In Honor of Peace Corps 50th Anniversary...

The Peace Corps began in 1960, when then-Sen. John F. Kennedy visited and challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. I'm sure you are all familiar with the quote "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."  Most of you (if not all of you by now) have at least heard of the Peace Corps.  Even those of you who have been closest to me over the last 4 years still occasionally ask what the Peace Corps does...

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship. The Peace Corps' mission has 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 a more simplified answer, we spend 2 years and three months (or an additional year like myself) in developing nations around the world. We teach whatever we possibly can to anyone willing to listen. We learn the language, the culture, and the values of the people we serve. Then we come home, and we try our hardest to get anyone to listen about our experiences and the culture of the people we served. (Hence this note.)

Throughout its history, the Peace Corps has had to adapt and respond to the issues of the times. In an ever-changing world, Peace Corps Volunteers have met many new challenges from AIDS education, trying to keep developing nations up to date on new technologies, fighting for environmental preservation, and helping businesses struggle to survive in new market economies. Peace Corps Volunteers don't give things to the communities they serve, rather, we teach the communties we serve in how to do things for themselves.  We work in villages, towns, and cities around the globe.

In 1961, the first Peace Corps Volunteers accepted assignments to serve in six countries. Since then, nearly 200,000+ men and women have served in 139 countries. The world has changed since then, and the Peace Corps has changed with it. Today, 8,655 Volunteers in 71 posts around the world are serving 77 countries. This work is more important than ever. 

There are many notable Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) in different sectors throughout history. You can find a list of these RPCVs that came home and continued to serve their own communities here: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=about.notable

Peace Corps officially established: March 1, 1961

Total number of Volunteers and trainees to date: 200,000+

Total number of countries served: 139

Current number of Volunteers and Trainees: 8,655

Gender: 60% female, 40% male

Marital Status: 93% single, 7% married

Minorities: 19% of Peace Corps Volunteers

Average Age: 28

Volunteers over age 50: 7%

Education: 90% have at least an undergraduate degree

Current number of countries served: 77 countries

Volunteers by Work Area

• Education: 37%
• Health & HIV/AIDS: 22%
• Business Development: 14%
• Environment: 13%
• Agriculture: 4%
• Youth Development: 5% (this was my program!)
• Other: 5%

Where Volunteers Serve

• Africa: 37%
• Latin America: 24%
• Eastern Europe/Central Asia: 21% (this is where I served!)
• Asia: 7%
• The Caribbean: 5%
• North Africa/Middle East: 4%
• Pacific Islands: 3%

Please, if you have actually read my note all the way through, take some time to look at my photos, read some of my other blogs, and ask questions. The Peace Corps experience doesn't end when we come home... we still have 1/3 of our mission left to complete. Happy 50th Anniversary Peace Corps! Here's wishing you 50 more years of success, friendship, and new volunteers. I'm proud to be a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer!

First Job Interview

Today I received an email in my inbox from the company that is screening for the position I applied to in December. I had a great phone interview with them just over a week ago, and I was nervous waiting for a call for an interview. When I didn't get a call on the 5th or 6th (that was the date that they had mentioned they would make decisions for who is invited to the next round) I was a bit disappointed. But today, I found an email inviting me to attend an interview next week on Wednesday! I'm really excited, and a bit nervous, as I'm out of practice in my own interviewing. I have been teaching interview techniques for the last three years, yet I find myself a bit apprehensive about the process...

The position is with a great non-profit organization that is doing some wonderful things for the local community. It balances office management with event planning (two things I enjoy and am great at!) Not to mention, the pay is good enough to stay with the company for a few years, or until I'm promoted to something better. It also has a bit more flexible hours so that Farid and I can spend more time together.

