Dear Concetta:
I am a vegan (I don’t eat meat or dairy). In your experience as a recruitor, have you come across anyone with this dietary concern? If so, how does the Peace Corps handle this preference?
Sara
(Concetta Comment: At this point, I feel slightly obliged to point out that I am not making these questions ups-even though this is shaping up to be a “Greatest Hits” blog of great applicant questions… keep em comin folks!)
Hi Sara,
Thanks for getting in touch. Get ready for a long answer to a short question because being a vegan (or a vegetarian) can definitely make your application process more complicated.
Here’s why- Let’s say you are a newly minted Peace Corps volunteer in X country. You sail through training and off you go to your village. This village is filled with great people and lots of challenges. It is not filled with lots of protein- between them they have 10 goats. In any case, you arrive at your village and in honor of this big event (because more often than not, it IS a big deal) the village has decided to kill a goat. So, your new community has chosen to offer up 10% of its collective protein as a welcome gift and…. you don’t eat meat.
Now, you might be thinking “Come on, that is SO “Sixties” Peace Corps is in big towns, small cities and BIG cities for that matter.” All true. the challenge is that your placement is mostly predicated on your skill set. So, what to do???
1) You can stick to your vegan guns and hope that there is a vegan friendly country that requests your skills. This could take a while. But has it ever happened? Sure. In all my years recruiting I can think of one time in particular that this worked out.
2) You could talk this over with your recruiter and try to get a sense of what places can accommodate vegan/vegetarian dietary restrictions and see if there are ways that you can make yourself more competitive for those programs.
3) If at all possible, you might consider a moratorium or sabbatical. Several of my friends with whom I served and many people that I recruited took this path. One of my friends was vegan on her way into Thailand but after settling in and experiencing the above situation (not so much goats, but definitely chickens), and being able to appreciate how much closer people are to the actual food chain- she decided to eat meat. Now, does this mean that she ran out and tucked in to the first Mongolian BBQ she could find? Of course not. But it does mean that when necessary, she ate meat. Oh, and very important… “necessary” refers to more than culturally appropriate- it can also be nutritionally necessary. Many of the products that make a vegan life possible (soy, tofu, other protein sources) are not available where volunteers serve- so getting sufficient protein can be more challenging than you might think.
So Sara, the upshot is you have options, and you have a lot to think about. Thanks again for the question and please keep me posted.
Concetta
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Wow. What a great question. And a very thoughtful answer. Good job!
Another question arises from this one. I’m nominated for Sept 2009, and I’ve heard this advice (”disclose, disclose, disclose”) before.
Okay, I admit, I’m a worrier. As an older volunteer, I have a long past. I’m worrying that there might be something I’m forgetting to disclose.
Is there a list somewhere of things that it’s important to disclose? Better still, is there a list of things that can get you in trouble (disqualify you)? Such a list might help nominees be SURE that they’ve disclosed all relevant stuff from their past.
I know there are medical things, but even this can be problematic. I’ve tried to disclose everything, but with 50+ years of medical history, worry there might still be something. If I knew more about what they might be looking for, it would help me be sure I’ve disclosed. I’ve never been arrested (fortunately), but are there other things besides criminal records that can get a nominee disqualified?
Thanks for this column; it’s great and fills a real need.
Dear Concetta,
I just graduated from college and am very interested in joining the Peace Corps. However, ideally, I would leave in the fall of 2010, as I have plans for the summer of 2010.
When would the best time to apply be and is my desire to join the Peace Corps after the summer of 2010 too rigid of a date?
Thank you!
Why not inform the peace corp family/village that the voluteer does not eat meat of any kind? If peace corp trains the volunteers, why not train the host family?
Lee of Detroit
Here’s my experience as a vegan applying for the Peace Corps: http://www.veganmainstream.com/vegan-uncensored-no-vegans-in-the-peace-corps
Maybe this recruiter needs to speak to my recruiter.
As a vegan and current Peace Corps volunteer I wanted to add my 2 cents:
I have been vegan for 6 years and vegetarian for over 11 mostly for animal rights reasons but also for health, environmental, and human rights reasons as well. When I applied to peace corps, my recruiter said I had to be flexible about being vegetarian not just vegan aka I had to be willing to eat meet. I decided to lie and agreed to the proposition though secretly I was planning on sticking to the veganism.
I have been in country for almost a year. Luckily, I have been able to completely avoid animal products and still be culturally sensitive and more than nutritionally sound. Once I got to country, staff was completely supportive of my veganism. They set me up with host families willing and able to handle vegan cooking. I can’t say its always been easy and yes I have had to be flexible meaning - going hungry when only options are meat, possibly paying more to ensure my health (though I think being veggie is cheaper here), working a little harder to make sure I am eating nutritiously, being patient explaining to others why I am veg. I can’t say I have been perfect ie when I am served something could have been snuck in but the same is true in the states. I also reject non-vegan food in a very cultural sensitive way. I am not in your face about it but I feel as part of the PC mission I need to also represent USA culture which does include the minority population of vegetarians that is growing quickly.
I can’t speak for all of peace corps and all countries but I do want to give my voice that it is possible and can work. Contact me for any additional questions or comments.
~Lisette
This article reeks of misinformation. Protein has nothing to do with it - it’s the other vitamins and minerals that are of concern. Virtually noone is protein deficient - rather, they are simply not eating enough fruits and veggies to get their nutrients. Protein is so overrated in general, that’s why world cultures survive on grain and starch foodstuffs as the bulk of their diet. It is totally possible to live a healthy life while abstaining from eating meat. The need for sustainable agriculture and humane animal husbandry continues.
This discussion reminds me of a bus trip my wife and I made up in the Andes. In a miniscule village, our driver led us into a one room adobe building with five simple tables which had uneven plank tops. The menu included chicken broth, goat’s meat with rice and beans, and noodles with a single chicken wing. No substitutions were allowed, it said. A couple from Brisbane, Australia who sat next to us discussed the menu very loud.
“I told you to buy more raisins, Sam. This is the third time in four days. Look at my skin pallor! I thought Indians respected nature and animals.”
“I could try and just ask for the rice and beans,” said her boyfriend.
The waiter came over to their table. “Si?”
“Vegetarianos,” they said in unison and the waiter looked at them. He showed them the menu, holding it up and pointing to the three items and pronouncing the names of the dishes slowly. They asked for substitutes.
The waiter tried again but they insisted. The waiter pointed to his chest and said, “Indio.” Then he pointed to the menu and said, “Menu.” He lifted one hand and shook his index finger from side to side. “No hay sustitucion.”
They ordered goats meat with rice and beans while we settled for the chicken wings. The coffee tasted like mud but I figured it had been ground that monring.