1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff you should know 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: from House Stuff Works dot Com? Hey, and welcome to 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant. Yeah, 5 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: there we go. We were caught off guard by guest 6 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: producer Casey. He gave us the Caseys the man the 7 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: quick punch. What's it called the quick punt? The haymaker. 8 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: The Haymaker's what we're calling it now. At least he 9 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: was like, we're recording. Yeah, He's like, okay, we're rolling 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: be funny monkeys. It's rather than start over. I did 11 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: my cheeks afterward. All right. It's unusual. It's an unusual 12 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,239 Speaker 1: reversal of order, but we're gonna have to go with 13 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: it because we are low on tape. No one's gone 14 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: to Staples, so we just have to use this one. 15 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: We can't record over it again or else it'll snap. 16 00:00:54,600 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: That's funny. That used to be an issue. Yeah on something. Uh. 17 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: Now there's an abundance of everything. We have all supplies 18 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: out the yin Yang remember that ad for e trade. 19 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: He's got money coming out the wazoo. It was like 20 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: this e er team who were like hustling this guy 21 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: in a gurney to the to the emergency room and 22 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: they're like, what's wrong with them? And they're like, he's 23 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: got money coming out the wazoo and it was coming 24 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: out of his his bottom. That's good his bottom, Chuck, Yes, 25 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,479 Speaker 1: I think we should say that. Um. This is a 26 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: special uh episode dedicated to the countless Peace Corps volunteers 27 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: who listened to Stuff you should Know and who have 28 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: written in over the years to say, hi, you guys 29 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: who were my best friends in you know, Benine, Turkmenistan. Um, yeah, wherever, Yeah, 30 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: and uh, we're finally doing that episode how Peace Corps works. 31 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: We've had quite a few right in over the years 32 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: and they're all super nice folks and uh it seemed 33 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: to really be enjoying their time wherever they are. Yeah, 34 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: they're there. Um, goodhearted hustlers is how I would describe them. Really. Yea, 35 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: as of right the second Yeah, all right, so um, 36 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: let me take you back a little bit, chuck. Right, 37 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 1: I don't think we need to go on the way 38 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: back machine. Not far, but it's not that far back. 39 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:25,919 Speaker 1: But we're just gonna go to UM. October nine, Chile night, Uh, 40 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: two am. And in ann Arbor, Michigan, at the University 41 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: of Michigan, a young senator named John Fitzgerald Kennedy was 42 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: working the campaign trail as his father worked to buy 43 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: votes in other states. And he gave a little impromptu 44 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: UM speech again at two a m. And at the 45 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: University of Michigan. I'm prepared for marks in front of 46 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 1: ten thousand UM wolverines, and he said, Chuck, as follows, 47 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: how many of you who are going to be doctors 48 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,679 Speaker 1: are willing to spend your days in Ghana ERA? Technicians 49 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: or engineers? How many of you are willing to work 50 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: in the Foreign Service and spend your days and your 51 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: lives traveling around the world ERA. On your willingness to 52 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: do that, not merely to serve one or two years 53 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 1: in the service, but on your willingness to contribute parts 54 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: of your life to this country. I think it will 55 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: depend the answer whether a free society can compete. So 56 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: I pressed their own button. I accidentally pressed the Catherine 57 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: Hepburn button. But that was what JFK said, Uh, And 58 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: that was the outline that was very good. Chuck, I'm kidny. Yeah, Um, 59 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: that was the outline, the initial outline. The first time 60 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: you ever spoke publicly about his idea for the Peace Corps, 61 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: Mayor Quimby, I wish I could say my favorite line, 62 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: shout out which one calm down everyone. I know you're 63 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: all frightened and blank. Oh yeah, it was close. I 64 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: almost said it for you, um Sin, since fans will 65 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: recognize it and it's pretty will and we have plenty 66 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: of those crossover fans. Um. So that was the first 67 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: time he ever spoke publicly about what would become the 68 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: Peace Corps. Uh. And two weeks later he gave another 69 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: speech in San Francisco at the famous Cow Palace. Grateful 70 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: Dead played a pretty good show there in nineteen seventy. 71 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 1: I think the Allman Brothers did too. Yeah. I'm sure 72 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: you were there drinking beers at age eighteen. Uh and uh. 73 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: After that second speech two weeks later in San Francisco, 74 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: he said, Hey, basically, let me know how you think 75 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 1: about this, and he got twenty five thousand letters in 76 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: response saying I would do that. So um. One of 77 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,600 Speaker 1: the first things he did when he um gained the 78 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: presidency was to sign an executive order saying, okay, now 79 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: there's officially a Peace Corps. It was on March first, 80 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty one, that he wrote the executive order and 81 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: it was placed into the budget the nineteen sixty two budget, 82 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 1: and Congress passed the budget officially enacting the Peace Corps 83 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 1: by default. Aniversary. Yeah this year it is, isn't it. 84 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: I didn't even think about that. Yeah. They had some 85 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: you know, the graphics all over the website that didn't 86 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: sink in that I was looking at. Yeah. Uh. And 87 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:16,239 Speaker 1: then shortly after that, well, a little while after that, Nixon, 88 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: who um JFK soundly beaten that that presidential debate, the 89 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: televised one. UM said well, I've always hated JFK. So 90 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: I'm gonna take his his little pet project and just 91 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: put it over here. And Jimmy Carter came in and 92 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 1: went and hold on a minute, and he made it 93 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: its own independent federal agency with an appointment uh by 94 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:42,280 Speaker 1: the president. And it's part of the foreign aid budget 95 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: usually about one percent, right, Yeah, this year it's and 96 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:48,479 Speaker 1: last year I believe four hundred million dollars, which is 97 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,159 Speaker 1: not chump change. Not only is it not chump change, 98 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: they asked for three hundred and seventy three million, and 99 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,279 Speaker 1: they got four hundred millions. Yeah, I didn't know that 100 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 1: federal agencies got more than they asked for in the budget. Well, Bush, 101 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: h W and Obama have both pushed for expansion of 102 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:07,280 Speaker 1: the Peace Corps. I think Bush wanted to double the 103 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,919 Speaker 1: number of volunteers. He wanted to double the number of 104 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: CIA agents in the field. We'll get to that in 105 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,599 Speaker 1: a little bit. Why is Obama want to double it? 106 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 1: I would assume everyone has pure intentions here, goosh, Okay, 107 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: maybe not all right. Um, it's been a resounding success 108 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,919 Speaker 1: over the last fifty years. Um, there have been a 109 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: hundred and ninety three countries, surf chuck, I believe. Um, 110 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: there have been more than two hundred thousand volunteers total, 111 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: eighteen directors. The guy who's directing now Aaron S. Williams. 