For Stevens, learning to live with less made a deep impression on him. Upon returning to the U.S., he marveled at hot showers, and still feels gratitude for that comfort. He chuckles at people who say they have to “do laundry.” Many Peace Corps volunteers do not have access to washers and dryers, so doing laundry entails a bucket, soapy water, and a brush.
Robert Stevens served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tonga from 1995 to 1997
Peace Corps Wants You
Robust Volunteer Organization Actively Recruits College Grads and Baby Boomers
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
By Cathy Murillo
[Excerpt]
Robert Stevens, Tonga 1995-1997
Robert Stevens actually was inspired by what he bemusedly called “hokey” TV commercials of an earnest volunteer walking in rice paddies. The recruiting slogan, “The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love,” resonated with the biochemistry major, and when a post-college job got boring, he thought the time was now or never.
Some of the biggest fears people have, he said, are developing-world toilets, extreme weather, or lack of conveniences. Turns out, these challenges are surmountable.
“The physical deprivations are the easiest to get over,” said Stevens, now 42 and a real estate broker. He worked as a teacher and environment information officer in Tonga, a nation of islands in southern Polynesia. “The tougher thing is the mental aspect, adjusting to a new culture, and fitting in.”
Essentially, Peace Corps volunteers live in poverty, he said. They earn a small stipend, with their housing and medical care covered by the organization. They usually ride a bicycle for transportation, and their diet will be defined by food choices in the host country.
For Stevens, learning to live with less made a deep impression on him. Upon returning to the U.S., he marveled at hot showers, and still feels gratitude for that comfort. He chuckles at people who say they have to “do laundry.” Many Peace Corps volunteers do not have access to washers and dryers, so doing laundry entails a bucket, soapy water, and a brush.
The people of Tonga, with whom he shared two years of his life, taught Stevens his most precious lesson—a new concept of wealth. Tongans define wealth through a spiritual measure. In the United States, he said, “We can be materially wealthy, put spiritually poor.”
