Peace Corps Application - Part 10

We Have Been Medically Cleared!!

On December 8, 2008, the Peace Corps sent Jessie and I letters in the mail indicating that we are now medically cleared. Jessie's letter is slightly different than mine. She is "provisionally qualified for service that support individuals with asthma." While her asthma isn't particularly bad, she still needs to be in a country where she can get advair, albuterol, or any other meds she may need. We have no idea if this affects our original nomination. I wonder if there are countries that we automatically can't be placed in, or if we just need to be placed in a location that is near a medical facility. I suppose that is a question for our placement officer.

Overall, the road to medical clearance was not terrible, with two exceptions. First, on November 5, 2008, I was sent a follow-up letter from the Medical Office. They wanted me to go back to my doctor because I am overweight and they want to make sure it wouldn't affect my service. Those of you who know me, know that while I am not skinny by any means, I am certainly not dangerously overweight. The problem is, the Peace Corps Medical Office has never met me before. So, they ran my height and weight into a BMI calculator to determine how fat I am. Unfortunately, I scored over a 30 on the BMI scale, which labels me as obese! Now, if you look anywhere on the Internet, you can see that Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most ridiculous way to measure a person's health. It doesn't take muscle mass vs. body fat into account. It is just weight vs. height (with age and sex thrown in for good measure). By the BMI standard, for me to be in the normal weight range, I should weight 155 pounds. I would look anorexic if I did that.

Anyway, after a brief bought of anger/annoyance/amusement, I made an appointment with my doctor to check my fatness and to get some more blood work (I had a couple of slightly out of range liver levels). He said that I am not obese and filled out the form that they sent me. My blood work came back normal. I faxed everything back to the medical office about two weeks after that.

The second issue that Jessie and I had came up about a week ago. You see, Jessie is much more diligent than I am about calling to find out what is going on with our status. Thank goodness for that. When she called to find out if they had received all of our faxes, they checked her file first. Medical had marked her file and said that all faxes were received and they were waiting for my file to be complete. So, they check my file. Medical had marked my file and said that all faxes were received and that they were waiting for her file to be complete! Unfortunately no one had cross-referenced the two files yet, so they were both on hold. Again, good thing Jessie had called in, otherwise who knows how long it would have been before anyone noticed.

Where are we at now? Well, I believe we are now in for a long waiting game. Since we are not set to leave until next September, we really can't get an invite for another 3 months at the soonest (unless they move up our nomination). We could end up waiting all the way up until about 6 weeks before our departure date. So, we have a long way to go. Hopefully the wait is all we have to deal with. If there are budget issues, are departure could get screwed up too. Hopefully we won't have to worry about that, though...

Change

This is pretty cool: http://change.gov/

Peace Corps Application - Part 9

I got dentally cleared yesterday. Woohoo!

Medical and legal are next.

I don't have any health problems, but the Peace Corps Yahoo group is filled with horror stories about getting medically cleared. It was also filled with horror stories about the initial application process, and that turned out to be pretty easy. Hopefully they are wrong about this too.

As for legal, well, student loan payment needs to be addressed. That is really the biggest hurdle. It's really just a matter of getting them the right documentation showing that we will still be paying my student loans while we are gone.

Peace Corps Application - Part 8

I mailed in my medical packet yesterday (10/23/08). I sent it overnight mail because Jessie already has a two week head start on me. As a result, she is already dentally cleared. Medical clearance can take some time, though. They have updated her "toolkit" to acknowledge receipt of the medical documents, but that is all for now. I feel like we were both pretty thorough with our forms, so hopefully we will not hit any snags.

Nothing else exciting for now.

Peace Corps Application - Part 7

Ugh, I have been a miserable blogger (with the exception of Twitter). I apologize to any who come to this site hoping to find more information. Also, if you left a message on my blog, I didn't have it set to notify of comments, so I only just saw it. Sorry.

Here's the latest:

Jessie and I received our medical kit from the Peace Corps at the end of August (within a week or two of getting nominated). The packet was comprised of an intro letter and a bunch of forms that needed to be filled out by a doctor and a dentist. Jessie and a few extra forms for her asthma. I had an extra couple questions about my seasonal allergies that I have.

Jessie made her appointment right away for both. I dilly-dallied for a couple weeks before making mine. My doctor's appointment was on September 25. I was a bit nervous about the whole thing because I haven't been to a doctor in years. It wasn't nearly as awkward as I thought it would be, though. I brought my forms with me, explained the situation to the doctor, and you checked me based on what the forms asked for. No big deal. As far as I can tell, nothing major wrong with me.

What was really miserable, though, was getting a tetanus shot. Do you remember getting a tetanus shot as a kid? Holy crap. My arm was sore for almost a whole week. At its worst, I couldn't raise it above my head. On top of that, I got a flu shot (not required). I was sick the whole weekend after my appointment. I have been told that the flu shot is not supposed to make you sick, but between that and the tetanus shot, something messed me up pretty good.

