Before I left for the Peace Corps, I embarked on a series of
trips throughout the United States to see my closest friends for the last time
before I started my service. During my
stop in NYC, I remember hanging out with two of my best friends, Roshan and Chad,
while we were at a bar. When they
thought I was out of earshot, I caught them saying to each other “of all of the
places for him to be placed, Chris is going to have it easy living in Europe,
in his own apartment, with internet, indoor plumbing, etc.” That was about 6 months ago, and I was a few
beers deep, so obviously I could not remember what they said verbatim, but the
gist of what they were discussing had a point.
I was assigned to a country that many other PCVs called “Posh
Corps.” What makes a country “Posh
Corps”? Accessibility to such items as
indoor plumbing, reliable internet and plumbing, modern supermarkets, scheduled
modes of transportation, and an absence of exotic diseases like malaria and yellow
fever are some factors that contribute to making one’s experience in a Peace
Corps country more “posh” than the experience in other countries. Eventually, independent filmmakers and PCVs
will release a documentary addressing the experience of “Posh Corps”. To see a trailer of the movie, access the
link below.
Now of course, as I describe the idea of “Posh Corps”, many
people would naturally respond “Well, any Peace Corps volunteer serving in a
country in Europe is going to have an easier time. It’s Western Civilization, so the challenges
continent-wide naturally will be less basic than the needs of the people in the
countries of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania.” Before I started my service here, I thought
the same as well. I was mentally
preparing myself for service in a country where I could make the biggest
impact, but I was “unfortunate” enough to be placed in a country where people
were not struggling to make ends meet. As
we progressed through the first week of PST, Peace Corps assuaged our worries
about being in Southeast Europe by saying that the “problems” here were
different than those in other continents.
For example, in some countries, volunteers may be building a well. Currently, I am working to create online
promotions through Photoshop. Even
though the problems are unique, building a well will more often receive a
bigger pat on the back than the latter project.
As recent events have shown, these caveats about the unique
problems in our host countries have proven true. As those who keep up with the news know,
Ukraine has succumbed to protests in the capital, and the president of Ukraine
has fled, leaving much of the national government in flux. Due to the protests and lack of stability in the
country, the 200 PCVs currently serving in Ukraine have been evacuated (see
below for the official link). And the
issues that led to this terrible situation are ubiquitous throughout the
region- corruption, ethnic tensions, graft, etc. I do not believe that Macedonia is heading
toward the fate of Ukraine anytime soon, but the major issues in both countries
are not very different.
Reflecting on the “Posh Corps” label, I decided to undergo
my own research to see how Macedonia ranked in terms of poverty when compared
to other Peace Corps countries. I have a
friend/ college classmate who is currently serving in Botswana, and I decided
to compare both of countries. For
comparison’s sake, both countries were luckily similar in some
demographics. Both are landlocked
countries, and while Botswana is much larger than Macedonia, both have about
the same population (Botswana had a population of 2.03 million in 2011, and Macedonia
had a population of 2.06 million in 2011).
However, the GDP (nominal) of Botswana is certainly higher than
Macedonia’s ($16 billion per year compared to Macedonia’s $10 billion per
year). Since the cost of living is much
lower than that of Macedonia, at PPP the citizens of Botswana are more than 4
times richer than the citizens of Macedonia (when measured in GDP per
capita).
Of course, much of the economy of Botswana relies on mining,
so the income gap among the people of Botswana is most likely wide. However, a current comparison of the two
countries cannot be made. While the Gini
coefficient of Macedonia in 2008 was 44.2 (even lower, or with better income
equality, than the income gap in of the USA!), Botswana’s Gini coefficient
measured at 63 in 1994. This is one of
the highest Gini coefficients on record, but much has probably changed in the
past 20 years. Finally, PCVs in Botswana
probably face issues volunteers in Eastern Europe never face, including debilitating
diseases and serious natural disasters.
I was definitely surprised by the numbers that I found when
comparing the two countries. It is
likely that some of the host families with which the PCVs are living with in
Botswana are moderately richer than the families in Macedonia. Of course, I do not know what it is like to
live in Botswana, but if the equality in Botswana has approached that of
Macedonia, then volunteers there are probably addressing the same issues that
we are, including institution building, youth development, health awareness,
and education. Overall, this comparison
is made to show a PCV’s experience may be similar across regions. It also shows that, although continents like
Africa and South America may seem more dire, certain countries on continents
like Europe can all of a sudden fall apart (as Ukraine did).
In the end, I am fully aware that my experience here is more
posh than in other host countries. But PCVs
would not be here unless we were wanted and needed. And sometimes us PCVs need to remind
ourselves that it is not only the volunteers who sleep under mosquito nets or
bathe in rivers who make the most impact.
Some volunteers increase their neighbors’ life expectancy by increasing
health standards, helping to build infrastructure, and introducing basic
technologies to a community. Other
volunteers improve the quality of life by improving attitudes and institutions
that underline democracy, gender equality, youth development, capital markets,
and efficiency. I am finally beginning
to understand the different challenges that my host country faces, even if they
are more “posh” than those of other countries.
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