A Bit-Bigger-Than-The Peace-Corps Entry.

The waiting is not difficult. I know that things will happen and that, ultimately, the process should be over around my slated nomination time of June. I'm not concerned. I'm not worried. I'm focused on making the most of every second of what is left of my time here in Charlotte. However, I feel like I am constantly functioning under a deadline. This isn't new, what with 15 moves in the last 6 years. I'm constantly in transition. I find a strange sense of peace in that, usually. Through my whole life, the one thing that I have been able to count on is transition. It's always been the end of something...the end of high school, the end of study abroad, the end of college, the end of AmeriCorps. However, this is the one of the very rare times since my immigration to the States that I have been creating the end of something instead of having it imposed upon me.


My senior students are starting to find out that I am leaving. Am I a horrible person for abandoning them? Who is going to take care of them when I am gone? These people, who call me their daughter and their teacher, who use words of affection that I can't translate but I understand all the same...who have allowed me to be a part of their lives. We have all grown so much together...me in my ability to communicate and listen without words, to focus on their needs instead of doing it the way it is "supposed" to be done, to love, to love, to love...and them in their ability to trust, to believe in themselves, and to be held to expectations of mastery. They are amazing. Asa is reading. Rebeka is writing. Blao is manipulating. Hamdo is pronouncing. Vladimir is speaking. Pot is understanding. Bogdana is synthesizing. Aikush is growing confident. Milka is SMILING. Vladzimir is producing. Manuel is conjugating. Arturo is counting. Loc is trying, trying, trying. Eugenio is perfecting. They are all blossoming. Over a year of patient, tender, deliberate nurture...and they are beyond beautiful. How can I turn them over to a stranger? Can they adapt? 


Have I prepared them for this?


Have I prepared me for this?


I've been reading ESL Teacher Trainer manuals and theory/pedagogy books as a sort of primer for what I might be getting myself into in Mongolia. I worry that I am not as qualified as the Peace Corps seems to think I am. I'm great at coming up with lessons on the fly, with little to no materials. I'm fantastic at making grammar accessible and making the classroom a comfortable, productive place to be. I have never thought about my methods. I have never studied the theory behind lessons and the current pedagogical approaches in the field. I know of them (TPR, for example) but have never evaluated what I am doing with regard to methodology. I do what is most prudent and relevant in my classes based on the needs of my students, the requirements of the class, and the resources available. I've always been more concerned with facilitating effectively rather than "properly." How do I teach something to other people that I am not well-versed in? Am I concerned about nothing? I'm just unsure of what to expect. I'd like to find someone else based in Mongolia as a teacher trainer but, at the same time, don't want to start counting my chickens. What if the nomination changes? I know I've talked about this too many times before...I really, really, really do not want to get more attached to the idea than I have to.


I'm just very unsure these days. Any time I try and talk to people about it, I get the same sort of response. Glassy, unfocused eyes accompanied with the obligatory vacant nod now and then. "Everything will be fine. How cool is it that you are going to Mongolia? So, where exactly is Mongolia? Do they have electricity there?" And so on. 


I worry that I am not doing enough...and that what I am doing, I could be doing better. 

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That long wait I mentioned?? Not so much.

Dentally cleared as of yesterday! 3 business days plus Saturday means it only took 4 days for them to receive and process my paperwork. Technically, they received it on Monday and processed it yesterday so just one day. !!!!!!!! I thought this thing was supposed to take 843179841 years! I'm so excited! I really anticipated having problems getting my dental stuff to go through right away since I have all my wisdom teeth still...but apparently, a dentist recommendation that extraction isn't necessary is sufficient because it's complete and I appear to be totally cleared! As for medical, my nomination is for June 2010 so that puts me at 7 months. I don't expect to hear anything for quite some time however, the way things are going, maybe I'm going to get a letter about it tomorrow, haha. Still have a legal hold on my account that I haven't heard anything about but I think that I am going to just hang in there for a little while until I hear something. It can only be one of two things (citizenship verification or student loans) so I'm not too concerned about it.

Just wanted to share the exciting news. One step closer, 7 months to go...and now there really is nothing to do but wait!

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A extended silence...