112 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,479 Speaker 1: He is the fourth director to have been a Peace 113 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: Corps volunteer. Back in the day, I figured they all were. 114 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: I would have too. Um. One of the more famous 115 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,920 Speaker 1: ones who wasn't it was Paul Coverdell. Remember the statue 116 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: just behind us. Yeah, it says Peace Corps somewhere on it. Yeah. 117 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: You know what I like about the Peace Corps site. 118 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,839 Speaker 1: When you're trudging through it is when you see like 119 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: an Aaron Williams or whoever. They have their service in 120 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: parentheses next to their name, like Dominican Republic sixty seven 121 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: to seventy was where he was, right, pretty cool? Um. 122 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: Probably the most famous Peace Corps volunteers Chris Matthews from Hardball. 123 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: He really yeah, he did Swazzi Land to seventy. Well, 124 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: I thought you're gonna say, Evangeline Lily, I've lost fame. 125 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I guess she's But I know Chris Matthews, 126 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: I'm not familiar with the other lady. She may be 127 00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: the hottest. Which one was she was? She like the 128 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 1: main female lead. Okay, very pretty lady. Um. Although she 129 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: was Canadian, she must have gotten her citizenship because you 130 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: have to be American. Yeah, that's a good point. Huh. 131 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: Something's fishy that we may have just uncovered in this podcast. 132 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: Or maybe she just flashed her smile and they're like, 133 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: who don't care where you're from? So Um, the purpose 134 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: of this, as you said, you you assume every buddy's 135 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: intensives are good, and I think that that's a nice 136 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: thing to assume. Um. The purpose of establishing the Peace 137 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: Corps threefold. It's the type of foreign aid, right, and 138 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:11,760 Speaker 1: we have huge enormous foreign aid packages in the in 139 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: the um in the way of like surplus food and 140 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: just straight up money supplies, equipment, weapons, whatever, building things. 141 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: But Peace Corps, Uh, it's unique in that it's a 142 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: supply of foreign aid in the form of no how 143 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: and hands on, get it done. It's like the Toyota 144 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: tundra of foreign eight. Give him manifest Josh, and you'll 145 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: feed him for a day. And what they say, Yeah, 146 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 1: it's based on this right. Teach him to fish, he'll 147 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 1: eat for a lifetime. Yes, if he, if he, if 148 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: he gets good at fishing, unless he sticks, should we should? 149 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: We say what Their three part official mission statement is 150 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: help the people of interested countries and meeting their need 151 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: for trained men and women, helping promote a better understanding 152 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: of Americans on the part of the people served, and 153 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: to help promote a better understanding of other people's on 154 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: the part of the Americans. That's a bureaucratic mission statement 155 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 1: if I've ever heard it is. And I just read 156 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 1: something on NPR from a couple of years ago called 157 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 1: the Peace Corps Blues and the each country has their 158 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:15,840 Speaker 1: own director and the former director and Cameroon said that 159 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: he thinks one of the things we're failing on now 160 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 1: is that a lot of people in these countries don't 161 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: realize that it's actually a U. S. Government program. Like 162 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: they know they're volunteers, but I think they think it's 163 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: some great nonprofit or like a mission group. Yeah, so 164 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 1: that kind of fails at one aspect of the mission 165 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 1: statement in his eyes that these countries. One of the 166 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:39,440 Speaker 1: big deals is for these countries to know, hey, this 167 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:41,439 Speaker 1: is the U. S. Government coming over here and helping 168 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,200 Speaker 1: us out. It's your uncle Sam. It's exactly who you 169 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 1: now owe a favorite to. He has some other problems, 170 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: but out with the program now, but I'll go over 171 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: those later. So, um, right now, there you have programs 172 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: in seventies six countries, but overall, I think a hundred 173 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: and ninety three countries have had programs at one time 174 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 1: or another, including country Choose that don't exist. The first 175 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: two to join the program. The interesting countries, as you 176 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 1: mentioned in the mission statement were um, let me see 177 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:14,120 Speaker 1: if I got this right, uh, Tanganyika. Tanganyika, which later 178 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:16,679 Speaker 1: got together as in Zabar to form what we now 179 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: recognize as Tanzania. You knew that? Oh yeah? And Ghana 180 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: was the other two who JFK mentioned in his speech 181 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,960 Speaker 1: in University of Michigan. So, um, it's had a at 182 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: the very least um of widespread impact. We'll talk about 183 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: measuring the impact later, but um, let's get down a 184 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:39,439 Speaker 1: new gritty right. I think just what we've said already 185 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: has caused some people will be like, where do I 186 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: sign up? Josh and Chucker are endorsing this, so let's 187 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 1: just skip to the end. Well, the first thing you 188 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 1: should know if you want to sign up is that 189 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: you're gonna be committing to twenty seven months of service 190 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: of volunteerism or a tour. A tour, you're gonna be 191 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: living for free. They're gonna provide your living accommodation while 192 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:03,840 Speaker 1: you're there and give you a small stipend to spend money, 193 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: which evidently though, is more money than most of the 194 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 1: people you'll be helping. Hap That's like that old thing 195 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:10,719 Speaker 1: where if you have a hundred dollars, you can live 196 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 1: for like ten years in Peru or something like that exactly, 197 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: and when you come back home they're gonna give you 198 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 1: six thousand dollars two get you back going. You know 199 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: that they don't want to leave you broke because you 200 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:24,679 Speaker 1: haven't had any real work for two and a half 201 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: or twenty seven months. So to give you six grand 202 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: to get you going again, put that down payment on 203 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: the apartment, yeah, to get you back in and right exactly. 