Aspirations

I decided to post my aspirations for the Peace Corps. I wrote these aspirations last March—months before I knew where I would be serving. Originally, I wasn’t going to post these; however, I think it is important to shed further light on my reasons for joining the Peace Corps since my usual answer is very short and undiscerning. In addition, I want my blog to be authentic. I want to describe my thoughts as well as my experiences because I feel that not enough Peace Corps blogs do. I haven’t done this much so far, but I hope to more once I’m actually in Madagascar.

My ultimate goal for the Peace  Corps is to serve and be happy. I can accomplish this by helping others, experiencing another culture, living a simpler life, and having an adventure. All of my aspirations fall into these categories. I hope to review these throughout my service and reflect on whether I am meeting these goals as well as a reminder of why I took this utter leap of faith.

I aspire...

· To gain patience, insight, and understanding
· To gain confidence, leadership skills, and the ability to find my own voice
· To gain cross-cultural experience, adaptability, and flexibility
· To find inner peace, optimism, and a sense of fulfillment and purpose
· To push myself and change the way I think and perceive the world
· To be humbled and grateful for this wonderful life I have.
· To gain understanding of a different community, the hardships, and the joys of being a member of that community
· To make lifelong friends with community members and other Peace Corps volunteers
· To be open to others and to new experiences
· To use my professional experience in my projects, and to grow professionally so that I can use that experience in life after the Peace Corps
· To fully integrate myself in the community, and put the well-being of my projects above my “wanted” comforts
· To be accepted into a new community despite my differences.
· To go on a true adventure and take advantage of opportunities so that if I was given the chance, I would do it all over again.
· To promote and be a part of positive sustainable changes no matter how small the contribution.
· To promote awareness of societal issues such as poverty, poor sanitation, HIV/AIDS, exploitation, corporal punishment, etc. in my community abroad and at home.
· To create a group for community members that gives them a sense of family, unity, and safety.
· To listen more than I speak and be there for someone else in need.
· To make this world a better place one small contribution at a time
· To give my host community a positive image of America
· To give my home community a positive image of Africa
· To teach others and have others teach me
· To learn as much as I can about other cultures, and to appreciate every cultural exchange
· To show others what one person can accomplish, and how much more a population working together can accomplish.
· To bring out the act of giving/donating/ volunteering in myself and others at home and abroad.
· To convince my current friends and family to support a cause in Africa
· To minimize my fear of spiders and other bugs (at least small ones)
· To learn a new language
· To travel as far and wide as I can with my given time
· To love and cherish the program and experience.
· To remember that there will be the highest of highs and lowest of lows, and no matter the situation, know that nothing lasts forever.

60 Days

I depart in the time that it takes to do the Insanity workout program! Another great piece of news is that I received final medical clearance just before Thanksgiving! I did get a message from a PC nurse asking me to send my actual lab reports-not just the results as well as the date of my panorex x-rays. Two hours after those items were sent in I was officially cleared for service.

Other updates:

I take the GRE in 2 days and cannot wait for it to be over.

Dance competition season is in full swing with a competition last weekend and another next weekend.

I’m going to Hawaii in January to visit a friend.

I say goodbye to Eau Claire at the end of January and move back to Minnesota for 10 days.

I’m an online shopping fiend. I’m surprised with how much stuff I think I need to buy in order to live with far less in Africa…

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!



99 Days

99 days until departure. When I got my invitation, my countdown was 221 days, and that does not seem that long ago. A friend that’s going to Ecuador in January told me that the days seem to go faster after you pass the 100 day mark. I’ve been so eager for the days to pass but when it comes down to it, I’m anxious to leave. I keep telling people, ‘I’m excited to go but sad to leave.’ I imagine the next few months will be very emotional as I wrap things up in the U.S.

My first goodbye was to my job at the nursing home—Halloween was my last day. My coworkers were so kind to get me a going away gift and a cake with the DreamWorks Madagascar characters on it. I teared up when I said my final goodbyes to a few of my coworkers and residents. There was one resident in particular that when I said, “good bye and good luck,” I had a lump in my throat. Then the resident said, “Wait, what’s your name?” Perhaps I’ll remember them more than they remember me. One of my coworkers asked if her Girl Scout troop could ‘adopt’ me. I would write letters and they would follow my adventure and send care packages. We also discussed meeting up before I go so that the troop can get to know me and put a name to a face. I’m very excited!

