In this interview, we hear from Isabel Fine. Isabel is working as a Peace Corps Youth Development volunteer in Peru. What Isabel shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Isabel talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Isabel’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Tell us more about serving as an Youth Development volunteer in Peru.
Youth Development in Peru
The overarching goal of the Youth Development (YD) program in Perú is to reduce the number of NiNis: young people who neither work nor study. This population is especially high in Perú compared to the rest of Latin America. I often describe the YD program as holistic because we don’t just work with youth, but we also collaborate with parents and community allies to promote growth and share resources.
Most of our work consists of co-teaching self-development classes at the local high schools to implement topics like vocational orientation and career prep. We organize professional panels and vocational fairs, giving students the chance to meet successful professionals from the community and learn about post-secondary opportunities. Additionally, YD volunteers help facilitate parenting workshops with the local high schools known as escuela de padres (“parenting school”) to create spaces for parents to reflect on their relationships with their children and explore positive parenting strategies.
The YD program has a large set of objectives, which means we have a lot of work!! After the school day ends, we lead extracurricular activities. The last school year I had a reading club, a girls empowerment club, and a knitting club. Finally, YD volunteers train youth service providers in project design and help students create youth-led service projects in the community. These projects are then submitted to a national competition called “Ideas en acción” or “Ideas in Action.”
A Typical Day
That overview of my work is very technical, so you might be wondering, “What’s a typical day like?” One of my favorite parts of the Peace Corps is the flexibility to shape our own schedules. Ironically, staying busy keeps me sane. I’m currently training for a marathon on May 25th with about 15 other volunteers. Most mornings start around 6 or 6:30 with a run through my community alongside my site mate. Afterward, I share breakfast with my 83-year-old host mom before heading to school for 1–2 classes.
On days when my classes are later, I spend the morning planning or hanging out with my site mate in our office, which is situated in the local government building. We’ve put up funky decorations and the Peace Corps flag, to motivate us, and draw in curious community members.
Around 1 p.m., I head home to cook lunch— my go-to’s have been chicken tacos, rice paper Thai spring rolls, or some sort of pasta. Every once and a while I’ll attempt to chef up a Peruvian dish. I cook for myself, unlike most volunteers here. My host mom, due to her age and wrist pain, asked me to take over the cooking.
In the afternoons, I run the extracurricular clubs and it is the best part of my day. The kids here have a habit of greeting me with tackling hugs at the beginning of the sessions. After clubs wrap up, I return home to cook dinner and eat with my host family. Most nights, I climb into my host mom’s bed, and we knit while watching a telenovela or soap opera together. It’s the perfect end to a full day.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Peru?
I vividly remember my brother’s ex-girlfriend talking about her plans for the future when I was 10 years old. She said, “I would be interested in the Peace Corps, but it’s 2 years. That just feels like such a long time.” Even at that age, the Peace Corps had a cool-sounding ring to it, and the thought of being far from home for 2 years sounded even better.
In college, I began thinking seriously about my plans post-grad, which is when I started researching opportunities abroad. I had taken a transnational feminism course, where the professor argued that most volunteerism is unethical and unsustainable. The deeper I got into researching the Peace Corps and its ideology, the more comfortable I felt with the idea of being an American working abroad—especially in development. At the end of the day, I believe each volunteer’s impact depends on their perspective and intentions, but the Peace Corps does make a strong effort to prepare us for cultural differences and the power dynamics we may encounter.
In my junior year, I lived with a host grandmother in Santiago, Chile for 8 months and knew I wanted to return to Latin America. After studying abroad, I spent a summer living on a dog rescue farm in southern Cusco, Perú. The experience was far from conventional but affirmed my deep appreciation and interest in the country. There is a long-standing rivalry between Chileans and Peruvians rooted in historical land disputes but it now plays out in soccer matches and food debates. Perú, without a doubt, beats out Chile for cuisine, culture, and ease of understanding the Spanish.
When I saw an opening to apply to volunteer in Perú, it felt like the stars were aligning. I applied directly and arrived in Lima almost a year later!
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation
Perú is unique among Peace Corps countries in that volunteers live with host families for the entirety of their two-year service. While experiences with host families vary, I feel like I hit the jackpot. I live with my 83-year-old host mom and my 45-year-old host brother. My host sisters live and work in nearby communities and stop by to visit a few times a month.
Our home
Our home sits on a hillside overlooking the community, with lush green mountains in the background. At the center of the house is a peaceful outdoor patio that fills the space with natural light and greenery.
My host mom
Despite her age, my host mom is the most active woman I know. She’s a master fiber artist—always weaving, crocheting, or sewing—and tends a vibrant herb garden in the back of the house. Each morning, we use those herbs to make tea. At night, we curl up in her room to watch the Peruvian reality show, Andrea, trying to guess who the real father is.
My community
My community is considered “urban,” though it has a population of just around 4,000—medium- sized by Peace Corps standards, especially compared to some friends who live in towns with as few as 200 people. We’re about 40 minutes by van from the regional capital, Chachapoyas, a city known for its ecological diversity, breathtaking scenery, and one of the tallest waterfalls in the world.