I'd love to comment on a recent trend in employment that I've missed out on while I've been gone for over three years. It's come to my attention that employers now "pre-screen" candidates for positions. Not only do they review your resume and cover letter, check up on your references, and have you interview, but they also pre-interview. I've actually had 4-5 telephone interviews where I was screened to see if I was even eligible for the position. Some of these pre-screens are simple, just verifying the information that you listed in your application, or following up on any information that wasn't clear. A few of them however, have gone into significant detail regarding how my past experience might play into the current position I'm applying for. This can be a little nerve-wracking, especially if you're not in the mind set that it is technically an interview. I imagine that employers are being inundated with more applications than they would normally receive for a typical job posting. With unemployment being so high, and more people seeking second jobs to make rent, it's more competitive and therefore more difficult to narrow the field down to their top candidates. I hope that other recently returned Peace Corps Volunteers find this useful, and can see an advantage in knowing that the pre-screen is just as important as a full blown interview. Good luck to my fellow RPCVs, and good hunting!

Homesick for Azerbaijan

As of today I've been COS'd for 2 months (Close of Service= our official separation date from service in the US Peace Corps.) To be honest, it's felt like six months instead of two. There are a mix of things that are going well, and then those that still frustrate me beyond belief. As for the good, Farid has officially been recognized as a permanent resident of the US. He has a green card in hand now, a bank account, and a social security number. Waiting for these felt like an eternity, as it can be hard to prove you exist without any ties. He has started his job, and has even begun to learn how to drive. Yes, he passed his written exam for his drivers permit! We've had two big holidays with the family (Halloween and Thanksgiving) and have enjoyed spending time with family and some close friends.

One thing about being a Peace Corps volunteer that is really difficult for volunteers is that we give up so much when we go to our countries of service. We spend so much of our time talking about America, that it makes us miss the little things... washing machines, dish washers, hot showers on demand, hot showers daily, television in English, driving a car, and food, food, food! We begin to idolize how great life is in America. Like any place, once you leave and go somewhere else, you begin to forget the faults. I find I'm having a bit of "the grass is greener on the other side" syndrome now that I'm back. I find I miss so many little things about Azerbaijan that I'm feeling frustrated adjusting to life in the US. I often feel out of place here now that I've spent so long overseas.

I miss the cheap fresh produce every day. I miss the rusty, old, ridiculously fast driving public transportation that took me anywhere I wished to go in the city for only .20 qepik. I miss having an apartment of my own where I was able to live without worrying about other people around us all the time. I miss having a job, a place to go where I feel valuable, and feel like my work is important and means something. I miss my boss and my counterparts at work. I miss having someplace to go every day. I miss my friends, who I could always count on hearing from someone every day whether Azerbaijani or site mate. I miss feeling connected to my community.

We haven't even been home for a full two months yet, but it feels like so long since that life. I find I am dreaming about Azerbaijan and people I knew there. It makes me realize that readjusting to life in the US means that I will have to adjust so much more than where I live and what I do on a daily basis. I'm still in the process of looking for a job that will even bring a fraction of joy and inspiration to my life the way that my Peace Corps job did. After having been gone for three years and four months, I find that America has changed so much since I left. The economy is worse than what I had heard, particularly in the area I'm in now. Many of the jobs that are available are in retail, and even those are competitive to get. Farid has had to take a position in retail, and on the dreaded grave yard shift in order to help us not completely drain our checking account. I've applied to a lot of different higher education institutions, and am hoping that even one in my area will pan out for me. Everyone keeps saying to be patient, but I don't like feeling useless. I've never been out of work this long before, it's a new experience for me.

Sometimes we here in America tend to think that life is so much better here than it is in other places. We have so much stuff, that we feel like we have the ideal lifestyle given the alternatives. Honestly, I felt, and still do, that life in Azerbaijan was more simple. It gave me a chance to learn to love my job, figure out what my passions are, and gave me a chance to enjoy life and everything in it. I'm feeling a little "homesick" for Azerbaijan.

Re-adjusting

So I've been home for 2 weeks now. In that time, I've managed to apply for a ton of jobs with not one call (yet) and have had one heck of a chest cold. I've been sick from the moment I stepped off the plane, and attempted to make a doctors appointment without success... for those of you who are soon to be RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers) beware of the CorpsCare Insurance. I was told to check online for a doctor in my area, but there is not a single doctor on the list in my area, within 25 miles of my house who is still working at the numbers listed for them. I was unable to make an appointment, and have consequently become more sick than I should be. Instead, I will probably just go to a walk-in clinic if this chest cold isn't gone by the beginning of the week.

