The Peace Corps

When I first made the decision to volunteer for a year, the Peace Corps seemed an obvious route. I didn't really know if there was even another way to do it. After all, The Peace Corps is even mentioned in Dirty Dancing. Plus, I knew it wouldn't cost me $10,000.

PROS
- Government organization (so you'd know some shoddy little company wasn't going to leave you stranded in Ghana and not contact you for three years)
- Gives a $6,000 bonus when you return
- Doesn't charge you anything to get there
- Apparently looks really good on a resume
- Probably has the resources to do real good

CONS
- Government organization (has an agenda. Most likely one I don't totally agree with)
- Heard from past volunteers that, while it's a great personal experience, you're not actually doing ANY good for the community you're living in.
- Heard from other travelers that PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) were often obnoxious kids looking for a free two year vacation
- You can't choose your destination or post
- Committed to two years



There's probably more that I'm not thinking of at the moment. But the big Con for me is my second point. I'm not volunteering for the personal experience, though that's certainly an important and exciting benefit. I'm volunteering (as pretentious as it may sound) because I actually want to help some people. While I'm young and free, I want to help people overseas. I plan, after my work abroad, to work in the US.

Anyway, originally I was aggressively pursuing the Peace Corps as my main option. However I have stumbled across something that seems better, though not without it's own Cons. I will post on that soon.

Probably, there's nobody reading this at all. But just in case, if anybody has some thoughts or experiences (Pro or Con) about the Peace Corps or anything, please comment.