I just passed the three-weeks-in-Nicaragua mark (as well as the “I-can-talk-about-more-than-just-the-weather” mark in my Spanish lessons- quite the milestone, in my mind). So, bueno, La Vida Idealistas. I am a 26-year-old from Washington state, currently living in Leon, Nicaragua. I’ve traveled internationally a fair bit, including living in Taiwan, studying Mandarin Chinese– but this is my first time in Central America, as well as my first experience volunteering for an extended period– and so far I’m loving it.

My boyfriend, Turner, and I were lucky enough to be taken on as volunteers at an environmental education organization called Sonati, here in Leon. Sonati focuses on free environmental education for local communities (specifically, but not limited to, school-age children). The environmental programs are funded by Sonati’s hostel and nature tours- which is where I come in!

I am a volunteer guide for Sonati’s various volcano treks. Having loved doing anything outdoors since I was a small child, the opportunity to explore the natural environment surrounding Leon and the ability to share those places with others is the ideal volunteering experience for me.

Sonati is a relatively new non-profit organization (2009), and while they have many volunteers, Turner and I are the second and third volunteer trekking guides– so the process is not only new to us, but new to Sonati as well. Recipe for adventure? Yes. I’m look forward to sharing a first-timer’s experience volunteering, navigating the hierarchy of a fledgling non-profit, and exploring a natural landscape that is (for the most part) alien to me.

This is Alexa’s first post on La Vida Idealist. Alexa has just arrived in Nicaragua to begin work as a volunteer trekking guide with SONATI (Sociedad & Naturaleza Internacional). For more on hiking or working as a trekking guide in Central America, check out Sam Camarra’s series “Quetzaltrekkers: Into the Clouds.”

Do: A Kiva Fellowship. It'll change your life

Now, we’re no experts in living or working abroad (though we sure do like it), but we have some nuggets of wisdom to offer up for those of you transitioning into a life abroad or beginning your next Kiva Fellowship. Stick by these tips, and you can’t go wrong. (And for more hints and tips, check out the original 33 Tips from Kiva Fellows post from November 2009 or the full 60 tips on the Kiva Fellows Blog!)

Best Way to a Kiva Fellow’s Heart is through…

1. People love to share food in El Salvador. If you’re having lunch with someone or with co-workers, offer up some of what you have for them to try. (Andrea Ramirez, KF16 Costa Rica & El Salvador)

2. Make sure you try the different casados (rice and black beans paired with some sort of salad, and meat). It’s delicious, affordable, and the closest thing to home-made. (Andrea Ramirez, KF16 Costa Rica & El Salvador)

They may not look good. They may not taste that good, either. But do it: eat the fried cow intestines.

3. Try everything. Ok, yes, you could get sick, but worse, you could live the rest of your life without knowing what guinea pig, cow tongue, fermented maize, cow heart, llama, friend random thing with more random things in it, magical juice in a bag, etc., etc., tastes like. If these things don’t seem appealing, remember: even worse, you could miss out on a big chance to share in a local cultural experience that will stay stayed with you forever. (Mariela Cedeno, KF16 Bolivia)

4. Befriending office mates is easy as pie, especially if you bake one. Any baked treat will do the trick: cookies, cupcakes, 7-layer bars – anything tasty and homemade will suffice. Walk around and offer your treats during the afternoon coffee break. (Sandra Pina, KF16, Honduras)

5. Don’t eat cheap food! Factor in the exchange rate when choosing food…in reality food might be $.20 cheaper, but not worth it! (Eric Rindal, KF15 Sierra Leaone, KF16 Bolivia)

Mind your manners:

6. Ladies, doesn’t matter if you’re wearing sweatpants, a miniskirt, or a potato sack. Steel yourself for catcalls- and remember, there’s no sense in lashing out at the singular gentlemen on the street. Number 1, it’s dangerous, and number 2, even the most articulate string of retaliatory words at this one guy from you cannot spark a shift in the consciousness surrounding gender roles. It’s not worth raising your blood pressure. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16 Peru)

7. Unless you enjoy highly passionate debates on Christianity during every remaining day of your fellowship, don’t ever – EVER – admit to your Kiva Coordinator to being anything else but an absolutely devout Christian. If you are Jewish, Muslim, Hindu: just forget your God for four months. If you are an atheist: just remember yours! (Emmanuel von Arx, KF16 Ecuador)

8. If the previous recommendation comes too late for you and you have already committed the capital error of confessing any less than full-blown belief in the word of the Bible, you need to consider immediate and urgent conversion to Christianity. This should ideally take place in a public forum, such as during the Monday morning bible session at your MFI, in the presence of all the employees.(Emmanuel von Arx, KF16 Ecuador)

9. Prepare yourself for all kinds of questions: if you went to university, how much your flight cost, if you have a boyfriend (and if you want one), and so on. Ecuadorians are curious and they’re not afraid to show it. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16 Peru)

10. Follow through on promises (or obligations)– go to dinner with coworker’s families, take a day trip with coworkers or friends, etc. And participate! Don’t be shy (or obnoxious) and get involved with after work sports or after work drinks. This is your new community. (Eric Rindal, KF15 Sierra Leone, KF16 Bolivia)

How do you say…

11. Make sure to learn the local language- and I mean local. Simpatico and ridiculo might mean nice, and ridiculous, in Ecuador, but in Ica, Perú you just called somebody sexy and asinine. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16)

12. No amount of “city” Spanish will prepare you for the linguistic richness and diversity of Spanish spoken in rural Costa Rica. That said, bring a notebook for ALL field visits, and let the loan officers be your best professors and guides. Even Costa Rican urbanites find themselves lost among the colloquialisms of Tico country Spanish. (Julie Kerr, KF16 Costa Rica)

13. Learning common words and phrases in an indigenous language is the quickest way to break the ice. Guaraní is Paraguay’s other official language and is spoken by the majority of the population. Purete means cool, haso means not cool, kaigue is lazy, nde ha’e kuña guapa means “You are a hard working woman!,” chevare’a means “I am hungry,” and amokose means “I want a drink!” (Alba Castillo, KF15 Paraguay)

14. When a farmer says he brings his harvest to market using his “salchichón” (commonly known as “sausage”), blush not my friends, he means “horse”. (Julie Kerr, KF16 Costa Rica)

15. If you lose the thread of a conversation don’t just say ‘sí‘ or intermittently laugh. Get them to repeat things and when that get boring pick out a word or phrase that you Do know and make a comment or nonsequitor. They might be saying “fijate, las olas son bravas en la playa” and your response might be an unrelated, “¿Te gusta la playa?” This gets the conversation back on your own terms. Think about how often you respond like this in English! (Jim Burke, KF16 Nicaragua)

16. Because they will ask: Kiva means “unity” or “agreement” in Swahili. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16)

What to Bring

Do: bring a tuperwear container. Sporks can also come in handy, for that mid-morning mountain climb.

