Does anyone watch House? See the premier last night? Hot. Also, I bought some Tom's of Maine toothpaste to get in better touch with my hippy side. I got the kids' Outrageous Orange-Mango flavor, but I'm not too happy with it's foam-ability. Their website does say the kids' version is less foamy than the adult version, but it's still going to take some getting used to. Hmm. Talk amongst yourselves.
Showing posts with label nomination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nomination. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I totally have a crush on dr. house
I started volunteering today in a second grade class at a low income school. My friend is the teacher, so it's kind of a win-win situation because we can chat a little :) My name is on the sub list at four schools as well, and I'll be tutoring kids through the Title I initiative starting next month. My goal is to have a lot on my plate and a lot of resume updating to do when the nice placement officer calls asking what I've been up to. My PC program is primary teacher training - any other ideas on volunteer work for that? Also does anyone have any experience with sending in your dental stuff separate from medical in regards to being dentally cleared? I know my dental package was delivered on Monday morning because I got the delivery confirmation, but I haven't been told yet that it got there, that they're looking at it, or anything. I keep hoping for that little email in the morning saying they're at least reviewing it, but I guess in the grand scheme of things it's only been a day. Silliness, see latest entry :) I was gone most of the day today at the school and then running errands and shopping this afternoon. It was a lot better than sitting around reading blogs and timelines, shocking!
Does anyone watch House? See the premier last night? Hot. Also, I bought some Tom's of Maine toothpaste to get in better touch with my hippy side. I got the kids' Outrageous Orange-Mango flavor, but I'm not too happy with it's foam-ability. Their website does say the kids' version is less foamy than the adult version, but it's still going to take some getting used to. Hmm. Talk amongst yourselves.
Does anyone watch House? See the premier last night? Hot. Also, I bought some Tom's of Maine toothpaste to get in better touch with my hippy side. I got the kids' Outrageous Orange-Mango flavor, but I'm not too happy with it's foam-ability. Their website does say the kids' version is less foamy than the adult version, but it's still going to take some getting used to. Hmm. Talk amongst yourselves.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Narrowing it down...
Somehow when I typed in "narro..." in my title it automatically filled in the rest of the phrase. Creepy. I'm thinking maybe I used that phrase as the title of another blog entry at some point? I think it was something to do with cities I wanted to move to (Boston & Denver).
Anyway, I've been looking around the interwebs at Peace Corps everythingIcanfind, and I found a page on PC wiki that will take the program you're nominated for and cross reference it with the region and list all the countries that have that program going on. Based on that very scientific and reliable list, it could be: Botswana, The Gambia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, or Zambia
After I got it to those nine, I went back to a list that told the departing dates for previous programs and figured out that four have had departing dates in February for the last two years. Those four are Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. Out of those, South Africa and Uganda have the highest percentage of education volunteers. If it really is one of those two, I'm hoping for South Africa. It has a coast (I'm a water person) and is one of the countries I've always wanted to travel to. It looks so incredibly beautiful. Now, while that is what I'm HOPING will happen I'm fully prepared to be delayed and then sent to Guatemala in April, laughing the whole way at the audacity of thinking I'd figured it all out. Mind you on my application and in my interview I said I had no preferences on location, and I truly don't. I have pretty limited international travel experience and like to form my own opinions on people and places and experiences, so I'd rather learn my own way than take someone's advice of "ooooh, don't go there!"
In more PC news (because apparently this is all I do/think about anymore) I have all my appointments made! Dentist is on Tuesday for a cleaning, exam, and xrays, which will be followed by a trip to the health department for my polio and tetanus vaccines, my varicella titers (odd word), my TB test, and copies of my vaccination record. Thursday I'll go back to the health department to get my TB test read, and a few days after that I'll have to go to get my varicella titer report. The following Monday I have my physical to get pap, blood tests, urinalysis, and vaccinations all accounted for. The next day I go to the podiatrist, though I'm really not sure what he's going to do. I have heel pain when I run around and play soccer, it's really bad in the mornings following a game usually. I haven't had it in months though and I never saw a doctor for it in the first place. I'll have to talk to him about it and see what he can fill out as far as the PC requires. After that it's just a matter of getting the results back and triple, nay, quadruple checking that I haven't missed anything and sending it up to DC.
