Five Peace Corps Blogs That Cut Through the Clichés

From field notes to long-form essays, these writers capture the nuance and complexity of life abroad.

by Amy J. Miller

Not a Typical Day: Andy’s Adventures in Ghana

On the verge of embarking on his third year in Ghana, Andy writes with a teacher’s heart and a traveler’s eye. He shares candidly about the humbling, human side of service and the trials of learning to manage a classroom, intervening in fights by becoming the punching bag and ensuring students have enough to eat. His posts brim with the humor and humility of life as an obroni, the Twi word for “foreigner.” In one memorable encounter, he recalls being greeted with a startled “Obroni!” before astonishing a young woman by replying fluently in her language. “By the time I got through that standard greeting, the young woman literally sat up and took notice. . . . ‘Holy sh*t,’ she said, ‘this Obroni is speaking my language!’”

Rylie Abroad (Albania)

https://rylieabroad.wordpress.com/

Rylie LaRue joined Peace Corps not long after graduating from college in North Carolina, and is currently serving as a TEFL volunteer in Albania. Her blog reads like a beautifully curated journal, with resources woven in alongside reflections and peppered with insights for future Volunteers. Her stories illuminate the ins and outs of daily life with warmth and curiosity, detailing everything from classroom challenges to café culture. The pictures of simmering stews, market bounty, and burek (a savory pastry) will leave you drooling, while her long-running list of all the books she has read during service will inspire.

Eddalee’s Peace Corps Experience (Peru)

https://eddaleepeacecorps.substack.com/

As a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Volunteer in Peru, Eddalee Hochwalt Naumann combines education, adventure, and heartfelt storytelling on her blog. She shares adventures from the mountains to the jungle, reflecting on community, friendship, and the close relationship she shares with her host family. Her posts are a sensory delight, filled with tales of late-night card games with locals, familial soccer matches, and mouthwatering photos of Peruvian food. Beyond the colorful scenes of daily life lies a clear-eyed look at the technical and cultural collaboration that defines her service. “Working with Peruvians builds an added layer of trust,” she writes. “It’s not just some random gringa coming and telling them how to do their work. Instead, it is a collaboration . . . where suggestions can be made and then altered to fit the technical needs of the water system and the social needs of the community.”

Wandering the World (Armenia and other countries)

https://wanderingtheworld.com/

Created by an RPCV who has served in several countries, this blog is a comprehensive resource site for PCVs, featuring interviews, country logs, how-to guides, packing lists, tech tips, and Volunteer stories from around the globe. Jim Damico, the author, has served in Thailand, Mongolia, and Nepal, and is currently in Armenia. The blog features interviews with Volunteers from all over the world, making it an unmissable resource for anyone interested in serving. Jim’s posts are as expansive as his passport. Between Volunteer interviews and reflections on long-term service, he includes personal travel essays like “Show Me America! – 10,000-mile Solo Mountain Bike Ride” and “Lion Tracks Outside My Tent – A Summer Backpacking in Kenya” proving he is just as much an intrepid traveler as he is a seasoned PCV. Wandering the World exemplifies how a simple Peace Corps blog can evolve into a global hub—connecting generations of Volunteers, adventurers, and readers.

OÍSTE: Voices from the New Peace Corps Colombia

https://oiste.substack.com/

OÍSTE (Spanish for “heard“) is a quarterly Substack publication collectively written and edited by Peace Corps Volunteers in Colombia. Through stories, reflections, and practical advice, it paints an intimate portrait of service in Latin America. Each entry reads like a blend of journal and travelogue, taking readers to corners of Colombia no tourist blog would ever find. Across a mosaic of essays, the writers explore every facet of service, including the excitement, the loneliness, the humor, and the slow unfolding of belonging. This practical advice empowers readers, making OÍSTE instantly relatable to anyone who has ever lived far from home.

OÍSTE stands out as a marker of the modern Peace Corps experience. No longer do Volunteers disappear into the world for two years; now, family and friends can log on and read dispatches in real time, sent from the mountains of Boyacá to the beaches of Magdalena. As Morgan Begin, one of the current writers and content creators, explained, “It’s for the Peace Corps Colombia community, but it also reaches people back home where we can say, Look at what we’re doing—not just my experience, but everyone’s. You get a taste of Colombia from each person’s perspective.” Sofia Heartney, a TEFL Volunteer, added, “Every Volunteer here now heard some hesitations and worries from family and friends when they were assigned. Hopefully, we’re encouraging people to visit this other side of Colombia.”

The blog also connects the Volunteers currently serving, fostering a sense of community and shared experience. “It’s true in any Peace Corps country,” Begin explained, “but especially in Colombia, there’s a big regional divide between the coast and the interior, and people’s experiences vary so much depending on where they are.” OÍSTE bridges these geographical and experiential gaps, creating a virtual space where Volunteers can share, learn from, and support one another. 

Working on OÍSTE also keeps contributors’ professional skills alive during their two years abroad. As Heartney, an aspiring journalist, noted, “The biggest way it’s helping me is maintaining my writing and editing skills. Because we’re a small staff, if you’re interested in taking on a significant role in operations, you can.”

The writer’s collective OÍSTE in Colombia showcases art and champions a spirit of openness

What truly makes the publication shine is the vulnerability of its writers. “You can write whatever you want,” said Shaleena Brooke, who serves near the coast. “A simple article about a festival, or something deeper about identity or emotion. That freedom allows more true perspectives to be shared.”

Heartney added, “One of our writers wrote an article discussing the challenges of being Asian American in Colombia. In some ways, that might worry other people about joining, but it was ultimately more important to us to represent that experience.” It’s that blend of honesty and humor that allows OÍSTE to capture the rhythm of service itself—messy, meaningful, and utterly human.

For Volunteers in other Peace Corps countries dreaming of launching something similar, the writers have plenty of advice. “The hardest part is just starting,” Begin said. “It’s probably going to be unorganized and messy at first, but it really only takes one person to do it. You don’t have to be a fancy writer, just a person excited to share your story.”

Despite being volunteer-run, OÍSTE operates with impressive structure: It has an editor-in-chief, co-editors, copy editors, and a team of writers and content creators working from a shared calendar with weekly deadlines. “Once you get going,” Begin noted, “it flows a lot easier. It makes me reflect on my experiences and how they can be beneficial for others. It definitely makes you take the time to sit and recognize, Wow—this is real.”

Amy J. Miller (Thailand 2009–11) is a writer and graphic designer whose work focuses on food justice, international travel, and service. She is currently an editorial fellow at the National Peace Corps Association.