204 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:36,480 Speaker 1: And by the old thing, of course, I mean the 205 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 1: strength of the dollar. Um. So when you are applying Chuckers, 206 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: you you start out online. Apparently you can do it 207 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: in writing if you like, if you're like an Amish 208 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 1: kid who wants to write, who wants to sign up 209 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: for traditionalist right, Um, But for the most part, you 210 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: do this application online. And I looked at it and 211 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:02,559 Speaker 1: it is extensive. Sure you're all of your education background, 212 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:05,679 Speaker 1: any criminal history, how much you like to drink? Um? 213 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,319 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, any military service because one of the first 214 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 1: things they try to root out is whether or not 215 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: you have any intelligence background. And if you did, sorry, 216 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,080 Speaker 1: I wonder when you build that out for the drinking, 217 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:19,120 Speaker 1: if you just put like a lot well yeah, like, 218 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:22,160 Speaker 1: I don't know. There's even a section where they say, like, well, 219 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: let us just define what we mean by problem drinking. 220 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:26,600 Speaker 1: How many drinks per week is one of those, right? 221 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,960 Speaker 1: How many sexual partners do you have a night? Any 222 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 1: things that you lie to your doctor about right, Um 223 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: there's also any any financial obligations you might have e g. 224 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:44,319 Speaker 1: Student loans or um mortgages, car payments. Basically, they're like, 225 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: you can't just use us to escape your creditors. So 226 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 1: they want to They want to know not not only 227 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 1: like what you have, but how you're going to arrange 228 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: to pay them, and any kind of documentation you need references. 229 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: I mean, this is like the first application and it's 230 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: very extensive. We want to weed out as many people 231 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:05,440 Speaker 1: as possible right off the bat, right, and if your 232 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:09,080 Speaker 1: application is selected, right, they were lucky. First of all. 233 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 1: I think yeah, I would imagine it's a fairly low 234 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: percentage because there's just so many um red flags that 235 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: they're looking for. So many alcoholics, right, so many problem drinkers. 236 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:21,319 Speaker 1: That's what they call it. Um that that you know 237 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:23,439 Speaker 1: if you if you raise one, they're going to be like, no, 238 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 1: there's ten other people who are applying who don't have 239 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 1: that red flag. So if you make it through the 240 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: initial application process, they're going to ask you to come 241 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 1: in for an interview and they weed out more people here. Um. Basically, 242 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: what they're trying to figure out mainly is if you 243 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 1: are likely to complete your term of service. What they 244 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,320 Speaker 1: don't like is people that have to leave. I'm sure 245 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,079 Speaker 1: that's highly discouraged to leave the Peace Corps during your tour. 246 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: So they want to know if you have like a 247 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:56,439 Speaker 1: serious if you're in a serious relationship. They want to 248 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,559 Speaker 1: know stories about your childhood, where you've motivated others to 249 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 1: comp fleet tasks. Um, they want to know, um, how 250 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,240 Speaker 1: you how? Yeah, any medical conditions. I think that's in 251 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: the initial application. Yeah, but it's sort of like the 252 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: army and that you can be denied because of medical 253 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,800 Speaker 1: conditions obviously, right. Um. The one of the one of 254 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 1: the interview questions I saw was, uh, tell us about 255 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,120 Speaker 1: a rule that you have trouble following. And the correct 256 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: answer for that is, uh, the rule I have trouble 257 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 1: following is the rule that asks me to stop when 258 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 1: I've done just enough the bare minimum. That's the right answer. Yeah. Um, 259 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 1: would you modify your appearance to fit in with the 260 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: local culture, like would you shave your mohawk or take 261 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 1: out your piercings? Or whatever. How will you stave off 262 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:45,120 Speaker 1: boardom The correct answer to that is an iPod full 263 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: of stuff you should Yeah, that's what it sounds like. 264 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: So there you go. There's your all your crib notes 265 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,520 Speaker 1: for the interview. Yeah, and if you pass the interview, 266 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: it gets really exciting from that point because if you 267 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 1: get an official invitation, it's pretty neat. You get ten 268 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 1: days to decide, and it's fairly vague. Send some guy there, 269 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 1: he's like, come on, come on, because basically they want 270 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 1: to know if you're in for the Peace Corps, not 271 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:15,280 Speaker 1: if you're in to go to Indonesia and teach English 272 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:20,520 Speaker 1: or surf, because exactly there might be other reasons. Uh. 273 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 1: So what they do is to give you ten days 274 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:24,320 Speaker 1: to decide, and they leave it fairly vague. They give 275 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:28,960 Speaker 1: you a probably like a probably not even a country, 276 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 1: probably like a continent like Asia, Yeah, where we're gonna 277 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:34,960 Speaker 1: send you, and they do detail a little bit about 278 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: what the job you'll have, but they basically want to 279 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: know are you in for the Peace Corps no matter 280 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: where we send you, And if you say yeah, then 281 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: you're gonna get your departure date and then that's when 282 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: you're gonna get some more specific information. He's like, come on, 283 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:50,400 Speaker 1: high fives. He's like, all right, I'll be back in 284 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:52,240 Speaker 1: like a couple of weeks with their other letter, like 285 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: you're going to Turkey, and then he goes, uh, sorry, 286 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: no surfing in Turkey, although there probably is, you think 287 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: on the Boss verse surfing Turkey. Yeah, alright, surf Turkey. Man. 288 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,800 Speaker 1: You get a little orientation appointment and then you get 289 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 1: sent off to that country for a three month training period. Yeah, 290 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: if you're eighteen, if you're a US resident, no upper 291 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:19,640 Speaker 1: age limit, you can be no depending only really old 292 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:21,320 Speaker 1: and still go to the Peace Corps. I guess if 293 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 1: you pass everything no dependence, I just noticed that. I 294 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 1: didn't realize. I guess they're like, yeah, we want you 295 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 1: to not just abandon your family. That's a nice move. Yeah, 296 