17. My three smartest investments for my fellowships? A SteriPen, a tuperwear container, and a pocket knife with a corkscrew. (Also, if you like to bake, bring down baking soda- you can’t get it anywhere in Ecuador or Perú). (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16 Peru)

18. Always carry a small, sturdy umbrella. It will get you through unexpected showers; as well as hot, sunny days. (Alba Castillo, KF16 Paraguay)

19. Rain is as plentiful is the air we breathe. Bring an umbrella if you prefer to shower before getting dressed. (Julie Kerr, KF16 Costa Rica)

20. Bug spray, bug spray and MORE bug spray!! For those of you who like more natural alternatives, anything with menthol or eucalyptus helps repel the mightiest of mammoth mosquitoes, sand flies, ticks and chiggers. Slather it on THICK! (Julie Kerr, KF16 Costa Rica)

21. Bring clothes or shoes that need to be fixed, mended, or altered. It is cheap and the work is top quality. The sasterías and zapateros are EVERYWHERE. (Jim Burke, KF16 Nicaragua)

There’s no place like home (in a new country!)

22. If you can, try to find accommodation near the central market building: there’s nothing like eating shrimp ceviche with avocado at 7 o’clock in the morning. Besides, this may be your only chance for the entire day to get your hands on food that’s neither triple-fried nor made out of pure pork fat. (Emmanuel von Arx, KF16 Ecuador)

23. If it’s possible, go with a homestay! Local food, local language, and a solid support group in-country are just a few of the obvious perks of living with a family. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador and KF16 Peru)

Getting from point A to B

If you're feeling the need for speed, do: hop on your loan officer's motorcycle.

24. When moving around by taxi in Cuzco, do everything possible to seem local to get cheaper prices (there are lots of local gringos, so you can pull it off). How to go about it?

• Say hi to your taxista like this “Buenas, maestro.” Saying hola is touristy, saying chofer is touristy, and asking anything about anything is touristy. You don’t care. You are local.
• Tell him where you are going by saying “I will get off at such and such location”. If you are going to a restaurant, know its name, what street it is on, the nearest cross street, and a reference point nearby BEFORE you get in. Otherwise you won’t be able to pull off the “trabajo aquí.”(Miss any of those four, you are officially a tourist.) (Rob Gradoville, KF16 Peru)

25. If you’re taking the bus and you don’t know where you need to get off, just ask the bus diver. Costa Rica has the nicest bus drivers around! (Andrea Ramirez, KF16 Costa Rica & El Salvador)

26. For safety’s sake, always make a show of noting your taxi’s license plate number in Quito, Ecuador or Ica, Peru- I’ve actually started pantomiming phone calls in Spanish to friends, relaying the plate number and how soon I’ll be arriving to meet them. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador and KF16 Peru)

Get to work!

27. If you have any freedom to do borrower visits, have no shame in visiting anyone who owns a panatería, heladería, or pisco vineyard. Peruvian hospitality and pride in their business translate to homemade treats for you. Microtenterprise never tasted so good. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16)

28. Email coworkers when you leave! – Even if they weren’t helpful with that one thing you were working on…they still care and want to hear from you when you’re gone. (Eric Rindal, KF15 Sierra Leone, KF16 Bolivia)

29. Make people laugh, even when it’s awkward. Visiting clients who are on a spectrum from extreme introvert, to slightly less extreme introvert, can be daunting, but like everything else in life, there is nothing better than a laugh. You’d be amazed how many times my laughing at people and saying “por favor, sonria porque se me va a romper la camera si sigue asi,” actually made them smile. Don’t rush, don’t pull out your pen and BV template, and don’t start dangerously pointing your camera right way. Chill out, smile, shake hands, take in the scenery, interact! (Mariela Cedeno, KF16 Bolivia)

30. Make sure to hang out with MFI staff outside of work. Don’t worry so much about about keeping it strictly ‘professional.’ I built trust, learned office hierarchy, gossip, and got a lot of technical questions answered after a few beers with loan officers. (Jim Burke, KF16 Nicaragua)

31. Fake it ’til you make it. You will be considered an expert in all things Kiva, even if you’re not. Embrace the challenge. You will have multiple resources at your disposal: use them. Learn along the way and don’t be afraid to tell your field partner, “Can I get back to you on that? I want to confirm with Kiva.” (Sandra Pina, KF16, Honduras)

32. If it should take a day or two, it’ll take three or four. If it’s your Borrower Verification, it’ll take a month. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16)

33. Figure out how your MFI communicates. They are probably using chat or skype. Get your coworkers chat/skype info early on. sometimes you can formulate better questions, get better responses and be less annoying chatting rather than visiting their office for every little thing. (Jim Burke, KF16 Nicaragua)

Safety

34. Always ask before you snap a photo of someone (especially if they’re not a borrower, especially if you’re in Guatemala). Not only can it be extremely rude, but tourists’ cameras, and persons, have been roughed up for this transgression in the past. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16)

35. Never carry your credit card unless you are making a withdrawal. I prefer to carry large sums of money in my shoe rather than bringing my card out of hiding. (Jim Burke, KF16 Nicaragua)

36. Make and carry a photocopy of your passport. Carrying it around for real is a real bad idea, and having no record makes it hard to check into hostels/hotels. (Jim Burke, KF16 Nicaragua)

37. I’ve also got a list of my credit card numbers (scrambled) and call-in information should my wallet get stolen. I also keep an emergency cash supply. Call me paranoid, call me what you will, but this list and back-up cash have come in handy three times in the past year. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16)

Do: try to dance like the locals. Don't: fool yourself into thinking you're really, really good at it.