Tomorrow is the beginning of an amazing thing here in the south: football season. I love football, sometimes I forget how much until I watch it again. My friend and I have a "thing" I guess for anything with an F on it. We were at our favorite bar last year, somewhat imbibed, and saw a guy with pants covered in embroidered Fs. We of course asked him where he got them, and he told us "the internet!" We asked him if he got them at www dot thepantswiththeFsonthem dot com. He laughed and said that's exactly where he got them. From then on everything was the______withtheFsonthem. The bar was renamed 101 Pants, we bought dresses and sewed Fs on them, etc. (Typing this out makes me realize how silly/wonderful it is) ANYWAY... I'm bringing the new camera along to document my last football season for a while :) I'm super excited. I even made a headband for the occasion.
Anyway, I've been looking around the interwebs at Peace Corps everythingIcanfind, and I found a page on PC wiki that will take the program you're nominated for and cross reference it with the region and list all the countries that have that program going on. Based on that very scientific and reliable list, it could be: Botswana, The Gambia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, or Zambia
After I got it to those nine, I went back to a list that told the departing dates for previous programs and figured out that four have had departing dates in February for the last two years. Those four are Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. Out of those, South Africa and Uganda have the highest percentage of education volunteers. If it really is one of those two, I'm hoping for South Africa. It has a coast (I'm a water person) and is one of the countries I've always wanted to travel to. It looks so incredibly beautiful. Now, while that is what I'm HOPING will happen I'm fully prepared to be delayed and then sent to Guatemala in April, laughing the whole way at the audacity of thinking I'd figured it all out. Mind you on my application and in my interview I said I had no preferences on location, and I truly don't. I have pretty limited international travel experience and like to form my own opinions on people and places and experiences, so I'd rather learn my own way than take someone's advice of "ooooh, don't go there!"
In more PC news (because apparently this is all I do/think about anymore) I have all my appointments made! Dentist is on Tuesday for a cleaning, exam, and xrays, which will be followed by a trip to the health department for my polio and tetanus vaccines, my varicella titers (odd word), my TB test, and copies of my vaccination record. Thursday I'll go back to the health department to get my TB test read, and a few days after that I'll have to go to get my varicella titer report. The following Monday I have my physical to get pap, blood tests, urinalysis, and vaccinations all accounted for. The next day I go to the podiatrist, though I'm really not sure what he's going to do. I have heel pain when I run around and play soccer, it's really bad in the mornings following a game usually. I haven't had it in months though and I never saw a doctor for it in the first place. I'll have to talk to him about it and see what he can fill out as far as the PC requires. After that it's just a matter of getting the results back and triple, nay, quadruple checking that I haven't missed anything and sending it up to DC.
Tomorrow is the beginning of an amazing thing here in the south: football season. I love football, sometimes I forget how much until I watch it again. My friend and I have a "thing" I guess for anything with an F on it. We were at our favorite bar last year, somewhat imbibed, and saw a guy with pants covered in embroidered Fs. We of course asked him where he got them, and he told us "the internet!" We asked him if he got them at www dot thepantswiththeFsonthem dot com. He laughed and said that's exactly where he got them. From then on everything was the______withtheFsonthem. The bar was renamed 101 Pants, we bought dresses and sewed Fs on them, etc. (Typing this out makes me realize how silly/wonderful it is) ANYWAY... I'm bringing the new camera along to document my last football season for a while :) I'm super excited. I even made a headband for the occasion.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
My Peace Corps Timeline
I've stopped updating this entry. For a complete, up-to-date timeline, please see the separate page titled Timeline :) Thanks guys.
I've seen other PCV blogs that detail their timelines, and it always interests me because they're all so different. For the sake of comparison, my own memory, and anyone who comes across this in the middle of their own application, I am going to put mine up. I'm obviously going to have to update this as time goes on...