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 1: and you have to have a high school diploma, yes, Josh, 297 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:34,960 Speaker 1: and you do need that diploma. And you also can 298 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 1: be married. But it's a pretty small percentage. Think about 299 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: three percent or married couples or is it seven percent? Yes? 300 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 1: Seven percent married single. I think it waffles. So um, yeah, 301 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: one percent is undecided, and that they will send you 302 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: with your married partner. They can there are some assignments 303 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: where they'll send both of you to the same place 304 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:57,680 Speaker 1: to work together, but apparently those are kind of few 305 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 1: and far between. You can't put in for your girlfriend boyfriend, No, 306 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 1: you can't at all, and you both have to be 307 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:06,240 Speaker 1: accepted fully as Peace Corps volunteers who could be sent 308 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: to different corners of the earth. I think they'd like 309 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,400 Speaker 1: to help people out there. I'm sure they do. UM, 310 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,440 Speaker 1: but you can't have any kids there, and you can't 311 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: take your pets, which is not a surprise, a little 312 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:21,920 Speaker 1: field mouse, not a surprise at all. You can't take 313 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 1: your pets. So if you have pets, like you gotta 314 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:26,639 Speaker 1: look at your life. You know, if you are a 315 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 1: homeowner with pets, then you probably shouldn't volunteer for the 316 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: Peace Corps. You can volunteer here at home join them. 317 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: I don't know a A. But if you are single 318 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:41,919 Speaker 1: and you're living in Brooklyn, you don't have any cats, 319 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 1: and you got time to kill and a in a 320 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:48,720 Speaker 1: heart that wants to serve the world, and you know 321 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: about UM. I don't know repairing motorbikes in Indonesia or 322 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 1: you speak of foreign language. These are all things like 323 00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:58,879 Speaker 1: these hobbies, they really get into that. And it's not 324 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:00,920 Speaker 1: like when you put down your hobbies for a college 325 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 1: education or a college application and no one really cares 326 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 1: about that. I hate to break it to you, but 327 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:08,320 Speaker 1: do they really do? In the Peace Corps, if you 328 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: have skills as a as a gardener, they want to 329 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: know about that, or if you were like a landscape 330 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 1: or something like that. Yeah, and what what they're gonna say, 331 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: here are all of our programs. Choose. Then you're gonna choose, 332 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: and then they're gonna be like, Okay, no, this is 333 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:25,560 Speaker 1: where we really need you. And they will send you 334 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: where they need you ultimately based on your skills, your background, 335 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: your hobbies. You could always get sent where you might 336 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 1: like to go. And if you have know that language, 337 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: that's a big leg up in that direction, I think. 338 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: But I think you should be prepared to know that 339 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:41,920 Speaker 1: they they may send you wherever. Yeah, that's part of it. 340 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: But you're doing this for the love of helping others, 341 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: and really it doesn't matter because there's only one race, 342 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:51,640 Speaker 1: the human race. I just think that's really exciting. Yeah, 343 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: I did not know where you're going to go, and 344 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:55,600 Speaker 1: to be I wish I would, I would join, I 345 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 1: would go back and do it all over again. I 346 00:18:57,480 --> 00:18:58,960 Speaker 1: would do it different. I would join the piece for 347 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: for a couple of years. You can of what I 348 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:02,200 Speaker 1: always think of when I think of the Peace Corps. 349 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:07,120 Speaker 1: I think of um, Julie Haggarty and the League guy 350 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: from Airplane when they went and told him, yeah, she 351 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: has a party and he's teaching basketball and Harlem Globe 352 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: Chottera dancing. That was that was different. I was thinking 353 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: the discos scene when he was yeah, that's different. Yeah, 354 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:21,520 Speaker 1: but yeah, that's what I think of when I think 355 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:24,440 Speaker 1: of Peace Corps. I think of the Tom Hanks movie Volunteers. 356 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:26,120 Speaker 1: I never saw that one, but that's where he met 357 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,120 Speaker 1: his wife Frida Wilson. Oh yeah, I guess so, huh. Yeah. 358 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: I never saw that because I always hated the Tennessee Volunteers, 359 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 1: so I refused to see that movie in case it 360 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:38,360 Speaker 1: helped them anyway. Yeah, and I still do right, Oh 361 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 1: Josh packing, They only allow you to take two bags 362 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:44,959 Speaker 1: for twenty seven months, which doesn't sound like a lot. Well, 363 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,159 Speaker 1: not only that, there's a weight limit, yeah, eighty pounds 364 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:49,960 Speaker 1: right a k A thirty six point to eight seven 365 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: kilograms for our non imperial measurement friends. So what they 366 00:19:55,640 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: suggest is take things that you cannot get elsewhere, and 367 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 1: then when you get there you can buy some of 368 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,800 Speaker 1: the other things, like don't don't bother packing crock pot 369 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 1: because you can get a crock pot in Benin. Yeah, 370 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,360 Speaker 1: or can you Well, there's going to be some other 371 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 1: cookware that you don't wear. Yeah, it's just stupid that's 372 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:18,800 Speaker 1: going to take up everything. But they said bring you know, 373 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:23,080 Speaker 1: bring some good old fashioned American undy's and rain gear 374 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: and hiking boots and stuff like that you probably can't 375 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:27,080 Speaker 1: get in these other countries. Yeah, so you want to 376 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,480 Speaker 1: you want to blow your weight on um, the the 377 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: the essentials that you're not gonna be able to find 378 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 1: anywhere else. Maybe that iPod. They said, you can bring 379 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 1: a laptop. But one thing you're not guaranteed is electricity. Yeah, 380 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:42,639 Speaker 1: there's a there's a pretty common misconception that it's like 381 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,800 Speaker 1: all thatched huts and no municipal water supply, no electricity, 382 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,160 Speaker 1: And that's not true at all. The no thatched hut 383 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: thing is not true at all. The no municipal water 384 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,639 Speaker 1: supply and no electricity. Think, that's extremely true in a 385 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:56,800 Speaker 1: lot of cases. Well so is the thatched hut here 386 00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:59,399 Speaker 1: and there. Okay, but you can volunteer to go to 387 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:02,119 Speaker 1: those places. You can you can also be sent to 388 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: those places. But you can also say I want to 389 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:05,639 Speaker 1: go to a place that has no running water and 390 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:09,920 Speaker 1: no electricity and I want to help there. Um. But 391 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 1: there are a lot of assignments where even if you 392 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:15,480 Speaker 1: say no, I don't want that, they'll be like, yeah, 393 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,600 Speaker 1: I think they call those people the hard core yes 394 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:21,800 Speaker 1: of the Peace Corps, Like you know what I signed 395 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:23,679 Speaker 1: up for this, send me to the edge of the cliff. 