I Finally Had My INTERVIEW!!!

I was sitting in the doctor's office. I didn't want to be there. It's not just that I didn't feel good, but I also didn't want this doctor's visit to prolong things with the Peace Corps. My Facebook browsing was interrupted by a phone call with a 202 area code. Where is that... Then my phone informed me the call was from Washington D. C. I had no idea how to react. All I could think was PEACE CORPS?!?!?! over and over and over. I let it go to voicemail as I was not sure I had enough time to take the call. I couldn't wait, though, to ascertain the caller. I listened to the voicemail; it was Skyler Dobert, asking me to call him back. I had a mini freak out, was diagnosed with gastritis (not that big of a deal), and went to Walmart to pick up some antacid. In the parking lot, I called him back and set up an interview for the next morning at 10:00 am for the Education program in Zambia. My dream come true! I spent the night frantically trying to focus on the questions he had emailed me to answer in the interview. Eventually, I had to go to the church in order to actually focus. It only took me an hour or two, but I had already spent two or three trying to focus.When I came home, I tried to chill out a bit, and went to bed about midnight. I didn't sleep really well, but considering how nervous I was, it was expected. I woke up about 8:00 am even though my alarm was set for 8:30 am. After laying in bed for an hour, I got up to eat breakfast and run through my answers a couple more times.

Generally speaking, it went really well. He started the interview by telling me that I have some kind of medical accommodation that will keep me from leaving until about the end of October. (I think it's the asthma I was diagnosed with about that time this year, but I'm going to check into it to make sure.) Because of this, I am no longer eligible for Zambia, since it leaves in June of 2015. The next program I would be eligible for with my skills and the medical accommodations would be Uganda, leaving end of October, beginning of November. I told him it didn't really matter where I went, and he asked if that timing was okay. It is, so he said we could talk more about it after the interview was over. I had been afraid I wasn't going to be interviewed, so I was glad to hear that I hadn't prepared for an interview for nothing. He began by asking me a few broad "Why do you want to join the Peace Corps?" kind of questions, and then continued to some questions he had emailed me last night. I had no problem with the first set of questions, and generally had no problem with the second either. The only problem I had was with the very first of those questions which was about cross-cultural experience. I was supposed to reference a work or volunteer experience, so having an Iraqi roommate just doesn't count. I stretched a bit on my experience with Hablantes Unidos, tutoring the guys at La Pa and talked about getting to see their culture. Other than fumbling through that, though, I did perfectly fine. The last segment of questions consisted of common concerns, and he asked me to be honest about whether I would be concerned with things like not having modern conveniences or whatever. I had already thought about them as they were on the Peace Corps Wiki site I have read through. The only concerns I really had were about religious differences and acceptance of alcohol. I told him I would be more than willing to adjust, and he told me that it would be covered in pre-service training. After that I was able to to ask him about host families, how they are chosen, and also what a typical day would look like. I would be teaching anywhere from 9-24 hours per week in conjunction with another teacher or principal or something. And I would be able to tell the pre-service training people about my preferences, but normally (in Zambia at least), I would be living in my own hut with a host family as my neighbors or otherwise close. Last, he walked me through the next couple of months. He will put me under consideration for Uganda within the next couple of weeks. If I don't hear from him by the 19th of January, I'm suposed to email him and remind him. (He said he has 400 applications right now, so it's a bit crazy around the office.) Then I have to wait some more. The placement officer won't start looking at applications until March, probably after March 15. Until then, I'm going to start with my medical clearances since they will take longer than normal. He said once he's able to move my application to Uganda, he will notify medical and get things rolling.

So that's how it went! I'm really happy to have it done, and really happy that it went really well. This gives me some time to work this summer (although now the question becomes where to work...) and figure things out with my car and such. I'm not super excited to be leaving later, but I'll still be back before I want to be (before April 2018 to be specific), so it's okay. Now I have so much research to do on Uganda!!

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!