It Depends: A Guide to Peace Corps

What is the Peace Corps really like-and will it change your life? Ask the staff, and the answer is always the same: "It depends."

For anyone preparing to serve, "it depends" is a frustrating refrain. Every prospective Volunteer wants specifics-what to expect, what the day-to-day looks like, and how two years of service will shape the rest of their life. But the truth is... no two Peace Corps experiences are alike, and the most meaningful moments are rarely the ones you plan for.

It Depends: A Guide to Peace Corps offers an honest, grounded look at life as a Peace Corps Volunteer: the realities of preparing for service, the gap between expectation and experience, and the unexpected rewards that come from letting go of a fixed idea of how things "should" go. It's a guide to readying yourself not just for the challenges you can anticipate, but for the ones you can't-and a reminder that the richest takeaways often arrive when you stop trying to script them.

For future Volunteers, the curious, and anyone drawn to the idea of service abroad, this is a candid introduction to what the Peace Corps can give you if you're willing to expect the unexpected.

It Depends: A Guide to Peace Corps, is a full hand-guide to life as a Peace Corps Volunteer anywhere in the world.

This book provides:

• Knowledge on how to prepare for service starting from Application to Close of Service.
• Ways to integrate into culture and learn the language so you have the best service.
• Understanding on the complex and exciting journey of volunteering.
• Insight on LGBTQI and Diversity
• Exercises that help you process what you're experiencing during your service
• Education on what to expect after you've completed your service and come back to the United States.
• Preparation for service by drawing on experiences and stories from Returned Peace Corps Volunteers from around the globe.

Each story told by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers brings a different perspective on service to help potential volunteers prepare for whatever experience may come their way.

Read Peace Corps stories from:

• Brian Fassett (Bulgaria)
• Jacqueline Gerson (Senegal)
• Jenna Smith (Madagascar)
• Natalie Ziemba (Samoa)
• John Gallo (Iran & Tunisia)
• Judson Moore (Kyrgyzstan)
• Danielle J. Zemmel (Liberia)

When considering the Peace Corps experience, this will be one of the most helpful volunteer books and hand guides in your toolbox. But your research shouldn't stop there. The more perspectives you encounter, the more open you are to the infinite possibilities of service, which is why this book also has a list of resources at the end.

It Depends: A Guide to Peace Corps is one of many books about the Peace Corps that offers reliable knowledge on how to prepare for your service with flexibility, open-mindedness, and understanding.

If you have read other books about the Peace Corps like Rivertown, The Insider’s Guide to Peace Corps, and the Peace Corps Volunteer’s Handbook, you will also find It Depends: A Guide to Peace Corps a useful tool.

Start reading this book now to prepare for your service as a Peace Corps Volunteer! Use it as a crutch when you are facing challenges, and may it help you find the courage to make it through your incredible service.

Kelly Branyik is a Returned Peace Corps China Volunteer, travel blogger, and author. She was raised in Southern Colorado with her two siblings and her parents. In her youth, she spent most of her life traveling the United States before going international. She now blogs full time about her travels and her experiences with Peace Corps through her website, Travel Branyik.