So, where am I in the process now? I still have to go pick up my forms from the doctor's office. I still need to get my polio booster (they don't do it at the office). I also just found the "Report of Physical Abilities" form that I forgot to get signed (so dumb). Finally, I need to go to the dentist next week to make sure my mouth isn't falling apart. Fortunately, I went to the dentist not too long ago and didn't have any major issues. Hopefully nothing has changed since then.

Coming in the near future...budget crisis and my fears of getting screwed out of an invitation...

Peace Corps Application - Part 6.1

Below is the email nomination that Jessie and I received today. Hopefully this will answer any questions you may have about the rest of the process.


Dear Jessica and Scott,
I am pleased to nominate you to be considered for the following Peace Corps assignment:

(Scott) Health Extension
Program Number - 155 09 044 G2 /A
Region - Central Asia
Departing - Late September 2009

(Jessie) English Teacher Trainer
Program Number - 191 09 044 G2 /B
Region - Central Asia
Departing - Late September 2009

Please remember that although I am recommending you for this program, this is not a guarantee that this is the region where you will invited to serve in. I am sending your file to our Placement Unit in Washington, DC, where several required screenings take place and where assignment matches for qualified nominees are finalized. You continue to play a crucial role in these matters. We cannot complete our review process without all requested documentation (medical, legal, or references) and submitting your documents promptly keeps your file moving forward. A processing delay could prevent you from serving in the assignment area, timeframe, and/or region that we have discussed. Also, as we discussed, any volunteer experience you gain between now and departure would only serve to improve your competitiveness and productivity within this project.

As I mentioned during your interview, medical screening begins at this time. The Office of Medical Services (OMS) will contact you regarding medical/dental examinations. Please schedule your exams as soon as you receive the OMS forms and submit all requested information promptly. If you have questions about the examinations or related matters, a Representative in OMS can assist you.

Once you have been medically and legally qualified, your Placement Officer will match you to a specific assignment based on the requirements of the host country and any special medical accommodation needs you may have. Then he/she will send you an invitation to serve as a Volunteer. Your invitation will include, among other things, a passport application. It is essential that you complete and submit this application promptly. If you do not already possess a regular passport, please secure a copy of your birth certificate immediately. The Peace Corps passport application must include one of these documents. A delay in submitting your passport application may prevent you from departing for Peace Corps service on schedule.

An invitation is your official offer from Peace Corps, and we recommend you not make any major commitments or changes, such as moving out of your residence or leaving your job, until you receive and accept an invitation. Your final possible invitation date for this program is August 1, 2009. After you have been medically qualified for 3-4 weeks, you may contact the Placement Office in regards to your invitation. I am happy to nominate you for Peace Corps service and will continue to be available to you. Best of luck in becoming a Volunteer; please do let me know where you are going once you know!

Peace Corps Application - Part 6

We got a nomination! Exciting and horrifying at the same time.

On Thursday, August 21, Jessie and I each got a voicemail message from our recruiter. She said that she had an update and and wanted to talk to both of us at the same time. The message gave no indication of whether this was good news or bad news. We were both a little nervous that this could be bad news because the Peace Corps recently changed their policy on placing married couples. They now will only interview a couple after they are already married and won't place them until they have at least a year of marriage under their belts. This change didn't come up until after we had interviewed, so we figured that we would get the benefit of the old rule...but we weren't sure.

On Friday, August 22, I was able to speak with our recruiter over the phone. Turns out, it was good news. They want to send us to a country in Central Asia at the end of September 2009. Jessie would be teaching other teachers, I would be in the health extension. This is exactly what our top picks were. As for the selection of countries, I am not quite as excited.

You see, I have always thought of the Peace Corps experience (and I think most other people do too) as living in a small village in Africa or South America. Despite my knowledge of all the countries that they send to, this is still what I daydream about when I am thinking about what is to come. In my thoughts, I have not considered living in the Central Asian countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (eek!), Kazakhstan (great success!), Kyrgyz Republic, or Turkmenistan. Does this mean that I don't want to go to Central Asia? Of course not! I told our recruiter that I would go anywhere for a reason. Does this mean that the experience will be any less? Nope. It just means that what I have gotten myself into, doesn't exactly match what I was hoping for. I will deal with it.

So, after briefly talking with Jessie to relay the message of our nomination, she called our recruiter to accept the nomination on our behalf. The next step is for them to send us packets for medical clearance. Hopefully we are both healthy!

We'll keep you all posted.

I <3 Robots!

I just ate at Cozy Noodles in Wrigleyville. Good food, byob, and they had robots on the wall!

Peace Corps Applicatin - Part 5

On Friday, July 25, Jessie and I both received phone calls from our recruiter. Apparently the D.C. office called and said that they found a match for us, but it was leaving 2 weeks earlier than our earliest departure preference. The program was May 15, but we don't want to leave before June 1. It is very cool that we haven't been rejected and obviously they want us, but unfortunately, we don't have much flexibility with our departure.

Jessie is a teacher, and her school year doesn't wrap up until June. While 2 weeks doesn't seem like a lot of a time difference, her position doesn't make it easy to leave early. If the Instructional Leader (department head) cuts out at the end of the school year when everyone is trying to wrap up, that might do a little bridge burning.

