So.. why are you joining the Peace Corps?

My typical response when asked why I am joining the Peace Corps.. just kidding. Actually, this is the Cross Cultural Essay I submitted when applying to the Peace Corps.


While floating along the Yarapa Tributary in the Peruvian Amazon, I began to understand my calling to International Development. Images flooded my memory as I returned from and reflected upon the neighboring village’s celebration. I thought of jungle beer and the four posters on the schoolhouse wall including an upside-down poster of the solar system. I remembered how the village’s one generator broke and ceased to blast Cumbia music. Instead of accepting the shortfall, all of the men of the village came together to try and fix it. I also thought of the many curious looks I received which continue to resonate with me today. Later, on this boat ride, I was told that I was most likely the first white woman of my age that these villagers had ever seen. The simplicity of the evening and the contrasting richness of the experience with the villagers solidified my aspirations to pursue work in the realm of International Development.

In college, I studied Economics. I can draw a graph to reflect how adding capital to an economy is the way to spur development. Yet, when faced with the experience of the village celebration along the Yarapa, I realized that the supply and demand graphs I was all too familiar with failed to capture the greatest measure of life, happiness something rarely mentioned in classical models of International Economics. This is not to say that my economics background is not valuable, it will serve me well as a tool. But education alone is not enough. In the Amazon, I found myself realizing that there is noway that this culture could be captured in a simplistic economic model, and the very idea of doing so does the people a grave injustice.


In a few years, I plan to pursue a graduate degree in International Development. I realize that I could enroll directly in graduate school, but for now I believe that I should better understand the “why” of my avocation. I have learned that in order to deal with sensitive issues you need to be a sensitive person. In the Amazon, I struggled with the question of how to responsibly enhance a developing society without compromising the existing culture. If my Economics background has taught me anything, it is that tradeoffs exist between efficiency and equity in development issues. I could simply draw a timeline for myself with hopes that I could advance a steady career path by the time that I am twenty-six, but I enjoy a challenge and have never been the one to take the easy road solely for the sake of convenience. In this existing tradeoff, I will trade the efficient timeline in order to genuinely feel as though I understand the equity issues that come along with development.

I believe my values and experiences demonstrate that I will be able to satisfy the Peace Corps’ ten core expectations. Expectation three, “serve where the Peace Corps asks you to go” will be the most challenging core expectation for me to fulfill. I would be more than grateful to have the privilege of serving in any country where Peace Corps is stationed. Still, I have a background and passion for Latin America. I hope that my assignment in the Peace Corps will allow me to become fluent in Spanish, but as I prepare for my future, I know that learning any additional language is beneficial. I would be honored to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer, and I think this experience would enable me to formulate a thoughtful and honest opinion of International Development issues allowing me to become not only a more conscientious person but contribute my life's work in a more meaningful way.