In this interview, we hear from Julie North. Julie is a Peace Corps Response volunteer working in The Philippines. What Julie 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. Julie talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Julie’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, Support, and Packing
- Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Can you tell us more about serving as an Response volunteer in The Philippines?
Of course, my opinion here, the great thing about the response program is the strong emphasis on “short term, high impact,” so the projects are often very detailed and align with one’s skills, which I appreciate. When I was a two-year volunteer in Nicaragua, it was difficult for me to strategize or decide what to do as most things were ambiguous or not planned out. That being said, I work at an agricultural university here in Pampanga, Pampanga State Agricultural University- two hours north of Manila. I am working with two different departments on two different projects: 1. Drafting a five-year agritourism plan for the region with the Dept of Planning & Development; 2. Strategic planning for internationalization program for study abroad students with the Office of Public Affairs and International Linkages.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed my time here! I started with a seven-month contract and will be completing a year in-country next week! I’d stay another year if I could.
Working at a university with like-minded faculty, enthusiastic students, and the drive to foster lifelong learning has given meaningful purpose to my time here and has really helped my counterparts to achieve their goals. I’m actually hoping to do another stint in the response program eventually. It’s such a great program that really allows one to become invested in the community they are working in.
I work in an office so much of my work right now is mining contacts from US universities and colleges to see who might be a good fit for students to study abroad in the States and also for US students to come here. Working hours are 8-5p, yet there are always coffee breaks and romping games of Phase 10 and Uno…
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose The Philippines?
I was really “stuck,” so to speak after the pandemic and really wanted to return to the international development field. As an RPCV, I was familiar with the PC program and knew that it would be a good jump start to get back in the field.
I had worked on a grant with some local farmers in my small town in Puerto Rico and it was a big success in revamping the farmer’s market model, as well as doing some hands-on research on porcine development, I just thought there could be another community that could use some grant writing assistance and voila, the agritourism specialist position in the Philippines caught my eye and I said, “why not?!” Also, I have an auntie who is from the Philippines and I just adore her, so I thought it would be cool to see the country. I just had my cousins (her kids) come and visit and we had the best time!
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your housing situation:
Pampanga State Agricultural University fully embodies the “ag” part of its name. The university is situated at the base of Mt. Arayat, a dormant volcano, which was designated a protected landscape back in the 90s. I feel like I work and live on a farm, which I absolutely love. There are baby goats playing on the side of the road as I walk to work and the backdrop of the volcano makes for a spectacular sunset. Groves of tamarind and bamboo populate the university and old gigantic Narra trees with neon pink millionaire vines dangle down to the ground. Students can be seen at all times of the year thanks to a year-round growing season in the fields tending to eggplants and long beans. It really is such a beautiful campus. I’ve been here a year and there are still pockets I haven’t gotten to explore.
I live in a big dorm building with 20 rooms. I’m actually the only full-time occupant, so of course I adopted a kitten to keep me company. The building is used for visiting faculty and professionals so occasionally there are others staying there which is nice. I have aircon and usually running water. If not, the mountain provides some cool breezes and I have a “tabo” or bucket bath, which brings me to my Peace Corps Volunteer joke:
Some people see a glass half empty. Others see a glass half full. Peace Corps volunteers say, “I can take a bath with that.”
Sari-Sari stores line the roads and you can purchase everything you need from eggs to broccoli and pan de sal and laundry soap. Street carts are everywhere that sell snacks. I take a “trike,” motorcycle with a sidecar (I know, cool right?!) to the local terminal to take a jeepney (essentially a 1950s style jeep turned bus) to the nearest mall to get essentials and enjoy the AC when it’s really hot.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had with community members?
Working with students is a highlight of my work here. I just have way too much fun with them and really strive to show them what the future could hold for them in terms of work or internship opportunities. The Asian Development Bank is headquartered here in Manila and I saw that they were having a conference about food security, so I had my students sign up and we went on a field trip to ADB- which is not a common occurrence at all. I actually wanted to attend the conference so I figured, why not, let’s bring some students too.
It was phenomenal. They engaged with the speakers, one of whom was former Ambassador, Cindy McCain, now with the World Food Programme. Shamelessly, I flagged down one of her staff and played the Peace Corps Volunteer card as in, “Heyyy, so I’m a Peace Corps volunteer and these are my students. Would she have a moment to say hi?” My students got to meet Mrs. McCain, shake her hand, and take a photo. The highlight of my service, for sure, seeing their smiling faces and feeling important because their voices and ideas were heard. Still makes me tear up a little when I think about that.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about challenges in The Philippines?
I think I’m still in awe of how well everyone speaks English. As cliché as that sounds, I’ve traveled to quite a few countries, and being able to converse about complex ideas with people from another culture is truly the highlight of all of my traveling and working abroad. I speak Spanish fairly well and even then some things are lost in translation. Here, English is taught and required from third grade on. From street vendors to bus drivers to my colleagues and students, it makes it fun to work here and even share the same humor— my Filipino friends and colleagues love puns, so we’re always coming up with new ones— a good pastime when the internet goes down during a rainstorm!