Living and Looking Local:

37. Never take the first price- haggling is expected. On the other side of the coin, though, don’t haggle some old woman trying to sell you a scarf in the Sunday market into oblivion- that extra dollar probably means an awful lot more than her than it does to you. Lay aside your hubris and indignation from time to time and accept the gringo tax. (Kate Bennett, KF15 Ecuador & KF16)

38. Be a guest (and a friend) – allow people in your host country to take you around…you don’t always have to pretend like you’re not a tourist…let’s be real, this is not your native country (if it is, still go on some trips!). (Eric Rindal, KF15 Sierra Leone, KF16 Bolivia)

39. Get off the internet! Your friends at home really don’t need to hear from you every day (although your mother/father probably does). It’s way cooler to say, “I was out of internet range…” (Eric Rindal, KF15 Sierra Leone, KF16 Bolivia)

40. Outside of San Salvador the people are pretty conservative. Men won’t shake a woman’s hand unless she extends her hand first. (Andrea Ramirez, KF16 Costa Rica & El Salvador)

41. In Paraguay, you greet and say goodbye to friends with not one, but two kisses – one on each cheek. (Alba Castillo, KF16 Paraguay)

42. If you want to look like a local, wear jeans. Even if it’s 100 degrees outside. Tourists are associated with shorts. (Andrea Ramirez, KF16 Costa Rica & El Salvador)

43. When in Rome…always pour some out for Pachamama. If you find yourself sitting around a big bucket of Chicha with nothing but a full gourd in hand, don’t be stingy, pour some out for Mother Earth, she’s thirsty too. (Mariela Cedeno, KF16 Bolivia)

44. Walk, walk everywhere, all the time. Yes you need to be at the office at 8 a.m. and you get up at 7:40, but maybe during your two hour lunch break and on weekends you can make sure to take the time to pace yourself. Remember to absorb everything around you: the sounds, the streets, the people, the street vendors, the conversations, the protests, the smells. For some reason, those were also my most peaceful times. (Mariela Cedeno, KF16 Bolivia)

45. Getting haircuts is cheap and always a great experience. Getting a straight razor shave sounds bad ass but is just bad and hurts a lot. (Jim Burke, KF16 Nicaragua)

For more hints and tips, check out the original 33 Tips from Kiva Fellows post from November 2009! To learn more about the Kiva Fellowship experience, check out “Why I Volunteer Abroad” by Eric Rindal, “Migration, Microloans, and the Journey of a Kiva Fellow” by Kate Bennett, or the official Kiva Fellows Blog.

Today’s guest post comes from Rob Gradoville, a current Kiva Fellow, Rotary Scholar, and Fulbright Fellow in Cusco, Peru. Since 2005, Rob has been thinking about the best way to provide the basic services that rural folks in the developing world want and need most: clean water and electricity. During his undergraduate days he designed a water pumping system for a coffee cooperative in Nicaragua, and was hooked by every aspect of the work. He later worked with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, bringing water, improved sanitation, and electricity to a mountain village over the course of his stay. Returning to graduate school he focused on environmental sustainability of service provision, and managed an Engineers Without Borders water pumping and distribution project for a village in Ecuador. Given his myriad experiences in international development work and his familiarity with some of the best-known programs for working and volunteering abroad, his post today seeks to inform would-be-do-gooder’s just what to expect from working and living la vida Idealist. Check out his last two posts, which discussed the value of overseas service-trips & overseas learning workshops and Fulbright Fellowships & Rotary Scholarships.

To recap: I imagine some La Vida Idealist readers have considered applying to the Peace Corps,overseas research grants, overseas workshops on topics in development, Fulbright Fellowships, Rotary Scholarships, Kiva Fellowships, and possibly service-learning trips if you are currently students.  The list goes on and on.  And it can seem like a big and slightly mystifying list for anyone who just wants to make a decision and do something!

There are a lot of similar experiences out there, and it can be tough narrowing down the right choice for you. Here is my perspective as foreign workers in Peru who is currently doing or has done those projects listed above.  If you are thinking about “doing something different,” “getting out of a work rut,” or “finally being one of those people who GOES and DOES something,” I hope this post helps you make a decision about what exactly to do.

The Peace Corps

The author's village in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic.

1) What it’s Like and What it was Like for Me

I served as a “Healthy Environments” volunteer in the Dominican Republic from 2007 to 2009. Peace Corps is something I can’t stop thinking about.  It is a mix of training, really independent work, and unique field research.  I lived in the mountains with 200 villagers, without ready access to clean water, adequate sanitation, electricity, you name it.  I bathed in the river every day, collected drinking water from a spring with the locals, and really slooooooooowed down for a bit.

I was sent there to help my village gain access to clean, piped water.  I ended up doing that, learning a lot about what it means to be poor and not receive any attention, and working on a bunch of other projects.  The first 3-5 months I was pretty uncomfortable, lonely, even scared at times.  But in the next year and a half I built closer relationships than many of mine in the states and felt much more comfortable, happy, and alive than I have ever felt in the USA.  My time was filled with sun, pipes, wrenches, concrete, donkeys, mud, plantains, mangoes, rice, beans, grants, paperwork, and more community meetings that I can count.

Peace Corps is really an in-depth, immersive service-learning experience.  Nothing is sugar-coated for you, and that might scare you at first.  But as an insider view of a different culture and a different way of life, there is absolutely nothing like it.

2) Level of Freedom or Structure

First three months are language, culture, and technical training.  After that Peace Corps staff tell you to call X number 24-hours a day for health problems, Y number 24-hours a day for other problems, drop you off in a village where you probably only speak a little bit of the local language, and say GOOD LUCK!  They tell you that you will be receiving around $300/month with which you are supposed to live, work, pay rent, buy food, all that.