It's silly how good I am at being patient. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Since I updated last, I have done a great deal of waiting. Waiting for test results to come back, waiting for doctors to come back from vacation, waiting for a real doctor to co-sign my forms that were completed by a physician's assistant (unknown to me until after the forms had been returned to me), waiting for said PA to properly fill out the forms after filling them out the first time, etc. Lots and lots of waiting. I shipped my forms off on October 29th. They haven't been received in D.C. yet...so, I am waiting for those to arrive. And, after that, I imagine it will be at least another 2 months before I hear anything back on that front. My blog posts will probably be sparse until I get some sort of word of something in my toolkit.

In the meantime, I went to D.C. for a week. I saw 4 shows on the Use Your Sole tour (Sherwood, Steel Train, Hellogoodbye, and Hanson). I made some amazing new friends, reconnected with others, and said goodbye to a few. I've gained a roommate and lost a love interest. Or two. I've run into troubled waters with a co-worker and went back to work for an old favourite. I've not had the time to do any more volunteering but it's coming up again hopefully this week. I took 15 kids trick-or-treating, sent emails back and forth with some former students, and realized that they hurt more than they let me see. They are starting to crave the familiar...and I know how hard that is for someone at that age. I am already dreading the say I have to say goodbye to these people...I miss working in the refugee/immigrant community already. :(


That's about it for now. I hope everything is going well as you all continue to make your way down the path to invitation! 

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Be careful what you wish for.

The most difficult thing for me through the course of this whole process has not been all the paperwork, the waiting, or even the needles (ugh). The hardest part is having the name of a country and not being certain that it is where I will actually be going. I want to go crazy with it...I want to learn everything I can about the language and the culture and what the current PCV's are up to. 
So, I am trying to do it in moderation. One of my Armenian students has been teaching me the Cyrillic alphabet, which comes in handy for understanding pronunciation hang-ups in my classroom ("C" in Cyrillic sounds like an English "S," etc.). Very, very useful. So, if my placement should change, at least I will have gotten real use out of knowing that alphabet. I've downloaded a few language programs but am trying to use them sparingly...meanwhile, I've gone back to focusing on French to keep myself occupied, haha.
I came across this video today from an ESL PCV in Mongolia. I'm trying to stay away from this kind of stuff but couldn't help the indulgence. :P

Alright, that's all for now. So, those of you with a region placement who are wishing to know more...seriously, be careful what you wish for. You might just get it. 
Cheers!

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*twiddles thumbs*

So, October 1st marked the "something like 8 months to go" mark in this little Peace Corps waiting adventure. That's really all I am doing now and have settled myself down into expecting to do a lot of it over the next 4 months or so. Conveniently, I am going back to working 7 days a week (ugh) and the holidays are fast approaching so I should be occupied enough not to notice those 4 months so much. Nothing exciting at all to report. Still waiting on test results, still have my fingers constantly crossed that my medical papers haven't disappeared into a paper-consuming black hole at the clinic.

I'm starting a volunteer stint on Monday with the ABE/GED program through the local community college. I miss working with this age demographic and I figure, the more useful things I have to send on my updated resume when PC asks for it, the better.  I'll be tutouring an adult in ABE (Adult Basic Education) or GED and I'm crossing my fingers that I won't have to spend too much of that time working in the math sections. It's gonna be bad when the tutour has to be tutoured in basic algebra, haha. Yeeeaaah, about the GRE, lol.


In other exciting news, I went to Bengali Durga Puja at the Hindu center in Charlotte last weekend with my friend Shaoli. Durga Puja, I was told, is sort of like the Hindu version of Christmas. They celebrate the goddess Durga and her victory over the most evil man in all creation. I'm thinking that the Peace Corps needs to re-open a program in India so that I can go there and learn how to make myself spectacular curries...not to mention wear a sari as often as I could manage to get away with it. 

Happy Saturday! :)

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Medical Visit #2.

Soon to be followed by medical visit #3. You know I'm excited.


I went back to the clinic this morning to get my Tb (TB?) test read. 0mm! If it hadn't been the same nurse that had given me the shot, I bet there would have been questions over whether I'd actually been given a test in the first place. The mark looks exactly like a freckle. I watched the nurse write that little piece of info in my paperwork and scanned the rest of the paper over her shoulder while she was doing so. 