I’m a bad person to ask about food and integration because I’ll eat anything or at least try it once and I think because of that my integration was seamless as Filipinos love eating and are very proud of the unique flavors here. Kapampangan cuisine is the best in all of the Philippines (Pampanga has been designated as the cuisine capital of the Philippines) and I’ve gotten a few approving nods from listing off all the food I like here from sisig (chopped fried pig face with brains) to isau (fried chicken intestines on a stick). Balut (partially formed hard-boiled chicken egg) on the other hand is an acquired taste and thank goddess it was during the first week with other PCVs and we were drinking beer, cuz that was wild and something I don’t think I ever need to experience again!
6. What challenges did you face while working on Response projects with community members?
There is a strong emphasis on hierarchy here and the titles that people have and because of that, business is conducted as such where formally typed, printed hard copies of letters are the mode of communication. For everything. Either that or Facebook Messenger. So it’s kind of a weird go-between for someone used to operating in Gmail and Google Docs. The printed letter thing still drives me crazy because it’s a waste of paper…Choose your battles, right?
I also helped champion a whiteboard calendar where my office could begin to “plan” and “forecast” upcoming events. Before it was just a day of announcements that would sometimes cause a flurry of paperwork and running around trying to get things together. The whiteboard calendar has definitely helped to visualize the “goals” of the office and it is getting used which I’m proud of.
7. Could you share some of the projects you have been involved?
I’ve been involved in a multitude of projects. From planning a Tamarindu Festival with the College of Agricultural Systems & Technology for the whole campus to introducing pickleball to a group of girls here (and now it’s a chartered sport!), I’ve been fortunate to be placed in a site that always wanted a volunteer and waited through the pandemic to have one placed.
With that, I’ve also collaborated with three different sets of two-year Peace Corps volunteers (about 22) to host a knowledge exchange between volunteers and my students in the form of peer-to-peer meet and greets. Peace Corps volunteers are such a unique breed of people I wanted to show my students the interests, college programs, and passion for volunteering, and what better way than with two-year Peace Corps volunteers? I also coaxed them with charcuterie and wine (it wasn’t a hard sell, ha!)
Among a few other side projects, I just wrapped up a PCPP grant for a youth leadership conference to facilitate training for 150 local youth rooted in leadership, volunteerism, and pathways to higher education to foster an authentic approach to lifelong learning. It was really cool as Peace Corps volunteers we’re involved again and actually got to bring their youth to PSAU. We had three days of sessions, pickleball, yoga, vision boards, karaoke, guest speakers, and t-shirts! Truly an awesome way to wrap up my service here. My counterparts can’t wait to do this again next year!
Advice, Support, and Packing
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Response volunteer in The Philippines?
First of all, the Response program is very rewarding. I really like the way the program is created to have professionals partner with organizations on a “named” project, it just really weeds out the ambiguity of the two-year program (again, my opinion). I really hope this is the way that traditional “travel” is moving toward. To live and work in another country is such a privilege even when you’re having a bad day, there’s always ice cream, beer, and fellow volunteers you can relate to. Obviously, flexibility is key and self-care is essential.
Oh man, I’m COSing (close of service) in a couple of weeks and I have completely fallen in love with the Philippines! I’ll be back for sure.
9. What skills or qualities do you think are most important for a Response volunteer?
Flexibility, patience, willingness to take initiative, humor, perseverance, empathy, and as much as PC doesn’t like the word adventure, it’s my daily mantra because living in another country is always an adventure!
I’m also a huge fan of the “go slow to go fast” mentality so I really took my time meeting people at my university, having the customary coffee with them, and answering all their questions, which at times can be somewhat intrusive. Filipinos are really curious and just want to get to know you so I just asked the same questions to them which didn’t deter them one bit and actually made the connections faster. I eat lunch with my officemates every day and participate in “merienda” or coffee breaks every day too.
10. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future The Philippines volunteers?
The Philippines has more malls than any other country I’ve ever been to, so you can find everything you need. Had I known this I would have packed more books and fewer clothes, thinking that my 5’8 statute would be hard to accommodate…
I always travel with some random creature comforts so I’ll pass these along in case it sparks some interest:
- Activated charcoal. I find that it’s faster working than over-the-counter stuff when you need something reliable for that mystery food…
- Super glue. There are these one-time application tubes at my local hardware store. Just comes in handy.
- Champagne yeast. Novice home brewer here. It’s fun to experiment with local juices and see what shakes out (or explodes…)
- Pocket knife/tool. I have one where the blade is less than 3 inches which you can carry on flights.
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
11. How do you think a blog or YouTube channel contributes to the overall mission as a volunteer?
I really enjoy writing, so I’ve sent more personal emails to friends and family. It’s just my thing I guess. I do have Instagram and have posted a few things. Ultimately, for me, I’d like more fellow Americans to travel and see these places for themselves, so I don’t want to ruin the surprises…
12. Any last comments or observations you’d like to pass on to future Philippines Response volunteers?
Be present and enjoy the small wins. They add up quickly and before you know it, you’ll be COSing.
Also, never pass up fresh lumpiang (deep-fried egg rolls) or siomai (steamed dumplings) and the only place to find authentic sisig is Pampanga!
Maraming salamat sa inyo at ingat,
Julie
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Julie’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 The Philippines Government.
