The Peace Corps Benefit Package

I found myself lying awake last night wondering how difficult it would be to compute my hourly wage. There are many things that have to go into the accounting process. Firstly there are all of the specific allotments that we receive. There is the living allowance (the money we actually get every month), travel allowance (money that is given to us on a quarterly basis specifically for travel out of country), readjustment allowance (money that is given to us once we complete our service) and settling in allowance (a one time payment used to furnish your living space). Then you have to take into account that most of the money we don’t get until we are finished with service (in my accounting I discounted this and added it in as if I were getting it spread throughout my service). You also have to account for mandatory expenses, namely, my monthly payment to my host family. Finally, being a PCV is a 24/7 job.
After changing all of the manat payments into dollars and calculating the hourly amount of each of those allowances listed above I have determined that I am making a grand total of $0.52 every hour of my service in Peace Corps. If you decide to join Peace Corps for the money you will be disappointed (until you get 1/3 of your readjustment allowance upon leaving the country). However, I assume most people do not join Peace Corps to make their fortune.
I am just beginning to learn about the wealth I am reaping from this experience. I have been in Turkmenistan for the past 9 months (yes it has been that long) and every day I seem to gain something new. I have had ample opportunity to think about my life and where I am headed in the future, I have anthems of children’s voices following me everywhere I go, I have reflected upon what opportunity truly means and realized just how privileged I am having been born in the US, I have several good friends who will live here for the rest of their lives, and I can truly appreciate how frustrating grass roots change can be. These are just some of the things that I will cherish for the rest of my life, much longer than the money I’m making will last.
I truly believe that wealth lies not in money but in experience, knowledge and love. I will gladly live on $0.52 an hour when it comes with such an amazing benefit package.