All Forms Submitted

I have been experiencing a wide variety of emotions as I get closer to my departure date. Emotions range from anxiety, guilt, and nostalgia to excitement, anticipation, and gratitude. I’ve also begun counting down in more unusual ways: ‘Only two more haircuts until I leave. Only two more checks for rent. Only five more round trips from Eau Claire to Minneapolis.’ I’ve received several emails from the country desk and medical portal reminding me to get all my forms in by a certain date. One of the emails mentioned that my departure date is now tentatively February 10th (potentially February 9 if there isn’t a flight to Philadelphia that can get me to staging on time) instead of the 11th. This threw me for a loop. I have been constantly thinking about February 11 for the past 4 months and now suddenly I have one less day. This is of course very minor and Peace Corps is all about being flexible, but for some reason I was caught off guard.

I finally submitted all of my medical documents. This was quite a process as the doctor who did my physical exam did not seem to understand how important it was to completely fill out the forms. I understand she is a very busy person with many patients but I bothered her for three weeks and had to return the packet twice because not every box was filled or a signature was missing. For the record, I thanked the doctor and her nurse multiple times throughout the several weeks for taking the time to complete the extra paperwork. Nevertheless, all documents are turned in, hopefully filled out correctly, and then I can officially be cleared for service!

Completed medical tasks



Starting to pack!