future interview question/ not sure how to answer

[PookieGirl]

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So I was in the Peace Corps as a health educator. THe program was to last 27 months, and I left after 10. There are several reasons.

1) I felt that as a white female American working without a villager as my counterpart in an African village, people would not take me seriously nor would my effort get anywhere. For example, I tried for months to let the school teachers let me into their classrooms for 5 minutes just to introduce myself and see if there was interest in starting a health club. There was always some reason I coudn't visit briefly-- the teachers were too busy, the students needed all the time to practice for a parade, it was the last day of school, there's a new principal- you have to talk to him first. Literally it took months, and by that time I was fed up with the slow effort and decided to come home.

2) I was very unhappy at all my unstructured time. The village clinician had no schedule and so I and he never knew when he'd be in town. So it was very difficult to plan activities at the health center when he didn't know if he'd be there. Even when we did plan things, I had work for all of a few hours. So much of my time was spent hanging out and I found all that unstructured time, away from home, to be quite depressing.

3) When I returned briefly to the US, 9/11 happened. My biggest fear while I was in the peace corps was that something would happen to my family members while I was gone, and while 9/11 didn't involve them directly, my mom is a flight attendant and my older brother flies all the time.

4) The chief of my village was visiting my house late at night. I had a good relationship with the man in that we talked and were friendly, which Peace Corps always encourages. But he visited my house late night (the only reason I know it was so late is because he'd tell me the next day that he came to visit but because I hadn't heard him I reasoned that I must have been asleep). Because in that culture, men and women aren't platonic friends like we have in the US, I worried that his visits would further destroy my credibility. Not to mention he was creepy and I felt unsafe.

While it took me a while to make the very difficult decision to leave my commitment early, that's what I did. I came home. I have some regrets. Could I have accomplished something? Should I have simply switched villages after 10 months and tried again? But at the same time, I'm doing research now that will potentially benefit developing countries, and if I hadn't come home early, maybe I wouldn't be doing this?

So I ask you SDNers, what is the best way to answer this question in an interview??

I reasoned that hte combination of these things were

 

[CanIMakeIt]

I would have tried to start again with a different village and/or country. To be honest it might show that you cannot live up to the expectations and don't make sure that you finish what you start...on paper. However, your situation clearly shows that you didn't feel you were making a difference and family is a priority to you....nothing wrong with that and with your present research you are making much more worthwhile contribution ....

So an interview might give you a chance to explain what you went thru' to reach the decision to leave.....I don't think it is going to be a big deal once you get an interview....

Good luck

 

[PookieGirl]

Thanks so much for writing back. I agree that schools may see it as not finishing what I started, not living up to expectations. I'll just have to see how it flies in interviews, because I'm not sure I can make up a reason for leaving. Well, I could say I came down with some hemorrhagic fever and decided it wasn't worth my life but since I want to do infectious disease work anyway, I really can't do that...

 

[neuronerd]

Thanks so much for writing back. I agree that schools may see it as not finishing what I started, not living up to expectations. I'll just have to see how it flies in interviews, because I'm not sure I can make up a reason for leaving. Well, I could say I came down with some hemorrhagic fever and decided it wasn't worth my life but since I want to do infectious disease work anyway, I really can't do that...

No, I think your reasons were good enough. It was your choice and it sounds like you did the right thing. I would say all the reasons that you said but briefer. You will do great.

 

[CanIMakeIt]

Thanks so much for writing back. I agree that schools may see it as not finishing what I started, not living up to expectations. I'll just have to see how it flies in interviews, because I'm not sure I can make up a reason for leaving. Well, I could say I came down with some hemorrhagic fever and decided it wasn't worth my life but since I want to do infectious disease work anyway, I really can't do that...

Well as I said....it might not even be an issue before interviews.... And I think you had pretty good reasons...you were in foreign country (it has its own stresses and headaches), it was post 9/11 (you didn't feel safe), family was important as your support group (down downplay this aspect), and you thought you were not making any difference at all......I think if you stress these points, I guess you should be ok....