I asked the nurse about my blood work and she told me that it was apparently already finished (!!!). She printed out a report and attached it to the rest of my papers. She told me that my doctor wasn't going to be in until this afternoon but was booked solid and would not have the opportunity to go through and record the results today. I should come back Monday morning, she said. Then she added that my prescriptions hadn't been sent over to the clinic yet and that I would also need to come back this evening to pick those up. Hahaha. I'd like to note that I live a good 30 minutes away from the clinic. So, they kept my papers once again (*ANXIETY*) and I went, once again, on my merry way. I will probably head back there in a few minutes. So...there will be at least 3 more trips to the clinic. One today, one Monday, and one whenever my pap results come back (which will be about 2 weeks, they said). I'm crossing my fingers that those results will be the end of it and I will get my papers in the mail by the middle of October. October 10th will be 2 months since I initially received the med packet. Not too shabby.


Back to the clinic, then.

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Adventures at a Community Health Clinic.

Well, I have found something that rivals French bureaucracy in terms of getting things done, tension levels, and getting the run-around. Wow. I went to a community health clinic in Rock Hill this afternoon for my first medical visit. My appointment was for 2 p.m. and I got there 15 minutes early. I signed in, no problem.

They called me back up to the [germ-infested] desk to ask me for my pay stubs and proof-of-residency in order to figure out where I calculated into the sliding-scale payment equation (yay low-income, I guess). I have two jobs right now...the first I get paid bi-weekly, the second only once a month. So I brought two pay stubs from the former and one from the latter. Apparently I needed two from the latter. They told me I would either have to pay the full amount or reschedule my appointment. I'd already had to wait 3 weeks for this one! Ahhhh! After 30 minutes of appealing to people's better natures, they finally gave me a break and told me that I could bring the second one when I came back to have my Tb test read. Fantastic! A kind word and a smile will get you absolutely everywhere with people who rarely receive such things. I pay for my visit, sit back down, and wait for my turn.

And I wait and I wait and I wait. By now it's almost 3. They call me back up to the window to tell me that, unfortunately, the doctor that I had been scheduled with had called in sick today and wasn't there at all. I would have to come back. WHAT?! Not only have I already been there for an hour but you guys knew the whole time that my doctor was not there...and you even had me pay knowing this fact! I put on my defeated face. I patiently told them that I had already waited three weeks for this appointment, that they should have called me so that I didn't have to needlessly miss a day of work, that I needed to get this done ASAP, that there must be some way that somebody could see me today, etc. The girl at the window took pity on me (again, the use of "please" and "I appreciate your effort" will get you absolutely everywhere) and told me that she would do what she could for me. Okay. I sit back down and wait.

And then, the medical gods decided to take pity on me in the form of a pissed-off, rude, over-the-top woman. She started yelling because she didn't want to put on a face mask (she was coughing up a storm) and it escalated. Result? She got kicked out of the clinic and I got her appointment slot. Yaaaaay!

10 minutes later, I am whisked to the back and into an examination room. Weight, height, BP, and vision...check. Physical exam, check. Girly exam, check. Tb test, check. My doctor was extremely nice...she was very young and very, very patient with all my paperwork (PC exam form plus additional asthma forms). She sent me over to the lab to do bloodwork. 

So, I haven't mentioned my phobia of needles. This isn't just your basic "Ugh, needles" type of thing. When I was 3, I had pneumonia and had to go to the hospital. They tried to put in an IV and it took 21 jabs before they managed to get the thing in my arm. I do not remember this fiasco but it seems to have residual effects in the form of a scar and total blackouts when in the vicinity of hypodermics. When I was 8 or 9, I had to get a shot thanks to a wonderful case of creupe...and it took a crowd of people to hold me down. Strength of 10 men, haha. I blacked out and have no recollection of that. So, you get the idea. The first two shots I got just over a week ago was my pilot run of the "I'm a big brave dog" mantra (thank you, Rugrats). I just decided that either I could control the situation or I could allow the situation to control me. And, for whatever reason, that worked. Mind over matter, perhaps. Today was much of the same. Tb test, no problem. Bloodwork.  10 vials of blood later, I was finished for the day. Yeeppp, me = awesome. I'm definitely indulging in a bit of gratuitous self-appreciation, haha. I got a new friend to celebrate my monumental achievement. This is Nova the fish, short for Supernova...because he is a firecracker. :P

So, they tell me I am good to go. I ask for all my paperwork back, which they had taken to work on while I was being pin-cushioned. "Oh, we're going to keep that here until the results of the bloodwork come back." Holy panic attack. Those papers are like the holy grail at this point...and this place seems like the kind of place that important papers go to disappear. I tried to reason and was reduced to pleading with them to give me back my papers. They would not let me have them. So, I suppose this is my next major lesson on letting go. I'm still on the verge of hyperventilation thinking about my papers being stolen by gnomes or eaten by goats or something. Stay tuned for the resolution on that one.
My total for everything was $75...though, I walked out without the two prescriptions I was supposed to get. I'll have to get those on Friday. Hopefully, they won't be expensive and I will get away with very minimal medical cost incurred personally...especially since the wisdom tooth debacle is still very much in progress. I'm very pleased as $150 (polio shot + doctor visit) is a very far cry from the $1300 quote from the family practice.