396 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:31,159 Speaker 1: Here's my iPod. Even that's crazy. Yeah, A lot of 397 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 1: a lot of these people are teach in these in 398 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,120 Speaker 1: like local schools though that you know, they have power 399 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: and water and they're they're more. It's not as third 400 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:40,879 Speaker 1: world as you might think it is in many cases. 401 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,200 Speaker 1: I would imagine in a lot of cases, it's like, um, 402 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:46,679 Speaker 1: some of the places we went in Guatemala or they 403 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:50,440 Speaker 1: didn't have anything resembling in municipal water supplies. It was 404 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 1: just like there's a there's a pond over there. But 405 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,680 Speaker 1: it wasn't printive, no, I mean there were buildings and 406 00:21:56,800 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: structures and people wear clothes and things like that. It's 407 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: not like living with the Yana Mamo exactly. So what's 408 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: day to day life like, Josh, if you're a peace 409 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:09,159 Speaker 1: war volunteer, um, well, day to day life is actually 410 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:11,439 Speaker 1: a lot looser than you would think. Basically, they give 411 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: you an assignment like say, um, we want you to 412 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:19,880 Speaker 1: teach agricultural techniques, modern agricultural techniques or maybe sustainable agricultural 413 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:25,840 Speaker 1: techniques to these people in Guam. Great well Guam even 414 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:28,119 Speaker 1: qualified though it's a U S territory, I would think 415 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 1: it'd be outside of the US foreign policy scope. Let's 416 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,800 Speaker 1: just say someplace in Africa. Then let's go again with 417 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 1: um tanga yaka, tanga yeika, Yeah, tanga yika um. And 418 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,000 Speaker 1: you go and you say, okay, well this is here's 419 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:47,880 Speaker 1: some ideas for how I'm going to teach these people 420 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:52,680 Speaker 1: sustainable agriculture and tangan yika uh and um that you 421 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: get there and they're like, there is no tangan yika anymore, jackass, 422 00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: it's all Tanzania. And you go, well, it's still applies. 423 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: So here's what I'm going to do. And your day 424 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 1: to day, your hours, um, how you interact with people, 425 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 1: what you teach them. Probably it's a lot up to you. 426 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 1: There's nobody looking over your shoulder like they pretty much 427 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:15,400 Speaker 1: just give you a parachute and drop you off, say 428 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:18,040 Speaker 1: see you later, good luck. That's not true. You do 429 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:22,359 Speaker 1: go alone, though, and depending on how remote you are, 430 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,440 Speaker 1: you may be the only American face you see for 431 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: a while, although in other places there might be other 432 00:23:28,640 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: volunteers that you know within the town, but you're still 433 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,040 Speaker 1: technically sent alone. One of the things I think we've 434 00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:37,399 Speaker 1: skipped over is you are allowed to receive friends. Your 435 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: friends can come visit you on their own dimes. I 436 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:41,400 Speaker 1: didn't know that. I didn't either, but they can come 437 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,159 Speaker 1: hang out with you if you want. Yeah, you need 438 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,960 Speaker 1: to see a friendly face or whatever. Um packages you 439 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: can get packages. You can go, um travel at your 440 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,399 Speaker 1: own expense. You can go to the capital city. You 441 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:54,960 Speaker 1: can go wherever there's WiFi and load up on your stuff. 442 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 1: You should know episodes. Um you can do a little 443 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 1: sight seeing whatever you want. Again, you're stutting your own hours. 444 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:03,560 Speaker 1: But I think for the most part, they imagine that 445 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: if you are the kind of go getter who volunteers 446 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:08,920 Speaker 1: for a peace corps, you're not just gonna like lay 447 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:14,560 Speaker 1: around all day. True enough, although that same guy mentioned earlier. 448 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: Robert Strauss, who was the director former director in Cameroon, 449 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 1: said he does feel like these days some volunteers use 450 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:26,359 Speaker 1: it as quote employer of last resort, and that, uh, 451 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:30,680 Speaker 1: some recruits use it as an extended spring break from college. 452 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:33,159 Speaker 1: I can see that, and I think that's rare. But 453 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: he says that is a problem, and he wants the 454 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,359 Speaker 1: standard to be what you talked about. Well, you know 455 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,720 Speaker 1: that's Peace Corps problem. Their their process is not rooting 456 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: them out. Yeah, you know it needs to be like 457 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 1: are you a pothead? Yes, no, there's your there's your 458 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: rooting out system. And depending on if you were a pothead, 459 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: it would depend on where they would send you. Like 460 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,879 Speaker 1: just how bad of a pothead exactly? Um, you mentioned 461 00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:00,680 Speaker 1: packages to Chuck you can't get packages. But our good 462 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: friend Um grab Banowski, who wrote this, he says that 463 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: there are there is such a thing as quote corrupt 464 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:13,720 Speaker 1: mail workers who pill for your packages sometimes. Um, it 465 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 1: could take forever. So he recommends that you have friends 466 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:19,159 Speaker 1: and family start sending you packages and letters before you 467 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: even leave the US, so that when you get there, 468 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:23,879 Speaker 1: you'll get some stuff in the first few months and 469 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 1: it'll keep you from being so homesick. I would send 470 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:28,960 Speaker 1: myself a bunch of stuff, you know, I wouldn't count 471 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,120 Speaker 1: of my family to do it eighty pounds because they'd 472 00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: be like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I wouldn't get any 473 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,680 Speaker 1: packages to like the end of year one if I 474 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:39,399 Speaker 1: left it to my family. That's not true, that's not 475 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,120 Speaker 1: I don't know. I didn't get a lot of college packages. 476 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: Let's just say that I neither care packages. Yeah. I 477 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 1: was like, do you even know what that is? I 478 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:50,440 Speaker 1: want you to send you one of these? And I 479 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:52,680 Speaker 1: basically just walked my dad around the store, like put 480 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,639 Speaker 1: this in there, put that in there. Yeah, it's getting 481 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:57,360 Speaker 1: a little heavy. I mean, we can take the can 482 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 1: goods out right. Yeah. But of course now went to 483 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 1: school sixty miles from where I lived, So if I 484 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:04,439 Speaker 1: would have gone like across country, I might have got 485 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:09,000 Speaker 1: more care packages. Maybe you just keep telling yourself that exactly, So, 486 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:13,399 Speaker 1: Chuck Um, there's some advantages once you return your tours over. 487 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:16,720 Speaker 1: There's some advantages to um being a Peace Corps volunteer. 