Throughout the first week of training, they’ve drilled one thing into our minds: being a Peace Corps Volunteer is more than just working in our respective sectors. Over the last few days, I’ve realized how much I didn’t know about Peace Corps, and truly breaking down its mission and goals has made me even more proud to be a part of it.

Essentially, Peace Corps’s main mission is to promote friendship and peace (amistad y paz) around the world. Next, the organization has 3 main goals:

• Support interested countries (as in countries have to invite Peace Corps to their country) in building the capactities of their men and women.
• Promote a better understanding of Americans around the world, in terms of the different cultures and stories we represent.
• Promote a better understanding of the cultures of other countries by communicating our stories and lessons with Americans upon returning home.

Before leaving for Peru, I attended a Northern Virginia send-off party where someone said “the Peace Corps is the American taxpayer’s best bang for their buck in terms of diplomatic relations” and I’m certainly seeing that truth. For many of the communities in which we’ll be placed, we will be the only American they will ever meet. That means whatever we do, whatever we say, that will be their only view of America. Now that is certainly a whole other dimension than delivering health education and services.