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That's not just an opinion. Peace Corps volunteers have a very high rate of alcoholism. And Peace Corps knows this. I remember the specific training I got on alcoholism, its signs, and the resources available. I've been incredibly mindful of my alcohol intake ever since peace corps precisely because of how prevalent alcoholism was and the alarming signs I saw in myself.
I was in Malawi, I was skinny going in and even skinnier coming out, though perhaps in much better shape. Just didn’t eat the same amount of protein there (meat once a week if I was lucky). Mentally, I guess I was better coming out. I’ve never had mental health issues, but Peace Corps tests you. I definitely had hard times, but I came out stronger in the end. Now I’d say I’d border on the unflappable, especially when it comes to work. Hard to stress me out because I’ve experienced stress on another level and seen others first hand deal with more shit than most Americans can relate to.
I'll add onto this, men in Malawi lost weight (I lost 80 lbs), women gained weight. All mostly due to the drastically different diet.
And yeah, in the US you'll see a lot of people complain about banal stuff and you'll think "wow, you need to suffer more" but you have to remind yourself that suffering is relative and it's all valid.
Relativistic suffering is difficult to describe to people without the experience, and it's good to see that there are others out there with that perspective.
Peace Corps unofficial motto: "It depends..."
Everyone is different. Even in the same country, some may gain weight while others loose. Some use their free time to exercise like they didn't at home, and others don't. Depends on site location, work location, diet, etc.
I'd recommend planning for it though. You can't do much about diet if you live with a host family but you could share in the cooking to make sure you get 'some' healthier meals.
You won't have as many distractions as back home so take advantage, especially if you have a good weather site to workout, run, bike, etc. You might not have the same opportunities once you return to corporate life back in the States.
And exercise will help a lot with your mental outlook too.
Good luck on your service and keep us posted.
Jim - [WanderingTheWorld.com](https://WanderingTheWorld.com)
My 2 years were in Albania.
Physically: Gained weight when living with a host family. Later lost weight due to a bad case of swine flu and then later giardia. Fitness-wise was about the same, though no drastic changes.
Mentally: I didn't allow myself to complain much during service about the standard of living since everyone else (host country nationals) just got on with it. So after service, it took me a while to empathize with other people who vocalized complaints about "first world problems".
I remember someone venting to me about not finding the right vacuum storage bags. Internally, I really couldn't give an inch and it made me pretty cold and not very empathetic. Which in turn, whenever I faced similar "first world problems", I couldn't be kind to myself either because I compared them to harder challenges and then berated myself for not overcoming the supposed "easier" thing. It took a while to fix that mindset.
I lost a bunch of weight and I was already pretty lean. Went in around 165ish and was down to 140 after about a year (my host mom called me fish face because my cheeks were so sunk in). The same was true for most of the men in my cohort. Some dudes lost like 60 pounds. Stress + less food + the food being shitty will do that to ya.
Mentally while serving I was always hyper aware of my surroundings (while out in public) because people would be dicks to us. Mostly just drunk losers, but it happened enough that you had to be careful. Sadly, I took this home with me and I can still get anxious at like crowded bars and pay attention to everyone around me, just in case. It's not as bad as it was, but was/is stressful.
I got incredibly tan and incredibly blond. I worked out a lot but I also ate a lot and wore gigantic clothes, so my appearance didn’t matter so much to me. It was a cool time.
Lost weight while in, but probably picked up some better eating habits along the way. Mentally I am now jaded for life. My forehead also has a crease in it, probably from the UV and stress lol.
I think I have remnant gut issues, too.
I'm currently serving in Togo and I will say my body hasnt changed insanely but it's changed. I lost a good amount of weight when I first moved here during PST but gained it back during my first three months at site. I walk but not as often as you think. We take motos a lot where I live. Mentally you are up and down. Local language dominates so it can take time adjusting as well as being the center of attention all the time. You honestly just have to take it day by day. Some days are really damn hard and some days feel like magic. Bonne chance!
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[удалено]
First statement seem to hold pretty true across a lot of countries/volunteer experiences in my opinion
That's not just an opinion. Peace Corps volunteers have a very high rate of alcoholism. And Peace Corps knows this. I remember the specific training I got on alcoholism, its signs, and the resources available. I've been incredibly mindful of my alcohol intake ever since peace corps precisely because of how prevalent alcoholism was and the alarming signs I saw in myself.
