Core Expectations

The mission of the Peace Corps is to promote world peace and friendship. This is accomplished through these three goals:

1.      Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.

2.      Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.

3.      Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

In addition to the mission and goals, there are ten “Core Expectations for Peace Corps Volunteers” in order to assist volunteers in meeting the mission of promoting world peace and friendship. I thought that for today’s post I would write how I have met, am continuing to meet, or plan to meet the core expectations.

1.      Prepare your personal and professional life to make a commitment to serve abroad for a full term of 27 months.

While this expectation began when I first applied for the Peace Corps in August of 2009, there were many more milestones in this process. These milestones include receiving my nomination to serve in Eastern Europe in December of 2009, agreeing to serve as a volunteer in Bulgaria in March of 2010, and leaving for Bulgaria in May of 2010. I also helped meet this expectation by saying goodbye to my family and friends, deferring my student loans, and being confident in my decisions. Finally this expectation was met when I set foot in Bulgaria in May of 2010 with the decision that I would stay for a full 27 months.

2.      Commit to improving the quality of life for the people with whom you live and work; and, in doing so, share your skills, adapt them, and learn new skills as needed.

I have fulfilled this expectation in the fact that I am committed to my job here in Bulgaria however it is also one that is continually worked on because this incorporates all three of the Peace Corps goals. The main way I improve the “quality of life” of Bulgarians is by working effectively in my school teaching English. English is a great way for students to improve their lives as it gives them a much higher mobility. I also share skills with my colleagues in order to broaden their educational knowledge as well as my own. Finally, Peace Corps has helped me to learn and adapt my skills through trainings and the opportunity to live here in Bulgaria.

3.      Serve where the Peace Corps asks you to go, under conditions of hardship, if necessary, and with the flexibility needed for effective service.

Flexibility is extremely important here in Bulgaria as I use it almost every day. The “conditions of hardship” element to this expectation in my mind is mainly mental here in Bulgaria. I do not necessarily have physical hardship because I live in an apartment, have electricity, have a hospital nearby, have public transportation, and have access to a wide variety of stores. However, it is mentally exhausting (at times) to live in a culture where the changes I see are very small scale. I am not building schools; I am helping children learn English. I am not digging wells; I am helping people to understand the importance of the environment, clean water, and recycling. I am not the first foreigner most people have met; I am trying to educate others that not all Americans are financially wealthy. Basically, all types of change have their own hardships but changing mindsets can be exhausting work.

4.      Recognize that your successful and sustainable development work is based on the local trust and confidence you build by living in, and respectfully integrating yourself into, your host community and culture.

I have met this expectation in the sense that I recognize this and have almost completed my first year of service. My first year here in Bulgaria was a learning year. I have spent a great deal of time simply figuring out how to do things, what is important to the people I work with, what my student enjoy, and potentially why things have been done a particular way. The only way I feel Bulgarians can respect me if I respect them; therefore, I have tried to work similar to my colleagues this first year so that next year they will hopefully be more excited about trying things another way.

5.      Recognize that you are responsible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your personal conduct and professional performance.

It is an interesting feeling to know that I am representing “Americans” every day of my life here in Bulgaria. I may be the only American many of the people I know have ever had any type of relationship with which can be daunting in a way. While I do not feel that I dress differently than I would in the United States, I am a more reserved and quiet person here in Sliven, or at least to begin with. I feel I am pretty much the same person in a classroom setting however when it comes to interactions with community members and other Bulgarians I feel I am a bit more reserved. A great deal of this comes from not being fluent in Bulgarian however I also am more careful to not give a viewpoint on certain topics as Americans are very diverse and I don’t feel it’s always my place to give an opinion.

6.      Engage with host country partners in a spirit of cooperation, mutual learning, and respect.

This expectation is one that I find interesting even mentioned because it is both general and something I think all Americans should embody, one I hope I embody. In order to work cooperatively with anyone there needs to be respect and mutual understanding. Essentially, I hope this expectation is exemplified in many other places including schools, businesses, and communities (not only in the USA but around the world).

7.      Work within the rules and regulations of the Peace Corps and the local and national laws of the country where you serve.

I fulfill this expectation by complying with the rules of the Peace Corps, the US Government, and the Bulgarian Government. This is part of living in a democracy.

8.      Exercise judgment and personal responsibility to protect your health, safety, and well-being and that of others.

I fulfill this expectation by using the same common sense I do in Minnesota and every other place I’ve lived. First of all I try to trust my instincts because they’re usually right on target and secondly I listen to people in my community of places I should and shouldn’t be. This usually means only going places on foot during the day if it is somewhere I’ve never been before. I can’t be an effective volunteer if I cannot maintain my safety and health let alone someone else’s.

9.      Recognize that you will be perceived, in your host country and community, as a representative of the people, cultures, values, and traditions of the United States of America.

I touched on this one a bit with expectation five because I feel they are very similar however I’ll go a bit further this time. There are a great deal of assumptions made about me simply because I’m American that I see from my colleagues, students, and other community members. I try to simply listen to what they think and answer questions as broadly as possible and to the best of my ability. I also try to emphasize that the things I say are from MY experience and that the United States is a huge country and there are all types of people there. It’s very interesting living in such an old culture and coming from such a young one. As an American I just don’t have the traditions and holidays that Bulgarians do so there really aren’t ways to compare the two sometimes.

10.  Represent responsibly the people, cultures, values, and traditions of your host country and community to people in the United States both during and following your service.

This expectation is one I will continue to fulfill after my service. Currently I fulfill this goal by doing third goal activities which for me include blogging, skyping with people back home, writing letters and postcards to 

people at home, and answering any questions people in the US have about Bulgaria.

I hope to write a new post for each day of this week so check back again soon!

Peace, Love, Literacy, and Reckless Curiosity.