Tips For Future [Ethiopia] Peace Corps Volunteers: Expectations

As I have mentioned before and I wanted to state again:  These posts on tips for future volunteers are fairly applicable to all people applying.  But some points might be a little bit more so directed towards those coming to Ethiopia because this is the country in which I am currently serving.  And on that note, I’ll go ahead and dive right into expectations!

I think it is a common question among future volunteers to ask, “What should I expect going into this experience?”  Honestly, there are so many ways to answer that question.  I could share as much as I possibly could about my own experience and that would only maybe help you a little bit because every volunteer experience is so different.  Even my experience has been extremely different from volunteers also serving in Ethiopia and has been different from even those of the volunteers who are living in the same town as me.

For future Ethiopia volunteers, here is the information that I can fairly give you on what to expect:

• When it comes to language, you will learn Amharic, Oromifa, Tigrinian, and/or very likely a more rural language.
• You will learn how vastly diverse Ethiopia itself is from region to region, zone to zone. 
• You will learn how different and unique the Ethiopian culture is.
• You will learn about how different Ethiopian food is (and how different it might actually be from the Ethiopian food is that you may have possibly have tried in the states).  And don’t worry; even if you’re not a huge fan of Ethiopian food at first, it usually begins to grow on you.
• And my final, if not most important expectation for you:  Expect to be surprised, expect to learn a lot, and go in with an expectation that what you may have expected originally might not be met.  Try to go into this experience not expecting much more than knowing that you will learn a lot from this experience and that this experience will also change you and hopefully will allow you to grow in positive ways.

For any future volunteer (not only those coming to Ethiopia), know and expect to learn a new language, learn about a new culture, and be willing to try some new food.  And seriously, even if the expectations you had starting your Peace Corps experience are not met, still give it a chance.  As I said, every single Peace Corps volunteer experience is different.  So no matter what you have heard and learned from current and returned Peace Corps volunteers, I can guarantee that you will have a vastly different experience.

My final note is this:  It is good to go in with some expectations.  But please try to be open-minded and know that at least some if not all of your expectations may not be met.  My advice is to learn as much as you can about what it has been like for current or returned volunteers and find the commonalities that you notice.  If you feel the need to create expectations for yourself, try to base those on the similarities that you notice. 

I have found though that the more expectations you have, the more likely many of them are not met and the more disappointed you will be.  That is why I have said to try not to have too many expectations when coming into this experience.  The less expectations you have and the more open-minded and flexible you are, the less disappointed you will be.  With that being said, I have also seen that oftentimes, those who come in with less expectations are often more likely to gain the most amount of personal growth, and in some ways, have the most beneficial and successful experiences.

That is what I have to share on the expectations of future Peace Corps volunteers as they are preparing to begin the next two years of their lives.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am always happy to receive comments and questions.  Feel free to ask questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability.

On a similar note, if there are any current volunteers reading this post, feel free to leave any comments that you feel would be beneficial for any future volunteers reading.  And for future volunteers:  please let me know if there are any specific topics that you would like me to give tips on as you are preparing for your service.

Honestly (when looking back at my service thus far), one of the best ways to look at starting your Peace Corps experience.