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Saturday, August 9, 2014

Zambia?!

I've known about my shot in the dark for Zambia for less than 12 hours, and I'm already overrun with emotion.  Obviously, I'm incredibly excited. This could be exactly what I was hoping for. Or it could not be. I could have to deal with all kinds of things in Zambia I wasn't ready for. Like the heartbreak brought about by this article. From all the research I've done (which honestly hasn't been a lot today since I'm trying to pack to go back to Kirksville), Zambia is a pretty good country to live in. They're just incredibly poor. The people seem to have decided that's the only way to live their lives. That's how it's been for years on end, so why would they change it? At least that's what I took away from the aforementioned article.

Am I getting in too far over my head? This is seriously the only thing I want to do, but am I really prepared to purposely put myself in a position of loneliness? Of being the outsider? If I'm not, why does everything feel so right?

I have so much to pray about, and all from one short email. :)

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Timeline

June 28, 2014 Submitted application
June 28, 2014 Submitted health form
Worry, worry, worry, worry, worry....

July 22, 2014 References emailed
July 28, 2014 References responded
Worry, worry, worry, worry, worry, worry, worry, worry, worry, worry, worry....

August 8, 2014 Received an email from Peace Corps Zambia, Application Under Review, leaving June 2015!
Zambia Wikipedia
Zambia World Factbook
Zambia on The BBC
Zambia on The Lonely Planet
Zambia's Official Website

September 2, 2014 Requested an update
September 10, 2014 "I will not start reviewing applications for your program until Oct after the apply by date has passed for that program. I will finish all of my evaluation by end of December."

Doubt my ability to do this job should I get it
Hate myself for applying but obviously not being qualified enough (which isn't even true, brain!)

November 17, 2014 Requested an update
November 18, 2014 "I will be reviewing applications over the next two months for the Zambia program. The latest you will hear back from me is the beginning of January but I should reaching out to most people at the start of December. The training class will be around 70 people so I will be issuing invitations regularly until January."
November 29, 2014 Started a Peace Corps wishlist on Amazon
Because I just can't wait

Stress level though the roof
Issues focusing on school because this is all I want
Bring myself back to reality, remembering that these grades will matter for Peace Corps too

wait wait wait wait

December 28, 2014 Six months since submitted application, anxious to hear something 
December 30, 2014 CALL FROM DC NUMBER WHILE IN DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT
Peace Corps' Skyler Dobert asking to set up an interview
Set up interview for next morning at 10:00 am my time
December 31, 2014 Interview went well, but opened with change in consideration due to medical accommodation, now being considered for Uganda, November 2015
Uganda Wikipedia
Uganda World Factbook
Uganda on The BBC
Uganda on The Lonely Planet
Uganda Official Website

January 2, 2015 Contacted OMS to find out about my medical accommodation and ask if I should try to get appointments this week
January , 2015 Finally THINK I got everything figured out with OMS. Accommodation is pretty much for sure asthma
January 21, 2015 Emailed Mr. Dobert to remind him to put me Under Consideration for Uganda and contact medical
January 30, 2015 Emailed Mr. Dobert again 

February 2, 2015 Received an email from OMS basically telling me to check my email because I will be receiving tasks soon
February 3, 2015 Received an email from Mr. Dobert informing me that I'm 100% officially Under Consideration for Uganda! Should be receiving an email from them an OMS soon (had already received the one from OMS)
February 5, 2015 Asthma Evaluation task added to MAP. Now I have to figure out how to go back to the clinic to get this form filled out without paying $100 for it
February 6, 2015 Dropped off forms at the clinic to have filled out
February 13, 2015 Picked up forms and uploaded them to MAP
February 18, 2015 Medically Pre-Cleared!!
February 24, 2015 Emailed Peace Corps Uganda to introduce myself and request an update

March 3, 2014 Received an email from Monica Schnelle, the PO for Uganda, "I have not yet begun reviewing the Uganda programs, as I am finishing filling a program that leaves in the summer. I will begin reviewing applications in mid-March. I will review applications before the Apply By Date; however, in most cases, I will not begin issuing invitations until all applicants have had the chance to submit their application, which would be after the apply by date."
March (throughout the month) Meeting other people UC for Uganda. Everyone is so nice! I feel underqualified, though...

