What does it mean to be a Volunteer?

So forgive me, this is a kind of intense blog…just something I needed to get off my chest.

Take a minute and ask yourself what you think the typical Peace Corps volunteer is like. Do you imagine a well rounded person, who works hard, is respectable, has high values, and possibly a tree hugging hippy who is trying to save the fucking world? Something like that, right? However you may think of them I’m sure we would agree and just say that they are good people. There are definitely those types of people in PC but sadly there are those that make me wonder, what the hell are you doing here? For instance, in our training group the week before swearing in a trainee was kicked out for writing an EXTREMELY offensive blog. I won’t even mention what he wrote about, but if you read it you would be like who is this jackass?? I remember some of his cohorts feeling bad for him and saying he would have been a good volunteer…WTF you want that douche working with kids?!! I don’t know which is worse; people doing stupid things or those that feel sorry for the people that do stupid things. Whatever, his ass got what he deserved.

Now just into our third week of being actual volunteers, every weekend I have heard stories of others getting together and just acting like fools. Maybe it’s just the excitement of finally having some of our freedom back, or just needing to not give a damn for a while, I get it. I have witnessed it in person, I have heard it through the grape-vine how they behave, and it’s just really disappointing. You would think that it was college part deaux, or just anything other than the PC. There are those who seem not to be able to let go of there American lives and every weekend is just an excuse to over do it. Maybe it will calm down but I doubt it, since the veteran volunteers seem worse than the noobs.

Yeah, I realize that Guatemala is an intense country with problems on its own and it could be incredibly stressful living here. Some volunteers definitely have it worse than others (no water, electricity, latrines…etc) but we are only here for 2 years. Two years. A short amount of time. It’s funny to see volunteers paying hundreds of dollars to bring extra food into the country like Guatemala doesn’t have ANY or receiving multiple packages from home weekly with NECESSITIES that they just absolutely cannot live without (purses, shoes,…bullshit stuff). Not to mention the volunteers who have better living situations have nicer places now than they probably would have in the states and of course decked out with modern shit You wouldn’t even believe that they live in a third world country. It must be a rough life. TWO YEARS. Think about all the shit the people in this country have to deal with DAILY and you are still living better then most of them, you can’t struggle? Not even for a little while? We came here to be self-less and try and do some fucking good here. So do it.

Bottom line is…yeah it’s hard but at least we all get to return to our “normal lives” in the states, and be successful or travel or whatever the hell you do when you are done. But if you join the Peace Corps to live out more of your forgotten college years or just live life like you would have in the states…what the fuck is the point? GO HOME.

I know I sound like a curmudgeon, but I just think people should be better down here and not do stupid shit. But in someway seeing and hearing these stories could really help someone realize what not to fall into or realize that they want a better PC experience for themselves. Now I know what I want for my time here, I know how I want to walk away from this experience. That’s all I got to say about that.