Many people hear “Amazonas” and assume we live in the jungle, but the region is actually known as Ceja de selva—the “eyebrow of the jungle”—a transitional zone between the mountainous Sierra and the jungle. It has elements of both: a moderate, comfortable climate and access to more berries and fruits than I ever imagined.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had?
Ideas en Acción
As Youth Development volunteers, we support local high schools in promoting initiatives from Peru’s Ministry of Education. One such initiative is the nationwide “Ideas en Acción” contest for student-led projects, though only a few schools are aware of the opportunity and participate each year.
Project Design & Management training
In April 2024, I attended a Peace Corps Project Design and Management training in Lima (for IST) with a counterpart from my community. We learned how to guide students in identifying local issues and designing impactful projects. For the remainder of the school year, my colleague and I conducted replica trainings for other teachers and interested students to share our knowledge and insights into project planning.
Kiosko Saludable
One group chose la comida chatarra (junk food) as a serious concern within the high school and the broader community. They noticed a rise in health and gastrointestinal issues, which they attributed to the lack of healthy snack options. To address this, the students developed an action plan that included organizing educational sessions on healthy eating habits, displaying informational posters about the effects of junk food, and establishing a kiosk offering a variety of unprocessed, nutritious snacks for students throughout the school day.
In collaboration with the Parent’s Club, local government, and school authorities, the students successfully launched the Kiosko Saludable (Healthy Kiosk) within months of starting their project. Local vendors and farmers began visiting the high school to sell fresh produce during each recess, helping to stimulate the community’s economy as well. Soon, students were eagerly lining up to try the natural juices and fresh fruits from local sellers.
An award-winning project
The project was not only deemed a success by community leaders and students, but it was also recognized as the best student-led project in the nationwide “Ideas en Acción” competition for the Amazonas region and in the Macro-region, which included projects from eight other regions. The group’s student coordinator and supervising teacher were invited to Lima to present the project at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2024 (APEC) convention and meet Peru’s president, Dina Boluarte. This trip to Lima was the student’s first time traveling outside Amazonas, making the visit both highly emotional and rewarding.
This recognition was an honor for my community and a memorable moment for both my students and everyone involved in the project. I will always cherish this initiative as a core memory from my service and as a testament to the change students can create when given the space and resources to lead.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about the challenges in Peru?
One aspect that truly surprised me during my service was the gender dynamics in Perú. Female-identifying volunteers often have an entirely different experience than their male-identifying counterparts. Of course, this is based on my personal experience, so it may not apply to every volunteer—but it’s worth acknowledging.
As a female volunteer, I’m held to the same standards as Peruvian women when it comes to cooking, doing laundry, and general behavior. My host mother, who previously hosted male volunteers,once told me she used to do his laundry. In contrast, my laundry is sometimes taken off the line if it’s not considered clean enough (which happens more often than I’d like to admit). House hold tasks with my host family are part of my weekly routine, whereas the previous male volunteer was told he wasn’t allowed to help out in these regards.
There’s also a noticeable divide in household expectations between my host siblings. My host sisters, despite having full-time jobs, are still expected to assist with all the domestic chores. My host brother, on the other hand, simply shows up for meals, eats, and leaves his dishes on the table to be
cleared by someone else. When my host mother went to Lima for a month, I became the full-time cook and cleaner for my 45-year-old host brother.
When neighbors come by and taste my food, they often say things like, “You’ll make a good wife since you know how to cook.” I usually reply, “My husband better be cooking too!!” For context, I will also note that it’s common here to live with your parents well into adulthood, even after getting married and having children.
Maybe these gender dynamics aren’t shocking to everyone, but I didn’t expect to feel so challenged by the explicit expectations placed on me to act like a “good Peruvian woman” during service while seeing distinct differences with my fellow male volunteers.
6. What challenges did you face while working on Youth Development projects?
One major challenge I continue to face is working with unwilling counterparts. During pre-service training, we hear stories from volunteers about counterparts who are disinterested in our work. At the time, I felt completely unequipped to deal with such situations— it seemed to contradict the Peace Corps’ emphasis on communities inviting us to serve.
In Perú, volunteers visit their assigned communities during training for a 10-day period called “site exploration.” We’re given a checklist of potential counterparts to introduce ourselves to, along with a little script to explain our role. On the very first day of site exploration, I sat in the Desarrollo Social (Social Development) office at the local government building, nervously trying to deliver my memorized speech in Spanish. I butchered it completely and sighed audibly when I was done. The woman across from me stared at me blankly before saying, “I have no interest in working with you.” BOOM, everything I’d feared.
In the Peace Corps you learn to work with those who want to work with you. So, I shifted my focus. I visited other institutions and eventually found incredible counterparts throughout the community. The same woman who rejected me on day one (and later gave me the wrong date for the town’s Christmas gift swap) now invites me into her office to drink Inca Kola and chismear (gossip). Over time, consistent friendliness and small positive interactions helped break down the walls between us.
