Although only 5 percent of Peace Corps volunteers are over 50, age distinctions become irrelevant, says Miller-Coulter. "Volunteers tend to be friends the most with those they came in with rather than with others their own age," she says. Her group of 34 volunteers has four people over the age of 50. She spent Christmas with several volunteers in their 20s and 30s and one in her 60s. "The only significant difference between the older and younger people's experience is that, at least initially, the older volunteers get a level of public respect, which the younger ones sometimes find lacking," Miller-Coulter says. "After that initial boost, you have to earn it, just like everyone else."
The Peace Corps wants a few good seniors
The Peace Corps wants a few good seniors
Published: Monday, March 17, 2008
By Barbara Leitenberg
True or False? Peace Corps adventures are only for 20somethings.
FALSE, says Amanda Richardson, Peace Corps recruiter for Vermont. "It's never too late to apply because there's no age limit," she says. "Don't just wish that you had done it when you were younger. Anyone should apply who has a desire to see the world."
Bill and Shirley Bingham of South Hero were Peace Corps volunteers in Vanuatu 10 years ago. He was 60; she was 57. At the time, they were living in Shrewsbury and looking for something special to do to mark the beginning of retirement -- she as director of special education for the Rutland South School District; he as a community development specialist for the University of Vermont Extension Service. They were assigned to work in a remote island east of Australia in the Coral Sea -- no roads, no telephone, no electricity. They left Vermont in a snowstorm in November, and they arrived to find 95 degrees heat and 100 percent humidity in Vanuatu.
"It was the best thing we ever did in our marriage," Bill says.
Recently, the Peace Corps launched a 50-plus initiative to better integrate and increase the number of 50-plus volunteers. "This age group brings a lifetime of experience to their volunteering," Richardson says. "They are not as afraid of the unknown as the youngsters. They are more comfortable with themselves, and they know how they see the world. Young people may have a lot of energy, but they are more unsure of themselves."
Susan Miller-Coulter, 65, of Burlington is currently a Peace Corps volunteer in northern Jordan. Born in New York City, she came to Burlington 15 years ago because she wanted her teenage daughter "to finish growing up away from what were then lots of problems in the city." A trained nurse, she worked for the Visiting Nurse Association until two months before she left for Jordan in May 2006. Now she works in a small town youth center with teenage girls, fascinated and intrigued by the ways that cultural differences play out in the lives of these and American teenagers.
"If you are over 50 and considering applying, go for it," Miller-Coulter says. "You'll find out in the application process if this is the life for you. I really had a lot of doubts in the beginning."
No two Peace Corps experiences are alike. Each country is different; each town is different; each job is different. The Binghams lived by themselves in a woven bamboo hut on stilts with a thatched roof in a village of 150 people. Shirley taught science and math to elementary school students, and Bill helped build rain catchment and health-care facilities. After six months, they were able to get a two-way radio and a light for night reading. "It's not easy to read with a kerosene lantern," Bill says. "It's hot, and the light is dim."
Susan Miller-Coulter lives with a family, "where I have a nice bedroom and a private bath, which is a real luxury." She eats and watches television with the family, and she goes to the youth center by public bus (men and women in separate sections). She keeps in contact with family and friends overseas through her cell phone and e-mail.
For all the differences in their Peace Corps lives, the Binghams and Miller-Coulter share many experiences. Like all PC volunteers, they were sent to their countries as part of a group. Upon arrival, they trained with their groups for about three months learning language, culture, health issues and technical information. Then the groups split up, and individuals (or couples) were assigned to different towns and placed with local organizations -- depending on the needs of the town and the skills of the volunteers. Volunteers have regular times off, breaks in their routine, and opportunities to meet with members of their original group.
"As an applicant, you get to influence where you are assigned, but not to define it," Miller-Coulter says. "50-plus volunteers are placed where they can get adequate medical care." Miller-Coulter was hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis in Jordan, and Bill Bingham was treated for leg infections and a root canal in Vanuatu. Both expressed satisfaction with their care.
Although only 5 percent of Peace Corps volunteers are over 50, age distinctions become irrelevant, says Miller-Coulter. "Volunteers tend to be friends the most with those they came in with rather than with others their own age," she says. Her group of 34 volunteers has four people over the age of 50. She spent Christmas with several volunteers in their 20s and 30s and one in her 60s.
"The only significant difference between the older and younger people's experience is that, at least initially, the older volunteers get a level of public respect, which the younger ones sometimes find lacking," Miller-Coulter says. "After that initial boost, you have to earn it, just like everyone else."
The Binghams and Miller-Coulter relate much of their experience in terms of culture shock and the friendliness of local people. Miller-Coulter had to get used to the Muslim traditions separating men and women to the extent that there is no conversation between men and women who are not family members. "But when you're my age," she says, "that restriction is largely eased, and it's a source of enormous personal pleasure to me to have many men friends."
It took the Binghams about eight months just to relax and accept the island pace. "I had to concentrate to quiet myself down," Shirley says. Returning to the United States brought the opposite shock: She found that here people move too quickly and do not relate to one another.
Bill Bingham has this advice for potential volunteers: Be very open. Be willing to take risks. Be willing to let your culture go. Know that you might not succeed in teaching people about water systems, but you will teach them about American culture just by living with them. Barbara Leitenberg writes about senior issues. For more information about services for elders, call the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging at (800) 642-5119. Interested in the Peace Corps?
* Go to: www.peacecorps.gov for general information and applications.
* Meet returned volunteers and learn about life in the Peace Corps: 7-9 p.m. April 16, Fletcher Free Library Community Room, Burlington.
* Contact Amanda Richardson at 656-8269 or peace.corps@uvm.edu.
* Read Susan Miller-Coulter's blog in The Burlington Free Press, www.burlingtonfreepress.com/blog/peacecorps/index.html.
