I Was Right To Be Scared

The Peace Corps got back to me with an e-mail, and basically said I am not qualified for any of their positions.  On top of that, they will shred my application in 1 years time unless I become qualified for another field and have 3 months of outreach experience in that field, or if I score a 50 or higher on the CLEP test in either English or Spanish.  My video post will explain what I am doing to reactivate my application; because know this, Peace Corps, this. is. not. over.

Now I'm Scared

So now I am trying to get in touch with the Peace Corps Placement Office.  I have run into so many problems since starting this that I want to make sure that they have all my info and aren't missing anything.  I am also terrified as this is the most competitive part of the process.  About 12,000 people apply every year for about 4,000 available spots.  Only 8,000 are accepted and begin the process, and others are knocked out in the medical review.  However, by the time the placement office gets the file, there are still roughly 2 applicants up for every available spot.  I wish I could accurately spell out how much it frightens me that I might not get picked.  However, I do know that if I don't get picked, I will up my skill set, maybe in building, maybe in medical, in language, anything I have to in order to get an invite to serve.  I know I will not stop until I actually have a paper in my hand telling me when I am leaving and where I am going to serve in the Peace Corps.  That still doesn't make it any less scary though.

A Video Post! Because I'm Lazy That Way.

I actually rather like this way of updating, maybe I'll have to do it more often now.

More Medical Mayham!

So I sent in my medical and called it Done!  Except...apparently..it wasn't.  Well actually it was, however, the important part (my physical exam) got misfiled.  So I got an update telling me my application was no longer current as I hadn't sent them the correct information.  Needless to say, I freaked out just a wee, teensy bit at the thought of nearly three years of my life going down the drain due to a filing mistake.  So after I stopped screeching, I ran (literally) over to the doctors office at 4.50 on a Friday afternoon and begged the poor ladies at the front to please find my Peace Corps medical papers!  Well after turning the whole place topsy turvey, they found my papers, but couldn't give them to me as a doctor hadn't signed off on them.  I had to come back Monday morning... *insert sobbing*
  I was there at 8am when they opened on Monday, snatched those papers, stuffed them in an envelope, and sent them off, praying that God would finally have mercy on me.  Well, God didn't.  I waited for them to update my application, making it current again, but there was nothing.  I called the PC medical office in DC and asked what was going on, and promptly got switched from a real live person, to voicemail.  I repeated this process for a week until they called me back...at 6AM.  I was asleep and missed it.  After waking up, I spent the morning calling the voicemail begging them to call me again, promising that I would answer on the first ring and had my phone right next to me, so pleaaase call me, pleasepleaseplease!  Low and behold, they did!!  The nice girl who answered told me that any piece of mail that gets sent to a gov't agency has to go through an extensive security process, one that can take up to 3 weeks!!  Luckily, she knew I was supposed to be leaving in about 1 1/2 months, and gave me her direct number so that when my letter had been cleared and reunited with my medical packet, she could help me get it through quick.  (I wish I knew this girls name, I need to send her a fruit basket or something.)  So now i'm waiting again, but it's not so bad now that I know there is someone there to help me.  Also, I promise to update the econd half of my medical experience soon, pinky promise!  Cheers All!

Starting Off

I started telling people I was going to go into the Peace Corps when I was about 5 I think.  My mother had been in the Peace Corps in Nepal in the late 70's, and I grew up surrounded by that.  Our house had brass pots and rugs on the wall, and Nepali food like dahlbaht and poori were common.  She also told us stories about her time in the Peace Corps; like when she opened the door to her house and it was full of black widows, or the guy who tried to kidnap marry her.  One of my favorites was when she was walking through the woods, sat down to rest, and suddenly noticed that there were giant green and red spiders the size of car tires in the trees around her, and she didn't run, she just thought, "Oh, look at that!"  Because of these stories (or perhaps despite them) I was determined to make it into Peace Corps.  I applied out of college, and gave myself a snowballs chance in hell of getting in on my first try.  Long story short, I got in.  Now, those three words, "I got in" don't sound like much, but when I said them, I was screaming them to the rafters!  It seems a bit of a blur, but I recall screaming and dancing while trying to calm myself enough to call back the Peace Corps office and tell them what option they were offering me I liked best.  (First - South America for Water and Sanitation, Second - Sub-Saharan Africa for AIDS/HIV, Third - Eastern Europe/Central Aisa for Working with Youth)  That was more than a week ago, and still everytime I think about it I get butterflies in my stomach.  Hopefully this is the start of an amazing adventure!  (I'll give more details about the actual application process in following posts.)  Fair Winds and Following Seas!