Now that I’m done working at the nursing home (I’m still teaching dance), I will begin checking things off my to-do list. Bigger things include studying for the GRE, shopping and packing, obtain continuing educations credits (I have 18/30 so far!) and sorting through my possessions getting rid of what I don’t have some sort of sentimental attachment to. However, my to-do list and packing list are constantly growing.

I’m slowly but surely working my way through final medical clearance. I’ve been to three separate doctor appointments so far. The first was to the travel clinic to receive immunizations. I was lucky enough to get four shots-two just below the shoulder and two in the back of the arm. Then, between two appointments, I had a full physical, eye exam, all kinds of lab work completed, and another shot. One test showed that my potassium level was just a little low so I need to eat a bunch of bananas and return to the lab for a retest. Hopefully, I can submit all the medical materials by the end of this week.

5 Months

The next couple of weeks are going to busy! Things to do: register and take the GRE, complete all 30 hours of continuing education, choreograph three dances and teach my weekly classes (I was asked to continue teaching dance despite my departure halfway through the season!), tie up all loose ends at my job, go to my doctor appointments and submit documents for final medical clearance, and spend as much time with family and friends as I can. And most of this will occur within the next 6 weeks! Due to all of these emotions and responsibilities, I decided to resign from my job one month earlier than previously planned. I was concerned that I wouldn’t have time to complete the things that are the most important to me. 

 

So far I have completed the dental aspect of final medical clearance. I had a Panorex X-ray and then mostly just a routine cleaning. The dentist and hygienist were very helpful with the necessary forms, and even emailed the Panorex right to me! Next I have an appointment at the travel clinic to get immunizations for polio, yellow fever, Tdap, and Hepatitis A booster. It feels good to get some of the paperwork done since medical clearance is largely waiting for the appointments to take place.

 

I have received an overwhelming amount of support from my friends, family, and even strangers! For example, I was at a fall festival with some friends that came to visit. We were discussing how Peace Corps may affect future job prospects, and a woman came up to us. She said, “I am a psychotherapist and a social worker, and I think the Peace Corps is awesome!” That put a big smile on my face! Everyone has been very interested in my service and wishing me the best of luck. I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful friends and family! 

6 Months Until Departure

Today marks 6 months until departure. So what have I been up to since receiving my invitation? I’ve applied for my visa and PC passport. I wrote my aspiration statement and updated resume which I needed to submit within 10 days of receiving the invitation. I’ve made a dentist appointment and will be scheduling more doctor appointments soon to work towards final medical clearance. I’ve started the Malagasy language lessons (manahoana!). I’ve read through the PC handbooks and other materials, and read many different Madagascar blogs. I've watched Madagascar youtubes, documentaries, and the DreamWorks Madagascar (I'm told this was a necessity). There is not a day that goes by in which I don’t think/talk about Madagascar. It seems to find its way into any conversation. Even then, I’m only talking about it 10% of the time I wish I could be talking about it.

The fact that I will be moving to Africa for two years still has not sunk in. I’m not allowing myself to do any shopping or packing until 1-2 months before departure, otherwise I think I would go crazy trying to decide what to bring. I’ve thought about some financial goals over the next few years, and looked into grad school and taking the GRE. I’ve also chosen a date to put my 30 day resignation notice in at work.

So as you can see, I’ve done a lot of nothing over that last few weeks. A lot of thinking but no action. It’s been too early to actually do anything-even for scheduling appointments! I have a countdown on my phone (obviously) and I absolutely can’t wait. Although I’m trying not to wish my time away, I do want the days to go by a little faster than they are.

Invitation!

I have officially accepted an invitation to MADAGASCAR departing February 11, 2014! After 401 days of thinking, talking, and dreaming, and a whole lot of waiting with little indication of where, when, or what I would be doing, I finally know! I finally have something concrete to plan on and research. I could not be happier!

I received my invitation on Friday while I was tailgating at the Dave Matthews Band concert. I cried, hugged, and cheered with my friends and random neighbors. Since then, I've read through the Madagascar welcome book, volunteer handbook, core expectations, safety and security handbook, and the volunteer assignment description to name a few. I also researched the country extensively. The more I read, the more I thought that this was an absolute perfect placement for me! The country has many aspects that I hoped for (but didn't admit because I was geographically flexible) and the assignment seems like it will utilize my skills well. The volunteer assignment description did make me nervous as I was reading it, but I believe it was purposefully written in a way that made me think twice about accepting. However, I have now made a commitment to the assignment, country, the Peace Corps, and myself.