On top of that, May 15 is probably going to be finals week for me with my Chemistry II class that I plan on taking. So, with the two of us leaving our jobs, packing, and saying our goodbyes, I think that worrying about a final exam (and having just taken the MCAT) is quite a bit to have on our shoulders.

We can't really feel bad, though. This is exactly why they ask for us to give them an earliest departure preference. I just hope that something else comes up and we aren't waiting another 3 months to find out about placement.

Feel Alive!

The magically appeared in my work vending machine. Blair's Death Rain potato chips. Actually pretty good. But still, Feel Alive?

Pure Musical Joy

Making music can sometimes be a frustrating and technical process. It shouldn't be, though sometimes that is necessary. This goofy little device that I got a couple days ago brings back the child-like joy of discovering music.

Another bonus: You totally don't have to know anything about music to have fun with this thing. Look up Kaossilator on Google and watch some video of it in action. Fun stuff.

The Mortgage Crisis

Alright, so I am economically retarded. I don't understand markets or futures or whatever. This can be particularly frustrating when debating my friends who turn everything into an economic argument (I'm talking to you Mr. Reilly and Wong).

So, as a non-homeowner who really doesn't do any sort of investing, I haven't fully understood the subprime crisis. On a superficial level, I can nod my head in understanding, but every time I hear about the behind-the-scenes action, I am completely baffled. Trying to understand it through my favorite site in the whole wide world, Wikipedia, helps somewhat, but there seems to be a fundamental ridiculousness to these situations. There was also an episode of This American Life that dealt with the issue. Click here for the transcript.

The Onion, of all places, hits it exactly on the head, in my economically challenged opinion.

Any of you smarty-pants economics guys care to tell me that it is way more complicated than that?

Peace Corps Application - Part 4

Today (July 9), Jessie and I had our interview.  I showed up first at about 12:30.  My interview was about an hour long.  All of the questions that I was asked were listed in the Peace Corps Yahoo group.  I felt prepared.  It seemed that so many of my experiences were drawn from my time at the PD's office.  Our recruiter, Julia, was very impressed that we completed our applications and got all of our documentation in.  She actually mentioned it a couple times.  I asked her if this wasn't common and she told me that I would be surprised.  Hearing that makes me wonder, is the Peace Corps application process that bad or does it seem bad because all of the applicants who write about it are morons who didn't do what they were supposed to do when they were supposed to?

When Jessie showed up at about 1:30, we both got our fingerprints taken.  After that, we did the couples interview which was much shorter than I expected.  Mostly questions about what sort of lifestyle changes will affect us.  When that was done, Jessie did her individual interview.

Before I left, the recruiter told us the next step in the process.  Basically, in the next week or so, she is going to send our files to the D.C. office.  That office will then see if they can match up our skills with any programs.  If they can, they will send the information back to the Chicago office and we will likely get a nomination.  If they don't have any matches this cycle, it will be another 3 months before they attempt couples matches again.  Our recruiter actually seemed quite confident about the process which makes me think that we are not getting "rejected" in any way.  The only question is if we get a nomination sooner rather than later.

Craziness!

Gay vs. Homosexual

This is unreal...and hilarious!

Peace Corps Application - Part 3

Scheduled an interview for Wednesday, July 9. Very excited. A bit nervous too.

Peace Corps Application - Part 2

Yesterday (June 26)

Corresponded with our recruiter. She received Jessie's skills addendum and will set up an interview with us once mine is received. I wrapped up the last couple bits and threw it in the mail, priority. She should receive everything by Monday (June 30).

So far, through this process, it seems we can only move forward as a couple, which, obviously, makes sense since we are trying to go as a couple.

Kind of freaked out that we will probably interview in a couple weeks and have an answer about nominations shortly after that. To me, that is the biggest hurdle. If we get nominated, a slow invitation process doesn't really affect me since I am working full time. It does hurt Jessie, though. If we don't get an invitation by the end of the school year, she needs to decide if she is going to stay at her job or do something to kill time. She doesn't want to start a new school year (as a teacher) and bail on them to leave for a post.

Vacation Fun

This is what happens when you go on vacation for a week and a half in my office.

Peace Corps Application - Part 1

So, my fiancee and I are in the process of applying for the Peace Corps. It seems that a lot of people who apply put together a timeline for others to see what the process takes. I will try to do the same, though I am a little fuzzy on the early dates.

Initial Application

I worked on it for a couple months on and off. It wasn't really that complicated for me because so much of the personal information was already recorded when I filled out my Bar application back in 2003. It took Jessie a little but longer, but she was more diligent about working on it, so she took less calendar time to finish it. The personal statements were kind of a pain in the ass, but with a 250-500 word limit, it wasn't terrible.

I completed my application and submitted it online on June 14, 2008. Jessie turned hers in about a week before. We both received our Application Toolkits in the mail on June 21, 2008. Since we are applying as a couple, I think that they waited to send hers out with mine.

So, that is where we are at right now. Jessie's Toolkit is complete and mailed. Mine should be done by the end of this week. Next stop: interviews.

Hi.

Like everyone else, I think that the words that I have to say are important enough for their own blog. How awesome am I?