SJ L.

1. What got you interested in the Peace Corps, specifically the VSP program?

Particularly with the isolation of the pandemic, I found myself missing the spirit of the Peace Corps program—cultural exchange and collaboration on capacity-strengthening initiatives. Ever since serving in the Philippines in 2014, I’ve told my husband that someday we are going to serve again, but I always thought it would be upon retirement. We currently have two young children and full-time jobs and are not in a position to travel. When I heard about the VSP program, I was immediately interested! This would allow me to re-engage with an international counterpart, while still being at home with my kids. Now having completed my VSP experience, I’ve realized additional strengths of virtual service that I had not considered before ... my partner organization was able to see into my home life in a way that wasn’t feasible when I was living abroad. We discovered that both of our kids share a love for biking and connected over different holiday decorations and traditions.

2. What projects did you work on?

I worked on an agri-ecotourism project with a state university. During our six months together, we mapped out a 5-year plan to build agri-ecotourism on campus including infrastructure, programming, camps and special events. As a secondary project, I created a team-building manual of activities to use in conjunction with day and overnight retreats.

3. What was a highlight of your VSP experience?

The highlight of my VSP experience was our final meeting. I gathered several of my American friends in my home for a traditional Filipino dinner of chicken adobo and shared stories from my time living in the Philippines. At 8 p.m. our time and 8 a.m. Filipino time we logged on for a virtual group meeting. After initial introductions, we jumped into the meeting. With the assistance of my guests, we demonstrated several of the team-building games included in my activity manual including Wahh!, Where the Wind Blows, and Ninja. It was an amusing meeting with lots of laughs shared.

4. What strategies did you use to meet the challenges of a short-term, remote experience?

If a meeting was missed due to an electricity outage or a task item was delayed for any reason, we had limited time together. The last month of the project was extremely busy as we worked to complete our project within the allotted time period. In the days leading up to our final presentation, I was nervous about how we would put it all together, but in the end, we met each of our project goals and my counterparts’ final presentation was inspiring.

5. How did you benefit from your participation?

This experience was beneficial for my personal and professional growth. My education and employment had been in environmental studies and yet I am presently working in the business world. This agri-ecotourism project built on my environmental programming expertise, but also included many core business skills like marketing, budgeting and industry analysis. This virtual experience gave me the confidence to enroll in an MBA program. Between kids and work, I would not have believed that I could also add grad school into the mix, but this small weekly commitment showed me that I can make time if it is important to me. I am now halfway through my MBA program and regularly think about how my new knowledge could have applied to my VSP project. I hope to serve again in the future.

6. How did your previous Peace Corps experience influenced your VSP experience?

My previous service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines gave me a foundation of the cultural practices and language that allowed me to succeed in forging a virtual relationship with my counterparts. It can be challenging to meet someone online and build the same level of trust that we expect from in-person relationships. Having a foundational understanding of the values of the Filipino culture allowed me to invite their criticism and feedback, something easily given in my culture, but which can come across as disrespectful in theirs. A few weeks into our engagement as we freely shared and expanded upon each other’s ideas, I knew we had forged mutual trust.

7. What did you bring away from your VSP experience?

I enjoyed being a part of this new type of Peace Corps engagement and am excited for how it can continue to engage individuals, U.S. businesses and community organizations in new ways. When I left the Philippines in 2016, I expected to return for a visit in 5-10 years. Now that I am more than five years out, I have yet to return, tied up with my daily obligations. Serving as a VSP Participant let me visit virtually, meet new people, make new friends and use my skills to collaborate with others. I’m very grateful that virtual service provided me with this opportunity to reconnect.

Learn more about participating in Virtual Service with the Peace Corps.