In short, the Peace Corps provides the most basic structure for survival but beyond that you are on your own.  They also try to pair you up with a community that has need for your specific skill-set.  For me it worked out great.  For others, it was a mess and they had to “make it work” on their own, demonstrating their value and getting involved where they felt they could help.  Peace Corps REQUIRES you to be extremely independent, proactive, and outgoing.

3) Was I Useful? Did I make a ‘Difference’?

Yes and yes – I brought engineering skills to a village that needed them.  I also am kinda stubborn, which helped with motivation in an area that was used to beingpobre, having nada, and expecting nada. Sometimes the match of your skills meshes perfectly with the needs of the community.  If it doesn’t, you better suck it up, find where you are needed, and make it happen.  Peace Corps is an opportunity to guide the development of a poorer area, from the inside out, and will test you in every way.

4) Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all

Peace Corps doesn’t cost you one cent.  They will fly you from you house to the host country, teach you some language skills, some technical skills, and plant you in a community with a family that will take care of you for two years. When it’s all over, they will fly you back home and give you around $6,000 to “re-adjust” to the United States. It is an amazing deal, and I really hope to do it again some day.  On the other hand there is some significant investment of time (2 years of service and three months of per-service training).  On the whole, when I was at home two years later with $6,000 in my pocket, I was financially about the same place as many of my friends who had taken more traditional paths.

5) Was it Worth it?

Yes.  I am a huge fan.  The application and interview process is very rigorous and trying, and the average time between applying and being given an overseas position is usually 6-9 months, but it is well worth it.  Even if you leave your country of service without thinking you “helped” as much as you should have (this is almost universal, by the way), you leave with a very personal relationship with your host-family and community.  That relationship will affect the way you live your life, the perspectives you can understand, and overall, your level of solidarity with people who drew the short straw in life, for whatever reason.  It is not easy or straightforward, but as is a common phrase among RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers), that this is “the toughest job you will every love.”

Kiva Fellowship

A group of Kiva borrowers just outside the city of Cusco.

1) What it’s Like and What it was Like for Me

I am currently a Kiva Fellow with Asociación  Arariwa in Cusco, Peru. If you are reading the Stories From The Field blog you probably have a good idea of what we do.  But if you don’t, I am proud to say that Kiva is one of the most organized experiences of this sort that I have participated in.  I was trained for a week in San Francisco(LONG 11-hour-days, where you learn a LOT!), paired with a microfinance organization somewhere in the world, given a desk, given specific tasks (but still the freedom to innovate and take on news tasks as they may appear), and given a lot of support from Kiva Fellows Program staff.  If I need to talk to someone in San Francisco, I can do it probably tomorrow.  If not, I can just keep showing up to my office and working with my in-country partners.

2) Level of Freedom or Structure

As I mentioned above, I was given a work-plan that I am expected to accomplish for Kiva.  They maintain long relationships with their in-country microfinance partners and can look strategically at what most needs improvement at a specific point in time.  Kiva Fellows are eyes, ears, and boots-on-the-ground implementers for all it is that Kiva does.  There is no long period of ‘figuring out what to do’ because you arrive with a very good idea of what needs to be done.  But Kiva is a very innovative startup, with an environment that breads creativity.  I have never felt stifled by any Kiva staff, and that has allowed me to enjoy each day of this Fellowship.

3) Was I Useful? Did I make a ‘Difference’?

Kiva Fellows do important work, work that keeps Kiva not only up and running, but allows them to explore new avenues of growth and innovation.  It is exciting seeing directly the improvements you make with Kiva and your partner microfinance institution.  It is also exciting to be given the chance to go meet Kiva borrowers, meet the loan officers that facilitate those loans, and hear, feel, see how these small loans are such a source of hope and improvement for people all over the world.  I studied engineering, and have not had a problem keeping up with the financial work involved with the position.  I would say if you are comfortable with mathematics and basic accounting you can expect to be utilized very well by a Kiva Fellowship.

4) Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all

The one major downfall of a Kiva Fellowship is that there is no financial support beyond basic health insurance coverage.  Fellows fundraise or directly pay for their time overseas, including the flight to San Francisco for training, the flight overseas, rent, food, etc.  This can be a substantial burden, but I think that the experience is worth the expense.  It is an investment in your personal growth, and allows you to help in a significant capacity with a major player in the world of global investment/philanthropy.

5) Was it Worth it?

Yes.  It is not as easy to say yes because, let’s be honest, a number of other programs don’t require a financial investment up front.  But the Kiva Fellows Program gives you a look into what I consider to be one of the most promising approaches to creatively finance progress and development overseas.  Like most things, and exactly like Kiva borrowers all over the world, you have to invest something financially to reap the benefits later on.

It is a bottom-up approach, and relies on the sensibilities of millions of entrepreneurs.  Kiva provides a loan.  Borrowers decide how to use it to improve their own lives.  In this way, you can be sure that the funds are used for something truly productive.  It is a simple concept, but to keep that bridge open Kiva needs your help.  Kiva NEEDS Kiva Fellows.  Entrepreneurs NEED Kiva Fellows.  And that is why the experience is so worth it.  You can be that person, fill that need, and learn a ton in the process.

*          *          *

There you have it.  Those are my impressions.  I hope this was helpful but now it is up to you to decide.  To each his own!

To recap: I imagine some La Vida Idealist readers have considered applying to the Peace Corps,overseas research grants, overseas workshops on topics in development, Fulbright Fellowships, Rotary Scholarships, Kiva Fellowships, and possibly service-learning trips if you are currently students.  The list goes on and on.  And it can seem like a big and slightly mystifying list for anyone who just wants to make a decision and do something!

There are a lot of similar experiences out there, and it can be tough narrowing down the right choice for you. Here is my perspective as foreign workers in Peru who is currently doing or has done those projects listed above.  If you are thinking about “doing something different,” “getting out of a work rut,” or “finally being one of those people who GOES and DOES something,” I hope this post helps you make a decision about what exactly to do.

