Sharing a Site with Another Peace Corps Volunteer

When most people think about Peace Corps volunteers, they picture someone living in a remote village hours, if not days, away from any other person who speaks English.  The reality is that when you arrive at your site for service, you may find that you are the first person from the USA to ever live there.  Or you may find that you are the latest in a litany of volunteers and/or another volunteer is also living and working in your site.  Maybe you'll find yourself with your new best friend in the world, or maybe you'll find yourself wondering how you could both be from the same country and have absolutely nothing in common.  

Three months after I arrived at site, our training coordinator asked me how it was going, having another volunteer in my office.  I told him it as a life-saver, which was true.  Cindy was in the group before me, and she was enormously helpful in my first few months at site.  I will forever be grateful for that and for her generosity!  However, she and I could both tell you that working with another volunteer in your office can be a complex affair.  You are working together during one of the most stressful points in your life, trying to figure out how to communicate in a new culture, and battling everything from extreme stomach bugs to insomnia, so you're not always representing your best self.  

This is the site I shared with another volunteer for a year. 

With my fellow volunteer, Cindy, and an excellent local cook. 

Using one of Cindy's computers when mine started dying, with French Pierre. She and her husband also helped me get my computer to/from the US to get it fixed before the warranty expired.

There are lots of great things associated with having another volunteer at site, and in an effort to give you a well-rounded picture of the reality of sharing a site with another volunteer, I reached out to several other volunteers in the same boat.  Here’s a brief breakdown of the good, the bad and the awkward.

PROS to having another volunteer at your site:

• You have someone else to speak English with!  The importance of this benefit cannot be overstated at times of homesickness or crisis (like when you need someone to clearly understand exactly why you need to go the doctor). 
• They can give you great insight into office/community relationships, and help you get up to speed on dynamics more quickly.  
• You can potentially make an instant friend. 
• You can greatly increase your effectiveness by partnering on projects. 
• They can help orient you to everything at your site and show you where to buy the best cheese, clothes, sheets, etc.  They can also give you invaluable advice on transportation options.
• You have someone else to commiserate/coordinate with when it’s time for VRF reporting. 
• If they have friends and family that come to visit, they can bring you things from the US.  
• They can help you learn colloquial phrases and figure out a good routine for your new life.
• You could potentially find a new romantic partner. 
• When they leave, you may be able to buy their super awesome furniture (and they may generously give you lots more items for your home). 
• You have the opportunity to get to know another volunteer on a much more intimate level than is possible if you only see people at trainings once a year.  
• You have someone to bounce ideas off of and can implement projects together - including writing and recording awesome songs about your site. 

Cindy gave me the name of her local hairdresser and sometimes her friends took me with them to explore new locations.

I got both of the blankets on my bed, the small table and the lamp from Cindy.

I bought this table and the placemats from Cindy and she gave me the plant.

CONS to having another volunteer at your site:

• You’re bound to be compared to the other volunteer in every way possible and it’s really hard.  You speak Spanish ok? Well the other volunteer speaks it like a local.  You like to sit at home at read? Sad.  The other volunteer likes to go out and party (so what’s your deal?).  You're introverted and quiet?  The other volunteer is loud and boisterous so people may always think there's something wrong with you because you have a different energy level.  FYI - whether it's others comparing you to your fellow volunteer, or you doing it yourself, this is by far the hardest part of sharing a site. 
• You're likely going to be at different stages of service which means your levels of effectiveness and integration are going to be different.  It's hard not to continually compare your performance with theirs, even if they've been living and working at your site longer. 
• In a lot of ways, you're going to be interchangeable.  You’re in your 30s and definitely not tall and thin; the other volunteer is 60 and very tall and thin.  You’re going to be called their name all the time.  This isn't really a con so much as it is confusing.  It makes you think about how you might have tendencies to see all people who "look alike" in the same way, and reminds you to see people as individuals. 
• There’s often an unclear division of duties and/or you are now responsible for finishing someone else’s project.  Even if you have different skill sets, there can be a tendency to say “the PC volunteer will do it” so if you aren’t a specialist in building wells but the last guy was, you may find yourself in charge of a well project in which you have zero expertise.  And people may question why you aren't doing things like the last person. 
• You have to negotiate who gets to report on (and take credit for) what.  You both taught English classes? Only one of you can “claim” that work which can be a bummer when you put in equal effort.  
• You have someone else to speak English with.  That could potentially hamper your efforts to advance with the local language.
• Not all people from the US have the same work style or communication style. So, in addition to learning how to work and communicate with your host country partners, you also have to figure that out with your fellow paisano.  That can actually be more frustrating because you might feel like "this should be a lot easier" with someone who speaks your language and knows your culture. 
• The volunteer with more time at site can think that they are in a position to dictate your work because they've been there longer.  No doubt they have good insight and perspective, but that can be awkward.

Going away party for Cindy (who took this picture).

Noe and Martin cooking onions and meat.

Party mascot! 

These were the most beautiful toilets at the ranch where we had Cindy's party.

View at the ranch.

Sunset at the party ranch.

I imagine I'll have fewer pictures like this without Cindy here to document fun things, like dancing with Martin at her going away party. 

When the time came for Cindy to leave, I was much sadder than I anticipated.  I mean, I was super excited to buy her dining table and stools and finally eat like an adult, but the loss of my fellow volunteer hit me hard.  We didn't do much together outside of the office or have a ton in common, but there was a connection to home and a shared volunteer experience that left with her.  She was a kind, generous person and the one person in the world who best understood the challenges and rewards in my unique site.  

Whether you work with another volunteer or alone, Peace Corps service is a life changer and a never ending bounty of life lessons.  I've been working full-time since finishing my master's degree 16 years ago, and I can tell you that I have more material for job interviews after one year as a volunteer than I ever gathered in the professional realm.  If you can figure out a work plan and implement it, navigate a different language and work culture, AND figure out how to successfully work with other people from the US in your country of service, you are gonna be golden when you get back home.