After I accepted my invitation, I received four different emails with tons of information about my next steps. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, and I keep reminding myself that I have several months to complete many of the tasks. This reminds me of the episode of How I Met Your Mother where Marshall and Lily think they're pregnant. They make a list of everything they need to do to prepare for the baby, and then do it all in one night while rushing and panicking. If you haven't seen the episode, you should just watch the entire series, great show.

Anyway, a big thank you to my family and friends who have supported me thus far (and put up with me talking about Peace Corps non stop)! This is only the beginning of an exhilarating adventure ahead, and I can't wait to move forward. Here's to Madagascar!

Final Suitability Interview

I had my final interview today with my placement officer! She actually called Friday afternoon and I missed it by 3 minutes (!) but was at work and couldn't have the interview anyway. We scheduled the interview for Monday at 12:15pm which meant I had to wait all weekend! I have never been so excited for a Monday and even created a countdown on my phone.

So today during my lunch break, I was parked on a random street eating a sandwich when my placement officer called me. The duration of the call was whole 7 minutes from pick up to hang up. She only asked me a few questions such as 'Has your motivation to join the Peace Corps changed since you first applied?' 'Has the level of support from family and friends changed?' and 'Are you comfortable living with a host family for part of or all of your service?' And that was it! She then told me I was invited to serve in Sub-Saharan Africa in health extension, departing mid-February! I am ecstatic, this is exactly the type of invitation I was hoping for!! The placement officer told me a formal invitation would be emailed to me at the end of this week or early next week. I'm thinking, 'Can't you send it now? You already know where I'm going!'

So now, I get to wait a few more days until actually finding out where I'll be serving. I think I've checked my email at least 50 times since noon. According to Peace Corps wiki, and a wonderful Google spread sheet found here, I'm guessing it's going to be Ghana, Madagascar, or Malawi. I would be thrilled with any country! The next few days will be long until I receive my invitation and I hope I get it before the 4th!

More RAS

I received another email, "Your file is being passed on to the placement specialist for further review. You can expect to hear from our office again in the coming weeks." I’m such a dork that I googled what ‘in the coming weeks’ means. The email also encouraged me to continue gaining skills so I started volunteering at the AIDS Resource Center and I became certified in Blood Borne Pathogens training. Apparently a symptom of RAS (Restless Applicant Syndrome) is obtaining all kinds of certifications to be a more competitive applicant. Peace Corps is probably some conspiracy agency created by Red Cross and TEFL programs to get people to buy their online training programs. Just kidding, really (please review the disclaimer at the top of my page)! But seriously, I have it bad. I’m talking, reading, dreaming, breathing Peace Corps! The other day, my friend Melanie and I acted out how close that invitation is. Imagine us searching through a ‘tunnel’ and then trying to ‘grasp’ that invitation that is just out of reach. Yeah, we’re embarrassing, we know. I also updated my resume again and sent it to placement. At this point they have three different updated resumes from me and will probably block me soon. Sorry that I’m such a competitive candidate.

Health Volunteer Questionnaire

It's funny to look at my timeline, and that on each date progress was made, I wondered how long it would be before I was contacted again. Well, only 9 days after the last email indicating that I wouldn't be contacted for several weeks, I received an email from the placement officer who did a preliminary review of my file! He asked me to complete this questionnaire for health volunteers within one week. Of course, I started working on the questionnaire immediately and submitted the same day. The questionnaire took me about two and a half hours to complete. Questions included what have I been doing to increase my language skills and work/volunteer experience, how have I learned about the challenges a volunteer may face, what are the top challenges I anticipate and how will I deal with them, what is my greatest concern, and several other questions about site placement. My file will now hopefully move on to the final review before invitation. I'm getting close!

We Have Contact...

About two weeks ago I emailed health placement because I believe it’s beneficial to ‘stay on top of the Peace Corps,’ meaning keeping contact every so often so that your application doesn’t remain stagnant. However, there is a fine line between sending friendly ‘don’t forget about me’ emails, and bothering them. The more time they have to spend answering ‘don’t forget about me’ calls and emails, the less time they have to issue invites, right?

