Giving Peace a Chance

While age is often seen as a drawback in U.S. workplaces, it can be a big plus in other countries, say David Arnoldy and Linda Lee, who returned home to St. Paul, Minn., in June after a two-year stint in Ukraine. "In their culture, as opposed to ours, people with gray hair are seen to be wise and more respected," Arnoldy says.

At the time they volunteered, she was 52 and he 58. During Arnoldy's 20 years in the technology business, he had started and sold three companies—experience that proved valuable in teaching "Essentials of Entrepreneurship" in Ukraine. Lee, who'd retired early from a career in the corporate world, worked on a business management project sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

They wanted to use their business know-how, but somewhere outside of the United States. "We wanted to give back," Lee says. "We wanted to share our skills with others."

"The toughest job you'll ever love." It's the slogan the Peace Corps has used for as long as anyone can remember, and, according to Shockley, Arnoldy and Lee, it still fits.

In Namibia, Shockley was lucky to live in a house with electricity. She went to the country with 21 other volunteers; she was one of only eight who lasted the two-year stint.

"We went in telling ourselves that we had no expectations, because they always said whatever you expect isn't going to happen," Lee says.

One thing that strikes many Peace Corps volunteers is the need to counterbalance America's materialistic image around the world.

"It's so important for people to see aspects of the United States that are not those that are represented in our popular culture, which is what they see," Lee says. "They have a distorted view of the United States, and it's kind of embarrassing. They think we all have 15 cars and live in big mansions."

Shockley says that a lot of the kids she worked with were delighted to see an African American like her. "They thought everyone in America looked like on the videos," she says. She was peppered with the same questions over and over: Do you know Michael Jackson? Are you related to Colin Powell?

Since returning, Shockley has given speeches about her experiences in the Peace Corps. As for volunteering, "it's a good idea for people to do it after they retire," she says. "A lot of people especially are retiring earlier, and they have their health."

Adds Arnoldy: "It was one of the most rewarding things we've done, and it gave us some very, very fresh perspectives to think about old things in a new way."

Robert Schlesinger is a Washington journalist.