There’s
nothing like doing taxes as a Peace Corps volunteer to remind you how much your life has changed. And to give you heart
palpitations as you realize how much you’ve missed out on in both earnings and
retirement account contributions. I
chose to leave behind a comfortable life with a great apartment, a great job, the
ability to buy whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and easy access to a national
park with great hiking trails for Peace Corps service. As I look at my US bank account after two years of withdrawals and zero deposits, I have to remind myself that my reasons for leaving that comfortable life were valid.
I have a history of moving around every few years, always on the move for
professional growth and a new adventure. That sense of the unknown has always been a magnet for me. I like to be challenged and not have things get too routine. You could say I’m commitment-phobic but I like to think I’ve just got a lust
for life and exploring new places. Every
time you go somewhere new, there are endless possibilities for what can happen and
where your path might diverge. I approached
Peace Corps service with that same mindset but with a slightly different edge
since I would be living in a foreign country and learning a new
language (i.e. with way more anxiety).
Living only a few hours away from this was pretty great.
Travel to this beach retreat only cost me $16 roundtrip!
These mountains weren't super hike-able but it was great to see them every day.
I
was inspired to take advantage of the fact that because I had not acquired all of those "typical" things that most people achieve in their 30s (i.e. a spouse, kids, a house, etc.), I was free to make a big change and put myself on a new course. I was inspired to do just that thanks to King County's equity and
social justice employee trainings which made me realize just how safe I had been playing it, even with all those moves.
As a volunteer, I got to experience being a minority for the
first time in my life, and to recognize just how much privilege I have – even as
a minority in Mexico – due to my skin color, nationality and level of education. If you've never found yourself in that position before, you should try it. It might be a little scary but it can only help broaden your perspectives. I got to experience how confusing it is to
have people make assumptions about you based on stereotypes associated with
your nationality, gender, etc. that have nothing at all to do with you as an
individual. I also got to see how
profoundly different Mexico is in person vs. as portrayed in the media. I participated in the Peace Corps
Mexico Diversity & Inclusion Network and heard about first-hand experiences and
struggles from my fellow volunteers related to being LGBTQ, people of color,
women, older volunteers, etc. both in Mexico and in the US. Long story
short, I got some really good experience related to diversity and equity that I hope can serve me well working on future sustainability programs and help me be a better ally.
I loved seeing decorations like this pop up every couple of weeks.
I've learned that I definitely need a bright door on my future home.
If
you like learning new things about yourself and having periods of
introspection, Peace Corps service will give you loads and loads of time for
that stuff. It can be exhausting, but it’s
good for you. It’s also good to have some
time on a really limited budget to help you break that oh-so-beautiful cycle of
consumption that tempts us all. After
two years of living on only 5% of my previous salary, I have a very different
relationship with money. As a volunteer,
I could cover my housing, food and transportation costs, while living at the local level, for around $200 a month.
I had to be smart about budgeting, but I never wanted for anything and could afford the luxury of internet.
My monthly expenses ran at:
- around $100 a month in rent for a 2-bedroom apartment,
- less than $2 a month for electricity,
- around $65 a month for groceries,
- under $20 a month for internet,
- less than $2 a month for drinking water, and
- under $9 a month for gas.
I
could have spent my monthly expenditures in Mexico in one day back in the US, with
one trip to Whole Foods. Think about
that the next time you’re questioning why people might be willing to do anything and everything to come to the US.
Images from Mexico.
I
don’t know exactly what I hoped to find as a volunteer, but I will say that I’m
glad I took the risk. I recognize that
it was a wee bit crazy to leave a great, well-paying government job and all the
security that entails, and I did miss that job and the people I worked
with in Seattle. I missed a lot of things from my
former life in the US during my time in Mexico, but I also felt reenergized and soooooo ready to be an
uber-productive employee again!
Life
as a Peace Corps volunteer was the ultimate adventure and it convinced me that I'm ready to stay put in one spot for a few years, and it encouraged me to find a spot within driving distance of family. I’d like to invest in some furniture that I could
have for 10+ years, and maintain that sense of community from Mexico back here in the US. I’d like to travel and explore more of the world, and be a better, kinder, more patient
person. Don’t get me wrong, I’d also
like to get back to that six-figure salary, but that's not priority #1 right now. I wanted to return to a strong sense of community, a vibrant, local food market, accessibility to family, and a reasonable cost of living. I was lucky to find that with an awesome job and new home in the midwest that I never would have found without Mexico. As Rihanna herself once said, this what you came for. :) Thank you all so much for reading!
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