Comments on: Things I Learned by Living on a Small Amount of Money In Ukraine

By: celestial82

celestial82 — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 15:04:37 +0000

@Vagabondella@twitter Right there with ya! Suffering (or “suffering”) we were not, not by any stretch of the imagination.

By: KPeeps

KPeeps — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:48:45 +0000

@Vagabondella@twitter Peace Corps did not give us distillers. We got purification tablets in our med kits and a move-in allowance that they strongly suggested we use to buy a water filter.

By: KPeeps

KPeeps — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:40:23 +0000

@Stacy H@twitter That’s not a rule. Or at least wasn’t in my time (2009-2011). You cannot receive packages since at that point all your mail is filtered through the embassy/PC HQ and they won’t handle packages. Depending on where you get placed for training/working your contact is limited with home but there’s nothing that says you can’t call home when you need to, just that you might not be able to. Your technology level will vary from country to country, even village to village.

By: Stacy H@twitter

Stacy H@twitter — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 03:50:23 +0000

One of the things that turned me off from applying to the Peace Corps was their rule of no contact with your family for the first however many months – have they dropped that, since you can skype with them? Really would like to know.

When I was working in Sudan I saved around $20/month by being a non-smoker. And packs of cigarettes only cost about $1, so I didn’t even think about how much I was saving until my colleagues had to make extra trips to the bank while I lounged around!

By: Vagabondella@twitter

Vagabondella@twitter — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:40:39 +0000

Wait – you took three international trips in two years and use the word “suffering?” Come on. That’s about two more international trips than most Ukrainians will take in a lifetime, let alone to Western capitals.

Peace Corps is not meant to be a paid vacation to Western Europe, despite the proximity that Ukraine offers. I would hope that most RPCVs leave with an appreciation for the host culture, and some sense of just how affluent they are in comparison. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine in the early aughts, and at the time the other teachers at my school were earning about $25 a month. That makes the $200 that we received in stipends at the time look great in comparison. So, it’s no surprise that the principal went bug-eyed at the cost of internet – it was probably at least half the monthly salary of your colleagues.

Finally, at least back in my day, Peace Corps gave out distillers. Yes, they were slow and left you with hot water when you really wanted cold, but it isn’t as if the only options were giardia or water delivery.

By: KPeeps

KPeeps — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 01:27:40 +0000

@dinoterror Good luck with your service!

By: KPeeps

KPeeps — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 01:26:58 +0000

@totallyunoriginal It does quite a bit. She and I served together then, and I know of only a handful of people she could be. :) I’m the author of the article btw.

By: totallyunoriginal

totallyunoriginal — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:01:08 +0000

@KPeeps She started in the fall of 2009. I don’t want to give out her details without her permission. But she’s from the Midwest, if that helps narrow it down.

By: KPeeps

KPeeps — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:40:04 +0000

@totallyunoriginal When did she begin her service? It’s quite possible I know her.

By: dinoterror

dinoterror — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:52:00 +0000

Yes! I’m heading off to China in 25 (!!!) days to start my Peace Corps service – any budgeting tips are a wonderful addition to what I’ve got in my toolkit already.