My Site

Where You Can Find Me

I often get a lot of questions about my site as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia. The nascent program here in Colombia is significantly different from Peace Corps in other countries: Whereas in other countries, PCVs are often located outside of big cities – in small towns, villages, and rural outposts – most of the volunteers in Colombia are located in urban or peri-urban (just outside of city) areas. A Volunteer in, say, Paraguay or Peru, could expect to live for two years in a small town in a farming area or high on the barren altiplano of the Andes. In Colombia it is more common for a PCV to live in a middle or lower-middle class neighborhood in the beachside city of Santa Marta, industrial Barranquilla, or the touristy, historical city of Cartagena. 

The urban location or proximity of most sites in Colombia certainly appeals to many PCVs: Wait, you mean as a PCV in Colombia I can just hop on a city bus to go watch a movie at a mall and eat something different instead of having to make a cross-country trek for the nearest semblance of Americana? Fantastic! 

Other volunteers enter Peace Corps service with at least a fleeting romantic desire for life off the grid: Living in a mud hut or a yurt in the middle of nowhere with no Internet access or TV to return to the US after service and be able to regale friends and family members on how you survived two years without pizza, decent beer, knowledge about the most popular songs of the season, or having watched the latest episodes of the Daily Show or Top Chef. 

My site is not quite the urban experience of the majority of my co-volunteers, nor is it completely the isolated, middle-of-nowhere experience had by volunteers in parts of Mongolia, Namibia, or other countries. Close to a major Colombian city, my site is located on an island.

Situated a kilometer or two in the water in front of a major coastal city, this island contains four little towns (or, more accurately, “townships” since they are under the jurisdiction of the city) ranging in population from around 400 people to over 8,000 people. Most of the inhabitants of the four localities are Afro-Colombians, descendents of runaway slaves that escaped from the city and sought refuge in the lush forest on the island off the coast; the town where I am living has between 1,800-2,000 inhabitants, most of whose families have lived on the island (from what I gather) for the past 100 years or so.

On one hand, my site is the essence of development living: Plastic jugs sit waiting to be filled with water. With no potable water available on the island in the brackish bay, all the water for drinking, bathing, washing laundry and dishes, is brought in on boats from the city unless collected during rain storms. No plumbing means waste water – from toilets, buckets that serve as kitchen sinks, washing machines – ends up in latrines, septic tanks, the backyard, or the bay. 

On the other hand is modernity in full display: DirectTv satellites lining most rooftops, lighting up windows with the latest soap Colombian soap operas, live soccer games from all parts of Europe and Latin America, CNN Español broadcasting breaking news from NY, Atlanta, Washington, the Middle East, and other regions of the world (when the power isn’t out, that is).

From various spots around town, in the distance I can see the high rises of luxury condos in a wealthy neighborhood, the illuminating flames from gas companies, and the passing of loaded container ships bringing in cars from the United States, clothing Central America, and consumer electronics from Asia and cruise ships filled with tourists. 

Around me are concrete block houses and wooden board houses of varying degrees of development – some with nicely painted, vibrant facades and clean tile floors, others with empty living rooms and floors of packed dirt. Speakers parked on front porches blast a variety of music, deafeningly loud. Plastic bags, packaging from purchases in the city, refuse from houses and stores strewn the unpaved streets and backyards. Pigs, dogs, and chickens roam freely. 

The island, the town. The unimaginable wealth disparity from the city across the bay. It’s a strange mix of creature comforts and daily challenges, relaxing lifestyles and opportunities for constant stress. And it’s my site, my home for two years.

Common Questions

Common Questions

Although I have lived in Colombia for over a year now and served in my community for about 11 months, this is my first blog post. So – before I dive into the details of life as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in Colombia – it’s worth answering a few common questions to give some background information.


So what exactly is the Peace Corps?

The Peace Corps is an entity of the United States Government that promotes world peace and friendship on behalf of the citizens of the United States. The Peace Corps is a volunteer organization composed of US citizens who sign up to dedicate 27 months of their lives serving in another country and support small-scale, grassroots development initiatives in conjunction with the communities we live and work in at our sites. Volunteers may work in or across a range of topic areas, such as: Agriculture and food security; health, nutrition, and prevention of diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria, etc); education (math and sciences, English as a Second Language); community development; and youth development.

The Peace Corps has operated in over 100 countries across the world for the past 50 years. Started under President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the Peace Corps is funded by and overseen by the US Department of State which is represented here in Colombia by the US Embassy in Bogotá.