Even now, some community members still have no interest in working with me, and I’ve learned that that’s perfectly fine. The most sustainable work comes from motivated counterparts who are committed to the projects and will carry them forward long after we’re gone.
7. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?
In my community, a group of authorities and I have come together to build a Youth Center/Library through the PCPP small grants program. The idea emerged from discussions with parents, and students, and surveys highlighting the lack of safe spaces for youth. After the school day ends, students linger in the plaza with no place to go, often engaging in inappropriate behaviors. A series of surveys revealed high levels of alcohol and drug abuse in my community. The Youth Center/Library is a space that will not only give students a place where they can read, study, or do homework but also an opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities like art, chess, robotics club, etc.
This secondary project has gained a significant amount of community support. We have formed a committee of ten community members who are overseeing the whole implementation process and will ensure the sustainability of the space. The goal of the committee is to involve as many community members as possible throughout the process, to create a space they feel ownership over.
Rather than hiring people to paint the center, we organized a community event with music and food, where everyone took responsibility for painting a section of the space. Local carpenters are crafting tables and shelves, while a group of high school girls is helping crochet cushions and decorations. The local technical institute’s sewers are making bean bag chairs, and students will paint murals throughout the space.
We’ve received a large donation of books from around Peru, ranging from Matilda to various comics. Beyond the grant writing and execution, this project has been incredibly fulfilling, working with various community members and seeing the excitement in my students as they pick up books they’re genuinely interested in. I feel very lucky to have participated in the Peace Corps grant process, no other job right out of college (maybe rightly so) would allow me such responsibility!!
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Youth Development volunteer in Peru?
My advice for anyone considering serving as a Youth Development volunteer in Peru is: DO IT!!! Peru has an incredibly responsive staff who truly care about the safety and well-being of their volunteers. If you serve here, you’ll be treated with love and respect, not just as a volunteer, but as a person. The Youth Development program involves more classroom teaching than I expected, but you’ll walk away with an abundance of soft skills that will set you up for future careers.
One piece of advice I received during pre-service training was that being a “good volunteer” doesn’t always mean being the most productive. In Spanish, there are two verbs for “to be”: ser (permanent) and estar (temporary). Sometimes we have to BE volunteers (do our work and comply with our program objectives) and other times we just need to be volunteers (spend time with our host families and individuals in the community). It’s ok to just be present. I know I will remember the mindless activities like helping cut carrots with my neighbors for the town’s festivals far more than any other work achievement.
I have about six months of service left and the time has certainly dragged at some points and flown by at others. I will always carry my service with me, not in the literal sense of wearing my Peace Corps jacket, but in the small lessons of learning to connect with those around you and in reframing what “productivity” really means.
9. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
My Peace Corps service has taught me more skills than I could have ever imagined. Granted, this is my first job out of university, but I can’t think of any other role that challenges you on a personal, cultural, professional, logistical, and environmental level all at once. Over the past two years, I’ve become a competent Spanish speaker, public speaker, grant writer, project planner, project director, teacher, advocate—the list goes on and on.
Every part of the day presents a challenge, which can be exhausting, but by the end of the two years, you leave a completely reconstructed and developed person. I am excited to share my Peace Corps experience with future RPCVs, family members, or strangers because it has been an all-encompassing adventure.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Peru volunteers?
The only items that come to mind are items that I’m glad I packed, so I will share those:
- A micro-fiber towel
- My Tevas
- Professional clothing
- My favorite stuffed animal
- Pictures of my home friends and family
- A journal
- My headphones
- Blundstones (for all weather)
- My backpacking gear
I wrote and re-wrote my packing list a billion times before leaving for Peru, but the truth is you can find almost anything you could want in Lima.
11. How has learning the language been?
I arrived with an intermediate-high level of Spanish and am now speaking at an advanced-high level. Spanish is the most commonly spoken language among volunteers here, though some in other regions also learn Quechua. Peace Corps has recently removed the language requirement for Peru, which I can imagine could make integration more challenging. If you’re at a lower level, I’d recommend studying vocabulary and verbs, or listening to Spanish speakers before arriving to better prepare yourself!
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
12. How do you think your blog contributes to your mission as a volunteer?
I’ve kept a blog for family and friends throughout my service, and it’s been a great way to share insights into my experience and the embarrassing stories that happen daily. I’d recommend keeping some sort of journal or record of your days and months during service. Sometimes, when I look back at my blog or journal, I’m glad I wrote down what felt like mundane moments at the time because now they define my two years.
13. Any last comments or observations you’d like to pass on to future Peru volunteers?
If you get placed in Peru— enjoy!!!! You are in one of the the most incredible countries in the world.
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Isabel’s, apply to the Peace Corps today. Expand your horizons, push your limits, and create positive impact as a volunteer. You never know how serving as a Peace Corps volunteer could change your life.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Peru Government.
