Continuing with the Peace Corps Spotlight, I interviewed Sarah, a PC Volunteer in the Dominican Republic!
Sarah is a health volunteer placed in Las Yayas, a poor rural community outside of the city of San Juan in the Southwest part of the Dominican Republic. She arrived in-country in August 2010 and swore-in to begin her service in October 2010. Her date of Completion of Service is October 2012.
Please keep in mind that her views and experiences are individual and not necessarily associated with the views of the Peace Corps Organization.
Me: What made you want to apply to the Peace Corps?
Sarah: This is going to sound way too cliche, but I really have always wanted to do it. I’m really interested in development work in general, and the idea of being in a community living, working, speaking the language, eating the food (even if it’s rice and beans everyday!), and just being completely immersed in the culture really appealed to me. I truly believe that the best way to help a community overcome it’s challenges is to be there, experiencing those challenges with them and coming up with solutions together.
Me: What surprised you the most when you arrived at your destination?
Sarah: I guess the first thought that pops into your mind when you say “Dominican Republic” is beautiful beaches and all-inclusive resorts. I will tell you that the Tourism Industry must have done an incredible job to get you to think that. That being said, I want to say the first two things that immediately surprised me about my site placement. The first is the general lack of public services: water and sanitation facilities, paved roads, and access to clinics and medical care are continuous problems faced by a large part of the population. The second, and possibly even most striking is the overwhelming, genuine kindness I received by people in my community, and even perfect strangers. I’ll go running in the morning and come back with a handful of mangos, papayas, and fresh eggs that people bring out to me and insist that I have. I am certain that I can never go hungry in this country because someone will always offer me a plate of rice and beans without hesitation and without expecting anything in return. The generosity of this culture is truly humbling.
Me: What do you do at your site?
Sarah: Bueno… Peace Corps isn’t exactly a 9-5 job, and you actually have the freedom to pick what you want to do everyday. I think it is the only job I will ever have where I am in complete control of my own schedule! I am a health volunteer, so I have a group of community health promoters and a group of youth sexual education peer educators that I train in my community. I am also in charge of 10 health promoter groups and 10 youth sex ed. groups around my province, so I am travelling around quite a bit. Let’s see… I have a girls’ volleyball team, I taught an English class, and I am currently applying for funds to do a latrine project in my site since there are poor sanitation facilities and cholera in my site a few months ago….not a good combination! I also hope to do a nutrition class and a garden project to promote a more balanced diet.
Me: What has been your most challenging experience?
Sarah: My most challenging experience, and I bet this is true of PCVs around the world and across all sectors, is getting people motivated and to attend meetings. People here have a lot of responsibilities to their families, and it’s tough to get them out of their houses and to meetings. I try to get them motivated by making my meetings fun, doing a lot of activities and games, and of course, providing refreshments! The bottom line is that if people are truly interested in something, they will be present. So I try to do things that are chosen by the community, first and foremost.
Me: What would you recommend to future applicants/volunteers?
Sarah: Don’t doubt yourself, you can do it! You’ll be surprised at how strong and capable you are. If you are interested in applying, contact current PCVs and talk to them about their experiences and your concerns. Read blogs! Here is a great site for blogs: http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/?Countries and for general information: www.peacecorpswiki.org. I guess I should also provide the official Peace Corps site as well: www.peacecorps.gov. The 2 year committment tends to scare a lot of people, but I’m already amazed at how fast my 7 months of service have gone by.
Me: How can people get involved from home?
Sarah: A great way to get involved in the Peace Corps experience is to support the current PCVs overseas. Comment on blogs! Send emails of support! And obviously, it’s always nice to donate to our projects! At times it’s difficult to find funding to address the tremendous needs in our communities, and even donating a few dollars goes a long way!
Sarah is coordinating a project in the DR to build latrines for the community. Her goal is to decrease and prevent cholera in the community through improving sanitation.
Please support her project by visiting the link below!
www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=517-442
