Department of state - Essay Example

US Dept of Museum Analysis During my trip to the United s Department of on INSERT HERE, I had the pleasure of spending time at the museum which details the history of American diplomacy around the world. At the time I arrived, there were relatively few crowds. This was nice for a number of reasons but mainly due to the fact that it allowed me an opportunity to spend the right amount of time at each of the exhibits and/or displays without feeling rushed or hurried due to the fact that there were others behind me that would like to see the same exhibit.

I noticed that of the visitors that were there at the time I was, there appeared to be a fairly even mix of people from all walks of life and age groups.The first display that I would like to take the time to speak about concerned the efforts of the Peace Corp as a function of the work they have accomplished in different parts of Southeast Asia. The exhibit showed the harsh conditions coupled with the difficult work that the Peace Corps volunteers have performed as a means of providing fresh drinking water and means of sanitation to some of the more remote districts in places such as Burma and Bangladesh.

The exhibit was eye opening because although it is common to hear about the Peace Corps working to better the lives of people in remote corners of the world, it is rare to actually see or hear information that directly relates to the methods by which they do this. Additionally, since news stories are almost always concentric upon the negative with relation to what is going on in the world, it was necessary to visit the museum in order to see first hand some of the things that are being done.

Secondly, I spent some time at an exhibit of Joseph E. Davies personal correspondence. To those that are not familiar with him, Joseph E. Davies is the US Ambassador who was responsible for meeting with Joseph Stalin during World War II. As such, the personal correspondence helped to reveal a side of Soviet Russia and the interactions that he had with Joseph Stalin that would otherwise be unknown to history. Furthermore, even though Joseph E. Davies presented an optimistic view of the Soviet Union to the president (FDR), he held a bit of resentment towards the Soviet Union as a result of the show trials that were currently being carried out upon the instructions of Joseph Stalin.

With relation to how each of these related to the overall class them, it should be noted that each display helps to show the spirit of integration and involvement with which US diplomacy and foreign policy is defined by. Without this, it would be unlikely that the United States could continue to have such a powerful influence around the world. Even though the United States maintains much of its strength through its vast military resources, it is up to the diplomats and the volunteers of agencies like the Peace Corps to continue to present the best facets of the American way of life to the citizens of the world.

As a result of my trip I had two distinct questions. Both of these related to the Peace Corps. I wanted to know what the average salary of a Peace Corps volunteer was. Secondly, I wanted to know for how long a Peace Corps volunteer’s term of service was. The reasons that these items interested me was due to the fact that I found such a term of service an attractive way to serve one’s country without joining the military.A 1) 2 years A 2) $25,000 annually (Peace Corps 2012 p1)Work Cited"Peace Corps.

" Peace Corps. N.p., 2 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. .