Frequently Asked Questions

I've been getting a lot of questions on what exactly I'll be doing, where I'll be, when and for how long, so instead of expecting you to remember all that(even I struggle to keep it all straight), I thought I would post some of the answers to those questions.

Let's start with the basics...

Where will I be?
I will be serving in Botswana, which is located in Southern Africa. South Africa borders Botswana on the South, Namibia to the North and West, Zimbabwe to the Northeast, and Zambia for a short distance in the North. I've posted a picture below to help out all you directionally-challenged peeps. ;)

How long will I be gone?
The Peace Corps is a 2-year and 3-month commitment.

Do I know anyone I'm serving with?

Nope. Volunteers in Bots7 (my volunteer group) come from all over the U.S., even way out there in Hawaii!

Will I be living by myself?

The living situation for volunteers can vary considerably, but most volunteers receive their own house and are the only Peace Corps volunteer in that village or town.

What if I hate it? Can I leave at any time?

Yes, it's called Early Termination. I just wouldn't receive any of the benefits that I would if I completed my service.

Will I be in Botswana the whole time?

Yessir. I do spend two days in Philadephia where all my fellow trainees meet up and we go through a brief orientation before bussing it up to New York, where we take a direct flight to Johannesburg. Actually, we do stop in Senegal to refuel, but we don't get off the plane. 17 hours. woo! Although, I can't say I mind the whole eat, sleep, watch movie, repeat thing for 17 hours straight! Sounds like a good time to me! Plus, a volunteer currently serving in Botswana told us they had an open bar on their flight, so that should make things interesting.

Do I get to come back to the U.S. at all during my service?

We get 48 days of vacation total, 2 days per month, and can do what we want with them. Some volunteers choose to return to the states for a 2-week visit at some point. I believe if I travel on national holidays or on weekends, that unfortunately still counts as vacation days, as does having visitors, BUT don't let that deter you! I'd love to have visitors! (Sure the flight is spendy, but staying with me will be cheap! You know you wanna!)

THE BIG ONE: What will I be doing?

Well, that's a good question. Peace Corps seems to like to keep things very vague. In my invitation packet, my job title is Home Based Care and Orphan Care(HBC/OC)/Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission(PMTCT). That job title falls under the program Community Capacity Building for HIV/AIDS Project(CCB). **You will soon learn that Peace Corps is all about the acronyms** The truth behind all this is they don't know what we'll each specifically be doing yet. My first 3 months in Botswana are spent in intensive training with all of the other trainees in Bots7, and this is where we will be taught, evaluated, and assigned. After those 3 months, we swear in as volunteers and are given our assignments and locations. From there we all go our separate ways and begin our 2-year service. I will update this with more details on my job when I find out what I'll be doing in June/July.