When I was younger, I loved hearing my grandparents’ memories of growing up in British Guiana. Those stories always made me nostalgic for a place I had never visited.

I live in a small country called Guyana in South America, surrounded by Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname. My village is a Warau community—home to one of nine Amerindian tribes in Guyana—with about 1,600 people living in three areas.

I was 14 when the Peace Corps was founded in 1961, but even then I knew I wanted to become a Volunteer sometime in my life.

Many people would label this era the Digital Age, a time characterized by innovation and design, set aside for the newest and the most up-to-date.

During the first three months of my 27 months of service, I trained with Peace Corps staff by day and lived with a host family in the evening. 

“One, one dutty build dam!” said my friend, referring to her daunting task of moving and packing. Little by little, we will accomplish something big! 

What does it mean to be a Peace Corps Volunteer?

My school has 550 pupils, but no library. 

"There are three dances. The first one lasts about a year and you let the Guyanese lead you and tell you where to go. The second dance is at the one year mark and now you know the music better, you can start to share what you're passionate about. And the last dance is at about the year and half mark, six months before end of service, when you both start dancing together." - Rachel Rose, returned Peace Corps Volunteer

"Being a Peace Corps Volunteer of color serving in Guyana, I tend to blend in. But when they find out a little bit more about me, they realize that there are different faces in America, and I am one of them." - Chiedum (“Chie”) Okei-Nwabuokei