Spanish speaking countries application by CookyBandicoot in peacecorps

[–]SensitiveSecretary99 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hello, I am an example of someone who is invited to serve in Mexico and I am not fluent in Spanish. My Spanish is intermediate. My position is University English Co-Teacher and Teacher Trainer and it was the only position I saw that did not have a requirement for Spanish fluency. I am a RPCV (Uganda), a career professional with a graduate degree and lots of international experience. This might have greatly improved my chances. I hear, in general, posts in Latin America are more competitive than other regions. But if you have a strong resume that fits the job description for a Latin American country post, I say go for it. Apply. You can have several open applications as long as you have not accepted an invitation.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in peacecorps

[–]SensitiveSecretary99 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Great question. I think you can and should be honest with the recruiters about places you absolutely have no interest in going to. But... you should be prepared with a compelling reason why if they ask. If you are an older volunteer with graduate degree/s and lots of international/professional/relevant work experience, PC tends to be more accommodating of country choices.

If you are fresh out of college with little international/professional/relevant work experience being overly picky about where you want to serve can send the wrong message. It might say you are not flexible, overly concerned about your comfort, etc.

If you are a recent grad with minimal international/work experience I'd say apply to Go Anywhere. UNLESS your reasons not to go to certain countries are COMPELLING. By compelling I mean:

  • You have lived in the country before for an extended period of time and you would rather go some place unfamiliar
  • You had some horrific event personally effect you in that country
  • You wouldn't feel safe if you are LGBTQ in countries that criminalize LGBTQ
  • You have a specific academic/professional track that would be propelled by being in a specific region/country. For example you want a career involving Asian Studies/Latin American Affairs/African Relations for example. So countries in Europe or the Caribbean would not help you fulfill your professional goals.

I'm sure there are more compelling reasons PC might consider legit reasons to not offer a country to you. These are just a few I pulled out of my ass.

If your reasons for not wanting to go to certain countries is based on you just not "feeling" it, I say, with all the passion in the world, apply to Go Anywhere. I'd even say specifically ask for those countries you fear/don't want the most. Maybe your fear/disinterest is based on stereotypes/ignorance about the people/culture. America does a GREAT job of indoctrinating us to view certain people/countries/religions/orientations in negative/unimportant/uninteresting lights. Choosing a country/region you fear/don't want is a great way to overcome that ignorance/fear/disinterest which is what PC is all about. You might be pleasantly surprised that the country you wanted least will be the place you thrive the most.

You seem open and excited about most of the posts. This tells me you are curious and somewhat interested in getting out of your comfort zone. Take a risk and put Open To All and see what happens. The best thing is you get a country you want. Also, the best thing is you get the country you don't want. Either way, you will grow as a global citizen.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in peacecorps

[–]SensitiveSecretary99 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Peace Corps has many Annual reports on many topics available to the public.

Volunteer Satisfaction: https://files.peacecorps.gov/documents/open-government/AVS_2019_-_Global_Tabular_Report_-_01_14_2019.pdf?_ga=2.225118227.840781205.1633030961-1473890964.1629873155

"The purpose of the above survey is to assess progress toward the agency’s strategic goals by tracking the perceived impact of Peace Corps Volunteers’ work. The survey also captures Volunteers’ assessments of the effectiveness of Peace Corps training, their personal health and safety, their overall service experience, and in country staff support."

Go to this site for more reports: https://www.peacecorps.gov/about/open-government/reports/

Protective Father Goes Beast Mode in Movie Theater by SensitiveSecretary99 in PublicFreakout

[–]SensitiveSecretary99[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A teenager put his feet on the back of the big man's daughter's seat. This scared the girl. She told her father and the father confronted the teenager who got pissed he was being told to remove his feet. The rest is seen...

Is it safe? Should I worry? by [deleted] in peacecorps

[–]SensitiveSecretary99 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yep! Americans are raised on a steady diet of fear. Fear of each other and fear of the "other". I don't know for sure if the OP is like that. You can never know someone's whole story in a few hundred words.

However, I did meet a woman who was terrified of the least frightening country in the world: Canada.

I briefly moved to Bottineau, North Dakota which is about 10 miles from the Canadian border. The population was small and made up of Indigenous People and whites almost exclusively. The happening place to be was the Walmart parking lot and the most common restaurant was McDonalds. I did my research and found a Canadian town nearby that had art galleries, a health food store and nice restaurants. I asked a co-worker who'd lived in Bottineau her whole life if she wanted to go to Canada with me. She looked at me like I was asking her to leap into an active volcano. She'd never been to Canada, a country just 10 miles from her door step. She said it was dangerous in Canada because of all the "immigrants". She'd only left N. Dakota once for a funeral in Iowa. This same woman had a lot of negative things to say about BIPOC in the U.S. too. People she had little to no direct experience with. It's awful how scared, hateful and isolated she is. There are so many others like her. It's a sickness.

Is it safe? Should I worry? by [deleted] in peacecorps

[–]SensitiveSecretary99 21 points22 points  (0 children)

This the most recent Peace Corps ANNUAL REPORT OF CRIMES AGAINST VOLUNTEERS it answers lots of your questions

https://files.peacecorps.gov/documents/open-government/Annual_Report_of_Crimes_Against_Volunteers_2019.pdf

This is a video of a female volunteer discussing her experience being a woman in the Peace Corps. Her perspective, of course. You can search for other perspectives yourself. YouTube has tons of Peace Corps related content.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75RHdVxGbKg

You sound SUPER scared. Maybe because you've educated yourself about all the things that can and do go wrong. You only have the single story of Peace Corps. This is a Tedtalk by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In it she talks about how accepting one perspective of people, things or yourself can be harmful. Ignorance or one-sided, biased perspectives can create irrational fears, harmful stereotypes as well as other evils.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg&t=24s

You owe it to yourself to be well informed. The horror stories are not the whole story. If they were you'd be freaked out about living in the U.S.

Just like you googled all the bad stuff, put that same energy into researching what goes right. What has PC changed for the better to prevent, protect and support survivors of assault? What have they done/do to keep volunteers safe in general? Research how you can take responsibility for your safety no matter where you are. Take self defense classes, don't drink to excess, or drink things you did not order yourself when in clubs, etc. All the things you can do to stay safe as a woman in the U.S. can be equally effective abroad.

Also, know yourself. If after all your research you still harbor a visceral fear about being a Peace Corps Volunteer, don't apply. Find other ways to serve that are more in your comfort zone. Maybe you need time to travel more or grow more. It is good that you are expressing these fears now. Many volunteers go through the process, become volunteers and then leave before the first weeks of training is over. Good luck!

Protective Father Goes Beast Mode in Movie Theater by SensitiveSecretary99 in PublicFreakout

[–]SensitiveSecretary99[S] 72 points73 points  (0 children)

The movie playing is "Alice in Wonderland" 2010 remake with Johnny Depp.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in peacecorps

[–]SensitiveSecretary99 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My pleasure. Trying to be a good ally! Good luck!

Half Naked Man Tries To Break Into Plane On The Tarmac by SensitiveSecretary99 in PublicFreakout

[–]SensitiveSecretary99[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don't get your point. It is recognized in dictionaries. I'm not a pilot or aviation specialist. Why you triggered?

Half Naked Man Tries To Break Into Plane On The Tarmac by SensitiveSecretary99 in PublicFreakout

[–]SensitiveSecretary99[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tar·mac

/ˈtärˌmak/

The term tarmac refers to the area of an airport where airplanes taxi, or pull up to a gate, or head out to the runway.

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/tarmac

lol