Farid got a nice scare today... He went to apply for a job on base at the language school, as he speaks 5 languages and would totally rock as a language instructor. When he got to the base, the guards in the visitors pass area told him that he didn't have a valid stamp in his visa. They told him he needed some I-94 thing stapled into his passport with the stamp. He didn't have the I-94 thing, so they wouldn't let him on post to go apply for the job. I of course panicked... you all know me, classic Rae. So I called the immigration office in Seattle. They referred me to another number. I called and explained what had been told to Farid, and the woman at the immigration office was amazingly helpful. She told me that the military guards were wrong, and that I-94 forms in a passport are used for people on NON-immigrant visas to the U.S. Farid is here on a CR-1 visa (Conditional Resident visa) and that is considered an IMMIGRANT visa. So, he doesn't need to have an I-94. The only thing he needs for work is his green card. She said not to worry, that his green card will be arriving in the next 4-6 weeks at our address, and suggested trying again once he had the actual physical green card in hand (instead of just the temporary stamp in his passport.) That of course, made me feel much better, and at the same time annoyed me that my mother and Farid had gone all the way to the base only to be told incorrect information.

We didn't get a car on Tuesday as we had hoped. The "online auction" that we hoped to buy a car through, didn't tell you until you actually bid on a car that you have to bid through a broker. They also failed to mention that a broker charges a fee for registering, a fee for bidding, and a one time fee per transaction... so approximately $600 just to buy the car through the broker. So, instead, we are going to a physical auction on Saturday night. There are 81 cars up for bid at the auction, and you don't have to pay anything to participate. I'm hoping that because it is starting to get cold, rainy, and it will be in the evening, that not too many people will go. I'd love to drive home on Saturday. So keep your fingers crossed for us! At this point anything drivable without mechanical problems would be desirable!

Aside from all that, we haven't done too much yet. I still haven't even taken Farid to Seattle... I know, I know... I suck. But, when we get a car it will be easier to show him all the great places we love about the Pacific Northwest.

Getting home was tricky... know your visa laws before you fly!

Just wanted to let you know that we finally made it home! My husband and I are finally in America. However, we had some MAJOR complications on our way home. We were fine all the way up until we arrived in Frankfurt for the last leg of our trip. Naxchivan was wonderful, and we visited with Farid's family for two days, which was perfect. Then we flew to Istanbul, which was also wonderful. We got to see Farid's brothers, and spent a lot of time just doing the tourist thing. We stayed in a little cheap hostel in the heart of the city where we were out late each night. It was fabulous, and I really enjoyed our time there even though we both had bad chest and head colds by that time.

Then we flew from Istanbul to Ankara for a short layover. That leg of the trip also went fine. Then Ankara to Frankfurt. That too went fine. However, when we got to Frankfurt, we were not able to leave the terminal were our Istanbul flight landed, and head to our boarding area for our flight to America because it had a one hour layover on the way to Seattle in Iceland. Since the flight had a layover in another European Union country, that meant it had to board in the domestic terminal. We were told that because Farid does not have a shengen visa (the European Union visa) then he can not enter Germany... after arguing something like this "we only want to go to our next flight, we don't want to enter Germany..." "But your night flight boards in the domestic flight terminal, so you have to enter Germany to get there, and you don't have a shengen visa so you can't go to your next flight." We finally found out that the only way we would be able to get home is to buy an entirely new set of tickets directly from the international terminal (US Airlines, American Airlines, or Lufthansa via United). Understandably, I was both panicked and freaked out, and crying, making a horrible scene at the airport. I was allowed to enter Germany, but Farid was not.

I went through into "Germany" aka the other side of the airport, and picked up all of our bags. Then I had to go bring them back to the transit area where Farid was waiting. This required a police escort, and the police were very involved in helping us to figure out exactly what customs had already told us, that they can't help us, and that the only way out is to buy a ticket back to Turkey, or a new ticket to the US direct. So, we had to buy new tickets to the US. We found that if we waited a day at the airport, there was a direct flight to Seattle. This cost us $3,000. The entire amount that PC had deposited into my account that week. We didn't have enough in the Bank, so we had to use the cash we had in combination with the money in my account. However, we got the tickets.

