Keeping the Peace

Throughout much of my life I have participated in plenty of community services in and around Chico, helping to keep the community clean. I have also reached out and helped third world countries such as Indonesia by participating in book drives to help supply educational books for schools who can’t afford them. And for a long time, I have always had the Peace Corp in the back of my head. I’ve always wondered how it would be to actually travel to a third world country to help, stay there and learn about their culture. I had always thought of joining the Peace Corp to make a difference and experience something new. However, at the same time I had many unanswered questions that I wanted to clarify. As fate would have it, the answers I was seeking actually found me.

On April 10^th a representative from the Peace Corp, Travis Axton, came to Chico State and gave an insightful presentation of what Peace Corp is all about. His presentation was so intriguing that the whole class period was devoted to just this one subject. Travis covered a wide array of subjects in his presentation such as his experience of living in a remote location, how his days was spent, what he had to live on, the kind of people he meet, the cultural differences he experience, the new cultural values he had adopted, what he learned, to the works of the Peace Corp such as what it takes to join, requirements, training, and things that needed to be meet before the travel day.

But what I thought that was really interesting is the enactment he showed in class that day really opened up my eyes. A student had volunteer to join him as he showed the rest of the class how simple greetings were like in Zambia where he was stationed. Travis showed a simple hand shake upon greeting a person would have so much value. When meeting an occasional friend, you shake their hand and then cross your palms. When meeting a Chief, the left arm is placed on the right forearm of your right hand as you would shake their hands. When introducing oneself to the Chief, you have to get down on one knee, clap and cite who you are and the reason for seeing him as no eye contact is made until the Chief allows so. But what he told us next was almost a cultural shock to me.

When greeting a fellow Zambian, one would greet them by asking them, “How have you been eating?” or, “Are you healthy today?” Though this may sound weird to some Americans, this is actually how I would greet a fellow Hmong. It never occurred to me that any other culture besides Asian cultures would greet like this. In my culture it is a sign of respect when you ask someone about their health. It’s kind of like telling them that you care and value them. When I heard of this, it gave me a sense of relation to the people that Travis had meet in his experience.

A question was asked in class that for a long time was exactly what I wanted to know. Where are you going to be place when joining the Peace Corp and what determines that? To answer Travis went to say that it depended on what you have to bring to the table. What kind of skill set as an individual, you are bringing to the Peace Corp will more likely determine where you are placed. He also pointed out that you do have some preference in where you want to be stationed. Travis wraps up his presentation with the experiences he had learned and the impact that the experience had on him.

After class was over, I felt encouraged to visit the Peace Corp web site and explore a little more about what they have to offer. Generally asked questions about the Peace Corp can be found on their web site for anyone who is interested along with updates and current events where you can touch up on what is going on and their current activities. Returning volunteers can explore what’s next to discovering on their web site. Donations and interested applicants can apply directly through the web site. There is also plentiful of information of positions available for anyone who is interested to volunteer or find a career in Peace Corp. See http://www.peacecorps.gov/ for further details. Now that many of my questions are answered, I am looking forward to one day participate in this great journey and help out those who are in need.