This morning I gave my 30-day notice, and the race to departure is on. We have no doubt this will be the most exciting, most rewarding, most difficult adventure we have ever embarked on. We are excited, terrified, and full of gusto for the challenges that lie ahead.
The idea of putting the events of the last year and a half into words is daunting (although I am attempting to do exactly that for womensvoicesforchange.org, where you can also find some of my poetry starting April 17th). So, for starters, I'll post our long, and sometimes hilarious, timeline below.
January 3, 2008 - AJ and I submit our Peace Corps applications (over 15 pages per person, including two essays)
January 4, 2008 - AJ and I submit our medical questionnaires (another 10 pages or so a piece)
January 4, 2008 - PC recruiter calls to talk to us about our application. They tells us, yes, we have actually applied too early for our availability date of June 2009. She promises to look into options and get back with us.
January 8, 2008 - Our recruiter calls to tell us they are not able to consider applications for June 2009 until April 1, 2008. She puts our applications on hold. The waiting begins.
March 28, 2008 - We receive our legal packets, including background check form, fingerprint forms, loan questionaire, and couples questionnaire, from our recruiter.
March 29, 2008 - We return both of our fingerpint forms, background check forms, marriage certificate, loan questionnaire, couple questionnaires, and my transcripts to our recruiter.
March 31, 2008 - Our recruiter calls to confirm that he has received all 6 of our recommendation letters (3 per person) and to tell us that he will schedule our interviews as soon as he received our legal documents and AJ's transcripts.
April 1, 2008 - AJ requests transcripts from the U of A.
April 3, 2008 - Our recruiter e-mails and tells us our interviews (one for me, one for AJ, and one for both of us together) are scheduled for April 8.
April 8, 2008 - We have our interviews. Our recruiter says he is highly recommending us and tells us our information will now be shipped to Washington where a placement officer will be assigned to us. The first evaluation period for couples begins April 17. Wait, wait, wait.
April 28, 2008 - Our recruiter calls to tell us that our placement officer decided not to evaluate our applications until the May evaluation period (starting May 16) so we could be matched against programs leaving in June, July, and August rather than just June. More waiting.
June 6, 2008 - Our recruiter calls to tell us that our placement officer was unable to match us to any assignments and that the next evaluation period is in August or late July at the earliest.
June 11, 2008 (Morning) - Surprise! Our recruiter calls to tell us our placement officer DID find a match for us and that we are being nominated (tentatively assigned) for a June 2009 program in French-speaking, sub-Saharan Africa. Our assignments will be Secondary Teacher Training (Alice) and Environmental Education and Awareness (AJ). More paperwork in the mail.
June 11, 2008 (Afternoon) - We call and officially accept our nomination.
June 12, 2008 - We fax additional legal documentation to our recruiter for AJ, and I receive notice I'm legally cleared.
June 16, 2008 - We receive notification that our medical packets are in the mail and should arrive shortly.
June 22, 2008 - Our medical packets and official letters of nomination arrive in the mail.
June 24, 2008 - It get my PC physical (10 vials of blood!!) and pick up medical records from the orthopedic clinic.
June 26, 2008 - Dentist does my PC exam and fills out my dental paperwork.
June 30, 2008 - My blood test results come back from doctor. Free of all known diseases.
July 1, 2008 - AJ and I get MMR and Polio boosters. Please, please, no more needles.
July 3, 2008 - I repeat two blood tests that were slightly abnormal and send completed medical packet to PC medical department.
July 9, 2008 - AJ gets his PC physical.
July 10, 2008 - Receive e-mail from PC legal department requesting more legal documentation on house, car, etc.
July 11, 2008 - I'm dentally cleared! We fax additional legal documents to PC legal.
July 30, 2008 - AJ goes to his last doctor's appointment.
July 31, 2008 - AJ sends his completed medical packet to PC medical. Waiting. Waiting.
August 30, 2008 - We receive a letter telling us AJ took the wrong HIV test (who knew there were two?) and requesting additional medical information from me.
September 2, 2008 - Another doctor's appointment for me.
September 4, 2008 - And another.
September 8, 2008 - AJ takes correct HIV test. Normal. Again. I fax my additional documentation to PC medical.
September 9, 2008 - My "medical hold" is removed from my application.
September 10, 2008 - AJ faxes test results to PC medical.
September 12, 2008 - Both of our toolkits (status pages on the Peace Corps website) update to read, "Medical review complete. Look for a letter in the mail."
September 16, 2008 - Both of us are medically and dentally cleared with no restrictions!!
September 17, 2008 - We decide to take the plunge and put the house on the market. Lots of house fixing up. Lots of waiting.
November 25, 2008 - Receive e-mail from the PC Africa desk saying they will begin reviewing June nominations in 4 to 8 weeks.
December 9, 2008 - Receive an offer on the house.
December 18, 2008 - Close on house and move in with incredibly generous friends. Waiting. Waiting.
February 12, 2009 - Our placement officer contacts us to schedule a second set of interviews and request an education addendum from me.
February 12, 2009 - I return completed education addendum to placement officer.
February 17, 2009 - AJ and I have phone interviews with our placement officer. She requests an updated resume emphasizing teaching experience from me.
February 18, 2009 - I e-mail updated resume to our placement officer.
February 19, 2009 - Both of our toolkits are updated to read, "Placement review complete."
March 11, 2009 - Our placement officer tells us she hopes to have news by the end of the week. Trying to be patient. Trying to be patient.
March 20, 2009 - We e-mail our placement officer who tells us to check back on March 27. We are now officially the annoying applicants. Trying to be patient. Trying to be patient.
March 27, 2009 -Receive an e-mail from our placement officer stating she intended to issue our invitation for June as soon as our host country decides if they want me to be a teacher trainer or an TEFL instructor. More patience. More patience.
April 9, 2009 - Our placement officer e-mails to tell us she's putting the invitation in the mail for Teacher Training and Environmental Ed departing June 16!!! If we've done our research right, that means MAURITANIA!
April 10, 2009 - I give my 30-day notice at work. My last day of work will be May 15.
More to come as we get closer to departure and have more information about our host country, job assignments, etc. I intend to update this blog as regularly as possible while we are away.
Let the adventure begin!
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1 comments:
Wow- it all sounds so incredibly exciting!
I don't know you at all, Alice, but I have to say, I feel very proud for you... what a wonderful thing you and your husband are doing, not only for yourselves but for all the people you will touch in Mauritania.
Congratulations!
:)
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