So you work for the US Embassy? I have a friend with a question regarding a visa – can you help?

Nope. Sorry. Although the US Embassy ultimately oversees the work of the Peace Corps here in Colombia, Peace Corps Volunteers have limited to no interaction with embassy staff. There are Peace Corps office staff that support us volunteers; this staff occasionally interact with the US embassy regarding safety and security of Peace Corps Volunteers (including approving vacation requests by Volunteers to travel outside of the coastal region of Colombia), rules, regulations, etc. But no – PCVs have no sway when it comes to visas or other tasks and activities of the embassy or other branches of the US government. I’ll also go ahead and mention that PCVs have absolutely no involvement or interaction with any military or intelligence operations or personnel. We’re just a group a folks supporting communities with development projects, teaching our host country community members about the US, and sharing our experiences abroad with people back home.


Okay. Got it. That makes sense. So what are you doing in Colombia then?

My group and I are supporting the government of Colombia in the area of “Teaching English for Livelihoods (TEL).” Colombia has an educational goal of having all Colombian public schools bilingual by 2019. Although there are some differences between how that will actually be implemented in each individual school and region of Colombia, that generally means that most students in Colombia’s public educational system should have some component of English within their education. The Peace Corps – by invitation of the Colombian government – is supporting this effort by providing volunteers that work with local Colombian English teachers in public schools. Our primary focus is to work in conjunction with the local teachers to plan classes, co-teach, and strengthen the English ability of the teachers, thereby helping Colombian students to develop English skills which can be useful in pursuing future employment opportunities on the coast. As volunteers serve for two years and then (most likely) leave to return to the US, the local teachers we work with will stay at their schools to continue their careers; the hope is that by enhancing the English and teaching capabilities of our Colombian counterparts, we can make a sustainable, positive impact to the English program in schools in communities that have traditionally not received much support and thereby increase employment and educational opportunities for the students and communities we work and live in.


You could teach English in many countries of the world. Why did you choose Colombia?

Good question. When applying to be a Volunteer, the Peace Corps decides – through a thorough and lengthy application process – where Volunteers serve and in what capacity. Applicants can provide a regional preference (Asia, Africa, Latin America, etc), but the ultimate determination is based on the project needs of the Peace Corps and host countries. Latin America is a very popular preference for many applicants for a variety of reasons: it’s not too far from the United States (whereas Africa and Asia are far), the appeal of spending two years learning and speaking Spanish is quite attractive to many people, and developing some nice salsa-dancing skills would be a good plus. Despite these reasons, my initial regional preference however was not Latin America; instead, Peace Corps decided that I would be sent to Latin America and then, within the region, to Colombia. With moderate Spanish ability prior to Peace Corps service and with previous experience teaching English in Latin America, it’s a good fit for me and an experience that – although not without its own unique challenges – is quite enjoyable and fulfilling.


Nice. Glad to hear that. So what can we expect from you in this blog?

In a nutshell, I hope to provide you with a glimpse into life in my host community off of Colombia’s north Atlantic coast and share what it’s like. I’ve got a few topics lined up to write about (food, music, life on an island, etc) but otherwise am open to ideas. Drop me a line. Hablamos.

Introduction

An Introduction of Sorts
Howdy. My name's Mike and I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) with the United States Peace Corps, serving in an Afro-Colombian community on the North Atlantic coast of Colombia. For my primary project I am working with English teachers in a public high school focusing on co-planning and co-teaching English classes to students from 6th to 11th grade. This blog is to share my experiences and the culture here on "The Coast" as I enter my second year of service.


Disclaimer! Disclaimer!
The views, perspectives, opinions, observations, etc contained in this blog are solely my own and do not reflect any position or stance of the Peace Corps or the United States government; I alone am responsible for the content of this blog. Got it?


The Naming of the Blog
Arriving to school for the high school part of the day (the afternoon), it's standard practice to greet the other teachers before any actual teaching or planning. This usually involves saying Hi, asking how the other person is doing, asking about the weekend if it is the start of the week, inquiring about weekend plans if it's a Thursday or Friday, and so forth.

Dairo is a science teacher at my school. When I ask him how he is, he usually responds with a typical "costeño" phrase "Ahí, por la orilla" meaning "There, by the shore" before often elaborating "como el pez pequeño para que no le coman los peces grandes" or in English "like the little fish so the big fish don't eat him."

I find this an appropriate response that resonates with me and, since I also live on an island with a bay as my backyard, an appropriate name for a blog documenting my time here on the coast. If you need to find me I'll be "there, by the shore."