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.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Medical Review
My medical packet just arrived - holy crap. I guess at some point I indicated that I wear braces, which is untrue. I'm wondering if I made a mistake or if it was an error caused by the online application. Either way I'm going to have to tell them my teeth are perfectly straight naturally, albeit gapped. There are a few other things I reported having, including fascitis (heel pain), counseling, allergies to things like pollen and a certain antibiotic, and tobacco use. I'm kind of regretting putting all that down because they're really not huge issues. Pollen allergies? My eyes get itchy and I sneeze. I take benedryll and I'm better. When I was 7 I broke out in hives from an antibiotic and now I don't take it anymore. My heel hurts after I play soccer and run around a lot, I ice it, take advil or something, and stretch it out in the mornings. I've smoked maybe a pack of cigarettes in my life. I was just tying to be honest but all this is making the process seem so daunting.
Update: I now have a dentist appointment, one with a podiatrist, andam waiting to hear back from the county health department an appointment with a brand new lady doctor. I called a random women's health center and spoke with an incredibly nice lady who was sympathetic to my insurance running out and trying to get me in. Their first available appointment was for the same morning as my podiatrist, and it would be cutting it close, but I took it anyway. (I ended up calling the podiatrist's office back and moving my appointment back one day.) She said that since I hadn't been there before the doctor wouldn't pre-order any of the eight tests. Grr. I would have loved to get started on all that, since I know it's going to take a while to get the results back. I also spoke with the health department finally and they said I can walk in on Tuesday to get the TB test, polio, tetanus, and varicella titers done, and that they could put me in touch with somewhere to get the HIV test.
Update: I now have a dentist appointment, one with a podiatrist, and
first picture, a day late
and it wasn't even taken yesterday, it was taken the night before. Note: I bought a really wide lens with my camera and am having my old lenses converted to be compatible with the newer body. Therefore all of my close-up pictures are either really weird angles or blurry. I need to go ahead and send off my lenses today. Anyway, picture 1: Scarlet.
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 :)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
exercising patience
My *unofficial* volunteer handbook arrived the other day, as did my lens, my sub card for this year, and my camera :) What has not gotten here is my nomination/medical clearance packet and my memory card. Thank goodness for wal-mart, because that's the first place I went to after getting my camera battery charging. Just so everyone knows, the camera is a beast. That's the best way I can describe it, it's huge and wonderful and takes amazing pictures. I'm making my way through the 444 page user's manual, taking a break every few pages to orient myself with what's being talked about and to try it out in real life.
I finished the handbook the same afternoon it came. It was that wonderful. I keep googling others' peace corps blogs to find out answers to silly, random questions that keep popping up in my head (do I shave my legs? what kind of underwear is best? when do I get my shots? do I use my own passport or one they give me? am I an idiot for wanting to bring my camera?... these kinds of things) I keep getting more and more excited every time my own "applicant status" changes. I feel like I'm a little bit closer to being a part of this amazing group of people whom I admire so much. For those of you not in the know ;) peace corps has a login for those who've applied and are tracking their way through the system. It shows where you are and what's required to move onto the next step along with tips and thought provoking surveys. Something I've seen on other blogs is a timeline of the application status - I think I'll do one of these in a separate entry that I can edit as I move along. I'm interested to see just how quickly this process goes. Sometimes it seems like forever between when I hear updates, but looking back it's only been a month and a half.