 

[gildas]

So I was in the Peace Corps as a health educator. THe program was to last 27 months, and I left after 10. There are several reasons.

1) I felt that as a white female American working without a villager as my counterpart in an African village, people would not take me seriously nor would my effort get anywhere. For example, I tried for months to let the school teachers let me into their classrooms for 5 minutes just to introduce myself and see if there was interest in starting a health club. There was always some reason I coudn't visit briefly-- the teachers were too busy, the students needed all the time to practice for a parade, it was the last day of school, there's a new principal- you have to talk to him first. Literally it took months, and by that time I was fed up with the slow effort and decided to come home.

2) I was very unhappy at all my unstructured time. The village clinician had no schedule and so I and he never knew when he'd be in town. So it was very difficult to plan activities at the health center when he didn't know if he'd be there. Even when we did plan things, I had work for all of a few hours. So much of my time was spent hanging out and I found all that unstructured time, away from home, to be quite depressing.

3) When I returned briefly to the US, 9/11 happened. My biggest fear while I was in the peace corps was that something would happen to my family members while I was gone, and while 9/11 didn't involve them directly, my mom is a flight attendant and my older brother flies all the time.

4) The chief of my village was visiting my house late at night. I had a good relationship with the man in that we talked and were friendly, which Peace Corps always encourages. But he visited my house late night (the only reason I know it was so late is because he'd tell me the next day that he came to visit but because I hadn't heard him I reasoned that I must have been asleep). Because in that culture, men and women aren't platonic friends like we have in the US, I worried that his visits would further destroy my credibility. Not to mention he was creepy and I felt unsafe.

While it took me a while to make the very difficult decision to leave my commitment early, that's what I did. I came home. I have some regrets. Could I have accomplished something? Should I have simply switched villages after 10 months and tried again? But at the same time, I'm doing research now that will potentially benefit developing countries, and if I hadn't come home early, maybe I wouldn't be doing this?

So I ask you SDNers, what is the best way to answer this question in an interview??

I reasoned that hte combination of these things were

What part of Africa was this? Africans are friendly as long as you don't get on their bad side. by the way, African clinicians always welcome european or American health providers or educators.
Sorry but it's hard to beleive your story.

 

[uptoolate]

Take it easy on yourself- I am an RPCV and later worked as acting assistant director for our health program. Your story is common among volunteers. On average, one of every three individuals entering training leaves the program before their intended close of service, so you are by no means an outlier. Peace Corps is tough work and many would not even venture to try it at all. You did and it wasn't for you. That's all you have to say- don't go into the details. Ten months is no small investment, either. I imagine you learned much from the experience you had-focus on the positive.

 

[BobA]

I agree that you should focus on the positive. Many of the other interviewees haven't gotten out of the library, let alone the country. You learned a lot during that time -pinpoint the positives and be able to talk about them concisely.

Also, I wouldn't hesitate to bring up 9/11. World travel was very different after 9/11, and I think anyone would understand that. Your reasons for leaving are good ones. Plus, you're continuing to work in the field.

I went to a post-bac program where many people had choppy careers - investment banker for 10 months, paralegal for 6 months, etc.. Most of these people will get into schools, and their life experience will be considered a plus, even if they didn't "finish" their committment. All of this is to say that you're far from being alone in this situation.

It might be good to bring up the zillions of ways that you've tested your decision to become a doctor.

In interviews, they're often more concerned with who you are than with what you've done anyway.

 

[futuremsfdoc]

well actually a lot of interviewers probably won't even know you left early unless you tell them or included it in your personal essay. the people i work with don't even know what the peace corps is, and of those who do know what it is, most assume it is a year-long program. i'm sure some people out there will know what it is and what it requires, but a decent amount won't. they'll be more worried about what you did when you were there.

so my advice is like the others: focus on the positives and what you learned, and if in an interview the question of why you left early does come up, your answers are not going to hurt you. especially in the wake of 9/11, it is perfectly reasonable for you to come home.

