Back home, I finished my Peace Corps on-line application and essays. Then, after a deep breath, I hit send. I was hopeful, but didn't really expect to get a response any time soon.
So, I was a bit surprised when I got an email from Leslie, my recruiter and new best friend in the Peace Corps, the following week.
Leslie sent me some paperwork, which I completed and returned. I also had a copy of my graduate school transcript sent to her. She didn't ask for an undergrad transcript. I assume she was concerned that since I'd gotten my BS in Educ. so many years ago, the transcript would be hieroglyphics, carved in stone. Challenging to file.
The only issue that I had to figure out was how to explain my financial situation. It seems the Peace Corps doesn't want to advertise itself as a great escape from bill collectors. Understandable. So, I had to figure out a way to demonstrate that all my financial obligations would be covered while I'm overseas. I got a couple of notarized letters, one from my property manager for my rentals and another from my financial advisor. Apparently, they did the trick, since Leslie told me the next step was an interview.
On December 28, I spent about an hour on the phone with Leslie, doing a structured interview. I was as nervous as a fourteen year old trying to get that plum job at the Dairy Queen. Leslie was friendly and casual, though, and the interview seemed to go well. I didn't expect to get a "yes or no" then, but Leslie said that my education, work and travel experience all seemed to fit what the Peace Corps was looking for.
The only downside was that there were currently no openings for the NGO/Government Development programs that I was most qualified for. She encouraged me to be patient and said she'd be in touch as soon as something opened up, probably in February or March.
What a surprise when she called on January 8, 2010 to see if I was interested in some openings that just came through. Because I have an Elementary Ed. degree and taught school for a few years I qualified for the Primary Education/Teach Training program. After some discussion and me secretly tossing a coin as we talked, I agreed to be nominated to the program in the Pacific Islands.
Leslie did tell me that during the placement process everything could change and I might be reassigned to a different part of the world and possibly a different kind of work. That's fine with me. I figure if the choice is out of my hands, on a bad day in "insert final destination here", I can blame a nameless person in Washington for sending me there, rather than taking responsibility myself.
Next comes the medical, legal and dental clearance. According to the Peace Corps website that lets me track my application status, I've got no legal holds. Helpful that I've never changed my name due to marriage/divorce, I think. Of course, not ever getting busted probably helped too.
My doctor and dentist appointments are set for January 27 and I'm just waiting for the forms to arrive from Washington. I was thrilled to find out that the Peace Corps will comp at least part of the cost of the check-ups. Nowhere near what it will actually cost, but what the heck, I didn't expect anything.
I was dreading the visit to the dentist then realized that perhaps it will be better to have any necessary dental work done here, rather than in a third-world country. Luckily, my dentist uses gas. And yes, I inhale.
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