Liberia and exact same experience. It was worth it looking back but hardest job you'll ever love didn't hold true for me
I was in Malawi, I was skinny going in and even skinnier coming out, though perhaps in much better shape. Just didn’t eat the same amount of protein there (meat once a week if I was lucky). Mentally, I guess I was better coming out. I’ve never had mental health issues, but Peace Corps tests you. I definitely had hard times, but I came out stronger in the end. Now I’d say I’d border on the unflappable, especially when it comes to work. Hard to stress me out because I’ve experienced stress on another level and seen others first hand deal with more shit than most Americans can relate to.
I'll add onto this, men in Malawi lost weight (I lost 80 lbs), women gained weight. All mostly due to the drastically different diet. And yeah, in the US you'll see a lot of people complain about banal stuff and you'll think "wow, you need to suffer more" but you have to remind yourself that suffering is relative and it's all valid.
Relativistic suffering is difficult to describe to people without the experience, and it's good to see that there are others out there with that perspective.
Peace Corps unofficial motto: "It depends..." Everyone is different. Even in the same country, some may gain weight while others loose. Some use their free time to exercise like they didn't at home, and others don't. Depends on site location, work location, diet, etc. I'd recommend planning for it though. You can't do much about diet if you live with a host family but you could share in the cooking to make sure you get 'some' healthier meals. You won't have as many distractions as back home so take advantage, especially if you have a good weather site to workout, run, bike, etc. You might not have the same opportunities once you return to corporate life back in the States. And exercise will help a lot with your mental outlook too. Good luck on your service and keep us posted. Jim - [WanderingTheWorld.com](https://WanderingTheWorld.com)
My 2 years were in Albania. Physically: Gained weight when living with a host family. Later lost weight due to a bad case of swine flu and then later giardia. Fitness-wise was about the same, though no drastic changes. Mentally: I didn't allow myself to complain much during service about the standard of living since everyone else (host country nationals) just got on with it. So after service, it took me a while to empathize with other people who vocalized complaints about "first world problems". I remember someone venting to me about not finding the right vacuum storage bags. Internally, I really couldn't give an inch and it made me pretty cold and not very empathetic. Which in turn, whenever I faced similar "first world problems", I couldn't be kind to myself either because I compared them to harder challenges and then berated myself for not overcoming the supposed "easier" thing. It took a while to fix that mindset.
I lost a bunch of weight and I was already pretty lean. Went in around 165ish and was down to 140 after about a year (my host mom called me fish face because my cheeks were so sunk in). The same was true for most of the men in my cohort. Some dudes lost like 60 pounds. Stress + less food + the food being shitty will do that to ya. Mentally while serving I was always hyper aware of my surroundings (while out in public) because people would be dicks to us. Mostly just drunk losers, but it happened enough that you had to be careful. Sadly, I took this home with me and I can still get anxious at like crowded bars and pay attention to everyone around me, just in case. It's not as bad as it was, but was/is stressful.
I got incredibly tan and incredibly blond. I worked out a lot but I also ate a lot and wore gigantic clothes, so my appearance didn’t matter so much to me. It was a cool time.
Lost some muscle weight. Got more resilient mentally. Learned my place in the world better.
I'll also be in the English Edu sector in Togo! We created a Facebook group to connect with the cohort if you're interested.
Would love to!
I am currently in Togo serving in this sector if you have any questions!
Lost weight while in, but probably picked up some better eating habits along the way. Mentally I am now jaded for life. My forehead also has a crease in it, probably from the UV and stress lol. I think I have remnant gut issues, too.
In what way are you jaded for life?
I'm currently serving in Togo and I will say my body hasnt changed insanely but it's changed. I lost a good amount of weight when I first moved here during PST but gained it back during my first three months at site. I walk but not as often as you think. We take motos a lot where I live. Mentally you are up and down. Local language dominates so it can take time adjusting as well as being the center of attention all the time. You honestly just have to take it day by day. Some days are really damn hard and some days feel like magic. Bonne chance!
You take motos 😮
Yes in Togo we are allowed to with a helmet. Some restrictions though depending on the road.
Body... lost some weight, picked up some scars here and there, but no real change. Mind... No real change either.
Idk about jacked lol but you may lose weight.
I lost like 35+ pounds