 Anyway, I received an email from placement stating, “We should be contacting you in the next couple of months with the next steps in the placement process. The timeframe for when you may be leaving is probably January-March of next year at this point although that could change and we do ask for flexibility.” Next couple of months? I was really disappointed. I thought for sure they would be requesting an updated resume or questionnaire or another interview or something! I’ve heard of a few people receiving invitations for January/February already and I thought for sure I was close! It has been rumored that more invites for Jan/Feb will be issued in July/August so there is more waiting ahead of me. I’m hoping to hear something by the end of July at this point. Although I say that every month, “I’m hoping to hear by the end of this month…”

At the beginning of June, my parents and I attended a PC sendoff party. I thought this was very beneficial and informative for both me and my parents. I spoke to a RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) who returned from Burkina Faso in January. She was a health extension volunteer and hearing about the projects she did was amazing! It was so neat because she was also a recent grad when she went abroad and her experience was so valuable to her future. The sendoff party made me antsier. At one point they had two invitations to hand out to unsuspecting nominees. My heart was pounding out of my chest as they called two names. Mine obviously was not called because here I am, still waiting. I have faith though that an invitation will come, and in the meantime I’ll try to keep busy.

My Personality Clash and an Update

I’m very much a type A personality and I’m always making lists and planning. I always reflect on my thoughts, dreams, and actions, and wonder if what I said/did was the right thing to say/do in that moment. I’m also adventurous. Perhaps this is more related to my current stage of life; however I have been this way since I was a kid. In addition, I strive to be more relaxed and go with the flow. So my type A personality clashes with my desire to have a type B personality which causes me all kinds of inner conflict with joining the Peace Corps. Don’t get me wrong, I am 100% committed to the Peace Corps and can’t imagine anything else I’d rather be doing. It is just so hard to plan! Since the Peace Corps has to send an invitation at least four months prior to departure, I only feel confident in planning things four months out. My mom got tickets for us to see Wicked in September, and I was worried for a day or so that I would get an invite and wouldn’t be able to use that ticket. Silly I know but these are the kinds of thoughts I have among others.

Some great news that I received last week was that I have been legally cleared! I turned in a questionnaire almost six weeks ago, emailed legal placement about 3 weeks ago, and received clearance about one week ago! My application has been moved to the health placement desk which was a pleasant surprise! My original nomination included no information about the region, sector, or date in which I was nominated. At the time I was contemplating whether I was ready for the Peace Corps and did not follow up with my recruiter about this. So then during the pre-medical review, I was told that files were reviewed based on nearest departure dates. I was worried that I didn’t have a relative departure date and that my application would fall through the cracks. I emailed placement my updated resume including my social work experience in a healthcare facility. They must have received the resume and moved me to the health desk because I didn’t have that experience one year ago when I submitted my application!

I was also trying to contact my recruiter about my nominated departure date. After playing phone tag for about a week and a half, she left a message stating that I was nominated for September 2013! Well, September spots are filled and it sounds like many people have already received invites for October so I’m now hoping to get an invite for January. I’m really hoping to get an invite to South Africa doing HIV/AIDS awareness and outreach. But as I’ve said before, I would be absolutely thrilled to serve anywhere in any sector in the place where my skills are best matched.

So that’s where I am now, waiting for contact from health placement. Due my excessive stalking of the future Peace Corps volunteer Facebook page, people tend to get invitations on Friday so I check my email even more than usual on that day. I’m going to a PC sendoff party tomorrow which I’m very excited for. I think it will be a wonderful opportunity for me as well as my parents to learn more about the Peace Corps.

New Apartment!

This has nothing to do with the Peace Corps but I want to share how excited I am to move into a new apartment! The apartment situation has been a stressor for a while, and I'm glad everything is falling into place, and I'll be living with a friend from college. The one I'm in now happened due to a panicked decision last August when I was moving to Eau Claire and did not have anywhere to live 2-3 weeks before beginning my job. My new apartment is available in 16 days, and I move in 23 days!