FULBRIGHT GRANT

1) What it’s Like and What it was Like for Me

I am currently a Fulbright Scholar here in Peru, working with PACC-Peru on water resources issues associated with climate change in the Andes Mountains. My opinion of Fulbright is very good, though it seems to be relatively front-loaded.  The application process is very rigorous, and at the end of the day requires two very polished essays- one about who you are, and one about what you want to do as a Fulbrighter- and collaboration with a host-institution overseas, which eventually needs to write a letter of support for your work. Once in-country you are given a short (in my case, one-day) orientation by the local Fulbright staff, then are sent off to your location of study.  (Every country is different, and many include a 3-day orientation in Washington DC before departure from the United States, but mine country was not included in this event.)  Upon arrival you discuss that finely tuned research proposal with your host-institution, making modifications that range from slight variations to complete redirection, and you go on your way, exploring whatever you set out to explore.  You are not babysat, you are encouraged to get to know the country, and you are reminded that the research is only part of your experience.  Most Fulbrighters need to be reminded to chill out, not the other way around.

2) Level of Freedom or Structure

Once in country, the Fulbright experience is very open.  You receive a monthly living stipend to cover all of your expenses, and are asked to “check in” once a month just to let the Fulbright Commission know how everything is going.  In this way you really can do anything you want, as long as it is communicated with your host-institution.  I think this would be a daunting challenge if I hadn’t had significant overseas experience previously.  From another perspective, it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do and study whatever gets you going!  You are in the driver’s seat.

3) Was I Useful? Did I make a ‘Difference’?

Fulbrighters are listened to.  It is regarded as a very prestigious grant in both the United States and overseas (though I imagine this can depend on the host country).  Though  I am only a couple months into my grant, I am aware that my results will not simply be filed away.  They will be read and analyzed.  The potential for helping is very real.

4) Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all

Fulbright is a grant.  All expenses are paid for (after you are awarded the grant).  So, it is a great option if you have a good idea, connections overseas, and the time and patience necessary to get through the application process and overseas experience (about 2.5 years from the start of the application to the end of the grant period).  The application should be started probably 3-6 months before the submission date, which is typically about a year before the date of departure for Fulbrighters.  And, like all competitive things, there is much luck involved.  I would consider Peace Corps a “weed-in” program, where most applicants who sincerely want to help can make their way in.  Fulbright is a fine toothed comb, and even very brilliant people are not accepted for one reason or another.

5) Was it Worth it?

So far, so good.  I can’t help but compare this experience to that which I had in the Peace Corps.  As a Peace Corps Volunteer I was not respected very much by local government, and generally treated as another “missionary” of sorts.  I understood what poverty was, but felt incapable of fixing lots of the problems I saw.  As a Fulbrighter I know that I have access to much more influential people, and I will be listened to.  It seems to me that it is definitely worth it.  As a side note, had I not experienced the Peace Corps, I might have seen the Fulbright experience as semi “normal”.  I live in an apartment, pay bills, and work on my research.  In that way a Fulbright Grant is less of a life-changing experience for me than living in a mountain village; it is complete freedom to explore issues that are important to me, given the support and resources to do so.

ROTARY SCHOLARSHIP

The author concentrating wayyy too hard to try to take a steady photo, looking down on Cusco, Peru.

I am currently a Rotary Cultural Scholar in Peru. Becoming a Rotary Scholar involves an application similar to Fulbright but, in my opinion, it does not have to be nearly as polished of an idea as the Fulbright application process requires.  I am studying Quechua and water resources management with my Rotary funds.  This Rotary Scholarship provides support monetarily.  There is no orientation, no help with overseas planning, and no in-country contact for my work.  I am on my own.

2) Level of Freedom or Structure

Extremely free.  I have not communicated directly with my grantor more than once in the past two and a half months.  As a Rotary Scholar you define your own structure in the application, and you are expected to follow that plan.  But again, there is no babysitting.  Your experience is what you make of it.

3) Was I Useful? Did I make a ‘Difference’?

I am studying here, so I don’t see a direct impact to what I am doing.  Still, I know that Quechua skills will pay dividends in my Fulbright and Kiva work and will be an invaluable skill in the future.  Whereas Peace Corps was immediate gratification (seeing water come out of a pipe), Rotary is about building capacity, namely in people who they think will be able to help further down the line.  It is similar to Fulbright in this way.

4) Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all

Rotary Grants vary in the amount they provide, but they generally are very flexible as to what they can cover.  Flights, insurance, food, lodging, costs of courses and/or tutors, and cultural trips are all fair game.  The grants vary greatly in their duration, but one year seems to be common.  In my case, the funds were dispersed up-front and I am required to provide documentation of all expenses.  Whatever isn’t spent, I will have to give back.

5) Was it Worth it?

Very much so.  More than the funding, Rotary is a global network.  I hope that this experience will help me connect with like-minded people in the future as I may try to continue to “help” those in the world that need it.  As an experience by itself, I think Rotary is amazingly un-regulated.  As a first long-term overseas experience, I would not recommend it.  The structure provided by Peace Corps, Fulbright, and Kiva(discussed below)  are necessary to guide your overseas experience.  That said, if you are an experienced traveler and are looking for some funding to do something creative and open-ended, a Rotary Scholarship might be just what you are looking for.

Check out Part I, which took on overseas service-learning trips and overseas workshops, and stay tuned for Part III, which will Kiva Fellowships and the Peace Corps.

Should I become a Kiva Fellow? I imagine some La Vida Idealist readers have considered applying to the Fellowship, or have wondered what the comparison is between the Kiva Fellows Program to similar volunteer or development programs abroad. This may include the Peace Corps, overseas research grants, overseas workshops on topics in development, Fulbright Fellowships, Rotary Scholarships, and possibly service-learning trips if you are currently students.  The list goes on and on.  And it can seem like a big and slightly mystifying list for anyone who just wants to make a decision and do something!

There are a lot of similar experiences out there, and it can be tough narrowing down the right choice for you. Here is my perspective as a Kiva Fellow in Peru who is currently doing or has done those projects listed above. This series of posts will compare and contrast “what it’s like” to be a Kiva Fellow to the myriad other programs out there.  If you are thinking about “doing something different,” “getting out of a work rut,” or “finally being one of those people who GOES and DOES something,” I hope this post helps you make a decision about what exactly to do.

