Volunteer Culture

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following are of mine alone and do not reflect that of the U.S. government or Peace Corps.

Ok, so I know it's been a while since I posted here and I could come up with an elaborate excuse (such as a monkey broke into my house and stole my computer), but we don't have monkeys in my site and just the idea of a monkey braking into a house is a little absurd. So I have no excuse for not posting more often than I do.

So, on to the more interesting stuff. What I found interesting last week was the dynamic of Peace Corps culture. Not only are PCVs thrown into an entirely new culture in an entirely new country, but I think people take for granted that Peace Corps itself is a culture (or "micro-culture" as my college anthropology professor would label it).

I recently returned from a week-long training in Rabat where I once again met up with those 55 other PCVs from my stage (training group). I guess I've been aware from the start that PC has it's own unique culture, in fact I believe those first few days of training in Mehdya back in September of 2009 were all about Peace Corps culture. But it's not just about getting used to acronyms (PCT, PCV, RPCV, CBT, PST, PPST, IST, YD, SBD, PCMO, ENV, HE, I could go on...), I feel like it's also about everything from learning how to make flip charts, to what to do in case of an emergency.

When you stop and think about it, living as a PCV is different from living in America on a whole different level. It's not just about integrating in a new culture or learning a new language, it's also about integrating in Peace Corps culture and learning Peace Corps language. For example, the following dialogue might actually take place between two PCVs:

PCV #1: "How was IST?"

PCV #2: "It was great, we learned all about SPA and PCPP, met the new PCMOs, talked about CBT, PST and PPST for the new stage, even met with some NGOs and hung out with 2nd YR YD, SBD, and ENV PCVs. I'm looking forward to MSM in NOV."

See what I mean? Confusing, yek? But I guess I've always known that Peace Corps is a culture in and of itself. What I did notice last week was the culture inside the Peace Corps culture (this is where my professor would point out that Peace Corps is a "sub-culture" and PCV culture is a "micro-culture"). But that's not the point.

The culture created by volunteers is just as unique as Peace Corps culture. Just like in any large group of people, some will get along better than others, but what I find interesting is that some PCVs have admitted to me that they would probably not have taken the time to get to know so and so if they were in America. I guess the point here is despite our many, many differences we all share something in common - our culture. I feel like this is what ultimately brings PCVs together. Sure, many of us have amazing Moroccan friends, but it's just not the same as having another American to talk to where you don't necessarily have to be so culturally sensitive all the time.

It's almost like we're drawn to other Americans and actively seek them out for comfort. While in Rabat last week I was out to dinner with several other PCVs from my stage when we noticed a table of Americans right across from us. I (along with several others) suddenly felt this overwhelming desire to meet them. And even just waiting for the train in Fes, I noticed that I'd spent an hour actively listening for American-accented English.

I guess the point of this post is that volunteering abroad requires you to integrate into several cultures all at once, which can be a little overwhelming at times. But what makes it easier is the fact that we're not doing this alone. I had an amazing time last week in Rabat (and not just because of the bacon cheeseburger and blue moon), but hearing about all the different experiences and what people are doing in their sites made it all worth it.