The Foreign Service Journal, November 2008

crime in developing-world cities became endemic. In 2004, I was briefly a staff member in another Arab country and the Peace Corps seemed to have changed radically. Today’s volunteers are no longer “development tourists,” as many of us were in the 1980s. They are also much more answerable to Peace Corps management and to local com- munities than ever before. Like the State Department, the Peace Corps is being called on to do more with less and to justify its role in many areas. It helps that volunteers understand that the impressions we make on our contacts last long after we’ve departed, and our job effective- ness flows from the curiosity about our external environment that we bring to the table. In contrast, State’s huge mandate and the rapid clip at which we gallop through portfolios and post- ings often don’t allow time for in- depth relationship development. I also worry that many of us con- fuse serving at a post with living in a country, particularly in today’s securi- ty environment. Ellen Peterson Vice Consul Tijuana, Mexico A L ITTLE H UMILITY Probably the greatest lesson I’ve learned from my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer that has been rele- vant to my work as a USAID Foreign Service officer is the importance of humility. I went to Nepal as a volunteer in 1974 and, after spending three months in Kathmandu learning to speak Nepali, was sent to a village reachable only by riding a bus for half a day and then walking five more days. When I got there, I discovered that everyone spoke Tibetan, not Nepali. Unable to converse at first, I quickly learned to be deferential, and found I could learn a lot just by silent- ly watching. For example, when offered yak-buttered tea or arak (the distilled spirits made from barley), it was not polite to just gulp the whole glass down. Instead, one took a small sip, allowing the host to refill the glass — a process that was repeated two more times before the host moved on to another guest. Respectful and thoughtful behav- ior was just part of Tibetans’ daily lives. And when I started using the same mannerisms, I noticed the matriarch of the family I was staying with nodding in approval of my behavior. Too often, residents of other coun- tries are exposed to the arrogance and haughtiness of diplomatic per- sonnel — “Don’t you know that I work for the U.S. embassy?” How many of us have not heard that refrain, or perhaps even uttered it ourselves at times when frustrated with Third World bureaucrats? Whether it has been with nomads in Mongolia, farmers in Afghanistan, or government officials in India, I have observed that a little humility and respect go a long way in building relationships with people as a Foreign Service officer. And it is these relationships, established on the basis of mutual respect and understanding, that are at the heart of diplomacy and development. Daniel J. Miller Project Development Officer USAID/New Delhi T HE S ECOND T IME A ROUND I was a Peace Corps Volunteer and trainer in Thailand from 1982 to 1985, and later served as a staffer with the agency back in the U.S. from 1988 to 1996. The next year, I joined the State Department and ended up assigned to the same city where I’d been a volunteer 14 years earlier. But whereas before I mostly associated with younger and less well-off stu- dents and working-class people, as an FSO I befriended a wide circle of people, including some of the wealth- iest and best-connected industrialists in the area. The key insight from my Peace Corps time that I have applied to my Foreign Service work is the impor- tance of understanding the local cul- ture and showing an appreciation for it. Speaking the local language is, of course, a big part of that. I have found a major difference, as well. While both jobs have the goal of making friends for America, as a con- sular officer I sometimes have to make decisions mandated by our laws and regulations that are not well received. Still, as a diplomat I look for ways to do my duty while inter- preting U.S. laws and regulations in a way that helps the host country and improves bilateral relations. Miguel Ordonez Consular Chief Casablanca, Morocco C OPING M ECHANISMS My experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in San Jose from 1998 to 2000 with the Children, Youth and Families at Risk Program persuaded me to apply to the Foreign Service. I’d toyed with the idea since college, but it was my time in Costa Rica that made me realize what a good fit the career would be for me. That experience taught me not only to accept cultural differences, but to embrace them. It also taught me to more fully appreciate the many good things my American heritage has offered me, as well as to recog- nize its baggage, from a foreign per- spective. Both as a volunteer and FSO, I have sought to dispel the N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 57