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.