Peace Corps
Timeline:
28 April 2010: Landed in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
27 April 2010: Arrived in Atlanta, GA for staging.
14 March 2010: Emailed my updated Resumé and Aspiration Statement to the Guatemala Country Desk.
12 March 2010: Called and officially accepted my Invitation to serve as a Youth Promoter in Guatemala. And mailed my Passport Application.
9 March 2010: Got my Invitation! Guatemala as a Youth Promoter! Leaving April 27th!
6 March 2010: Received an “Application Status Update” email. My Toolkit is currently telling me
Congratulations! You have been invited to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Whoa, Whoa!
5 March 2010: Received another email from the placement office saying “Your formal invitation will be issued via FedEx, which means you can expect to receive the details of this youth development assignment in a few days (hopefully by early next week).”
Kinda freaking out!
4 March 2010 – Received phone call/email about possible placement (read more here) and responded with a “Yes, I would love to be placed here.” AHH!
29 January 2010 – Submitted my application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer 1 year ago today.
10 January 2010 – Received email from the Placement and Assessment Office at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. The email pretty much just told me that they needed a Resume from me along with an unofficial copy of my final transcript. Oh, and she said, “Once I have received these items, your file will be passed on to the Education Desk Placement and Assessment Specialist for further review.”
More reviews. More waiting. I’m a pro at this by now…
25 September 2009 – Received Medical Clearance decision letter.
The Office of Medical Services is pleased to inform you that you have been medically qualified for service and the Office of Placement notified… You will now move to the next step in the process, the Office of Placement.
YAY!!! This is the part that I felt would never end… Talk about a relief!
21 September 2009 – Picked up signed papers from doctor and faxed them back to Peace Corps Medical Office.
18 September 2009 – Dropped papers off at doctor’s office.
17 September 2009 - Received papers via mail for migraines to be filled out by my doctor.
15 September 2009 – Received a call from a Peace Corps Medical Reviewer who told me she was just about to clear me when she saw that I had migraines. Now I have to get another paper signed by my doctor and write a personal statement… WILL IT EVER END?!?!
12 September 2009 – My Peace Corps Tool Kit account currently reflects:
Dental:
Complete. Peace Corps has completed your dental review. There are no dental holds on your account at this time.
Legal:
Medical:
Peace Corps is currently reviewing your medical documentation.
Place:
11 September 2009 – Faxed missing lab reports back to Peace Corps Medical Office.
7 September 2009 - Informed that I there were a 3 Lab Reports missing from my Medical File.
27 June 2009 – Informed that there were no Dental Holds on my Account. Yay!
25 June 2009 – Medical Forms recieved by Peace Corps in Washington, D.C.
19 June 2009 - Final Dental Appointment (Done With Dental Stuff!). Mailed Medical Packet back to Washington, D.C.
17 June 2009 – Received Last Of Miscellaneous Papers To Be Filled Out By Various Professionals.
9 June 2009 - Polio Booster. (Done With Medical Stuff!)
8 June 2009 – Doctor’s Appointment to talk about test results and finish Medical Forms.
29 May 2009 – Doctor’s Appointment for Physical Exam, Blood Work, and Tetanus Shot.
27 May 2009 – Picked up Dental Forms and X-Rays.
26 May 2009 – Dropped Dental Forms off at Dentist’s Office.
18 May 2009 – Got Immunization Record.
15 May 2009 – Received Medical Packet.
4 May2009 – Received Nomination: West Africa. Teaching English to French Speaking Students!!!
12 March 2009 – Interview with Peace Corps Recruiter in Atlanta.
5 March 2009 – Received call from Recruiter to set up an Interview time.
11 Feburary 2009 – Got fingerprinted. Sent in Fingerprint chart and Background Check forms.
8 February 2009 – Final Reference Letter submitted.
29 January 2009 – Submitted Application.
26 January 2009 – Told Mom, Nana, and Little Sister about desire to join.
17 January 2009 – Started thinking about the Peace Corps.
Advice to Future PCVs:
Since arriving in Guatemala, I’ve learned a few things I would have liked to have known before getting here. So, in hopes of helping Future Peace Corps Trainees/Volunteers come more prepared, I’ll share them with you. Some are probably only relevant to Guatemala but others might be helpful regardless of where you are going…
- Bring a sleeping bag. You’re going to be grateful for that extra 10lbs when you get put in a shady hotel and the sheets don’t look like they’ve been washed in… months.
- Bring really comfortable shoes. You will be walking – a lot. And not just Tennis Shoes because sometimes you will need to look professional and sport shoes will just throw off your whole look. I brought two pairs of black flats – professional and comfortable.
- Study the language as much as possible before you get to your country. Not having a good grasp on the language makes everything so much harder. So before you leave, spend as much time as you can learning the language. You will be thankful you did.
- Have a hobby. Before you get to country, it is impossible to believe how much free time you will have on your hands. I mean, you can always aimlessly walk through town trying to get to know people and become more familiar with your site as PC recommends, but even that you can only do for so long… So bring a hobby. You’ll need it.
- If at all possible, bring your computer. Before I got here, I read somewhere in some Peace Corps something, that if you can’t live without your computer in the states, you won’t want to live without it in-country. And this is Completely and Utterly True. Just bring it and save your mom postage money later.
{This list is on-going…}
But the most important thing you should know…