To that end I will categorize each of the above experience based on five criteria.

1) What it’s Like and What is was Like for Me

2) Level of Freedom or Structure

3) Was I Useful? Did I make a ‘Difference’?

4) Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all

5) Was it Worth it?

‘Nuff talk.  Enjoy!

Overseas Service Learning

College students working on clean water project in Ecuador, '11.

1) What it’s Like and What It was Like for Me

I designed community water projects in Nicaragua as a student and have directed service learning projects for students to do the same in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador(and will do the same in Peru this coming spring).

Service-learning is really close to my heart because it is how I got pulled out of the sometimes dry world of engineering and into the colorful, inspired, much more complicated world of international development..  As a fourth-year undergraduate engineering student I designed a water pumping and delivery system for a village in Nicaragua. In order to implement this project, I  wrote out a proposal and was granted $10,000 bucks from the Davis “Projects for Peace” Foundation.  This service learning experience showed me for the first time how useful my skills could be in the world.  I have never been as challenged on a daily basis as I was during that project, nor have I have I been as ecstatic to get up every day and work.  My work included engineering design, studying Nicaraguan history and politics, trying to communicate with NGOs overseas and in the states, and learning as much Spanish as possible.  Occasionally I would talk with people in the village itself through skype, and my heartbeat literally doubled from excitement.  That personal connection was something extremely knew and exciting.

Service learning may exist at your university, and may not.  If it does, be proactive and get involved, then make it your own.  If it doesn’t exist, make it happen!  I found like-minded students and professors, and was allowed to work on the first service-learning engineering project at my university.  My last year at college I learned more than I did in the previous three, thanks to this service-learning project.

2) Level of Freedom or Structure

Usually these are fairly structured, for good reason.  It is part of a class and you have to finish SOMETHING.  Small, bite-sized projects are typical for service-learning experiences.  So, don’t get involved in this if you want to have the freedom to do exactly what you want or possibly scrap your original idea half-way through.  That said, these projects typically are more open to creativity than standard theoretical projects and/or reports.

3) Was I Useful? Did I make a ‘Difference’?

My experience was great, and I think I did help.  My service-learning team (engineers and environmental science students) was lucky enough to successfully pair up with NGOs that had follow-through capabilities.  This was very important, as we were new to the work.  Looking back, we were a group of young students trying to change the lives of 350 Nicaraguans.  That is powerful stuff, and if we were alone on the project, I think we would have had little impact or worse, would have set them back.  Make sure you have a good mentor capable of picking up the pieces if you decide to start up a new service-learning project.

4) Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all

This stuff usually costs some dough.  I would expect it to be around $1000-$3000 extra to do one of these for a semester rather than typical coursework. It is possibly included in your course fees or can tack on an additional couple grand.  Every experience is different.  BUT the good news is that you can dip in the educational funds money-bucket.  Educational grant funds are huuuuuge.  You can probably apply for scholarships, grants, etc. and get away doing this kind of thing almost for free.  If your “project” costs money to implement, that’s another thing.  It will probably be much harder to find funds within your university to go and implement, but look!  Mission programs, international study offices, and outside foundations like the one mentioned above are a good start.

5) Was it Worth it?

As a foot in the door, DEFINITELY.

That said, service-learning is a mixed bag, because it is usually attached to an educational institution (universities) where there is a focus on the educational component for students.  That is great, but sometimes leaves the person/group you were serving a little disappointed.  As service-learning is a partnership between a student-group and clients (overseas or not), there is much time and effort invested on both sides.  The student group will be expected to do more than simply write a final report, in many cases.  Be wary of the impact you are having on the project beneficiaries, and make sure that when you leave they also think it was worth it.  But at the end of the day, if I had not done this I would probably be a much wealthier but much more depressed engineer, sitting in a cubicle somewhere, making calculations.  Therefore I am a huge fan of service learning as a tool to show young people how to engage their community and world, and try to help.  To read an article I published on service-learning click here.

Overseas Workshops

The author soldering together individual solar cells in Nicaragua, 2007

1) What it’s Like and What it was Like for Me

I participated in a workshop on Appropriate Technologies in Nicaragua with the National Engineering University of Managua, which entailed some basic classes on the physics behind appropriate technologies like solar panels, solar water pumps, biodigestors, solar ovens, rope pumps, composting latrines etc.  We also built our own solar panels, solar cookers, helped construct an adobe building, and practiced our intercultural skills with a “homestay” with a humble Nicaraguan family. I have also participated in a  course on Globalization, Leadership, and Technology that culminated in an overseas conference in Vietnam and Taiwan.  The conference encompassed some very high level, involved visits with CEOs of large corporations and, in my opinion, was very much an outsiders view of a local culture.  The former was a bottom-up approach.

These experiences are similar to service-learning projects being that you are really only expected to learn.  They are also a great foot in the door or a refresher course on field work in a specific part of the world.

2) Level of Freedom or Structure

These are very structured. There will probably be a schedule for everything you do, from the time you land on the runway to the time you are swooped back up. They are usually pretty jam-packed and don’t leave much freedom to “do what you want” if it isn’t the specific goal of the workshop.

3) Was I Useful? Did I make a ‘Difference’?

The goal of these courses isn’t to ‘make a difference’ at all, or at least directly.  You pay to participate in these courses, and some of those funds may go towards the efforts of an NGO or social movement, but don’t expect to directly have a huge impact on anyone.  I didn’t leave Nicaragua thinking I had helped much, but I was more equipped to do so in the future.  I knew leaving Asia that I hadn’t done anything, but the experience might contribute to my future path in life.

4) Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all

Pricey.  I have seen these offered anywhere from $500-$1500 for a week!  That adds up.  Outside funding is probably harder because of what I said in #3. These courses are similar in price to overseas vacation tours.  The only difference is that on vacation tours you typically sit on a beach, get a tan, and enjoy relaxing.  For those short on time, this is probably a good option.

