Comments on: Are you happy with your placement? http://www.thirdgoal.com/jds/2007/10/28/are-you-happy-with-your-placement/ Peace Corps Stories and Photos Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:02:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Dr Kick (Fiji 7) http://www.thirdgoal.com/jds/2007/10/28/are-you-happy-with-your-placement/#comment-4552 Dr Kick (Fiji 7) Sun, 04 Nov 2007 13:29:20 +0000 http://www.thirdgoal.com/jds/2007/10/28/are-you-happy-with-your-placement/#comment-4552 <p>Palau is a good place to work. Small town--which some people don't care too much for, but I love. And the people are generally nice and helpful and the culture is very interesting: Matrilineal, American influence, Japanese influence, complex social relationships frozen in place since European contact. Good fishing, snorkeling, diving, photography, etc. Plenty of non-Palauans to make things interesting. All of which imply a potentially difficult assignment as well as one that is potentially outstanding.</p> <p>I've worked in most of the islands of the Pacific since my Peace Corps service and I think Palau is one of the best. But it has complexities that other Pacific Island countries don't have--close to Asia; strategic alliance with the US in a rapidly changing part of the world; the US pulling troops back to the Marianas from Japan (meaning perhaps increased use of Palau?); ease of hiring non-Palauans to do menial work; ease of entry to the US for Palauan youths.</p> <p>Enjoy your assignment there if you get it!</p> Palau is a good place to work. Small town–which some people don’t care too much for, but I love. And the people are generally nice and helpful and the culture is very interesting: Matrilineal, American influence, Japanese influence, complex social relationships frozen in place since European contact. Good fishing, snorkeling, diving, photography, etc. Plenty of non-Palauans to make things interesting. All of which imply a potentially difficult assignment as well as one that is potentially outstanding.

I’ve worked in most of the islands of the Pacific since my Peace Corps service and I think Palau is one of the best. But it has complexities that other Pacific Island countries don’t have–close to Asia; strategic alliance with the US in a rapidly changing part of the world; the US pulling troops back to the Marianas from Japan (meaning perhaps increased use of Palau?); ease of hiring non-Palauans to do menial work; ease of entry to the US for Palauan youths.

Enjoy your assignment there if you get it!

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