April 2, 2015 INVITE SEASON HAS BEGUN
April 6, 2015 Joined PC/Uganda (UC and onward) group on Facebook
Found out invites will probably not start going out until the "end of April"
April 28, 2015 INVITES HAVE STARTED GOING OUT
Freak out, almost break down, recover... It'll be okay.

Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing...
May 20, 2015 INVITE RECEIVED. I REPEAT! INVITE. RECEIVED!!!!!!!!!!!
May 22, 2015 Legal clearances email sent, expecting the package in two weeks or less
May 26, 2015 Emailed Staging because my MAP status had not yet changed, thus no tasks populated
Finished all Learning Space "classes"
Submitted updated resume and aspiration statement

June 1, 2015 MAP email finally received, dental clearances on MAP
Tasks slowly filter in

July, 7-9, 2015 ALL THE DOCTORS' APPOINTMENTS, so many holes in my arms...
July 10, 2015 All tasks except for dental exam submitted
July 31, 2015 Begin getting tasks sent back because they were apparently incomplete
Frustrated, frustrating, oh well, that's life

August 10-11, 2015 More doctors' appointments, more holes
August 12, 2015 Submitted all tasks!!! (The first time, the exciting time....)
Back and forth with tasks
August 17, 2015 FINAL MEDICAL CLEARANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Glossary

Here is a quick guide (*ahem* work in progress) to some of the Peace Corps terms used in this blog (adapted from this PC blog):


Assignment: The location and job the volunteer is placed in
APCD: Associate Peace Corps Director. A host-country national in charge of that region's program
CD: Country Director. The one in charge of the volunteers in that country
CDO: Country Desk Officer. A liaison in Washington D.C. between Peace Corps headquarters and country.
COS: Close of Service. The end of a volunteer's service
Country Desk: The department representing regional countries, at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington D.C.
ET: Early Termination. Leaving, for whatever reason, before COS
Homestay: Part of training where the volunteer lives with a member of the community (the owners of the house are often referred to as "family," i.e. mother, brother, etc.)
HCN: Host Country National. A person from the Host Country.
Host Country: The country where the volunteer is serving
Invitation: A formal summons to serve in a specific job/country after receiving medical/legal clearance
IOS: Interruption of Service. When local political or environmental conditions require the entire program to be pulled from an area
IST: In-Service Training. A secondary training event that happens mid-service
LCF: Language and Cross-Cultural Facilitator. Trainers responsible for language and culture sections during PST
MAP: Medical Application Portal. The website used to complete medical clearances
Medevac: Medically Evacuate. To return a volunteer to the States for medical treatment, usually because they have an injury/illness that is untreatable in-country
Medsep: Medical Separation. When a volunteer cannot complete service due to a medical problem
OMS: Office of Medical Services
PC: Peace Corps
PCMO: Peace Corps Medical Officer. The nurse or doctor in charge of all that country's volunteers
PCT: Peace Corps Trainee. Volunteer's title during training and before becoming an official volunteer
PCV: Peace Corps Volunteer
PO: Placement Officer. Person in charge of officially placing each volunteer in an assignment worldwide. Based in the Peace Corps D.C. Headquarters
PST: Pre-Service Training. The training program, usually 3 months long, that teaches volunteers language, cross-cultural sensitivity, and job skills before they begin their official service
Recruiter: Locally-based representative in charge of providing information on Peace Corps to potential applicants and screening applicants during the initial stages. The "voice" of the PC
RPCV: Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
Site: The location where the volunteer lives and works for 2 years
Staging: The first day(s) of training, held in the U.S., before flying out to the host country, basically an orientation
Swearing-In: The ceremony that accompanies transition from PCT to PCV
Under Consideration: The status pertaining to an application being put "in the pile" of a particular country. The first step toward becoming a PCV.
VAD: Volunteer Assignment Description. The lengthy document given to applicants describing an assignment in detail. Part of the official Invitation