Cultural Event: Travis Axton, Peace Corp

On Thursday, March 10, 2008 Travis Axton was a guest speaker for my Multi-Culture Literature class. He is a Peace Corp recruiter, who majored in Political Science. He discussed his time in Zambia and general information on how to join the Peace Corps.

Axton spent 27 months in Zambia, 3 of them in training. The training included cultural customs, the language, and safety. He admitted that he was afraid at first because he had no clue as to how the culture in Zambia was, as well as speaking Bimba, which is the official language. In Zambia, respect is important, especially towards elders. It is custom to greet every individual that you pass by, even if you don't know the person at all. By not showing respect, it gives off a wrong impression to the inhabitants in Zambia. Axton then demonstrated the formal greeting to the class. While shaking someone's hand, you would grab your elbow, which is a sign of the upmost respect towards that person.

Axton also discussed about the Peace Corps. By joining, you receive full dental and medical insurance. All expenses are covered, which includes your plane ticket. While serving time in a country, an officer will receive a monthly allowance. This allowance is only enough for the essentials. You weren't allowed to earn a significant amount of money. Every month, you would receive two vacation days. Axton then concluded by saying that Peace Corp experience looks really good on your resume. It shows that you have excellent people skills, as well as international experience.

I found that I thoroughly enjoyed Axton's time. His story was engaging. He showed humor and seemed to know exactly what he was talking about. I appreciated the information he provided on the Peace Corps as well. In the past, I probably wouldn't have thought of joining the organization. Its now something I'm at least going to look into more.