5) Was it Worth it?

In terms of professional development, for sure.  It is a very unique experience and might inspire you to do more, learn more, etc.  These are typically more serious about transferring knowledge to you than service-learning trips, so in terms of personal bang for your buck they might about the same, even though service learning experiences might be much longer.  Nevertheless, the personal connection to the experience developed over a longer period of time like a service-learning project is unlikely in these shorter trips.

Stay tuned for Parts II and III, which will cover Fulbright Grants, Rotary Scholarships, Kiva Fellowships, and the Peace Corps.

For two years, La Vida Idealist.org has reached audiences in over one hundred and fifty countries and discussed the highs-and-lows and ins-and-outs of nonprofit work in Latin America. We’ve discussed the g-word (gringo!) and the ethics of “poverty tourism,” wondered how much impact teaching English really has in the long run, and dispensed dozens and dozens of tips on working and living abroad. We’ve fostered connections and collaborations between volunteers and social change organizations all over Latin America. And speaking for myself, we’ve had a blast while doing it!

Now we’re looking for new writers to share their stories, experiences and insights with us and our readers. Whether you’re a temporary volunteer or running your own organization, a photographer or photojournalist, or someone traveling abroad and making volunteer stops along the way, your anecdotes and acquired wisdom can continue to facilitate connections and enrich the ongoing dialogue of “just what does nonprofit work in Latin American mean?” If you’re interested in contributing to this conversation and joining our team, check out our Opportunities page! We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Three-thousand three-hundred feet below the mountaintop we will summit tomorrow morning, I sit in a small one-room house on a wooden chair fit for a person of childlike proportions.

The house is lit by a single candle. The faces of my co-guide and our clients are illuminated by the flame’s orange glow as they feast upon a typical Guatemalan dinner of rice, beans and a single hard-boiled egg.

Meanwhile a woman huddles in the corner over a fire stove patting tortillas out faster than even the speediest of eaters could gobble them down. Smack, smack, smack. In mere seconds, the tortillas go from golf-sized dough balls to flat symmetrical circles within the palms of her practiced hands.

“Esto es bastante, gracias Senora,” I say. This is more than enough, thank you. My remark was to no avail. She places yet another stack of a dozen or so corn-tortillas on the table’s plastic, floral covering.

“Muy amable!” I smile and bow my head a little. Not because bowing was customary; I’m doubled over because of the vast amount of tortillas I have just consumed in a single sitting.

One would think that by my tenth trip out to this remote highland-village of Xexecom, Guatemala, I would have figured out that no matter how hard I tried, I will never be able to conquer the impossible task of finishing all the tortillas.

I once asked a Guatemalan friend of mine, “Icias, how many tortillas do you usually eat?”
He shrugged. “Six, if I’m not really hungry. But if I’m hungry, I don’t know….ten.”
“Six to ten a day then?”
“No!” he said. “Six to ten a meal.”
“Oh.”

*       *       *

For the past six months, I have been volunteering with Quetzaltrekkers-Guatemala, the nation’s only non-profit hiking organization, led completely and exclusively by unpaid volunteers like myself. Named after the city from which it originated (Quetzaltenango, Guatemala), Quetzaltrekkers was established in 1995 and has now spread to Quetzaltrekkers-Nicaragua and Condortrekkers-Bolivia. The group was born as a financial solution to fund the Escuela de La Calle (Street School) in Quetzaltenango, which serves children who face extreme poverty. Escuela de la Calle was founded by a British social worker and two progressive Guatemalan teachers; the school works to provide an education to street children in one of the poorest nations in the Northern Hemisphere.

These three founders made a life-changing exchange with the kids of the city’s streets. From the hands of children they took the paper bags lined with glue and designed for huffing, and gave them pencils and notebooks designed for learning. In other words, a ticket out.

In the beginning, classes were held on the streets themselves for any child who wanted to learn. Little by little, enough money was generated to buy land and a building. Today, two-hundred and twenty kids attend Escuela de la Calle.

Escuela de la Calle also offers a rehabilitation program called Hogar Abierto (Open Home) which provides refuge to sixteen children ranging in ages seven to seventeen. Many of these kids once lived in the most rural of villages and many of their families do not have the financial means to support all their children. Some came from abusive backgrounds while others had no families at all.

Quetzaltrekkers is the financial arm of these two organizations. The Quetzaltrekkers office takes all sorts of tourists, from the fit to the not-so-fit on hikes ranging from a half-day to six-days long. Quetzaltrekkers is where these two incredible nonprofits, hiking, and tourists come together.

For other La Vida Idealist posts on volunteering abroad in Latin America, check out “Part I: Being Quarter-life Idealists in Guatemala” by Whitney Devin, ”Now I’m Ready to Start: Five Tips for Volunteering Abroad” by Megan Kaseburg, “Finding Your Niche as a Short Term Volunteer” by Jennifer Yael Green, or  ”How to Fundraise Your Own Salary: 5 “Easy” Steps“ by Kate Bennett. Samantha Camarra recently ended a six-month stint working for Quetzaltrekkers-Guatemala and Quetzaltrekkers-Nicaragua. To learn more about Quetzaltrekkers and its programs (or to sign up for a hike), check out their website or this recent NY Times article on the group. Don’t forget to stay tuned for next week’s post!

After quickly hitting some random buttons on his calculator, he came up with the number 500, and enthusiastically told me I was getting a deal for my 40 bucks. I calmly explained to him that 20=400, which he agreed to. He smiled, handing me 700 Cordobas.¨800!¨ I insisted, until he gave up and handed me another 100 Cordoba bill. (If you stand your ground, you are more likely not to get ripped off; hopefully there are enough cops around to scare thieves into doing the right thing.)

Upon reaching the Nicaraguan border crossing, the Tica Bus representative told me that my passport, which expires in March, would not allow me to pass into Nicaragua. I was on the 90th day of my 90 day Visa, issued to me at the Costa Rican airport three months prior, so I didn’t want to risk going back.

¨Is there anything I can do? ¨ I asked, thumbing the twenty in my pocket.