Three conversations in June and July of 2010 brought up the Peace Corps to me. After the third time, I decided to at least look in to it, not really committed to anything more than that because I have a cat and a dog that would need to be looked after. (And frankly I don't WANT to leave my dog, but as my sister in law said "don't NOT do something because you have pets..") My dog would have no problem finding a home, I have offers to take her off my hands at least once a week. I brought up the idea to my friend Nora who immediately declared "I'll take Nadia!" She has always loved the puddle of fur that meows at me to be fed :) And with that I decided to apply.
July 13, 2010 - I go to the PC website and look around, it's a lot different from what I thought it was (I was under the impression that it was for college students to do a semester abroad or something) It looks awesome and I begin filling out the application, I tell my cousins when they get home from work & they're ecstatic.
July 14, 2010 - I finish my essays and the health status review, I submit it all
July 28, 2010 - packet comes in the mail, my mom says she'll mail it to me
July 30, 2010 - I receive an email from my recruiter telling me that I need to send her back the forms in the packet as well as my college transcripts and financial obligation form, I also "attend" an online infosession where I ask some questions and get more and more excited about the prospect of doing this
July 31, 2010 - The packet arrives from Florida and I sort through it
August 2, 2010 - Fingerprints done at the police station in SC
August 4, 2010 - All of my references have completed the forms for me :)
August 10, 2010 - I call several people in PC to see if I need the financial obligation form notarized since I am planning on paying off my debt before leaving. I can't get in touch with anyone, leave a message for my recruiter and then have the form notarized anyway, to be safe. Recruiter calls me back after I drop everything in the mail and says what I did was fine.
August 13, 2010 - Email saying my status has changed - I check and they've received all my forms, but not all of my references. hmm. I email my recruiter to check on them.
August 14, 2010 - Email saying my status has been updated - All references are in and my recruiter will contact me soon to schedule an interview! Woo hoo!
August 23, 2010 - I haven't heard about an interview yet so I email asking if she knows what timeline to expect, she calls me right away saying that she was expecting ME to call and schedule it... miscommunication? Anyway, we schedule the interview for that Thursday, I offer to drive to Atlanta for an in-person interview.
August 26, 2010 - I show up at 10:55 for my 11:00 interview (nervous!), wait a few minutes, ask the receptionist for tips (be professional, she's not your friend, it's a job interview... got it.) We talk for almost 2 hours and I relax as I go, afterwards she tells me that she thinks I'd be a great fit for the primary teacher training program and looks over some paperwork that tells her where that program is available. She asks if I would be willing and able to ride a bike 3-5 miles a day (yes!) and then that there aren't any programs in francophone countries (sad!). I can either choose Asia leaving in January or Africa leaving in February. Now, all along I'd been thinking I'd end up in francophone Africa, since French seems in high demand, and most of the french speaking/education programs are in Africa. I've also wanted to travel there for as long as I can remember, or at least since I read Poisonwood Bible. Given that that was my first instinct, and it gave me a month more to get everything together, I picked Africa. I marvel at the fact that it's becoming more real now, that I have a region and a vague timeline to shoot for, haha.. I drive home to Florida.
August 27, 2010 - I receive an email that my status has changed - I'm a nominee now!!! I have legal clearance already, and will need to get blood tests, shots, x-rays, etc.
August 31, 2010 - I get another email that my status has been updated - My medical packet was mailed out on the 30th and I'll need to complete it and send it back.
September 2, 2010 - Medical/dental packet arrives in the mail, it's a behemoth. Separate entry for this, it's too big.
September 7, 2010 - Dentist appointment this morning, my teeth are perfect and need no work :) I had an impression taken for a new occlusal splint (to keep me from clenching my jaw at night) since mine is 10 years old and has holes in some places. I also went to the Health Department and got blood drawn for varicella immunity since I had chicken pox but no shots. I also had a TB test, Polio and Tdap boosters, and got my immunization history.
This is where I am now, waiting :)
I've seen other PCV blogs that detail their timelines, and it always interests me because they're all so different. For the sake of comparison, my own memory, and anyone who comes across this in the middle of their own application, I am going to put mine up. I'm obviously going to have to update this as time goes on...