488 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:20,680 Speaker 1: Uh didn't hurt any resume. It shows a lot of 489 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: stick to itiveness and get uppitude and beyond the fact 490 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:28,000 Speaker 1: that it like proves your commitment as a human to 491 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 1: a task, which is huge. You also get the inside 492 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:34,000 Speaker 1: scoop on getting a government job if you're interested in 493 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:37,719 Speaker 1: that kind of thing. Yes, like you get um you're 494 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 1: available to list that other people might not see. Your 495 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:45,880 Speaker 1: privy to information. You're also given priority hiring priority over 496 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 1: somebody who may even have better qualifications than you but 497 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,880 Speaker 1: wasn't a Peace Corps volunteer, sorry, sucker, which is one 498 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: of the reasons our government functions like it does. Um, 499 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,600 Speaker 1: So what is the stunt, Chuck? How do you measure 500 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: the success of something like the three points of the 501 00:27:07,119 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 1: mission statement? You said, Strauss criticized one of them. Let's 502 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,800 Speaker 1: talk about the accomplishments. Well, that's one of the problems 503 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 1: is it's tough to measure that in any sort of 504 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: sort of statistical way. So the only way you can 505 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,320 Speaker 1: really measure it is to talk to the volunteers themselves. 506 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: And usually when you talk to them afterwards, they're like, 507 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:30,720 Speaker 1: you know what, I learned pretty quick that I was 508 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:34,040 Speaker 1: gonna have to kind of reset my goals and make 509 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: them a little smaller in scope, like going from I 510 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:40,000 Speaker 1: want to help the world too, I want to help 511 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:43,200 Speaker 1: this village. Yeah, which is good, and that's helping the 512 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,919 Speaker 1: world because seven thousand people doing that in villages all 513 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,520 Speaker 1: over the world, so combine collectively, it seems to be 514 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:51,240 Speaker 1: doing that. Yeah. But it is tough when you have 515 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:53,600 Speaker 1: a four dred million dollar program, even though it's a 516 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:56,520 Speaker 1: scant fraction of the of the but of the budget. Um, 517 00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 1: you still have to show metrics, I imagine, and pretty 518 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 1: tough in this case. You know. Uh, yeah, I guess, 519 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: but I mean, like you said, there's no quantitative way 520 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,159 Speaker 1: to spell it out because you can't. I mean, I 521 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:13,160 Speaker 1: guess you could go pull people where there have been 522 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 1: um uh Peace Corps volunteers and ask them, do you 523 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:20,560 Speaker 1: like America more or less? Now? Yeah, and if it's 524 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:25,160 Speaker 1: more than awesome, there you go quantified. There's a check 525 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: right there. They do say that most volunteers come back 526 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: feeling like they gained a lot from it, for sure. 527 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 1: So that's one of the three right there. You go, 528 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:38,200 Speaker 1: at least at least one third of it is accomplished. Um. 529 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:41,200 Speaker 1: There are also a lot of criticisms as I think 530 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:44,240 Speaker 1: we've kind of leaked out here there of Peace Corps, 531 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:50,000 Speaker 1: which is you know, that's any any noble experiment is 532 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:53,680 Speaker 1: going to um result in criticism. There's always going to 533 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:56,600 Speaker 1: be poopooers, people who you know, don't put their money 534 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:59,080 Speaker 1: where their mouth is, but yet have plenty of time 535 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:03,360 Speaker 1: to point out all the problems with something e g. Me, 536 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 1: So what are they? Uh, Well, sadly, should we go 537 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: ahead and get into the crime thing? Sure. One of 538 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:17,520 Speaker 1: the criticisms is that there has been crime committed by 539 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:21,480 Speaker 1: and against Peace Corps volunteers over the years, and um 540 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: that the Peace Corps hasn't done a very good job 541 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: of backing these people, and some alleged they've even tried 542 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 1: pretty hard to cover up a lot of this stuff. Yeah, 543 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,520 Speaker 1: there was UM it was I think last year. This year, 544 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:39,600 Speaker 1: UM in Washington there was a bit of a stir 545 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,959 Speaker 1: when Congress was basically forced to start inquiring into how 546 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 1: the Peace Corps handles reports of, say like sexual violence 547 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:52,719 Speaker 1: against volunteers. UM. A group of volunteers was organized by 548 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 1: a former volunteer named Casey Frazy, and she started UM 549 00:29:57,440 --> 00:29:59,960 Speaker 1: First Response Action, which is basically like it's the group 550 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,600 Speaker 1: former volunteers who were subject to sexual violence and who 551 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 1: were mistreated by the Peace Corps when they returned a 552 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:11,040 Speaker 1: lot of them reported basically being implied that it was 553 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: their fault. What had they been drinking, what were they wearing, 554 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:17,920 Speaker 1: had they been like sleeping around? Basically were they asking 555 00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:21,160 Speaker 1: for it? Which is not what you do to your people. Know, 556 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:25,680 Speaker 1: And uh, Statistically, every year, on average, twenty two Peace 557 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:29,080 Speaker 1: Corps women report being victims of rape or attempted rape, 558 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:32,440 Speaker 1: and more than one thousand from two thousand to two 559 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 1: thousand nine reported sexual assaults. And you know a lot 560 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 1: of these go unreported still, so that number may be higher. 561 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 1: And that's We're not trying to poop anything, but that's 562 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 1: really sad. And you know, Obama and the and the 563 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:47,560 Speaker 1: new guy Aaron Williams have said that they need to 564 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 1: take this way more seriously and make it a more 565 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 1: victim centered approach, taking more victim centered approach to this. 566 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:58,080 Speaker 1: One of the reasons that that's going on, apparently is 567 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:02,200 Speaker 1: because there's a clause in the nineteen Peace Corps Act 568 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: that says, if you're a Peace Corps employee, you mean 569 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 1: as a Peace cor employees, do you know that she 570 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 1: worked at h Q, Yeah, you can't be you can't 571 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:14,280 Speaker 1: work there for longer than five years. And the whole 572 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:16,880 Speaker 1: point is to keep the keep the place young, keep 573 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,760 Speaker 1: the ideas fresh, or keep it you know, really um 574 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:23,880 Speaker 1: um rolling with the punches. But one of the one 575 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 1: of the problems with that is that it has no 576 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:29,680 Speaker 1: institutional memory. If no one's been there longer than five years, 577 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 1: there are some who are grandfathered in, but if no 578 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 