¨How much can you afford?¨ he asked shamelessly.

¨20 dollars,¨ I replied.

¨O.K., let’s go.¨

Volcano Concepción, in Lake Nicaragua

For a few minutes, I was sure the “law” which the border guards were overlooking on my behalf was imaginary: they told me my passport needed to be valid six months after the date I entered Nicaragua. I made a quick phone call  (luckily my cell phone still worked in the purgatory between the two countries) and, to my chagrin, I found out the law is real. I now had to face the decision: do I enter Nicaragua illegally, and risk not being able to bribe the guards on the way back to Costa Rica? Or do I go back to Costa Rica on an expired visa?

¨F*%# it, stamp my passport,¨ I told the Nica border police.

Worst case scenario, I get stuck in Nicaragua for a few weeks. I was supposed to be working anyway, so who cared if I had to stay in San Juan del Sur, sip on some rum and knock back Toñas on the beach for few extra days, right? I could think of worst places to be, that is, as long as my credit card worked.

The following morning I woke up hungover and hungry, and went for a stroll to the local ATM. Long story short, my Costa Rican bank account was inaccessible on the card I brought. Everyone I’d asked prior to leaving (including my girlfriend) told me that my card should work in Nicaragua. They were all wrong.

I had forty dollars cash left and decided I’d better try to get back into Costa Rica before I ran out of money. Survival mode kicked in. With my passport in my sock and my pocket knife in my pocket, I jumped on the cheapest bus from San Juan del Sur back to the border, which was full of various types of vendors eying my foreign looking backpack. Scenarios played out in my head: What if I got denied at the border for the same reason? What if I hadn’t been out of Costa Rica for long enough?

I decided I would sell my camera and hitchhike to the embassy in Managua. It didn’t come to that. At the border, I got lucky. The Costa Rican guard stamped my passport without asking me a single question. Phew. “Home,” sweet “home.”

Sebastian Kindsvater is currently living in San Jose, Costa and is the Kiva Coordinator/Loan Officer for Fundacíon Mujer.

What they really wanted to hear from me was a time-frame and a plan. In other words, they still expected me to have an obligation to something. In fact, I had conjured up a response that seemed to please people more — and it included finding a paying job.

These expectations, however, led me to ask: What “real” responsibilities and obligations should I have as a woman in my mid-twenties?

Three young girls in Granada, Nicaragua

In most of Central America, it is common for young women to begin having children at a very early age. I took some awesome one-on-one Spanish lessons at Spanish School Xpress in Granada, Nicaragua and in one lesson we discussed cultural differences about this topic.

In my Spanish teacher’s words, it is “normal”for a young girl to become a mother very young due to various social norms (e.g. religion and tradition). She will take on the responsibilities of supporting a family and this will likely be the role she has for the rest of her life. I will not get too deep into this complex topic here but the main point we discussed was that although my tutor did not want this life for her two young girls, she was not planning to directly discuss with them anything relating to sex or the alternative opportunities they could pursue if they avoided young pregnancy. It is the path she and her mother took and she “would not be surprised,” she said, if her daughters led the same life.

Now, to apply this same mentality to my homeland, I question why parents in the U.S. often silently (sometimes not so silently) encourage their children to take on more responsibility as early as possible. We assume we should rush through college and directly after find a decent job that ties us down to a location, eventually find a mate, buy a home and start a family… all with the approval of our parents. Why don’t the typical American parents express to their children that there are other options and encourage them to break the mold? Especially if what they said to me before I left is now what they know to be true?

Why can’t my obligations lie beyond our borders, rather than in “starting my life” in the U.S. so quickly?

In the next few weeks, I will be interviewing various individuals in the quarter-life age group: those who are traveling and/or working abroad focused on contributing to society and those who are studying and/or working in the U.S. I will be asking them questions about their future plans, relationship with their parents, and exploring the themes of this blog, value and experience.

If you have any suggestions/questions or want to participate in an interview, please let me know!

Texan Whitney Devin is currently traveling around Central America, seeking volunteer opportunities.

Farmer explains a bad crop of maiz.

When in Central America, do as the Central Americans do: slow down, make it count, and when in doubt, wing it.

Things such as internet connections, water pressure, food service, bus travel, etc. run much more slowly here than in the U.S. In the communities I’ve visited, I’ve witnessed hard-working people — farmers and bus drivers, for example — who understand the importance of making their time count because their livelihood depends on it. I have also noticed that when you ask someone a question they will ponder for a moment, and then give you an answer. It may not be accurate but they will wing it – especially when giving directions.

After about a month in Nicaragua, I passed through Honduras and arrived in Guatemala. Since my original departure I have had two interviews for unpaid long-term positions with two organizations. They both asked for my assistance with their projects but when the time came to fully commit… I froze. Am I really ready to stop traveling and dedicate all of my time, energy, and remaining funds to this one cause? How can I balance doing good for others while getting the most value out of my trip?

Things were moving too quickly and I clearly wasn’t ready to settle down. I chose instead to make the most of my journey, to slow down, see as much as possible and to make it count. When I find myself doubting or wanting to do more for the people I encounter, I will wing it and use my experience to make a meaningful impact as an individual.

Cooking tortillas in the morning

For example, while staying on a finca in Northern Nicaragua, the woman of the house expressed to me that she was unhappy with the relationship her community had with its current tourism co-op. I offered her some advice on how to begin her own co-op or organization that would better serve her community and will maintain contact with her to help in any way I can, perhaps with the option of returning. She greatly appreciated the advice and I had an amazing experience learning about her life.

Also, while eating in a market in a small highlands city in Western Honduras I ended up giving two young men a three-hour impromptu English lesson with the printout worksheet they found online. They were desperate to learn the language but could not afford to take classes.

These simple examples of community interaction have the potential to make an impact. In addition, I am noting the level of need in the areas I visit. What resources are available, and how well are they functioning? Where are the gaps?

The door is always open for me to return. For now, I will seek out such opportunities before I settle in one spot: taking my time, making it count, and just simply winging it.

Whitney Devin is currently traveling around Central America, seeking volunteer opportunities.