 

[ltrain]

PookieGirl - I can totally feel you - I was in the pc as a health educator as well and i came home after 6 months for a variety of reasons, one of which was that my father was having some health problems. i think (well i'm hoping) it will be ok to go with the personal/family reasons excuse. Living on the other side of the world by yourself is a lot harder than it is made out to be...I understand what a hard decision it is to make to come home...best of luck moving on!

ltrain

 

[ltrain]

one more thing. i always hear people talking about great international experiences they had during a two or three week trip...ten months is a really long time, and i'm sure you came back to the states with a completely new appreciation for a different culture and the rest of the world. sell what you did learn from the experience!

 

[PookieGirl]

What part of Africa was this? Africans are friendly as long as you don't get on their bad side. by the way, African clinicians always welcome european or American health providers or educators.
Sorry but it's hard to beleive your story.

Sorry but you didn't read my message well. I didn't say anyone was unfriendly. I lived in a country where there were ~250 different tribes, each with their own traits and languages, so to say Africans are
friendly as long as you don't get on their bad side is a very blanket statement. I lived in a tribe that is known for their aggressive behavior among other things, and sexual harassment was definitely a problem. I don't like to generalize but it's pretty well documented atleast in regard to sexual matters that women's status in Africa is not well regarded by men. Hence the 57% of new HIV infections in sub-saharan Africa are in women. Sexual harassment was a HUGE problem. Despite obeying customs regarding dress, I found myself being approached and grabbed in marketplaces, while running, and in transport. Another factor contributing to my not feeling safe.

People WERE very welcoming. That didn't translate into them wanting to work with me. I was supposed to work with the health clinician. But the government assigns clinicians to health centers, and because this man was stationed between two health centers, he did not know from one day to the next which one he'd be working at. And because there were no telephones, he could not communicate to me where he would be.

Yes, many people won't know that Peace Corps is a 24-27 month commitment. I do not plan to bring it up unless an interviewer does. It's good to know that there are RPCVs out there who can understand the situation. I am proud of having stepped outside of a safety zone to make a contribution to others and learn so much culturally. There are many positive things to talk about but I wanted to cover my bases should this question come up. Thanks to all those who answered.

 

[DeepCowboy]

I think you should be more proud of yourself. Recognizing that the main activity of your life is not working and quitting it to move on to something else more productive shows a lot about your character.

 

[gildas]

Sorry but you didn't read my message well. I didn't say anyone was unfriendly. I lived in a country where there were ~250 different tribes, each with their own traits and languages, so to say Africans are
friendly as long as you don't get on their bad side is a very blanket statement. I lived in a tribe that is known for their aggressive behavior among other things, and sexual harassment was definitely a problem. I don't like to generalize but it's pretty well documented atleast in regard to sexual matters that women's status in Africa is not well regarded by men. Hence the 57% of new HIV infections in sub-saharan Africa are in women. Sexual harassment was a HUGE problem. Despite obeying customs regarding dress, I found myself being approached and grabbed in marketplaces, while running, and in transport. Another factor contributing to my not feeling safe.

People WERE very welcoming. That didn't translate into them wanting to work with me. I was supposed to work with the health clinician. But the government assigns clinicians to health centers, and because this man was stationed between two health centers, he did not know from one day to the next which one he'd be working at. And because there were no telephones, he could not communicate to me where he would be.

Yes, many people won't know that Peace Corps is a 24-27 month commitment. I do not plan to bring it up unless an interviewer does. It's good to know that there are RPCVs out there who can understand the situation. I am proud of having stepped outside of a safety zone to make a contribution to others and learn so much culturally. There are many positive things to talk about but I wanted to cover my bases should this question come up. Thanks to all those who answered.

Sorry for the misunderstanding