Of the three main missions of the Peace Corps, two of them relate to cultural exchange: one in showing people who might not have otherwise come into contact with an American a real face that they can relate to, and the other being bringing a part of a foreign culture back to Americans that might not otherwise have traveled to that place. Just the fact that these mission statements exist points to one thing--that these are not simple tasks to accomplish. In part they happen without effort. But, also, the difficulties with them affect volunteers whether they are actively pursuing these activities or not, even to the point of affecting relationships with friends and family back home. This article is part of a series depicting some of my experiences from service in the U.S. Peace Corps.
First, I should state that the world has changed drastically even since my service in Guinea from 1998-2000. Mobile phones and internet access are much, much more common almost everywhere than they were in Guinea in those years. So, in many ways, this account is more of a explanation of the way things used to be regarding communications, but from my meeting with other volunteers around the world since then, the cross-cultural issues remain the same. In the same way, ever post is different, and many even if posted to the same country will have a different experience. That said, one viewpoint is better than none.
The crux of the situation is this: a person (the Peace Corps volunteer) is taken from one familiar environment (food, weather, culture, language) and is immersed in an unfamiliar environment. The number of differences is too many to really describe to someone who hasn't experienced them without the aid of volumes of books and video. So, the many layers of shared cultural understanding that exist between you and the people you know starts to be disconnected by new layers you are building in the new environment.
[ad name="Adsense Small Horz Banner"] Some common perceptions among Americans who stay behind about what you as a volunteer are doing (most of these being from people who do not know you well) vary between trying to save the world with your bare hands, tackling a great adventure, or recklessly leaving behind the only secure place in the world for some dangerous and unhealthy environment. But for the volunteer, the normality that one quickly adjusts to in the new environment makes understanding those other perspectives almost impossible after a few quick months.
Friends and family should remember to continually ask questions about whatever they are curious about, as for the volunteer, many things quickly seem so normal they might not be worth mentioning. Consequently, the communication on points people really want to hear about on both sides, can be reduced.
Another aspect appears as well, which can hamper communication. Many general cultural attitudes among Americans towards the undeveloped are unflattering to say the least. While friends and family may not have personally expressed those ideas to the volunteer, it may be in the back of the mind. So, details about the lives of their new host-country friends may be left out if the volunteer thinks they may be interpreted in the wrong way, conforming to some American stereotype about them.
How does a volunteer avoid this being a problem and make it a success?
First, have family and friends visit the volunteer at his/her post. There is nothing better than being able to share in person some of the indescribable things that might not otherwise get communicated. Two weeks is a far cry from two years in terms of really understanding a place and it's people, but it at least establishes a foundation with which to share and explain other experiences and events during one's service. The bond between people who have experienced some of these out-of-the-way places for any length of time is substantial and should not be underestimated in its significance. [ad name="Peace Corps In Line Banner"] I had the opportunity to visit the US for a few weeks in the middle of my service, which helped me to reconnect with several of my friends and family, but it was not the same as those whose families or fiends could visit them at their post. I did take the opportunity to visit a class room of American students while there who had been corresponding with me during my service, which was an enlightening experience for both sides. There can be a benefit to the volunteer returning home for a visit depending on how home sick or culturally frustrated he or she may feel in their circumstances, but those did not happen to be my particular struggles. Some Peace Corps administrators will personally discourage going home as they have all had experience with those who decided to terminate their service after similar, supposedly temporary trips.
Second, write lots of letters and take lots of pictures (and even video if it is feasible). While my best regular communication with home was through actual letters, a volunteer today might have ready access to the internet, a mobile phone, and other means available to them.
Third, learn the language, learn the cuisine, learn the culture. Then, share parts of that with people back home. One of my best experiences in this vein was when I was helping a group of undergraduate students in Engineers Without Borders with a project taking place in Mali. One night I made a Guinean dinner for them, shared my pictures, and talked about my service answering their questions about the West African culture, environment, and other things. To spend that length of time in a place and not emerge intimate with the people you live with will be a sincere regret in the future, as it will leave you with an psychological experience without the concrete details that enable you to share with someone else in the future.
Fourth, when you return whether for a visit or at the end of service, talk to people, lots of people about your service. Speak to classrooms of children and adults, speak to assemblies of students, speak to non-profit organizations and others who might have any reason to be interested in your experiences or what you learned during your service. this not only fulfills one of the major goals of the Peace Corps, but it makes real for others what mostly exists only in your head when you walk around in America.