Practical Tips For Thriving At Every Stage Of Peace Corps Service
Guidance From A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
Starting the Peace Corps journey is exciting, uncertain, and full of learning opportunities. Dylan Denner, a two-time Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Ghana, offers thoughtful advice for those considering or beginning their service. Instead of retelling his own story, Dylan focuses on practical guidance for each stage of the experience—from application to close of service. His reflections highlight the importance of openness, self-awareness, and meaningful connections. Whether you are filling out your application or packing for departure, his words offer perspective and encouragement.
Hello to all those who explore this content! My name is Dylan Denner (RPCV Ghana 2019-20 & 2023-25), and I am setting out to write a (hopefully) short reflection/last-minute-advice article on what encouragement I would give to others who are considering or have started their Peace Corps journey. I don’t feel compelled to share about my particular journey due to the amount of storytelling I feel would be necessary, so I will default to some advice.
I want to first acknowledge what I’ve come to realize is the especially difficult task of giving “advice” or even speaking from my experiences. What I choose to highlight from my experiences is a function of what I deem relevant to communicate in this space, and how I interpret and convey those things from memory. That might seem confusing and overly philosophical, but I guess it’s something that I wasn’t as aware of when I was applying to PC or in my early years. What people choose to say, how they choose to communicate it, and how I process it. Those are all very important things to consider and be aware of (especially when the topic is unfamiliar and about other people).
So, yet still, I continue onwards! It is my hope that everything I share can be helpful in different circumstances and contexts, even though I will share them for particular parts of the Peace Corps experience. I’ll also try to keep the context for the Peace Corps to a minimum to keep focus on the advice… so if you are unfamiliar with some of the terminology I use, my apologies!
I’ll break things down into:
Pre-Service/Application/Considering
Pre-Service Training
Mid-Service
15-24 months
Close of Service
Pre-Service/Application/Considering
My advice for anyone in the Pre-Service/Application/considering-service is to be “open” to the process. Realistically, unless you are exceptionally close to an RPCV, you probably have no idea what you are even signing up for! And that’s okay, I think it’s a characteristic that allows some to have very fulfilling services. I definitely didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
What do I mean by “open”? I think I’d really recommend people ask themselves “open-ended” questions and try to avoid jumping to “closed-minded” answers. And the goal with that is not to test yourself if you “ask good questions and have the right answers” but rather can you “use your questions to explore new ideas/perspectives, and can you be okay with not knowing the answers”. It’s my personal opinion that those who are willing to ask different questions and not jump to conclusions have an advantage in PC compared to those who either don’t care to ask questions or constantly need to believe they’re right.
In summary: try asking questions you’ve never asked before and see how it feels to realize you don’t know anything. A lot of my time in the Peace Corps was spent like this.
Pre-Service Training
My advice for PST is to allow yourself to be a beginner. In doing so, notice which things you feel like you want to “hold on to” and which things you want to “push away/avoid”. PST for many is one of the more challenging parts of service, and it’s for a variety of reasons. There will inevitably be things that you wish you had, or you wish you had more of (family time, network, comfort food, etc), and things that you are struggling to adjust to (housing, culture, local food, etc). The good news is that there isn’t much you can do about it! The bad news is that there isn’t much you can do about it! So, what is my advice about then?
Well, in my opinion, the most important thing you can do during PST is to try to become more aware/mindful of your thoughts and feelings. Your options and freedoms can be pretty limited during PST compared to service, so use that time during PST to be mindful of how it all feels and how you are responding to it all. You will most likely be in a completely new culture and environment, and there is no competition to be the “best Peace Corps trainee”.
In summary: You can’t choose or control the PST schedule; your time and effort is better spent becoming more aware of how things are making you feel and how your actions/thoughts are contributing to your well-being. That is probably the most useful thing you’ll learn in all of PST.
Mid-Service Training
Congratulations, you’ve made it to MST! One lap around the block, one more to go. This is a great opportunity to reinvent yourself going into year two. I was an Education volunteer, so I had a literal “restart” with the school year, where I was given the chance to approach things with a new perspective.
