I’m a few weeks into PST, and I've become really depressed. The language is difficult, and I feel like I'm the last person in my class who's struggling. I don't really connect with the people in my cohort. It's not that they're unlikeable; I just feel like we can't relate to each other. Everyone seems to be coasting by while I'm visibly struggling, and it's hard not to compare myself to them.

On top of that, I'm not happy with my host family, and living with them adds even more stress. I still have another month and a half of PST to get through, and I honestly don't know how I'm supposed to do it. I'm also worried that my permanent placement could be even worse.

The thing is, I'm not even sure why I joined in the first place. I don't have any particular aspirations in life, and I didn't have a huge reason for applying. Now I feel like I have to force myself to complete the two years, or else I've wasted everyone's time. I feel embarrassed at the thought of leaving early, and I wonder if it's just my ego making me feel like I have to prove that I can do this. Maybe I just feel lost.
I know PST is supposed to be challenging, but I didn't expect to feel this way. I was completely fine before coming here, and I haven't felt this kind of depression since childhood.

I'm overwhelmed by language homework, classes, practicum, hub days, and constantly having to be "on" around other people. I feel like I have nowhere I can just break down and cry without having to put myself back together and face the world again. I've lost the motivation to participate, study, and interact with people. I'm losing hope and energy, and I can't imagine doing this for another two years when I'm already struggling this much.

I don't really feel supported by the staff, so I haven't felt comfortable reaching out to them. I just feel incredibly alone in all of this.

I guess I'm wondering if anyone else has felt this way during PST. Did anyone else struggle this much while it seemed like everyone around them was doing fine? How did you get through it? Did things get better once you reached your permanent site, or did you end up realizing that Peace Corps wasn't right for you?

I don't necessarily need someone to tell me to push through or remind me that PST is supposed to be hard. I think I just want to hear from people who have genuinely felt this way, because right now it feels like I'm the only one.

Hello friends, I'm graduating in spring 2027 with my BA in political science and BS in psychology. I'm looking to get started on my application very soon to depart sometime this summer, preferably in July or August. I'm 21F with a squeaky-clean background, in good health, with no preexisting physical or mental health conditions, so I'm mostly just concerned with the application and interview. I'm pretty nervous about the whole process because I really want to do this. If this falls through, I'd probably just join the military, but I don't really like getting yelled at or camo, so here's to hoping this all works out. I have two main concerns listed below.

1. I have already reached out to a recruiter, and I was wondering how you guys have utilized them as a resource. I kind of interpreted the email as, "Use this Zoom link if you have questions." Would you recommend using them or just doing the application by myself with no help if I feel I do not need it, or is it tomato tomato?

2. I have taken a look at the listings that actually match my preference for my sector and departure date. I'm looking to do youth development specifically. I'm less concerned with location than with the other factors, but I truly am flexible assuming they extend an offer to me. When I filtered for these, my main options were Madagascar (leaving in August) or the Philippines (leaving in July). Originally, I was going to apply where needed to try to optimize my chances of acceptance, but I'm entertaining the idea of just applying to one of those two. I know nobody has a precise answer to the exact acceptance percentage of option A over B, but if anyone has some perspective as to which would be wiser, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance :)

I really think I have a strong written app and references. However, I just did my interview today and I feel like I was so visibly nervous. I was able to demonstrate that I did do some detail oriented research but I don’t know if all of that sufficiently offsets just how nervous I came off 😭 Did anyone feel the same?

Hi hoping this is the right place for my inquiry. I have a twin sister that is about to spend a semester in Kenya for medical school. I really want to put together a going away care package for her! I am hoping for ideas for things she might need or want. Even bigger if it’s something she wouldn’t have even considered she might need or want. Thank you all.

I’m currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa and am supporting a community-led waste management project through the Peace Corps Partnership Program.

If you’re able to contribute, donations will help support the project and its implementation. If you’re not able to donate, simply sharing the link with others would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the support!

Howdy y’all!

I originally applied to be an English Teacher in Montenegro (I’ve been studying BCMS in college) a few days before the application deadline in June, and got an email in late August about being rejected from Montenegro based on the Health History Form.

Thankfully, they told me that my application is being reviewed for the English Teacher position in Moldova, where the application window is June 1 - October 15th. Over the past few months I have gained more cultural exchange experience and have completed a study abroad program, so I am hopeful that these updates will help my application.

For those of you who have applied for Moldova or other Peace Corps Volunteer positions, how long did it take between your application submission, and Peace Corps reaching out to your references?

I’m really hoping to get a chance to volunteer in Moldova and have learning experiences that will help be a better future public servant through empathy

Do you have to take a drug test for medical clearance?

Share with us any photo from your country of service! Please note that pictures of minors are not permitted.

I'm an RPCV (China 2)-turned journalist/author, now a professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, where I teach Nonfiction Writing. Posting here because one of my MFA students is an RPCV (Guatemala)-turned journalist who is benefiting from our fully-funded program as he works on a book. If you're interested in an MFA in Nonfiction, please see our program's website, or DM me. One of our most recent graduates is shortlisted for this year's National Book Award, and many others have published their thesis manuscript and gone on to careers in publishing or academia. Plus, Pittsburgh is a great city! Applications open December 10, and close on January 7.

