Education volunteer Robert McMann teaches in Guyana. Photo courtesy the Peace Corps

Roger German, 58, a remodeling contractor and part-time mediator from Lincoln, Neb., started filling out his Peace Corps application in 2007. Divorced and with two children, he decided that when his youngest daughter finished college, he’d try to sign up.

“It was something I had really thought about doing in the ’70s,” German explained, but life interfered. He served six years in the National Guard in 1970 and married soon after, so serving in the Peace Corps “fell off the radar.” But his interest remained.

“The more I thought about the way we impact each other and society and other countries … it seemed like the person-to-person ambassador way was a much better way to build bridges, instead of destroying them,” German said. Besides, he said, “life has sort of knocked some of the hard edges off. As the years go by, they start going pretty fast.” He is currently in San Antonio, Belize, for training.

‘I wanted to give back’

Barbara Lences, 66, a retired chemist and patent agent living in Princeton, N.J., knew that when she stopped full-time work in October 2007, she wanted to get involved in global volunteerism.

“I was a single parent,” she explained. “It was rough raising two children alone. Next thing you know … they are independent and happy. I just felt so lucky to be so free and to be financially comfortable. I have a pension. I own my own home. I’ve never been rich, but never been exceedingly poor. I’m not going to buy a yacht, but I have so much more than I ever thought I would have.”

“It’s just me and my Lord,” she said, “and so I searched my soul and said I can do this. I wanted to give back and make a difference.”

Lences, who briefly taught science and math, is in the Northern Cape province of South Africa teaching once again.

“They always remind you of how competitive the process is, so I don’t take this for granted,” Lences said. “I’m extremely excited to have this opportunity. This is totally altruistic for me. I’m not a missionary. I just really think I have a skill set that can be useful and make a difference. And I can represent my country, too.”

As for Graham, he admits he would have preferred to work for a couple of more years before venturing off to Vanuatu, but said there are no jobs for someone over 60 in his field. “My golf game is no good. So to retire and play golf would have ended my life prematurely,” he said.

“I’m not a spring chicken, I’m pretty gray, but I felt very encouraged by my Peace Corps recruiter. It takes a long time for the paperwork to get finished, but I’m very excited about going.”

Blogging from Morocco, Johnston seems to relish her new life—except for the oppressive daytime heat. “Life here is so unique to me that I don’t have many thoughts of home. At the age of 84, I was long retired and keeping busy with volunteer work. When I heard the Peace Corps had no age limit—well, here I am.”

Michael Zielenziger is a writer who lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

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