Three conversations in June and July of 2010 brought up the Peace Corps to me. After the third time, I decided to at least look in to it, not really committed to anything more than that because I have a cat and a dog that would need to be looked after. (And frankly I don't WANT to leave my dog, but as my sister in law said "don't NOT do something because you have pets..") My dog would have no problem finding a home, I have offers to take her off my hands at least once a week. I brought up the idea to my friend Nora who immediately declared "I'll take Nadia!" She has always loved the puddle of fur that meows at me to be fed :) And with that I decided to apply.
July 13, 2010 - I go to the PC website and look around, it's a lot different from what I thought it was (I was under the impression that it was for college students to do a semester abroad or something) It looks awesome and I begin filling out the application, I tell my cousins when they get home from work & they're ecstatic.
July 14, 2010 - I finish my essays and the health status review, I submit it all
July 28, 2010 - packet comes in the mail, my mom says she'll mail it to me
July 30, 2010 - I receive an email from my recruiter telling me that I need to send her back the forms in the packet as well as my college transcripts and financial obligation form, I also "attend" an online infosession where I ask some questions and get more and more excited about the prospect of doing this
July 31, 2010 - The packet arrives from Florida and I sort through it
August 2, 2010 - Fingerprints done at the police station in SC
August 4, 2010 - All of my references have completed the forms for me :)
August 10, 2010 - I call several people in PC to see if I need the financial obligation form notarized since I am planning on paying off my debt before leaving. I can't get in touch with anyone, leave a message for my recruiter and then have the form notarized anyway, to be safe. Recruiter calls me back after I drop everything in the mail and says what I did was fine.
August 13, 2010 - Email saying my status has changed - I check and they've received all my forms, but not all of my references. hmm. I email my recruiter to check on them.
August 14, 2010 - Email saying my status has been updated - All references are in and my recruiter will contact me soon to schedule an interview! Woo hoo!
August 23, 2010 - I haven't heard about an interview yet so I email asking if she knows what timeline to expect, she calls me right away saying that she was expecting ME to call and schedule it... miscommunication? Anyway, we schedule the interview for that Thursday, I offer to drive to Atlanta for an in-person interview.
August 26, 2010 - I show up at 10:55 for my 11:00 interview (nervous!), wait a few minutes, ask the receptionist for tips (be professional, she's not your friend, it's a job interview... got it.) We talk for almost 2 hours and I relax as I go, afterwards she tells me that she thinks I'd be a great fit for the primary teacher training program and looks over some paperwork that tells her where that program is available. She asks if I would be willing and able to ride a bike 3-5 miles a day (yes!) and then that there aren't any programs in francophone countries (sad!). I can either choose Asia leaving in January or Africa leaving in February. Now, all along I'd been thinking I'd end up in francophone Africa, since French seems in high demand, and most of the french speaking/education programs are in Africa. I've also wanted to travel there for as long as I can remember, or at least since I read Poisonwood Bible. Given that that was my first instinct, and it gave me a month more to get everything together, I picked Africa. I marvel at the fact that it's becoming more real now, that I have a region and a vague timeline to shoot for, haha.. I drive home to Florida.
August 27, 2010 - I receive an email that my status has changed - I'm a nominee now!!! I have legal clearance already, and will need to get blood tests, shots, x-rays, etc.
August 31, 2010 - I get another email that my status has been updated - My medical packet was mailed out on the 30th and I'll need to complete it and send it back.
September 2, 2010 - Medical/dental packet arrives in the mail, it's a behemoth. Separate entry for this, it's too big.
September 7, 2010 - Dentist appointment this morning, my teeth are perfect and need no work :) I had an impression taken for a new occlusal splint (to keep me from clenching my jaw at night) since mine is 10 years old and has holes in some places. I also went to the Health Department and got blood drawn for varicella immunity since I had chicken pox but no shots. I also had a TB test, Polio and Tdap boosters, and got my immunization history.
This is where I am now, waiting :)
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