Friday, February 28, 2014

Peace Corps Day

Happy 53rd birthday, Peace Corps!

Tomorrow is Peace Corps Day, and I cannot help reflecting on the impact Peace Corps has had on my life. Okay, to be honest, I reflect on it almost daily. I think of some aspect of my time in Suriname every single day. But I'm not going to write about that today. If you're reading this blog, you've probably read it before. You already know some of my stories and experiences, and you know how thankful I am to have served in Suriname. So, I'll get nostalgic and sappy about all that another time.

This time, I just want to talk about Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is one of the greatest ideas to ever come into existence. My Country Director in Suriname, George, talked a lot about how interesting it is that a government would have an agency dedicated to promoting peace and friendship. It is really interesting, and regardless of which political party you associate yourself with, The Peace Corps is something that, as citizens of the world, we should be incredibly thankful for. It's also something that as Americans, we should be incredibly proud to call ours. The commitment Peace Corps and Peace Corps Volunteers make to the countries they serve, is one of the greatest commitments Americans can make to the world. And America.



This is one of my favorite ads for Peace Corps. So much of being a Peace Corps Volunteer is about serving in another county and culture, but it's also about what happens after service, and returning to America. 

Peace Corps Volunteers are the best kind of people. Read more about what they dedicate two years of their life for in other countries, and know that for the rest of their lives once they return, they're better because of it. Their country of service is better because of it. America is better because of it. The world is better because of it. 

And for goodness sake, if you ever meet a Peace Corps Volunteer or Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, thank them for their service. 


We will only send abroad Americans who are wanted by the host country - who have a real job to do - and who are qualified to do that job. Programs will be developed with care, and after full negotiation, in order to make sure that the Peace Corps is wanted and will contribute to the welfare of other people. Our Peace Corps is not designed as an instrument of diplomacy or propaganda or ideological conflict. It is designed to permit our people to exercise more fully their responsibilities in the great common 
cause of world development.

Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs. Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed - doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language.

But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps - who works in a foreign land - will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace.

-John F. Kennedy

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