TRAVIS AXTON The Peace Corps

Back in high school during my freshman year, I got involved with Young Life. For anyone that isn’t familiar with the organization, Young Life is a Christian fellowship group aimed towards high school students to provide a positive alternative social scene. I was never too keen on the whole idea because, even though I’d been very active with the church before that, I didn’t think too much of the group since it was very sensitive towards its religious side; while it was a Christian organization, it hardly ever spoke of it, almost in fear of putting people off. Well, the group put on a Mexico missions trip every year and a friend of mine who I usually went to Young Life with convinced me to go. I was skeptical to begin with and the day we left, I started having doubts about the whole thing. The object of the trip was to build a house for a family who needed it. This was a great idea to me and I was pretty psyched for it. What set me off was seeing the group we were going with. It wasn’t just our small group but groups from all over California together. I guess they were thinking the more the merrier, right? Except for the fact that it looked like half the people going hadn’t done one bit of physical labor in their life and some looked like they had prepared for spring break in Cancun. I sucked it up though and just relaxed. Nothing I could do about it anyways.

When we got over the border we were constantly hitting bumps in our plans. Our vans were broken into several times with people’s stuff either destroyed or stolen. It rained during one of the days we were supposed to work which not only meant we couldn’t work but the next day we had to redo some of the stuff that had been damaged during the storm. And I was right about the people in our group: most of them you could find sitting down somewhere in the shade or in one of the vans. About five other guys and I did most of the work in building the four houses we built, including painting and electrical work. The work was rewarding though and none of those negative factors really bothered me after we really got going with the project and the time I got to spend playing with the local kids helped make it worth it.  Then, when we handed the finished product over and saw the receiving family’s reaction, it really made everything come together and all my doubts that I’d had, all my animosity towards everything that set us back disappeared.

This is what I thought about when Travis came to talk to the class last Thursday about the Peace Corps. His story about being in rural Africa, where there is nothing but your community and living as the community does was captivating. Here’s some highlights of what he talked about….

After tons of paper work involving one’s application, it takes about six to nine months to get approval. Depending on attributes of character and experience you’re placed in a country that needs the help you are suited to provide. For three months you’re trained not only for the services and projects you’re being sent for but also to train in the native language and culture for your destination. Then, depending on your comfort level you’re placed in a location that ranges between a city and a rural area, much like the village Travis was placed in. Once placed, you’re paired with a local that can assist in every way possible. For Travis, his assistant’s name was, ironically, James Bond, a native that could speak English fluently and helped ease him into a very different culture.

He told us about learning greetings and how you would have to stop and converse with every person you met on your way anywhere. In fact, greetings differ depending on the amount of respect is due to that person, which is immensely important to them. Meeting the local chiefs required a twenty minute greeting once that actually turned out to be a little bit of a test for Travis.

I decided to check out the website and found it to be pretty impressive. With so much information it must be a maze to get through, but surprisingly the website for the Peace Corps is a very formal site you’d want to see from a government webpage. When you visit www.peacecorps.gov , the home page is incredibly organized with a link to every bit of information including benefits, job offers, and even audio clips of people’s testimonies. All the documents are downloadable and you can even begin the application process online. In beginning that process it first takes you through an eligibility test which I didn’t really want to go through and start dishing out info since I’m not entirely interested at this time, BUT it seems pretty cut and dry. There’s also a section that gives returned volunteers information on their benefits and staying in touch with others from their service. The Hotline is an online bulletin meant to help returned volunteers in resettling, finding jobs, and even posting jobs for others in search. I decided to check out the section about who can serve and it turns out anyone really can, even older adults since there is no age limit. As the page claims, many find their age to be an advantage.

However, none of the financial or medical benefits or even the prospect of a glamorous resume struck me as reason enough to go. What connected my experience in Mexico to Travis’s testimonial was that it was a true service without any attempt to fulfill someone’s agenda other than to help them. And to be completely lost in someone else’s culture where you’re only hope for surviving in the community is to immerse yourself head first would is something I’ve always found attractive. It’s a chance, not to perceive or watch, but participate in a different way of life. What Travis talked about was a life changing experience. He even confessed that some people have negative experiences but it’s always what you make of it, just as I had to buck up and make the most out of Mexico, turning it into something far more rewarding than any materialistic gain. He even said it was possible for a married couple to be placed together, an idea I thought would be great! Sharing that kind of thing, and working alongside with my spouse is something that I see only strengthening a relationship, something that would be useful in making a family, if the trip is successful of course.

It’s something I’d advise anyone to do. There’s no way this isn’t possible for anyone who is willing enough to make it happen. I know from my own experience that it can be life changing just to help one family in a few days. How much better can it be to help a community for a couple years in a safe environment?