Hi everyone, and welcome back to another inspiring interview. This week we are delighted to feature Matson Contardo, a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa. Matson is just entering his second year abroad and has a lot of great information to share about what life is like as a PCV. Be sure to continue following Matson's adventures in South Africa on his blog at http://matsoninsouthafrica.blogspot.com. We hope you enjoy the interview and feel free to ask more questions in the comments below!

GO!: Hi Matson, thanks for joining us today. Tell us a little about yourself and where you grew up.

Matson: My name is Matson Contardo and I was born and raised in Central Minnesota. After high school I left for Madison, Wisconsin to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

GO!: You are a volunteer with the Peace Corps. What led you to pursue this unique experience?

Matson: I had seen signs on the metro buses in Madison, "Life is calling. How far will you go?" I never paid much attention to them because I didn’t think there was a place for engineers or basically anyone that wasn’t a nurse or a teacher. In the fall of 2008, a friend mentioned I should check out the Peace Corps after I explained to her that my current career path just wasn’t making me happy. At this time the economy was taking a dive and the idea of job prospecting in the private sector looked grim. So, taking my friend’s suggestion, I started researching the Peace Corps, attended a few info-sessions, and decided to apply.

Aside from changing career paths, I also realized the Peace Corps was a smart choice to make at this time in my life. I wanted to do something that was personally fulfilling at the end of the day. I was also looking for adventure, travel, and personal and professional growth. What started off being just a stable work alternative in an unstable economy quickly became much more as I discovered what the Peace Corps was really about.

GO!: How did your friends and family respond when they learned you would be gone for two years?

Matson: To my surprise, it didn’t come as a shock to most—if not all—of them. As the youngest of four children in my family, I was the one to always fly farthest from the nest. I lived in Spain my junior year of high school, I went the farthest away for college, and moved to California after graduation. It didn’t seem to surprise them that this is something I would be interested in doing. My uncle was a Peace Corps volunteer in the late 70’s in northern Africa, so my mother had some ideas of what two years was going to be like, and she remembered how infrequently she heard from her brother. However, with email, the internet, and cell phones, life today doesn’t have to seem so far away.

GO!: The Peace Corps application process is notorious for being lengthy and difficult. Was this true for you, and if so, what tips do you have for would-be volunteers?

Matson: It is indeed a trying process! They say that if you have the stamina to make it through the application process alone, you’ve shown commitment to persevere as a PCV. I was one of the lucky ones that miraculously went from initial application to Invitation to Serve in six months. With today’s struggling economy they now say 9-12 months, and even longer for married couples and those with special location or assignment requests.

Volunteering in South Africa.

I have several pieces of advice:

1) Be flexible in where you want to go and what you want to do in the Peace Corps. This opens up more positions that you can be nominated for abroad.

2) Once in the application mix, take the timeline estimates anyone gives you with a large grain of salt—the Peace Corps is constantly juggling open positions and departure dates of other PCVs-in-waiting that may lead to schedules being pushed back or even forward. I was told at one point that I would be going to Francophone Africa in October; a few days later, they said I would be leaving for southern Africa in July. These things happen.

3) Be very considerate of the medical screening process. This can cause a lot of headaches if not done correctly, leading to multiple trips to the doctor’s office for forgotten signatures / recommendations, which gets very expensive. Whatever you submit, make sure all i’s are dotted and t’s crossed.

4) Also concerning medical, make sure you find a doctor that is willing and able to perform the complete Peace Corps examination—many can’t.

5) Politely check in with your appointed PC staff every few weeks if you haven’t heard anything for a while. The application process is a tennis-game of sending and requesting documents that lasts several months and they appreciate your patience and courteous follow-ups.

GO!: How did you feel when you were told you would be volunteering in South Africa?

