Why the Peace Corps, You Ask?

I received the following comment on my last post from an anonymous reader:

"Is there a 'peace corp' in the United States? Cuz i wonder..why so many people do the peace corp. why not just stay in the U.S. and help the areas that need it here...(areas that were hit by Katrina, EVERY urban/ghetto city,etc.)? Just so u can say 'yeayy i went to some 3rd world country and it was amazing!!?? For that, just visit. I dunno, i just see so many areas here that need help too. (sorry for the bitchiness)...."

I had planned a lengthier response to these questions, but some other readers beat me to it in the comments section, and stole all of my points. Still, Anonymous #1, as you took the time to write me, I feel I should respond. I actually did not feel your comment was bitchy, although I did find it somewhat presumptuous of my motives. You do make some valid points about the urgent need for aid within our own country (and Mancini is right that there is a domestic version of the Peace Corps for the United States, Americorps). However, the Peace Corps is more than a foreign aid program; its existence promotes mutual understanding between cultures with different lifestyles and values, which is something that I believe to be incredibly important in the world today. You may be right, that it is selfish of me to want to travel and see some of the world outside of this country, but a large part of why I want to volunteer is to experience another culture - and not merely as a vacationer with a camera; I want to fully submerge myself in another way of life, in order to fully understand and appreciate it.

Since graduating from college and having lived in the day-to-day “real world" for nearly four years now, I have come to realize that nearly everything I know about the world outside of my immediate experience is taught to me by films, books, or the media. As time goes by, I am becoming more and more consumed with a need to experience these things personally, from my own viewpoint, rather than rely on some other source telling me “this is the way things are," and having to accept it at that. In addition, the international events of the last few years have convinced me that no person can - or should - be an island, and that it is important to understand and converse with those around you, especially those who are very different from you. So, in serving with the Peace Corps, I aim to learn about a culture different from my own by embracing it rather than observing it as a tourist; to pursue work I believe has some meaning and purpose beyond merely supporting myself; and to teach others about my country in the same way I hope they will teach me about theirs.

Thank you, Anonymous #1, for forcing me to look within and remind myself of why I need to do this now and put my career on hold. Thank you, Anonymous #2 and Mancini, for bolstering my convictions that what I am attempting to do is both crucial and honorable.

And to the rest of you: I promise to be funny again soon.