Lastly, I paid off a good chunk of my credit card debt yesterday, and only have one payment left on one card (which will go through on Sept 9th) to be credit card debt free :D. I still have a massive student loan, but the credit cards were my sore spot. Last year this time I had over $8,000 on a super high interest rate card and two lower rate cards, and really thought I'd just carry it around forever. Eventually I'd have to break it to someone if they wanted to marry me, that I'd ruin their chances of buying a house and if they wanted to cut and run, I'd understand. Sad. I found a calculator on the Kiplinger website that figured out what it would take to pay off the balance, and for the first time I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. I doubled the amount I had been paying, and started making two payments a month (splitting it lowered the average daily balance which lowered the amount of interest that I was charged). In the spring I received an offer from my bank for a great rate if I transferred a balance, so I did and my double payments went even further. When I'd looked into teaching abroad in the past, something that kept me from thinking it could be a reality was that debt; who can just pick up and leave with that kind of albatross? (Not to mention the programs COST thousands to do!) This time I knew I had enough in savings to pay it off completely before I leave, and I promised my mom I'd do that since she signed a thing saying she'd take over whatever payments I leave behind. I went ahead and transferred the money from savings to my credit card yesterday after reading a quote from Hemingway in the unofficial handbook: "the shortest answer is doing the thing." In essence, don't toil back and forth with a question, just do it and find out what happens. What happened is that now whatever money I earn this fall can go into savings :)
I keep thinking about this opportunity I'm getting to be a part of and I'm filled with excitement. I feel like there are the types of people who travel and there are those who don't. For one reason or another, life gets in the way and things are put off until there's more money and more time. Sometimes I feel old (I think that comes from living in a college town where I'm surrounded by people 18-23 whenever I go anywhere) but I know I'm really not. Realizing this helps when I lament how much time I've wasted NOT doing this, it lets me be happy when I grasp how much of my life I'll have after this experience has happened.
I finished the handbook the same afternoon it came. It was that wonderful. I keep googling others' peace corps blogs to find out answers to silly, random questions that keep popping up in my head (do I shave my legs? what kind of underwear is best? when do I get my shots? do I use my own passport or one they give me? am I an idiot for wanting to bring my camera?... these kinds of things) I keep getting more and more excited every time my own "applicant status" changes. I feel like I'm a little bit closer to being a part of this amazing group of people whom I admire so much. For those of you not in the know ;) peace corps has a login for those who've applied and are tracking their way through the system. It shows where you are and what's required to move onto the next step along with tips and thought provoking surveys. Something I've seen on other blogs is a timeline of the application status - I think I'll do one of these in a separate entry that I can edit as I move along. I'm interested to see just how quickly this process goes. Sometimes it seems like forever between when I hear updates, but looking back it's only been a month and a half.
Lastly, I paid off a good chunk of my credit card debt yesterday, and only have one payment left on one card (which will go through on Sept 9th) to be credit card debt free :D. I still have a massive student loan, but the credit cards were my sore spot. Last year this time I had over $8,000 on a super high interest rate card and two lower rate cards, and really thought I'd just carry it around forever. Eventually I'd have to break it to someone if they wanted to marry me, that I'd ruin their chances of buying a house and if they wanted to cut and run, I'd understand. Sad. I found a calculator on the Kiplinger website that figured out what it would take to pay off the balance, and for the first time I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. I doubled the amount I had been paying, and started making two payments a month (splitting it lowered the average daily balance which lowered the amount of interest that I was charged). In the spring I received an offer from my bank for a great rate if I transferred a balance, so I did and my double payments went even further. When I'd looked into teaching abroad in the past, something that kept me from thinking it could be a reality was that debt; who can just pick up and leave with that kind of albatross? (Not to mention the programs COST thousands to do!) This time I knew I had enough in savings to pay it off completely before I leave, and I promised my mom I'd do that since she signed a thing saying she'd take over whatever payments I leave behind. I went ahead and transferred the money from savings to my credit card yesterday after reading a quote from Hemingway in the unofficial handbook: "the shortest answer is doing the thing." In essence, don't toil back and forth with a question, just do it and find out what happens. What happened is that now whatever money I earn this fall can go into savings :)
I keep thinking about this opportunity I'm getting to be a part of and I'm filled with excitement. I feel like there are the types of people who travel and there are those who don't. For one reason or another, life gets in the way and things are put off until there's more money and more time. Sometimes I feel old (I think that comes from living in a college town where I'm surrounded by people 18-23 whenever I go anywhere) but I know I'm really not. Realizing this helps when I lament how much time I've wasted NOT doing this, it lets me be happy when I grasp how much of my life I'll have after this experience has happened.
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