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Toni Schneider is a former Peace Corps Volunteer who was stationed in Bulgaria from 2005- 2007. National Geographic has had the pleasure of her company in our education department since then, and we’re honored to highlight her experiences on the blog.  We couldn’t think of a better way to end Geography Awareness Week than by noting one very important application of geographic knowledge and skills: volunteerism and global activism.

When people hear that I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, it elicits one of two responses: “I always wanted to join the Peace Corps!” or “The Peace Corps? Is that a real job?”  In honor of Geography Awareness Week, My Wonderful World asked me to write about my Peace Corps experience through the lens of careers in geography. Check out the Google Earth tour “Geography on the Job” to get a glimpse of my work with the Roma community in Bulgaria. 

Ever wonder what a volunteer does all day long?  See my “Day in the Life” section at the end of this post.

What inspired me to join

Every Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) is asked, “Would you do it again?” For me, I’ve already shouted “yes!” before the question has been finished.  Serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer completely changed my perspective on the world, without changing the person that I am.  Anyone searching for an extraordinary way to truly experience a culture (eating chocolate gelato in front of the Trevi fountain does not count!), learn a little language and a lot about humility should seriously consider joining the Peace Corps.  As a community member, a Peace Corps Volunteer walks through an ever-revolving door, changing their role more frequently than their wardrobe – becoming everything from inquisitive stranger, to technology whiz, and hopefully, to community member and beloved friend.  The transition from one role to another is filled with fear, confusion and tears, but equally, respect, joy and clarity.

People are familiar with the sentiment that inspired John F. Kennedy to create the Peace Corps, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”   What they don’t know is that he also said, “The logic of the Peace Corps is that someday we are going to bring it home to America."This more than anything continues to inspire me personally, as well as influence my career path.  

I spent my entire childhood growing up on the Rosebud Reservation in southern South Dakota, a place not so dissimilar to my Peace Corps work in the Roma ghettos in Bulgaria. Faced with not only soaring unemployment, but also below-average life expectancies, lack of opportunities, and inadequate education, most youth on the reservation and the Roma ghetto have little hope to succeed in either career or education.  Those with hope often do not have the means, and those with the means have hardened to things like hope, and would prefer to leave their home communities and never return.  I treated Peace Corps as an opportunity to be trained to work in impoverished communities, and the experience has given me many ideas about the types of programming and development methods that I hope I can one day help to apply to my home community.  I would like to see a youth movement that functions like a civic council – researching problems, hearing concerns, and finding solutions that fit the community.  This kind of program not only empowers youth to become leaders, it also gives them a sense of ownership over improvements to their city. I feel very fortunate to have had the life experiences that I’ve had, and feel it’s very important to give back to my community.  Ultimately, I would like to return home to the Rosebud to become the change agent Peace Corps trained me to be.

 

 

Day in the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer
Bulgaria, 2007

9:25 am
I arrive just in time for the weekly staff meeting at the Pernik Municipal Palace of Culture where I help create arts education projects.  Before the meeting even begins, I’m scolded by coworkers for coming to work with wet hair, do I really want to catch a cold and die? (How was I supposed to know that my neighbor turned off the electricity to fix something in his apartment? So much for my hair dryer!)

10:30am
All of the typing games I played in middle school have paid off, and my coworkers believe I’m a computer genius.  Today I’m teaching our Public Relations person how to use PowerPoint for a meeting with the Minister of Education and Culture.  This presentation should give us the edge to receive the funding we need for an upcoming multimedia arts education project.  Since my organization is not-for-profit, we have no revenue of our own to support any programs or ideas that we create.  To help fund our ideas, we often write grants in either English or Bulgarian, depending on the source of the funding.

11:05am
During a mid-day coffee break, I review daily newspaper headlines with my coworkers Ivan and Sasho.  Their favorite topic: Do I really think America will elect a woman or a minority as President?

11:30am
The Regional Expert on Ethnographic Affairs has proposed a music and dance program that would include youth from each ethnic group in Pernik.  This idea would bridge the work done in both of my organizations, the Palace of Culture, and my primary assignment, a non-governmental organization that focuses on building tolerance among multi-ethnic youth in our city, O Romano Drom.  We look at some strengths and weaknesses in the community, and identify possible partner organizations.

1pm
Finally, time for lunch!  My best friend, Ogniana, happens to be in the city center.  Her work as an investigator for the local police is often demanding, especially as she is the only female in her district.  We catch up at a local pizzeria, and before going back to work, she hands me a basket of fresh vegetables from her father’s garden.

2:30pm
I accompany some coworkers to several electronics stores to compare prices for the budget we are preparing as part of a grant proposal. Since credit cards and checks are barely existent, most of our purchases are made by cash to local merchants.  Being a “locavore” in Bulgaria isn’t a question of lifestyle or choice, it’s business as usual.

4pm
Back to O Romano Drom where a group of Roma students are anxiously awaiting our bi-weekly English lesson.  I am sometimes hesitant about teaching, but the informal style of our “English Club” means the students are in high spirits.

5pm
Many rising musicians pass through the Balkans, and frequently, they perform at the Palace of Culture.  One foreigner is news enough, but two (one of whom speaks the local language) almost always brings the media around.  I spend a few minutes translating an interview with the local TV station before running off to my next event.

5:30pm
A group of local women gather once a week to rehearse old Slavonic songs. Rehearsal never begins without a few cups of coffee and news about former or future choir members. They keep telling me our CD will be released soon…

7pm

My coworker, Desislava, and her family has adopted me as one of their own, and that means I get great home cooked meals!  Dinner starts out with a traditional shopska salata (fresh cucumbers and tomatoes topped with “Bulgarian” feta), several salamis and a glass of local spirits.  The main course is a stew-like entrée, cooked in a clay pot covered in traditional Bulgarian art.  Dinner rarely lasts less than 3 hours, so by the time I catch the bus back to my apartment, I’m exhausted but so happy to have one more day in Bulgaria as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Looking to broaden your horizons, taste new foods, meet fascinating friends, participate in international development work, practice your translation skills, and maybe even record an album in a foreign language?! There are few better hands-on experiences for geographers than the Peace Corps. Learn more about the Peace Corps at PeaceCorps.gov.

Teachers—bring the world, and important topics like international development, cross-cultural communication, and many more—to your students through the eyes and letters of Peace Corps volunteers with World Wise Schools’ educational resources.

Images:
1. 50th Anniversary celebration of the arts council where Toni worked in Bulgaria
2. Maps of the Rosebud Reservation where Toni spent her childhood in southern South Dakota
3. Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

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Comments

[sarah]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
http://www.thetreadmillguide.com