In this interview, you’ll hear from Gerald Brady Jr, a Peace Corps Education volunteer in the Philippines. Gerald shares what daily life looks like, the work being done, and how service has shaped their personal and professional growth. You’ll learn about housing, cultural differences, project work, language learning, and what it’s like to live and work in a new country. This interview offers a real look into Peace Corps service and what future volunteers can expect.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Social Identity
- Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. What do you do as a Peace Corps Education volunteer in the Philippines?
As a Peace Corps Education Volunteer, I co-teach two English classes and a remedial reading class at a junior high school every day. I was a teacher in the United States before joining the Peace Corps, so I had some experience in the classroom.
At first, I found the differences in the classroom environments and approach to education between the two cultures very shocking, and it led to a steep learning curve. After some time, I realized that I was approaching it from the top down, looking at the differences. I came to the conclusion that I needed to approach my work and day-to-day activities from the bottom up, focusing on the relationships I have with my students and co-teachers.
Ultimately, that is what education is all about: the human aspect. My service as a Peace Corps Education taught me this invaluable lesson, and I am glad I was able to reach this insight.
2. Why did you decide to join the Peace Corps and serve in the Philippines?
My uncle is an RPCV who served in the Philippines from 1985 to 1987. I grew up hearing the stories of his Peace Corps experience and how he was viewed by my family for his service. After I graduated from college and had a year of professional teaching experience under my belt, I decided it was the best time for me to apply to the Peace Corps. I didn’t have any commitments that would prevent me from serving, I was healthy, and I had some teaching experience.
For me, it was a no-brainer. I applied to multiple posts, but the Philippines was the first post to respond to my application. With my uncle in mind, I found it very fitting that the Philippines was the one that reached out to me first, and I decided to serve here. Though there were many difficult periods in my service, and certainly times when I felt like going home, I have never regretted my decision to apply nor my decision to serve.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. What is your housing like in the Philippines?
I live in a small town not too far from a city, so most of the amenities that I want I can find there. I live in my own apartment close to the school where I work. I lived with a host family for my initial 4 months at my site. I am still very close with them, and I spend my Sunday afternoons singing karaoke at their house and staying for dinner.
Most of the time, I cook my own meals at home. While I do miss good pizza, pasta, and Philly Cheesesteaks, I am able to eat most of the foods I want, and I have developed a love for Filipino food.
My biggest comfort in the Philippines is not the food; however, it is my air conditioner. I do not know where I would be if I were still even in the Philippines, if it had not been for the air conditioner in my apartment. I owe my service to that thing.
4. What moments or interactions stand out during your service?
My town has a very old church bell. It was cast on December 21st, which happens to be my birthday. Every year, in commemoration of the bell’s creation, the town parish will ring the bell for however many years the bell has been in existence. For example, if it were the 145th anniversary of the bell’s casting, they would ring the bell 145 times.
I arrived at my site in early December of 2023, and members of the parish caught wind that I shared a birthday with the bell. They invited me to join them in ringing the bell. I had to wake up at 3:30 am to make it to the church on time, but it is still one of my fondest memories from my service and probably the best way that I could’ve been introduced to the community.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about living or working in the Philippines?
It is hard now to answer that question after living here for 2 years. When I first arrived, I probably could’ve given you a much better description of the things that surprised me (I could probably have given you a laundry list). Maybe what surprises me now is the fact that I am not surprised. Maybe I am surprised that I didn’t have as much of a challenge integrating as I thought I would, or working, or getting used to the food.
Certainly, if you told me the first month or so that I would be at this level of comfort 2 years into my service, I wouldn’t believe you. The Philippines is a great country, and the Filipino people that I have encountered have always been supportive of me. I’m not sure if I would have had the same successes if I were assigned to another country, but I guess we will never know!
6. What challenges have you faced in your Education work, and how did you respond?
In terms of a broader challenge I’ve faced, school scheduling in the Philippines is a lot different than the US. Even if I follow the school calendar, days or even weeks will pop up here and there where classes are canceled. This could be for floods, typhoons, earthquakes, or it could be for holiday dances or performative arts programs.
I feel like in America, we place a much greater emphasis on the scheduling of our schooling. Here in the Philippines, they don’t have that same emphasis, so it was challenging for me when I missed class time with my students and lessons that I had planned for them. That being said, anyone who has worked in education will tell you that every day has its own challenges.
There isn’t much you can do to prepare other than put yourself in the right mindset every day. The fact is that there are things you will be able to control, and things you won’t. Teaching is really about going with the flow in that regard.
7. What secondary projects have you worked on during your service?
I have been coordinating with my school to refurbish our library. When I arrived, the roof was leaking, the books were in bad condition, and most of the library space was used for storage. When I introduced my school community to Peace Corps projects and their objectives, most of us agreed that our project focus should be the repair of our library.
We began fundraising using the Peace Corps Partnership grant and raised enough money to complete the construction repairs. Those repairs are currently underway, and we are planning the implementation of programs within the reading center. We are also still in the process of looking for furniture and book donors. I am cutting this project close to the end of my service, but I am confident that we can get it completed before I go home.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to future Education volunteers in the Philippines?
Be very flexible. Whether you have had education experience in the US or your background is in another field, it is important to manage your expectations about what you will be doing in a Filipino classroom. Just like any other norm or custom, there will be things that you can superimpose and things that you can’t. The most important thing to remember, besides being flexible, is that education is about people. Your students are people, your co-teachers are people, and the rest of the school staff are people, too. Remember that, and it will help you overcome any myriad of problems you experience when you are trying to be a good teacher.