So I submitted my application yesterday, and while I was filling out the medical form this morning, I realized that I had put my birthday in wrong somehow on the initial application. I have no idea how I missed it, but it's only one digit off (ex, I wrote 1 instead of 10). So now I can't submit the medical form because the birthdays don't match. I emailed the recruitment email, but when I call the general phone line, it just hangs up on me. Does anyone have any advice as to who I should contact? I realize how dumb this mistake is, but I'd like to fix it asap. Thanks for any help:)

Hi hi! Some of you may remember me well I asked for advice and good luck about my interview for Mongolia. Well here's the update i promised you, I got in.🥳🥳🥳 I'm super excited and happy about this. Honestly I was a nervous wreck waiting for the decision to be made so now I can be normal again lol.

I speak Spanish. do you feel that you can connect better with people in the community and have a better more effective service if you come in already speaking the language? or does it not matter?

Hello im a 20 year old undergrad, I'm still in school studying environmental geoscience my plan is to graduate in a year and join the peace corps to use my degree to help people affected by natural disaster. I specialize in air and soil health; I want to work more on a hands-on humanity level which is why I think the peace corps will work for me. Ive heard both good and bad things from teachers and mentors in my life about the peace corps. I suppose my question for those who have served is, did you represent a foundation you respect? Did you feel morally good about your work and do you think I'll fulfill my goal there?- sorry if this is super out of touch I clearly have more research to do, but where else do you start besides reddit lol.

How many references need to complete their forms to get an interview?
2/3 of mine submitted.

Hoping to get some opinions on my qualifications for PC Response, and some advice for the application processes...

My strongest qualifications are as follows:

• Graduating from a dual-master program in May 2027 with a Master of Social Work specializing in Social Work Within Justice Systems, and a Master of Public Health in Community Health Sciences.
• Over five years of experience working in youth case management programs in Chicago, IL. (3 years as a case manager working directly with migrant youths, victims of human trafficking, incarcerated or justice-involved youth, young mothers and children, and youth with significant mental health diagnoses) (2 and a half years of program management experience managing state grants for a violence prevention team. Included supervision and leadership for a staff of 20, monitoring and evaluation, program data reporting, partnership development, and strategic planning.)
• Created my own after-school boxing program for youths under juvenile probation.
• I also have a couple of years of experience working in the United States Forest Service as a wildland firefighter in California and Oregon.
• A2 Spanish speaking and comprehension skills.

I would prefer a health sector position, but realize that I might be more qualified for a youth development posting(?) and just have a couple of questions before I start to pull the trigger on some of these applications:

1. How many applications are we allowed to submit at one time? Is there a different review committee for every application?

2. Would it be bad to tailor or word my resume and experience differently for different positions? I'm guessing that might raise some red flags.

3. Is anyone going to care about the wildfire experience? To me it’s relevant in a lot of ways that are more intuitive, but not as technically applicable.

4. I've seen some posts saying how most of the response positions are for PCVs. How true is this? I applied and was offered a PC posting in 2022, but turned it down to pursue my career/education in Chicago. Would love to hear how competitive my experience would be for one of these positions.

Thank you in advance!

Can Whereabouts be used against you? If you take an overnight trip without approval but report it in Whereabouts, does Peace Corps actually go through the system looking for people who may have violated travel rules, or is it just used for locating volunteers in an emergency?

The country in which I’m serving requires proof of visa for marriage. Only my PC passport has the visas for the country, not my personal. am I allowed to use the PC provided no-fee passport as identification when applying for the marriage certificate? assuming my have my CDs approval. Thanks

Use this thread to vent your frustrations. We're all here to lend an ear.

Hey everyone, I know this is a bit of an odd question, but I wanted to see if anyone could give some insight on the references process.

I have been living overseas for university, and one of the references I’d like to use is my boss for my tutoring job. Tutoring has been a major reason behind increasing my interest in the peace corps, but my boss cannot speak much English.

Are the references mainly called or contacted via email?

I would like to use them as it’s my only reference who could comment on my work experience that’s applicable to peace corps. However, I also don’t want to waste one reference if the reference process is heavily dependent on phone calls.

Hello! I will be in Lilongwe for 3 days in December. Are there any cheap guest houses or hostels that y’all typically stay at? Let me know, thanks!

If you had the RPCV opportunity to earn an Associates degree (2 years) at no charge, what choice of degree would you select and why? Think in terms of 2030, what’s in high-demand, and what seems to be working and not working in today’s job market. Thanks!

Hello! I (22M) am currently a college student thinking about post college plans. Right now I'm not fully committed to a major, but I intend to do environmental science or civil engineering with an environmental science minor. I am thinking about specifically seeking to go to Nepal, as I actually already speak fluent Nepali because of two years of religious volunteer work(one of the reasons I'm starting college at 22). What should I know, and, more importantly as I'm several years out, what should I do now to prepare? I don't have any actual environmental science experience yet although that's my degree, but I have tons and tons of volunteering experience.

Let's say I want to join the Peace Corps but take certain psychiatric medication that may disqualify me. If I didn't tell the Peace Corps, made sure to choose a country where my medication is available, and paid for the doctors visits and meds out of pocket secretly, is there any way they could find out?