¿Y Entonces...?

YAY!!!!!

C/S America departing in mid-January to work in programs involving HIV/AIDS, malaria and nutrition*!

I have looked at the Peace Corps Wiki site and it could be Nicaragua (Jan 10), Panama (Jan 10), or Ecuador (Jan 18)!

We we so excited!!!!!

All Evaluations To Become An Invitee: Complete.

Yay! :D

Who’s qualified for Peace Corps service as of today? Who should be getting an INVITATION within the next two weeks?

THIS GIRL!

It was a short interview, maybe 10 minutes, and boy was I sweating “um” bullets!

Questions I was asked:

• You have been actively applying since March. Are you still interested in the Peace Corps? What motivates you to seek a service position as a Peace Corps Volunteer?


• What experience have you gained since applying for the Peace Corps? Have you been in touch with fellow applicants/volunteers?
  


• Often, Volunteers are placed a fair distance from each other when based in rural areas. How would you handle possibly feeling isolated in this situation?


• When is the earliest you available for departure?


• Are you flexible to travel anywhere, even if that doesn’t include your original nomination?


•  Has your email or mailing address changed – or will it in the near future?


• Have you had any legal incidents or changes to your medical status since you submitted their application?


• What has been the response of your family and friends to your decision? How do you feel you will cope with the separation from family/friends for 27 months?


• Can you ride a bike? Can you walk long distances in heat?


• Are you worried about safety concerns?

YAY!!!!!

Booyah.

They’re moving my file quick! Just got an email wanting an updated resume/volunteer experience and my transcript. All she said was to be flexible as to what region and be ready to leave early 2012!

Got the letter in the mail today. Now, off to the Office of Placement!

Please excuse me while I do my happy dance :D

Yay!

Now I’ll be stalking the mailman until I get word.

I received a letter from the OMS today stating that because I was on “menses” (fancy word for every female’s favorite part of the month), my first urinalysis was abnormal and they wanted me to get another test.

Ran down to the clinic I got my first UA at and they recognized me. I told them the situation and without filling out any paperwork/paying a co-pay, they just gave me a cup and sent me to the restroom. I was in and out of the clinic in 20 minutes and got a “normal” UA testing.

Ran over to the FedEx Office, scanned the results and sent them to my OMS RN. Done and done. She’s not in the office until next Wednesday (thank you Out-of-Office Auto Reply), but at least I have it taken care of and can relax on this Labor Day weekend without stressing about it!

Fingers crossed for fast feedback/progress on the application!

Woke up this morning to an email from Peace Corps regarding a new “Application Toolkit Update”:

ANOTHER Medical Hold was placed on my account.

Lest to say I’m very frustrated at this, especially since the hold was lifted last week.

Edit: I talked to someone from the OMS. I have to REDO my urinalysis AGAIN. They’re sending a letter explaining what needs to be done. I’m going to try and get this all done for good before I go out of town for the Labor Day weekend.

Medical hold was taken off of my account, so that’s awesome!

However, there isn’t a check mark next to the Medical Evaluation part of the checklist…so now what?

So my “Medical Hold” was put on because I had to redo some of the original information:

• Polio Booster Immunization


• Urinalysis


• Hepatitis B Surface Antibody results


• Questionaire about TB test results

I got that all taken care of last week and sent it to my RN at the OMS. She said they were moving offices on Monday, so I’m crossing my fingers that I should hear from her that everything is right the second time around and I can continue on with the process.

Send good thoughts my way!

Good things always happen after Peace Corps does their website maintenance!

First, I got the Dental Clearance and after the most recent maintenance, I received a “Medical Hold”, meaning my paperwork is in the hands of a nurse now and I continue to patiently wait to hear something good!

Fingers crossed the only call I get is saying, “Everything seems to be in order and we’re handing your file off to a Placement Officer who will conduct your final interview.”

…or something like that :)

I love waking up to an email from Peace Corps saying that my Application Toolkit has been updated :)

Medical Packet has been received and Dental and Legal Evaluations are complete (“There are no holds on your account at this time.”)

Just waiting for the rest of my Medical Packet to be cleared and then it’s on to the next step! Crossing my fingers!