1: one's been there for longer than five years, and your 579 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 1: director comes aboard like every three or four five years, 580 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:41,400 Speaker 1: maybe um, there's no memory on how to handle big 581 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,720 Speaker 1: problems like this. So things can very easily be brushed 582 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 1: under the carpet. And sadly, Josh, there have been by 583 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:53,480 Speaker 1: my count, three murders the Peace Corps volunteers. One just 584 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 1: in two thousand nine, Kate Pusey was murdered in Benin, 585 00:31:57,640 --> 00:31:59,920 Speaker 1: and uh this one drew a lot of a ten 586 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 1: because Kate was essentially ratting out a local employee of 587 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:10,280 Speaker 1: the school she was working at, who she believed was 588 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,320 Speaker 1: h sexually assaulting the girls at the school. She wrote 589 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:17,640 Speaker 1: the Peace Corps office and somehow this got back to 590 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 1: him and he tied her to a porch and slit 591 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,920 Speaker 1: her throat, and the parents were pretty upset that this 592 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:29,960 Speaker 1: was leaked. And although I don't think they like verified 593 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 1: if the Peace Corps leaked it, surely they wouldn't do 594 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,440 Speaker 1: anything like that. But they're pretty upset that it wasn't 595 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:36,280 Speaker 1: as confidential as it should have been and that it 596 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:42,400 Speaker 1: led to her murder. And then, most famously, um was 597 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:46,840 Speaker 1: in the nineteen seventies. Deborah Gardner was stabbed to death 598 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 1: by another volunteer in Tonga in ninety six. And he 599 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:55,760 Speaker 1: is still walking streets of Brooklyn. Yeah, I've read a 600 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 1: New Yorker article on this. It was really interesting. So 601 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 1: what there was a series of legal quirks that led 602 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:06,160 Speaker 1: to him batt Yeah. What happened was she was very 603 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:09,280 Speaker 1: pretty and he liked her very much, and she did 604 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:14,040 Speaker 1: not return the affection. And one night, after a party 605 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:17,240 Speaker 1: in the town where there were some other volunteers, she 606 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 1: got a little too drunk apparently fell down a couple 607 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: of times on the dance floor, and one of her 608 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:24,760 Speaker 1: ex boyfriends who was there, took her back to her 609 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 1: hut and you know, put her to bed. Five days later, 610 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 1: Priven comes into her hut and stabs her twenty two times. 611 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:36,920 Speaker 1: And it was um supposed to go a little different. 612 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:40,640 Speaker 1: He had like a pipe and a knife, and like cyanide, 613 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:42,320 Speaker 1: and it was supposed to be he was supposed to 614 00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:47,000 Speaker 1: like knock her out and torture her, but she like 615 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:49,000 Speaker 1: a woke up when he got there and fought him off, 616 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:51,760 Speaker 1: and it just led to like, you know, a brutal stabbing. 617 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:53,600 Speaker 1: He was trying to pull her out of the hut. 618 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:56,800 Speaker 1: When people saw him, he fled on a bike. She 619 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:00,720 Speaker 1: was able to name her attacker before she died. And um, 620 00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:07,200 Speaker 1: they had a trial in Tongo where he was um 621 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:11,000 Speaker 1: where the American government said he has schizophrenia and we 622 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 1: are going to if you let him go here, we're 623 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:17,879 Speaker 1: gonna commit him to an institution in Washington State when 624 00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 1: we get back. And uh, problem is when they got 625 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:24,920 Speaker 1: back to Washington State, you they didn't accept you know, 626 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,360 Speaker 1: like you couldn't commit someone at that point. So it 627 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:31,359 Speaker 1: was basically not a ruse, but it was they got 628 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:33,719 Speaker 1: him out of the country and then basically there was 629 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:36,759 Speaker 1: no recourse. They couldn't try him in America and they 630 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:39,160 Speaker 1: couldn't commit him involuntarily, and he went, you know what, 631 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:41,480 Speaker 1: I don't want to go I'm going back to New 632 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:43,680 Speaker 1: York and that's what he did and that's where he 633 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:47,440 Speaker 1: still is. So had he been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Um, 634 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:52,200 Speaker 1: I think that he had by one doctor there. But 635 00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:55,520 Speaker 1: then later on he did volunteer to go to this 636 00:34:55,680 --> 00:34:59,320 Speaker 1: hospital and get tested and they said that he suffered 637 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 1: from uh from psychosis in the moment, I can't remember 638 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:06,799 Speaker 1: what they called it, but basically went nuts that night. 639 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:11,200 Speaker 1: But he's not schizophrenia, doesn't have schizophrenia. He's walking around 640 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 1: New York still huh. Yeah. Wow. They wrote a book 641 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:15,960 Speaker 1: about it, and he keeps it pretty low pro but 642 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:17,880 Speaker 1: I would imagine he's got a pretty good job. He 643 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:21,080 Speaker 1: worked for Social Security as like a eighty thousand dollar 644 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:26,040 Speaker 1: year computer guy. So it's really sad. Yeah, but that 645 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:28,280 Speaker 1: is the exception. We don't want to pay a negative 646 00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:31,640 Speaker 1: picture here, but um, they have. They have called on 647 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:33,640 Speaker 1: the Peace Corps to clean up their act for sure 648 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:35,319 Speaker 1: when it comes to crime. Yeah, and the Peace Corps 649 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:38,400 Speaker 1: first part says we do not place Peace Corps volunteers 650 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:42,440 Speaker 1: in unsafe environments. That's what Aaron Williams said, But he 651 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:44,800 Speaker 1: also said we need to we need to handle like 652 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:49,920 Speaker 1: the any victimization that does happen way better than we are. Um, chuck. 653 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:54,640 Speaker 1: There's also the CIA allegations. I don't know much about this. 654 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:59,120 Speaker 1: So for basically since its inception, just the value of 655 00:35:59,239 --> 00:36:04,000 Speaker 1: having said in thousand kids being placed in local environments, 656 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:08,640 Speaker 1: gaining the trust of people, interacting with other nationals from 657 00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:12,760 Speaker 1: other countries, uh in a third place, a neutral setting, 658 00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:17,480 Speaker 1: just the the intelligence value of them by default is 659 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:24,800 Speaker 1: is incalculable. But the from the outset, the two have 660 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:28,040 Speaker 1: been intended to be separated, right, Peace Corps has nothing 661 00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:31,080 Speaker 1: to do with intelligence, Like if you have an intelligence background, sorry, 662 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:33,239 Speaker 1: you can't be in Peace Corps. If you're in Peace Corps, 663 00:36:33,239 --> 00:36:35,040 Speaker 1: you have to wait four years before you can get 664 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 1: a any kind of intelligence assignment in the military. Um. 665 00:36:39,239 --> 00:36:42,880 Speaker 1: So that on paper they're very much separate. But everybody, 666 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:45,839 Speaker 1: including people who live in these countries that are being 667 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:49,600 Speaker 1: served by Peace Corps, have always assumed Peace Corps volunteers 668 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 1: are often asked to do intelligence field work. And in 669 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:58,440 Speaker 1: two thousand eight some kids came