I’ve been making some preparations for the Peace Corps. I signed a 6 month lease for the new apartment with the intent that I will hopefully be leaving within the next 6 months. If I don’t leave within 6 months, I can go on a month-by-month lease until I do. I resigned my position as a dance teacher for the 2013-2014 seasons—I cried. This has been the hardest decision as far as joining the Peace Corps and I've been putting it off for a while. I hope that in the future I’ll be able to find a job I love as much as I loved teaching dance. The Peace Corps advises against making major changes until an invitation is in hand, however regardless of joining the Peace Corps, I know I won't be staying in Eau Claire for another full year. I'll move back to Minneapolis and look for a full time social work position, and maybe apply to grad school but this is all plan B.

Smaller preparations for the Peace Corps include checking out beginner French books to brush up on. I can certainly read and understand it better than coming up with sentences on my own but it’s a start. I’ve also looked into volunteer opportunities with the AIDS Resource Center and I'm hoping to begin volunteering soon.

I’m still obsessed with reading PC blogs and journals. Although I’d be happy with just about any invitation, I picture myself in Africa. However, I trust that everything happens for a reason and PC will place me where my skills are best matched. I am still just so restless and ready for a change. Currently, I’m waiting for legal clearance, and sent in a statement over a week ago. Progress is slow but there is still headway towards making the Peace Corps a reality.

Time for a Change

If I’ve heard anything about the Peace Corps application process, it’s that you have to be patient. I’ve read in other volunteer blogs about Restless Applicant Syndrome (RAS) and I think it’s safe to say I have it. I’m constantly reading blogs, checking my email and medical portal every hour or so, creating packing lists, updating my blog, reading posts on the future peace corps volunteer Facebook page, trying to guess the country I’m mostly likely to serve in, and staring at my calendar-counting the days until a possible departure. Yet I’m still waiting for contact from the placement office. I created a blog before I was pre-medically cleared. I created packing lists and posts before I knew which country I would serve. I made this big life altering decision last April, but who knew it would take so long for this change to happen? I can’t say that I’ve put my life on hold for this decision—life always goes on, but it’s hard to plan for the future because I have no idea of what to expect within the next six months. It’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. 

The Beginning

To be honest, I am very excited to begin my Peace Corps blog. It means that I am far enough along in the application process to believe that the application will eventually follow through, and I will become a Peace Corps volunteer. It's been about a year since I began the application and I am even more excited now than I was last April.

I had the Peace Corps on my mind for a few years but never looked into it seriously. During my last semester in college, a Peace Corps recruiter was the guest speaker in a macro-social work class. He explained that the Peace Corps was in high demand of French speakers. He also speculated that as future social workers, my class would be interested in gaining cross cultural experience, leadership skills, adaptability, flexibility, and patience. He certainly had my attention. After researching the Peace Corps extensively, I knew this was something I wanted to do.

Thus began the application process. Throughout this time, I talked to several volunteers, read memoires and books, and spoke to recruiters. I also stalked volunteer blogs and application timelines. It was very helpful to see others’ application process, and this gave me patience during times of freak out.

In September I began a part-time social worker position at a nursing home. I was so excited to begin my job, because before the offer, I honestly thought I would never get a job. Applying to a hundred jobs can do that to a person. Through this time, I fell off the Peace Corps wagon and focused on my new job. I then questioned if I really was ready to make a 27 month commitment abroad. That meant I would give up my job as a medical social worker, my job as a dance instructor, the rest of my early 20’s, the comforts and conveniences of Western culture, and familiarity.

I let my application status go inactive while my focus was elsewhere. At the same time, friends were moving to different states or even different countries. I felt jealous every time I saw someone doing something exciting with their new found post-graduation freedom. I realized that I am not ready to work a 9-5 job for the next 45 years. I don’t want to be able to predict what my life will be like in five years or even one year. I want to take risks, face challenges, and grow as a person. 

So why do I want to join the Peace Corps? Why do I want cross the world to serve in a foreign community in which I know nothing about the culture, and zero words of the language? Because this is an amazing opportunity to help people in a community that has challenges different from mine, and help create positive sustainable change in a global community. This is an opportunity to pass on knowledge that may benefit another person, and at the same time, gain knowledge and perspective from others that would help me grow beyond what I could otherwise. This is an opportunity I have to take advantage of because if I didn’t, I would regret not joining the Peace Corps for a long time. I just have this feeling that this is what I’m “meant” to do. My past experiences have leaded me to this point. And now, I can’t wait to go!