BUT, in order to check in for that flight, I had to take all of our bags... 3 of them, plus two carry-on bags by myself all the way through the domestic terminal and to the check in counter. I waited in line for an hour and a half, only to be told I was in the wrong line, that I was in "group check in" and would need to go somewhere else with all my stuff. After explaining that I was checking in for two people, I was told that a group is for 5 or more... but the nice man checked me in anyway. It was at this point I learned that unlike our original tickets that had a layover in Iceland, we were not allowed two bags per person, but rather one. So, we had to pay an additional 40 euros (70 dollars) for the third bag. This required me to go to the second floor in a different area of the terminal. I went to pay it, only to find out that they wouldn't take US dollars. So I had to go find an exchange place all the way back where I checked our bags. Then got euros, went back across the terminal, upstairs again, and then paid the baggage fee. The lady saw how stressed I was an apologised for making me "run around the airport." I explained it wasn't her, but told her the sad story. She immediately looked in her computer and found an "upgrade" to our seats. We got the emergency exit row! Which was awesome! It was like being in business class since there were only two seats next to each other with about 4 feet of leg room! It was great.... but, we haven't gotten to the flight yet.

I digress... after upgrading the seats, I was already 2 and a half hours away from Farid. Neither of us has a cell phone that works in Germany, so he is waiting for me in the transit terminal with no clue of what is going on or when I will be back. By this point, he was worried that something had gone wrong, and had used information to call the lufthansa line. They tracked me down while I was upgrading the seats, and they told him I was on my way back in 5 min. So I left the area really happy... then I got to the security check point between the two areas. They refused me entry. They said that since my ticket was for tomorrow, that I wasn't allowed in until after midnight! I told them that lufthansa had just told me to go to their check in desk in the transit lounge, but they still said no. So I went back to lufthansa and explained in tears that security refused me entry, and they knew my husband was waiting on the other side (without money or passport as I needed both for payment and check in for the flight). So they called security, and they told me to go through a different check point and that the security would notify that point that I was coming. I got to a further check point station as instructed, but was again, denied. I insisted that they contact their supervisor as he had been notified, but they refused. Then some nice young guard listened to my story, and said, come on, it's like seriously an hour and a half before midnight, so just let her through. I finally got through, but couldn't find my way to the transit lounge! The Frankfurt airport is too large. I found the area Farid was in, but I was separated by a glass wall. I saw him, he did not see me! I was pounding on the glass when two police officers saw me, and I pointed to Farid. They got his attention, and then showed him the way to get to my area. It took over 3 hours to get back to him. Then we had to sleep on a hard bench in the transit area over night because they won't open the area to the gates at night. Needless to say, it was not a good night. We were both worried our laptop bag with Farid's visa packet would be stolen. It was not, thankfully.

We finally got onto the flight, and the flight was smooth, without problems. Lufthansa is wonderful, and I will never make the same mistake again when travelling between the US and Europe. With airline tickets, you obviously get what you pay for... as the original tickets we had bought were only 550 each. So we will be trying to get a refund of any kind, as there were no notifications about shengen visas online when I purchased the tickets. In the US we arrived about 15 min late due to a late take off (too many planes on the runway). After arrival, we stood in line in the visitor's line (I had to check in with him) and were told the computers were all down nationwide for passport control desk. So we stood there for 35 min. Then when we finally got through, we were sent to another area for processing our visa packet. When we got there, the line was a good 10 people before us, most in wheelchairs and non-native English speakers. We got to the front of the line, only to be told to have a seat. They hat to check in everyone else that day before they would review our packet. It only really took about 45 more min. Which wasn't so bad. He got a stamp in his passport (it will serve as his temporary green card until the actual card arrives.) Then we hugged, and went to get our bags... some of the only ones left.

We are both very tired, and really just glad to have this part done. The travel part is becoming more and more complicated, as we just found out that the tourist visa to Azerbaijan is now only valid for 7 days... so much for going back to visit the in-laws. So, for now, we will just sit tight, and try to relax hopefully in the next week we'll be less jet-lagged. Just wanted you all to know that we are home, safe if not sound of mind.