9. How did Peace Corps training prepare you for service?
The initial Peace Corps trainings are obviously extremely overwhelming. You are inundated with so much information that it is hard to balance a healthy expectation of what to expect at site, what to expect from your work, and what to expect from yourself. The chaos of the initial training is alleviated by all of the people that you meet during this time period. I developed friendships during those initial 2 weeks that became stronger than many lifelong friendships that I have had before.
The collective experience of various emotions at the same time will draw you closer to your batch mates, and, in my opinion, this is the most important part of the training process.
Ultimately, I found Community-Based Training (CBT) to be the most helpful. It’s one thing to hear the expectations of the Peace Corps; it’s another thing to put these expectations into practice. That is exactly what happens during CBT. It’s a wonderful experience because you live with your own host family, but you live close to your other batch mates, and you get to work with them also. It is like being at your permanent site but with training wheels.
As I mentioned, I am also a teacher in the US. I can say beyond a doubt that the training I received in the Peace Corps will make me a better professional in the US. The impact of the various training sessions on your resume alone will make you a more competitive applicant when you are looking for jobs.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. What would you tell future volunteers to pack—or leave behind?
I am getting ready to leave in a few months, so I am beginning to consider my options for getting my stuff back home. I actually don’t have too many things to pack. It kind of amazes me that I was able to live off so little for 2 years.
When packing, I would advise not to be too sentimental about things and lean towards packing on the lighter side. You shouldn’t bring “nice clothes” or at least clothes you plan to wear when you get home, they will get dirty or destroyed. Books are heavy, so if you want to read, bring a Kindle or e-reader. The Philippines has malls and stores similar to what you would find in America, so if you ever need something, you can always buy it here.
Ultimately, it’s your choice. If you want to pack, you have to get everything you want; that is your choice. You just have to deal with the consequences.
11. How has language learning been for you in the Philippines?
I was never very skilled with languages. I always struggled with Spanish in school. But I think I have progressed in my language learning skills since I came to the Philippines. There are many languages in the Philippines, so most Peace Corps volunteers here have to learn two languages: Tagalog (or Filipino) and the local languages they speak at our various sites.
Tagalog is the national language and also the local language in Manila and most of Luzon, so it is easy to find resources and study that language. Local languages can be a bit more difficult, but I found learning my language (Hilagaynon) through immersion to be the best teacher in this regard.
Unfortunately, Filipinos take great pride in being able to speak English well, so sometimes people will talk to me in English when I am trying to practice speaking Hilagaynon. Either way, the most important thing is being able to be understood, so if you’re not the best with languages like I was, it’s more important to focus on being understood.
Social Identity
12. How has your personal identity shaped your service experience?
I’m a practicing Catholic, so much of my cultural experience in the Philippines has been a mix of familiarity and introductions to new practices. Anyone who has visited the Philippines can see the overt expression of Christianity, particularly Catholicism. From the rosaries on nearly every rear-view mirror, to the almost ubiquitous amount of old churches, to praying before every class, even in public schools, Catholic culture is an inseparable part of the identity of many Filipinos.
So in this regard, I had an initial platform from which I could relate to many Filipinos. In other ways, though, my experiences of Catholicism in the Philippines introduced me to new traditions and customs.
Simbang Gabi, for example, is a practice where Catholics attend Mass very early in the morning (4 am, but sometimes 3 am) during the 9 days leading up to Christmas Day. This tradition arose from the Filipinos, who were farmers who wanted to complete a novena for Christmas but still had to attend to their crops during the hours of sunlight. Traditions and customs like this are not common in the United States, so it was wonderful to experience them and relate them to my own culture and customs within our shared religion.
13. Did your identity lead to specific challenges or situations?
Not necessarily. I know of other volunteers who have had a much harder time living their identity in the Philippines, but that hasn’t really been my experience. I’ve generally felt accepted and supported by my community. Of course, there have been moments when people made assumptions about me because I’m American, or stared at me for longer than we see as respectful in America. But, overall, my identity has been more of a bridge than a challenge during my service.
14. What advice do you have for volunteers who share your identity?
I don’t have any particular advice. I will say that it is important to realize that most challenges that Peace Corps volunteers experience when it comes to their identity are the result of misunderstandings or ignorance and not malice. People from countries all over the world will have
preconceived notions about what Americans are like. It could be something as silly as thinking that Americans eat bread instead of rice, or something as serious as thinking that White Americans are ‘real Americans.’
Whether these moments of misunderstanding happen in the classroom or outside of school, they can still be teachable moments for everyone involved. In my opinion, taking these moments as teachable moments and not getting overly upset is the way forward, and actually one of our primary roles as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
15. If you share content online, how has that shaped your service?
This is my volunteer profile from the Peace Corps: Gerald B.
16. What final advice would you share with future volunteers?
My advice to future volunteers is to manage any expectations of what your service “should” look like. Every volunteer experience is different, and comparing yours to someone else’s will only take away from what makes your journey meaningful. There is a temptation to look online before you serve and listen to people describe their service.
While this can be helpful, don’t let it sway your expectations of what the Peace Corps is like. There will be moments of despair, confusion, loneliness, and even failure. There will also be moments of joy, laughter, and connections that make it all worthwhile. Focus on the relationships you build and the small, everyday successes rather than trying to measure your impact in big, visible ways.
Are you thinking about joining the Peace Corps? If you’re curious about service and ready for something new, apply today. Like Gerald, you can live abroad, work with communities, and grow in ways you didn’t expect. Apply to the Peace Corps and take the next step.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Philippines Government.
