Thoughts for Future Volunteers

It’s getting to be that time when anxious future volunteers (and their parents) scour the internet for information about the Peace Corps, Nepal, and both. If that sounds like you, hopefully you’ll find some of the following helpful.

Whether you are fully committed or having second thoughts, you must be wondering what your life will be like for the next twenty-seven months. There’s nothing anyone say that will adequately prepare you for this experience. Eight months in, I’m still adapting and adjusting. But you can learn from the experiences of others. Many of my fellow volunteers have posted their recommendations on their own blogs, like the other Ben. This volunteer in Cambodia puts it really well too. I've also posted a few words of advice below.

Packing
Pack light. You can buy many things you might be missing once you get here, and for cheaper than in the states. Much of what you bring will become ruined or broken anyways. A few essentials that you won't find in Nepal and might be a pain to ship:

• Laptop - for music, movies, work, communication. A tablet will not suffice.
• External hard drive - to store all of the above, and share them with other volunteers
• E-reader - most of us opt for the kindle. Or, if you'd rather go without, download a reader ap on your computer like I did
• Camera – you can’t take too many pictures of this place
• Quick-dry apparel - makes cleaning and drying much easier
• Silica gel packs and ziplock bags - to protect your valuables from monsoon season

More about packing here.

Language
Just 50 words and phrases can make a big difference early on, so learn a little before coming. Peace Corps isn’t going drop you in the deep end right when you arrive, but before you know it you'll be sitting with your new host family that speaks virtually no English and feeling very awkward. Any head start will make that moment a little more comfortable. At the same time, remember that language is just a tool to make your life and work easier. Having the right attitude is much more important.

Other Volunteers
I found meeting my fellow volunteers to be like freshman year of college all over again—asking and answering the same questions over and over, searching for potential friends in a crowd of strangers, sharing the nervous exhilaration of a foreign experience. Give everyone in your group a chance—it might surprise you whom you grow close to. Resist the urge to compare yourself with other volunteers. You are all different. People join Peace Corps for all sorts of reasons, make all kinds of sacrifices to serve for two years, and have all sorts of difficulties along the way. Every one of them has something to offer you. You will come to rely on each other for technical knowledge, emotional support, comfort food, and much, much more. Far and away, they will be the best able to understand what you’re going through.

Cultural adjustment

You will be literally learning a new way of life—how to dress, eat, shower, poop, talk, dance, and more. Try to say no as little as possible—many of my best experiences have followed from spontaneous deviations from my daily plan. Get a little outside of your comfort zone, but stand up for yourself if something should cross the line. Be open-minded to new things and concepts, because those around you are probably less so. Some of the culture shock might hit you early on during the learning period, but if you're like me it may take five or six months for it to sink in.

Community integration
Join in the work (e.g. carrying water, washing dishes, cutting grass)—it will show your community that you’re willing to learn new things, don’t mind getting your hands dirty, and that you’re enthusiastic about working with them. Drink more tea than you’re physically comfortable with. Poke fun at yourself and laugh about it. Put up a little fight when prompted to dance, but always give in.

Everybody in your community will talk about you all the time. If you have diarrhea, everyone will know it. If you fell when you thought no one was watching, ten people will mention it the following day. At times, their scrutiny will seem like a curse, but it is also a blessing. Your endeavors and successes will spread just as fast as your blunders and failures, and they will linger even longer.

Ask for help when you need it—from your host family, other volunteers, or Peace Corps staff. People want you to succeed. Don’t worry if Nepalis think you’re clueless, because sometimes you will be. You simply have a different set of life skills, one tailored to a different way of life. Try to see this as a strength—after all, it’s your uniqueness that makes you a valuable asset to the community.

Attitude
Be as flexible as you can, without bending to your breaking point. For the next two years, you will be under constant pressure to adapt. Looking back, you will be amazed at how much you’ve gotten used to. On the other hand, some things may never get easier.

Your emotional rises and falls won't always be within your control. Sometimes it can feel a bit like floating aimlessles in the middle of the ocean. When you’re riding a crest, try to recognize and revel in it; when you're in a trough, remind yourself that you're bound to rise back up.

Take time to recharge when you need it. To be effective as a volunteer, you’ll probably need some time to do you, whether that means traveling, reading, dancing, or shutting yourself in your room from time to time.

When you start to take your life for granted, remember how lucky you are to be where you are.

And finally, see the beauty in the unknown that lies ahead.