Nearly 11 months to the day that I first began entering data into the Peace Corps (PC) online application, the invitation to serve arrived. The email notifying me that an invitation is on the way had arrived on May 5th (Cinco de Mayo), very appropriate. The departure will likely be sometime in September.
Here is a summary of the of application process timeline:
June 2009: The PC guidance all along the way has stressed that the patience of waiting during the application process is good practice for actual service. The initial online application took approximately 3 weeks to complete. There are several self narratives that need to be composed, letters of reference, and transcripts to gather. The application process forces you to evaluate yourself, your goals, and expectations in life. I would recommend to anyone who is even remotely thinking about joining the PC to go through the process, if only to evaluate your direction in life.
July 2009: Waiting.
August 2009: Had a 2 hour phone interview with my recruiter. The interview was very probing of my motivations, ability to be open minded culturally, and was extremely interesting. My recruiter was awesome. He requested I forward certain personal history documents 'in case they are needed later'. He knew that those documents would be requested, and this made the subsequent placement officer's work much easier some months later. I am beginning to study Spanish on a regular basis.
September 2009: Next, another phone interview. This time with key personnel from PC Mexico, but only an hour and half this time. They certainly sparked interest in me for the type of projects they are working with in both direct environmental protection, water resources, and public utilities. Prior to the interview it was requested I provide a third person perspective biography on myself. I struggled with this a few days and then decided to write it as I would expect my initial recruiter would have, had I been able to communicate it properly to him. The interview went very well.
October 2009: I receive an automated update from PC stating that my "...application has been withdrawn for consideration". I am on the phone to my recruiter within minutes to ask WHY? He had received a voice mail from an applicant with the same first name requesting to withdraw his application. I keep practicing patience, and Spanish language lessons.
November 2009: I receive a volunteer service nomination letter! I am now working with my PC Placement Officer (PO) who explains that in this case PC Mexico has already requested my service. However, I need to obtain dental, medical, and legal clearances first. Within a week I receive a packet of clearance forms to be completed by my physician, dentist, etc. It takes another 12 weeks to make it over this hurdle.
December 2009: Most of December was spent going to the doctor, going the County Health Department for blood analysis (4 lab reports) and immunizations (3 shots), and the dentist. The dentist was fabulous, I explained what I was doing and of the PC reimbursement limit and he performed all he xrays, exam, and a cleaning without exceeding the budget. I know he normally would charge 2 or 3 times that amount, the whole staff there was very supportive.
January 2010: The dental/medical clearance forms were sent to PC just before the end of December, so January was a waiting month. I enrolled in Spanish-I at the local community college. It feels strange, but good, to be back in school.
February 2010: Received dental clearance, but the pre-screening assistant from the Office of Medical Services requested some additional information from my doctor on the medical clearance submittal. It seems my physical exam indicated that I was on the border of pre-hypertension/Stage-I hypertension (high blood pressure).
March 2010: I spent several weeks increasing my exercise routine and watching my diet (no salt/sodium, etc) in an effort lower the blood pressure naturally, but each time I visited doctor the pressure measurements actually were higher than the last visit! I asked the doctor to place me on blood pressure medication, and the readings dropped well into the normal range. After sending off the additional requested information I received medical clearance within a couple weeks.
April 2010: Legal clearance was issued and now the only items remaining are the placement and invitation. I contacted my Placement Officer towards the end of the month and she indicated that an invitation would be sent out within two weeks. On a side note, I have stopped taking my blood pressure medicine, but continue to monitor it. My doctor believes I have "white-coat" syndrome where the strange surroundings of the doctor's office cause a persons blood pressure to elevate. I beleive the anxiety of PC process in conjunction with the white-coat syndrome caused my blood pressure to rise. Since stopping the medication my blood pressure has been in the normal range most of the time, with it occaisionally stepping up to the low pre-hypertension range. I will continue to monitor it and keep the medication on hand just in case.
May 5th, 2010: Its Cinco de Mayo and an email arrived stating an invitation is in the mail for me! Could not have happened on a more fitting day, although I understand that Cinco de Mayo is more of an American advertising devise to sell more beer and not widely celebrated in Mexico. Regardless, I celebrated with a cerveza ;)
PS: I aced the Spanish-I course!
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