Matson: I was absolutely elated! I had been told for months that I should be receiving correspondence, only to be requested to send in yet another missing document. Finally, once I received my Invitation to Serve and read that I’d be serving in South Africa in 7 weeks’ time, I realized that once I accepted, a whirlwind of activity would soon begin in hurried preparation to leave for South Africa.

I didn’t necessarily have a “first choice” per se. I had a pretty good idea that I would be doing something with education in sub-Saharan Africa, but aside from that, the where and when were mysteries. Now that I’m here, I’m so very thankful. It’s a great place to serve!

GO!: How have your pre-conceived notions of living and volunteering in South Africa changed?

Matson: I can still remember how I used to think—you know, the image of the stereotypical PCV in rural Africa; and I can only imagine that’s how people imagine me living here. Some of those thoughts are true, some are not. I could fill a book with what I’ve learned, but I’ll give just a few examples. I live in a small, brick and mud house with a tin-roof. I have a pit-toilet, fetch my own water, and use a homemade shower (think raised basin with holes in it). Contrasting with the basic accommodations, I have electricity, a computer, and constant internet and phone access. The rural schools I work with are how I imagined them—under-resourced and struggling. There are no lions or impalas leaping through my backyard, but I have seen some wild baboons twice outside of my village. I see more donkeys and other farm animals than anything else.

What else took me by surprise is the dichotomy between village life and urban life: how close they are, geographically; yet how different they are, culturally, socially, and economically. I travel about two hours by minibus taxi from my village (a small, rural farm community) to the main town. This town has all the modern conveniences of city water, paved streets, KFC, grocery stores, banks, hotels, landscaped lawns, and shopping plazas—no different than those in the States. On TV, South Africa took the spotlight recently as the host of the FIFA World Cup 2010. What you saw on TV was the spectacular urban life, bustling full of people and with modern conveniences not much different from those in the States. What you didn’t see were the impoverished village communities, 75% of the country’s population.

GO!: Take us through a typical day of a Peace Corps volunteer.

Matson in South Africa!

Matson: As a PCV for the Schools and Communities Resource Project, I am working with two different schools—a primary and secondary school—with roughly 250 and 150 learners, respectively. I teach grade 5 technology to about 50 learners; I teach all of it in English as required by the Dept. of Education, however I can see the learners struggle daily due to English comprehension. This issue is repeated in all subjects up through grade 12. I also am starting the village’s first computer lab and classes from scratch with a local counterpart, who will take the reigns as it gets off the ground.

When I’m not working on these two main projects, I am assisting learners get connected with universities, getting photos and articles about my village published in the main town’s newspaper, and assisting anywhere else the schools or community asks for me.

I think the overall reaction from the community has been positive. There was a little confusion at first about what I am here to do exactly, which I understand because volunteering is a strange concept. But over time, we’ve learned to work together very well.

GO!: What have you enjoyed most about your volunteer experience?

Matson: I’ve enjoyed the impact my village has made on me (yes, their impact on me). I naively came here thinking I would have an impact the community by getting involved in projects and leaving my mark. I’ve also destroyed the pre-conceived notions I once had about life in a rural South African village. I’ve enjoyed the peaceful village life, the constant greeting from the elders, the enthusiastic calls from children dozens of yards away, and a new appreciation for modern conveniences yet also an appreciation of my break away from them.

GO!: Why did you decide to start a blog documenting your experiences in South Africa and who is your target audience?

Matson: I started the blog as the easiest way to keep all my friends and family posted on my life here in the village. I figured it was easier than sending multiple emails and people could read and view my photos at their leisure. I kept it public because I know as a prospective Peace Corps applicant, I appreciated reading the blogs of currently serving PCVs.

GO!: What's next for you after you complete your Peace Corps service?

Matson: I am approaching the halfway mark of my two years of service, so I have begun to think of where I want to go from here. I have found a new passion for education and hope to incorporate that with my love for science, technology, and engineering when I return. I enjoy seeing children get excited with science experiments, especially when they don’t realize they’re learning and having fun at the same time.