As I had mentioned in the “Application/considering/pre-service” section, you probably had no idea what service was going to be like. Well, congrats because now you do. This is your chance to use your experiences and think about what you want your second year of service to be like. Now, I would never encourage people not to be reflective and open to change. But after being in service for a year, you should actually have some proper context for what those changes should be. You’ve probably learned a whole lot about yourself and your host country that you didn’t know 12 months ago.
Don’t believe me? Wait until you meet the next group of Peace Corps Trainees and spend some time around them. You’ll be amazed at how little they know, and they’ll look at you and think you have it all figured out.
MST is also a great time to consider an important part of the PC experience, which is “paying it forward”. All of those things you learned and experienced with the cohorts ahead of you will now fall on your cohorts’ shoulders to continue on for the new cohorts. Think about which things you wish others had helped you out with during PST and your first few months at site… there’s nothing preventing you from doing those things for others.
In summary: Use what you’ve learned in your first year to make your second year what you want it to be. You’ve learned so much, don’t be afraid to lean into it.
15-24 months
You’re a pro. My only real advice here is to visit home for a week or so (or somewhere that’s not your host country or a vacation). The reason? Feel what it is to experience the things that you’ve missed so much. How does it feel to get a break from all those extremely frustrating parts of service? It’s nice to get to experience these things, but sense how that “omg I would kill for a burger, french-fries, and an IPA” quickly fades into just a “normal” meal again. Likewise, how does it feel to be back with the parts of the world that you don’t like/appreciate? How does it feel to be away from the parts of your service that you enjoy so much?
In summary, I feel like it’s an important exercise and foreshadowing for what life is like after service. I don’t have any specifics for you. It’s so different for everyone, but my advice would be to explore and consider these things by putting yourself in a miniature version of the situation. It can help you sort out some things about what you are looking forward to post-service and your last few months of service.
Close of Service
No real advice needed for this group; ya’ll are pretty much a part of the RPCV family now! I think something that I tried to do but wish I had done a bit better with was preparing my goodbyes. Throughout service, it seemed like everyone always preached about the importance of building friendships and relationships at site (and elsewhere)… but everyone failed to mention that… the deeper those friendships and relationships are, the harder the goodbyes.
Even though it might be difficult to inform your community that you’ll be leaving as soon as you know, for reasons which you’ll understand during service, I feel like it’s best to bite the bullet and do it anyway. The last months of service can be emotionally draining, and making life harder on yourself by giving the community 1-2 months’ notice that you’re leaving won’t make things easier on you. What it can do is give you the chance to have proper goodbyes in your community.
You’ll have time to share meals and gifts with different families and individuals without burning yourself out. Also, in my experience, your community may want to schedule an event for you and collect donations for a gift. Those things can take weeks to plan and organize in order to do so in a culturally appropriate manner. It’s hard in the moment (during service), but you’ll forever be grateful that you did things in a proper and timely manner, so you can look back on your service for the rest of your life knowing you went out on a good note.
In summary: Saying goodbye and the last few months in country can be hard and emotionally draining… but give yourself and your community time to have a proper and un-rushed goodbye.
That’s all folks! I just want to say that it’s always a pleasure to get to share some of my thoughts and reflections with you all. And I wish everyone the best with their journey!
Dylan’s insights remind us that every Peace Corps experience is unique, but shared wisdom can make the path a little clearer. His advice—stay open, be mindful, pay it forward, and prepare your goodbyes—speaks to both the challenges and the rewards of service. For those about to take this step, his words offer both reassurance and a gentle challenge: embrace the unknown, and let the journey shape you in ways you can’t yet imagine.
To learn more about Dylan’s story and experiences in Ghana, be sure to check out his earlier interview "What It’s Like To Volunteer In Ghana: An Interview With Dylan."
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Reference: What It’s Like To Volunteer In Ghana: An Interview With Dylan