is an independent U.S. government agency that provides Volunteers to countries requesting assistance around the world. The agency traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then-Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries.

How many countries has Peace Corps been in?

139

How many countries is Peace Corps currently in?

76

Lay down the stats, yo:

60% women, 40% men

93% single, 7 % married

16% minorities

7% over the age of 50, average age: 28

89% have at least an undergraduate degree

5% in Youth Development

5% in Agriculture

14% in Environment

15% in Business Development

22% in  Health & AIDS/HIV

35% in Education

5% in "other"

37% in Africa

24% in Latin America

20% in Eastern Europe & Asia

7% in Asia

4% in North Africa/ Middle East

4% in Pacific Islands

4% in Caribbean

One big stat: Nearly 200,000 Americans served

Information taken from Peace Corps website [link] February 25, 2010.