INVITATION!

My invitation has finally arrived!! It came in the mail yesterday afternoon while I was at work, and after an excruciating 10 hours of anticipation, I finally received the news!!

Drumroll please...

Country: Morocco
Job Title: Youth Development Volunteer
Departure Date: March 19, 2012

Updates Updates and More!

Alright, so I realize I've gone a little bit radio silent over the last few months - with the last month at Gv, finals, moving home, the trip to France with my mom, and the summer job, I just hadn't found the time! Plus, with everything being less than certain, I've been putting off updating during the wait. So, here's the super lengthy, long overdue, but feels-good-to-write update that I've finally taken the time to sit down and bang out.


Here's what's happened:


Mid-April - After sending my statement about my prosthesis to the medical office, I received a letter stating that I was cleared for service with medical restrictions - namely, my limb deficiency would restrict my placement to a site with easy access to medical resources and accommodations  for my medical condition. Accommodations! Flabbergasted, I called my contact at the medical office to demand an answer. I explained to the nurse, as I had in my statement, that I did not need any accommodations or assistance with my arm or anything else. I asked her what the letter meant for my placement if the decision stood, and she told me that I would need to be placed somewhere where I could get immediate attention and assistance should anything happen to my prosthesis. Curious, I asked if I was placed into the same category as somebody missing a lower limb, and she said yes. Beside myself but trying to be respectful, I told her that the decision made no sense and that I did not need the same type of assistance as someone missing a lower limb. I told her that I had lived my whole life without limitations, and that I would need to appeal the decision with someone higher up - it didn't stand with my experiences, it didn't stand with my doctor's recommendation, and it didn't stand with my conscience. She told me that she would talk with the medical advisor (or someone to that effect), and call me back within a few days.


A few days later - The nurse I had been talking to called me back, and let me know that the original decision was overturned and I was cleared for service worldwide. She explained that she agreed with me when we spoke on the phone a few days prior, and told the medical advisor all that I had told her. She said, "We are here for you, you know...we're just trying to make sure that all of you get the best placement possible, and I'm glad we could get this straightened out for you. It was really a nice conversation. I got another letter in the mail reflecting the new decision a few days later.


May 3 - Received an email from a placement officer requesting: an updated resume, descriptions of any new experiences since my last resume was sent (back in October), and my final transcript with graduation date. The end of the email said this:
"What happens next is that once your updates are received by me, your Placement Specialist will review your file to determine how we may be able to match you to the next available program that best fits your skills and qualifications, and Peace Corps' needs. During this time, flexibility in geographic preference and departure date will be beneficial. Given our current needs, any new program we may identify for you would be departing between the months of July-September, 2011 at the earliest."

I sent her my updated resume and experiences via email that same day. I had also figured that my new timeline was July-September, so I wasn't surprised in the least.

May 16 - Received final transcript from Gv and faxed it to placement office after returning from my trip to France with my mom.

June 21 - Received a phone call on my way to work from a placement specialist! She said she needed about half an hour to do a phone interview with a few follow-up questions, and we set up a time for midday the following day. I was ecstatic - based on the other peace corps blogs I'd been reading (stalking) online, it seemed like the follow-up interview usually meant that they had a placement in mind. 

June 22 - Had a great phone interview with the placement specialist. It went very well, and I was super excited about the prospect of getting a placement. At the end of the interview, however, she delivered what felt like a huge blow: she said that due to budget cuts, the potential government shutdown earlier in the year, and the resulting backlog of applicants, they were telling people that they would likely not be departing until January-March. I was shocked, but put on a good face (or the equivalent of it in a phone conversation) until we finished our conversation. I have to admit that I was really upset - all I could think about was the fact that I had moved home, away from the city I had grown to love and actually call home, to live with family and spend time with them before leaving, only to find out that I would be waiting another 7-9 months before leaving! The summer job I have is nice for the money, but the thought of hanging around there was awful. Had I known I'd be waiting that long, I would have stayed in Grand Rapids at least for the summer and fall, working with one of the many non-profits / activist groups I was connected with in the area. I was missing Gv friends so much, and the thoughts just wouldn't stop running through my head. I was a bit of a wreck for a few days. I now realize that I overreacted - Peace Corps (and world travel in general, for that matter) requires flexibility and patience, and my first test of those skills went less than well, to say the least. 

Late June - Mid-July - I contemplated a lot of things over the next few weeks, trying to figure out what my next steps should be. I thought about whether I should stick it out and wait for a placement, or move on with grad school applications or a job hunt in DC. While I hated the thought of waiting, I hated the thought of never doing Peace Corps even more - I knew that I would regret it my whole life if I didn't go. I talked with close friends and mentors, and each and every one made the same points: this is a gift; take the time to do things you love; stay with the Peace Corps; this is out of your control, so stop fretting about it. Live life. In short, calm the F down and love what you have. After a weekend spend in GR with amazing friends over the 4th of July, I finally began to come around to their wise words. I started to make plans to move back to GR, work some part time jobs, read for pleasure, and spend time with friends in the city that I love. I calmed down, and felt better about things. I really do owe it to those friends and mentors who supported me through my perhaps unnecessary, but still totally real, moment of freak-out.

July 15- Just as I'm becoming more comfortable about the idea of waiting, I wake up to a huge surprise. Rolling over in my bed to check my phone, I groggily open my email - and see a new message from the Peace Corps: My status has been updated in my toolkit online! My eyelids snap open, and I rush to open my account online. Still on my phone because its so much quicker than my computer these days, I see in large letters on the header of my account: Congratulations, you've been invited to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer! I can't believe it - wasn't I supposed to be waiting until January? Did this mean I did have a placement after all? Trying not to get too excited, I get ready for work and called my placement specialist on my way to work. After we said hello, she says, "I guess you're calling because you saw the update on your account!" I say yes, and she replies, "Yeah, well I guess we are looking at a bit of an earlier timeline than we thought - unfortunately I can't tell you any of the details now over the phone, but your invitation is in the mail and should be to you within 10 days!" I'm ecstatic - I might be leaving in the early fall after all! I decide not to tell too many people, besides my mom, of course - I figure I've been giving people enough of a roller-coaster of updates, and just in case something goes awry, I'll wait until I actually get my packet to share the news.

Needless to say, I've been all over the Peace Corps Wiki Timeline page looking up potential countries in the next few months. There's too may possibilities to narrow it down, but its cool to be able to see a list of possibilities! If I've done my math right, I THINK the earliest I could leave is August 26th (6 weeks out). That is so soon! Ahh! I'm thinking its likely going to be sometime in October, but really it could be anywhere in the next few months. Who knows?! I suppose I will within the next 8 days or so! =D