Getting Over That: The Journey of One Peace Corp. Volunteer

When you first meet Chuck Serface there are many details about his life that you would not immediately know. He is reserved, polite in his demeanor. He speaks quickly, briskly, comparable to a symphony humming along, able to crescendo and decrescendo at the director’s whim.  

In this case the director is Serface. A man with his Master’s degree in English literature, a man who fought and won the battle with cancer and a man who, at 43-years-old, joined the Peace Corps.

Most striking is his aura. It’s engaging. It’s a combination of Serface’s top-notch ability to tell a story, his super hero t-shirts and his self-deprecating use of humor when speaking about his time in the Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps was established in 1961, as part of an initiative by President Kennedy to help facilitate world peace and friendship.

“It's ambitious,” public affairs specialist Nathan Sargent said. Sargent works out of the northern California recruitment office and also served as a volunteer in Armenia teaching English.

The program was established because of the push and support of young people and college students in the 60s who wanted an opportunity to volunteer overseas according to Sargent.

Today the Peace Corps has sent more than 200,000 volunteers into 139 countries according to their website.

More come from California than any other state, about 27,000, and the Greater Bay Area accounts for about 1/3 of that.

“The experience has changed obviously 50 years later,” Sargent said. “You're incorporating technology into your projects, but the three goals of the Peace Corps haven't changed.”

Those goals are to connect the people of interested countries with trained men and women, help promote a better understanding of Americans in the countries in which they volunteer and to help provide a better understanding of other cultures to Americans who live in work in those countries.

Serface returned six months ago from his tour in the Ukraine where he spent two years teaching English.

From September 2008 until November 2010, Serface was a teacher in the Department of Foreign Languages for Banking Business at Ternopil National Economic University.

Serface has lived in Campbell his entire life. He spent 20 years working in suicide prevention and even did a stint teaching remedial English at Silver Creek High School.

 “Certainly it was an odd time in my life…I’d had a five years that were a little too existential and so it was kind of nice to get out the environment to do something interesting and put those skills to work,” Serface said.

He spent a year fighting Leukemia, a battle that he refers to as “getting over that.” He has been in remission since June of 2004.

It was at his father’s suggestion that Serface filled out the application to join the Peace Corps. He received a call the next day.

Serface received his assignment to Ukraine- three weeks before he was slated to leave- to be a member of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) group number 35.

Before he could get on the ground, Serface, as do all volunteers, had to undergo an intensive three month training course.

Volunteers live with host families, are subject to a very intensive language training, undergo safety training, medical training and skills training according to Sargent.

At the end of training, the volunteers take an oath administered by the U.S. Ambassador. 

“You’re sworn in, you are PCV, and you still have no idea in the world where you are going to be living for the next two years,” Serface said. 

The Peace Corps assigns volunteers to a counter-part- a local person who lives and works where the volunteer will live and work for the next two years.

“People who are drawn to this- you really have to be motivated by service and volunteerism, excited by the adventure of it and have a real interest in learning another language and living in another culture,”Sargent said.

For Serface, his time in the Ukraine was both unexpected and rewarding.

“I was teaching on my first day,” said Serface. 

Both students and teacher had to overcome a case of the nerves.

“What I learned later was that they were just as nervous about having me there and making a good impression for me as I was about being there,” Serface said. “I was teaching them as much about how the Americans think as they were trying to teach me how Ukrainians think.”

Serface’s Peace Corps experience was atypical of the commonly held stereotype.

“I had hot water everyday and there were like seven pizza restaurants in my town,” Serface said. “I think the roughest thing I had to deal with was doing my laundry by hand. “

Serface’s age and size gave him a unique perspective. At summer camp the little girls would call Serface “Big dad super Chuck” - viewing him as an affectionate father figure he said.

Serface also says his size helped deter any unwelcome advances on the women in his party, but he has heard about safety issues from fellow Peace Corps volunteers.

Earlier this month, Congress held a congressional hearing exploring testimony that some female Peace Corps volunteers had been sexually assaulted.

“Safety is our absolute top priority," Sargent said.  “We wouldn't be alive if we weren't as safe. We don't work in conflict zones and areas of political unrest. If you're in a country where that arises, the Peace Corps has plans in place if that need arises.”

The Peace Corps only works in countries where they are welcome says Sargent.

Ukraine has a long history of being an occupied country, has only been independent since 1991 and they are still struggling for an identity according to Serface.

“It’s important for them to learn English so they can participate in the European Economic Community,” he said.  

Having been back in the states for six months now, Serface says he’s still adjusting and trying to find a job.

Peace Corps volunteers are pushed toward the front of the line when it comes to being hired federal jobs, but Serface says recent hiring freezes, coupled with his age have made it difficult.

"Your head’s a little scrambled when you get back,”Sargent said. “You really adopt the way of life of your community.”

Serface says technology like Facebook and Skype help him keep in touch with his friends from Ukraine.

“It seems like I’m always in touch with somebody one way or another,” he said. 

The Peace Corps is celebrating their 50 anniversary. The yearlong celebration is a worldwide event that will include an exhibit at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. 

For more information about the Peace Corps check out their website at: www.peacecorps.gov.