ask not what your country can do for you

Today is the 50^th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech, the speech in which he called the American public to action with his challenge to:

Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.

Also celebrating a 50^th anniversary this year, is the Peace Corps.  Sadly, earlier this week, R. Sargent Shriver, the Peace Corps’ Founding Director and brother-in-law to President Kennedy, passed away at the age of 95.

These events, and the stories surrounding them that have proliferated in the last 2 days, have me thinking about service.

As a returned Peace Corps volunteer (RPCV) with family members who’ve served in all branches of the military, I wonder if Kennedy’s call to action and the spirit of public service ring as true today as they did back in 1961.  Would a similar challenge issued by one of today’s leaders be heeded with as much good-will and enthusiasm?  And is strong leadership sufficient to move us to action, or do we also need to be inspired/motivated by something else – whether it be war, economic hardship, terror, or something more personal – in order to act?

in love with an idea

When I was a kid, I distinctly remember hearing a friend of the family talk about her experience as a volunteer.  Most of the details are fuzzy – I was very young – but I remember her talking about indigenous people and canoes and rustic shelters.   I was fascinated by what she had to say, and knew that, one day, I, too, would be a Peace Corps volunteer.  It became part of the plan.

6 months after graduation, I had completed the application and was on the fast track to placement.  You see, it was the mid 90’s, and I had degrees in Russian language and Economics, and – relatively speaking for my age – a lot of service and nonprofit organizational experience.  5 months later, paperwork complete and PC passport in hand, I was in an airport hotel just outside of Chicago, going through basic orientation with the 40-odd other individuals with whom I would be moving to the Republic of Moldova.

Moldova?  That’s what I asked when I first heard the name.  Moldova is a former Soviet republic located between Romania and the Ukraine, with a population of just 3.4 million.  It was, at the time, also the poorest country in Europe.  The Peace Corps had assigned me to be a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) Development Consultant in the town of Cahul, located in the south of Moldova, not far from Romania.

While the country was beautiful, and I enjoyed my time there, it was nothing like the romanticized version of a Peace Corps assignment I’d developed based on stories like the one I just mentioned.  You’ll find no benevolent tribal chief, bridge or well building, or community gatherings in my memories.  Maybe the kind of experience I’d built up in my head was just a myth, or maybe, through my chosen academic and personal interests, I just wasn’t destined to have that type of experience.

not all wine and roses – mostly just wine

Moldova had much of the building and city infrastructure of a “developed” country, but little of it actually worked.  We were teased by the switches and faucets that only brought water and electricity sporadically.  Sheep and cows often stalled traffic on cross-country journeys.  Manhole covers were missing, often leading to the sudden disappearance of individuals climbing off of buses (not quite, but almost).  On separate occasions, I had a flea infestation, a rat in my kitchen, and a run-in with a wild dog.  Oh, and then there was the Russian Mafia.

These things aside, Moldova had great charm, and when I think back on my time there, I have a lot of great memories: the elderly gentleman who asked me to personally deliver his hand-written letter to President Clinton, the beautiful countryside, meals that lasted for hours and ended in laughter and dancing, gulping home-made wine from a communal mug each time I left someone’s home, teaching local kids to play baseball, working with local leaders to develop programs and organizations that would benefit their communities, and the incredible hospitality of my neighbors, counterpart, and other people – Moldovan and American – I met along the way.

I ended up completing one year of service as a Peace Corps volunteer, deciding to leave when I no longer had energy for the work I was doing and before I lost all of the idealism that took me there to begin with.   Maybe it didn’t turn out the way I expected it to – things rarely do, but I’d do it again in a heart beat.  No question.   And, I recommend that anyone interested in service, a bit of adventure, and an enormous learning opportunity consider it, too.

a plug for joining the peace corps

Did you know that the Peace Corps is the only US federal government agency devoted to world peace and friendship?  How’s that for a mission?  Since 1961, over 200,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps, serving in 139 countries.  Are you considering joining them?  If so, here are some links you might appreciate:

• Learn about volunteering for the Peace Corps
• From NPR 1/18/11: JFK’s Inaugural Speech Still Inspires 50 Years Later

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