No electricity, no running water, and societies that haven't been penetrated by Western culture; these are the initial thoughts you may have at the mention of the name "Peace Corps." Volunteers are often looked upon as altruistic and idealistic – willing to leave behind the comforts of home for a life with a much lower standard of living. However, we live in a time in which the world is rapidly undergoing economic and technological globalization; service in the Peace Corps is not immune to these developments. Volunteers are seeing increases in standards of living and access to amenities. The question that then comes to mind is whether these changes detract from Peace Corps' legacy of service.
Globalization
To put it simply, the world is shrinking. Enhancements in technological abilities, ideas and information move rapidly throughout the world, affecting most, if not all, aspects of life. Development in Third World countries is a strong beneficiary of technological globalization. The high levels of income disparity in certain developing countries exemplify this point. This economic inequality is often measured using the Gini Coefficient. The Gini Coefficient mathematically measures the distribution of wealth within a country, and places it on a scale of zero (total equality) to one (total inequality).
Countries with a high Gini Coefficient have a minority of their population controlling a majority of their wealth, which creates very distinct upper and lower classes. These countries often have a very small percentage of the population that can be considered a middle class. Brazil, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Nicaragua all have coefficients above 0.60, indicating high levels of economic inequality. These countries often have the best facets of high society, as well as glaring issues of poverty. As Peace Corps volunteers live and work in these countries, they are subject to this inequality; the conditions in which volunteers live and work vary greatly.
First-Hand Experience
As a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana, I've seen globalization at work. It is true that some volunteers do without electricity or running water (although this is a very low percentage), but many of us live relatively comfortably. The majority of volunteers in Botswana have both electricity and running water, and a select few even have hot running water. Many of us have relatively easy access to amenities such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and even Internet. This is a relatively new phenomenon here, but it is quickly becoming a part of the Peace Corps lifestyle.
These days, Peace Corps volunteers in Botswana are required to have cell phones and to take care of official business via e-mail. It may be tempting to look at these facts and say that service in the Peace Corps is becoming easier, but this might be a hasty conclusion.
The Steadfast Legacy of Service
The idea of a legacy of service stems from the sacrifice that volunteers make in order to serve. Most volunteers are still subject to a lower standard of living than they are used to. They encounter a number of obstacles in their day-to-day lives, ranging from needing to learn to do laundry by hand to finding new and creative ways to travel. We are attempting to work and live in cultures far removed from our own and we're forced to relearn everyday tasks.
These obstacles can be overcome, but the distance from home and any sort of familiarity acts as a catalyst to any frustration. Much like the inaugural class of 1961, today's Peace Corps volunteers are leaving behind friends, families, and entire lives to serve abroad. While globalization may be our friend when it comes to living conditions, it may also make leaving home behind that much more difficult.
Every day, volunteers are reminded of what they are missing: births, deaths, weddings, graduations, retirements, and so much more. These reminders make it increasingly difficult to leave our lives behind and live in the present. Every problem comes with the additional weight of the lives we've left behind. While the volunteers of 1961 did serve under more difficult conditions, all Peace Corps volunteers know the struggles of being separated from family and friends; integrating into new cultures; and trying to build a new life. It is in this sacrifice that Peace Corps' true and steadfast legacy of service lies.
Blake Ruble - Blake Ruble has a B.A. in Religion from Wofford College and is currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mahalapye, Botswana.
