Invitation has arrived

So today I got my invitation. I'm not in town, but I got many calls from my sister, brother, and mom. I was at work at the time so i couldn't call until later. I called my mom and told her to go ahead and open the package, and to tell me what country they were going to send me too. I was invited to serve in..................................
MOZAMBIQUE!!!  I was invited to be a biology teacher, very cool. Luckily my mom and sister are visiting me this weekend, and they will bring along my blue packet, so I will be able to read about the peace corps and Mozambique. Exciting time are on the horizon

Finally!!!

This has been a crazy Peace Corps week! Monday I received an email from my placement officer. She basically told me that she was looking through my application, and thinks I would be a great fit for a position as a secondary science teacher, and that she found a program that she thought I would fit in. She wanted me to answer a few questions about how I feel leaving my friends and family, living in different conditions, the challenges for the Peace Corps. You know the standard Peace Corps questions. Then she wrote that my original nomination had been closed due to funding. Which made me a little sad and disappointed. I really wanted to go to a Spanish speaking country. She told me that most of  the Science Ed positions are heading to Africa. I was a little unsure about this, and my parents expressed that they were unsure too. I decided that I can't be picky with where they sent me, Africa may not be my first choice, but it would still be a very cool experience. I responded to the email questions last night, and today I received a email from placement saying that I'm cleared for placement and my invitation will arrive within 3-5 days. Exciting!! My placement officer said that the position that she wants me to go to  is in Africa and leaves at the end of September, according to Peace Corps Wiki that country would be Mozambique. I automatically started researching, and learned that they speak Portuguese, which I think would be so cool. Will see where I'm actually going in a few days. That's all the news for now... Night

Placment Contact 2

So today I received another email from placement, this time from my placement assistant Morgan. The beginning of the email said that my file was reviewed this morning and that I needed to send in some additional items. The email also had some information of budget cuts, and being flexible with changes in the Peace Corps, the same information that I was expecting to get based on what others have been writing about. So I was told I needed to send my resume, and my final transcript which I already knew from my previous email. I also needed to fill out a questionnaire about teaching in a Peace Corps host country, and have another reference fill out a reference form. So I spent the afternoon updating my resume, and answering the questionnaire, and sent them back to placement. I have already sent a request to my school about getting my final transcripts sent to me about a week ago so hopefully they will becoming in the mail soon, then all I need is my reference to fill out the form and fax it to placement. My goal is to get everything into placement by this weekend, then I can go back to waiting....

The medical letter

Today I received a lovely letter in the mail from Peace Corps. It was my medical clearance letter that my tool kit said would be coming. "The Office of Medical Services is pleased to inform you that you have been medically qualified for service." Yes!!! I'm very excited, and hopefully I will hear from placement soon. The waiting continues...

Medical Clearance/Placment Info

Yesterday I faxed the remaining medical information over to the Peace Corps headquarters, and when I checked my email this morning, I had a tool kit status update. Logged into my toolkit and saw a check mark and the words complete next to medical. A letter will be coming in the mail soon. Wonderful news! I also got a email from placement stating that if my nominated program was supposed to depart within the next 4 months (which mine is) that it will probably start being looked at with in the next 4-6 weeks. I was also told to start updating my resume and send final transcripts, along with the resume to placement. Hope to hear more good news soon.

Medical News

I decided I should start writing about this whole process just so I can get it off my chest. I have found this whole application process to be quite stressful. I was nominated at the end of November, I received my medical packet in the middle of December. My medical packet was received by the Peace Corps in  the beginning of February. The middle of February Dental sent back my packet saying that I needed another x-ray. I was away at school so I had to wait a month until I was back home to get the x-ray. Sent dental back, a few days later I was cleared for dental. I have also been legally cleared. For the past 3 months I have been waiting for medical. Last Monday I finally gave in and emailed my medical assistant. She was very kind, and prompt and said that my medical had just been given to the nurses. On Saturday I got a letter saying that I needed a polio booster, and some extra signatures, because Minnesota isn't a state that allows Nurse Practitioners practice on their own. I took care of all the medical today, and will me faxing the information to them tomorrow. Hopefully I will be cleared for medical soon.