forward in Bolivia and said, hey, 670 00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:02,320 Speaker 1: while we're down there, government told us to to start, 671 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 1: you know, keeping reports and filing reports on Venezuelan and 672 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:09,880 Speaker 1: Cuban nationals who were living and working down there. They 673 00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:13,479 Speaker 1: wanted to know all about these people. That's intelligence field 674 00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:17,960 Speaker 1: work and has that proven Yeah, well yeah, the the US, uh, 675 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,239 Speaker 1: the Peace Corps said that this was uh an error, 676 00:37:22,600 --> 00:37:25,560 Speaker 1: that it was in violation of Peace Corps policy. But 677 00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:28,839 Speaker 1: basically that yeah, enough of these these believing volunteers came 678 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:32,160 Speaker 1: forward that they couldn't say that it wasn't true. So yeah, 679 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:35,480 Speaker 1: it was kind of thing. So apparently it has happened 680 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:39,439 Speaker 1: at least once. Um, and it's not like wet work 681 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:41,520 Speaker 1: or anything like that. I don't think the Peace Corps 682 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:44,960 Speaker 1: volunteers have ever been asked to like Greece a dictator 683 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:46,920 Speaker 1: or anything like that. But wet work I've never heard 684 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:50,879 Speaker 1: of that. Yeah, that's that's hands assassinations. Yeah, what does 685 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:57,879 Speaker 1: wet mean? I imagine blood and gore tissue wet from blood. Yeah. 686 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:02,400 Speaker 1: So um, those are the criticisms. Again the chuck. I 687 00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:04,960 Speaker 1: think we should say that my hat is off to 688 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:08,640 Speaker 1: Peace Corps and the volunteers for the work that they do. Absolutely, 689 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:12,239 Speaker 1: and and if you're a female Peace Corps volunteer, be 690 00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:15,480 Speaker 1: really careful. We encourage you to be very mindful because 691 00:38:16,080 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 1: you know you're alone in these countries and bad things 692 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:21,879 Speaker 1: do happen sometimes, and um, just be vigilant and take 693 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:24,120 Speaker 1: care of yourself. Oh yeah, and I think that that 694 00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:26,959 Speaker 1: goes for all Peace Corps volunteers. Women are a little 695 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:29,360 Speaker 1: more susceptible to to that kind of crime obviously, but 696 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:33,680 Speaker 1: uh yeah, yeah, got anything else, No, I think that's 697 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:37,080 Speaker 1: it man, Hap Corps. Yeah, hats off to you, and 698 00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:40,280 Speaker 1: thank you to all of our listeners who are Peace 699 00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:43,080 Speaker 1: Corps volunteers or have been Peace Corps volunteers, and who 700 00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 1: have written us to say thanks for being there. We hope, 701 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:49,000 Speaker 1: uh well we we thank you back for taking us 702 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:51,680 Speaker 1: along on your trips. That's pretty cool. Kennedy's children, that's 703 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:53,560 Speaker 1: what they call them, or they used to. I don't 704 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:57,160 Speaker 1: know if they still do. Kennedy's illegitimate children. Well, that's 705 00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:00,680 Speaker 1: a whole different batch. So okay, that's Peace Corps. If 706 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:03,320 Speaker 1: you want to know more about it, you can type 707 00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:05,880 Speaker 1: in Peace Corps in the handy search bar how stuff 708 00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:09,640 Speaker 1: works dot com and that will bring you this fine, 709 00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:14,000 Speaker 1: fine article. Um and I said handy search bar, Right 710 00:39:14,719 --> 00:39:21,080 Speaker 1: you did, dude. It is time for listener mail. That's right, Josh. 711 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:24,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call this from an Irish uh listener. And 712 00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:28,400 Speaker 1: I think I've said before I love me some Irish 713 00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:31,759 Speaker 1: and Scottish people. You mean I read an Irish bar 714 00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:34,759 Speaker 1: the other night. Were there any Irish people there there? Yeah, 715 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:37,879 Speaker 1: there's always at least a couple. So uh, Like I said, 716 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:40,000 Speaker 1: I love I love meet some Irish and Scottish. They're 717 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:42,239 Speaker 1: great folks. I've had some good friends from that part 718 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:45,359 Speaker 1: of the world, and so I'm gonna read this now. Um. 719 00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:47,920 Speaker 1: As a longstanding recruit to the stuff you should know Army, 720 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:49,960 Speaker 1: I always expect to hear something new and interesting when 721 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:52,239 Speaker 1: I listen to you guys. So I never expected to 722 00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:55,360 Speaker 1: be singled out and spoken to directly, breaking the tenuous 723 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:59,840 Speaker 1: podcast reality barrier. But that's exactly what happened yesterday. A 724 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:05,000 Speaker 1: little relevant detail to begin with. My name doesn't invite nicknames, John, 725 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:09,120 Speaker 1: being too normal in Killeen awkward to manipulate into anything else. 726 00:40:09,239 --> 00:40:11,800 Speaker 1: The best that fourteen years of school could give me 727 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:15,439 Speaker 1: was the nickname j K, which is stuck for most 728 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:18,280 Speaker 1: of my life. So anyway, I was stuck in traffic 729 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:20,759 Speaker 1: in Dublin the other day and the Government watch List 730 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:23,200 Speaker 1: podcast was coming to an end. I was I was 731 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:28,160 Speaker 1: beginning to think about how Orwellian Irish slash global society 732 00:40:28,239 --> 00:40:31,040 Speaker 1: really is. It started to give me that weird feeling 733 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:33,600 Speaker 1: that someone who I couldn't see was watching me, or 734 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:36,480 Speaker 1: that people were talking about me. Then Josh decided to 735 00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:39,680 Speaker 1: confirm this paranoia and said, if you want to know 736 00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:42,440 Speaker 1: more about the terrorists watch list and probably end up 737 00:40:42,520 --> 00:40:46,400 Speaker 1: on the watch list yourself. J K. I genuinely panicked, 738 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:50,200 Speaker 1: convinced that the US government was after me. Apparently my 739 00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:52,600 Speaker 1: reaction to a foreign government pursuing me is to break 740 00:40:52,680 --> 00:40:55,239 Speaker 1: sharply and almost cause an accident in the middle of 741 00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:58,799 Speaker 1: the city. I came back to reality and kept driving sheepishly, 742 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:01,640 Speaker 1: avoiding looking in my rear view mirror and the angry 743 00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:05,880 Speaker 1: driver behind me. So thanks in kudos, and if you 744 00:41:05,960 --> 00:41:07,560 Speaker 1: read this out loud, I'd love to give a quick 745 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:10,360 Speaker 1: shout out to Luke and Andrew, to other members of 746 00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:13,920 Speaker 1: the Irish Battalion and great friends. So Luke, Andrew and 747 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:18,600 Speaker 1: John and Ireland Ireland, thank you for writing in. Go 748 00:41:18,719 --> 00:41:21,040 Speaker 1: eat some Shepherd's pie and drink a beer for me 749 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:24,520 Speaker 1: and me and Josh. Yeah, thanks a lot, j K 750 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:30,520 Speaker 1: H j k UM. If you want to let us 751 00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:33,279 Speaker 1: know about the time we've spoken you directly, or if 752 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:35,000 Speaker 1: you want to tell us about your Peace Corps time. 753 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:37,880 Speaker 1: It's pretty cool. You can send us an email to 754 00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:47,120 Speaker 1: Stuff Podcast at how stuff works dot com. Be sure 755 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:50,080 Speaker 1: to check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. 756 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:52,719 Speaker 1: Join how Stuff Work staff as we explore the most 757 00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:58,880 Speaker 1: promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow, brought to you by 758 00:41:58,920 --> 00:42:02,239 Speaker 1: the reinvented tooth and twelve Camry. It's ready, are you