Alrighty, I suppose that's all for now. I can't really report much more until I get the lab reports and my Peace Corps papers back from the clinic. They said a two-week turn-around on the pap test (*siiigghhh*) and didn't say how long on the bloodwork. I have a feeling I will be making several more appearances at the clinic. Another blog post coming on my observations at the community clinic. It's quite honestly one of the most pitiful places I have ever seen in my life...and I have seen some pretty pitiful places. But, yes, more on that later.
Bonne nuit. :)

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Medical appointment tomorrow.

I just spent the evening getting all the papers together for my appointment tomorrow. Not only do I have the stack of Peace Corps papers but also a stack of papers that are specific to the clinic I am going to.  I had to tell the Peace Corps that I used to have asthma so they sent me a pile of papers that the doctor has to fill out to verify that it's no longer an issue. Since I am going to a community clinic, I have to bring proof of income, tax info, and residency proof. I'm so excited about a ton of blood work, a physical, and a pelvic exam!!! Meh. Another update tomorrow post-exam.

I came across this and felt it rather relevant...moving beyond and all that. Enjoy.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

by Portia Nelson

I. I walk down the street.
There's a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost.....I am helpless;
it isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

II. I walk down the same street.
     There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place;
but it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III. I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in....it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV. I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V. I walk down a different street.

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I was dropped from moonbeams and sailed on shooting stars.

Obligatory "why the Peace Corps" entry, you all. ;)

I was asked during my interview why I had decided to apply for the Peace Corps. I responded with something about how I thought, given the nature of today's current international political and social landscape, the best thing that I could ever hope to do for both the USA and the international community would be to help people help themselves. Actors can't become contributors until they are self-sufficient. So, I'm interested in helping to build infrastructure through education...the strengthening of the global community is just one really sweet added bonus, really.

But that really isn't an acceptable answer when it comes to answering people when they ask...it isn't immediate enough, I guess. Yes, there are as many domestic needs that warrant attention. Yes, I could begin a career and concern myself with benefits and retirement funds. Yes, I could go back to school and learn about something a little more academically in order to make myself more competitive out in the "real world."

But, quite honestly, why? And, for the record, the real world sucks and I refuse to acknowledge the existence of such a thing. Sucks to your status quo. :P  People waste their lives doing what they think they are supposed to be doing instead of doing what they are truly passionate about...and engaging in the latter truly benefits both self and community immensely more than resigning oneself to the former. 

I had a conversation recently that has remained vivid in my mind.  I was talking with a friend of mine who is an exchange student from Burundi. He wanted to know why anyone would be willing to leave the United States, the land of creature comfort and opportunity, and go to a developing nation.  One of the incredible things about the human race is that we are a highly adaptable lot. If one goes somewhere new with open heart and open mind, one comes to understand that leaving what is familiar doesn't mean one abandons comfort and happiness. It means that one expands the arsenal of options.  Anywhere you are, you can choose to focus on the things that are missing from you or you can focus on the new availabilities.  I was lucky, I guess, since I learned this when I was still young. I spent too long missing the Canadian things and missed out on enjoying the American things as well as I should have. I also used to have this weird sense of guilt, like I shouldn't be enjoying the American things because it was treasonous to my Canadian roots. I know better now. While I am serving with the Peace Corps (*crosses fingers*), I'll not be so concerned with what I am lacking that I neglect to appreciate or even see what I am gaining. 

In other news, I got a letter from my recruiter on Wednesday basically encouraging me to hang in there. It came with a nifty PC sticker. Thoughtful. My toolkit hasn't been updated in over a month...meaning I still have a legal hold, which doesn't really bode well in my mind. I think my file is basically hanging out in nominee limbo. I can't wait to get this medical thing knocked out. I remain beyond apprehensive about this wisdom teeth business.

I'm down to 8 and a half months...and definitely still counting.

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My first Peace Corps battle wounds.

I got what will be my first round in a seemingly never-ending series of rounds of arm-stabbing. Yesterday, I got a polio booster (IPV, relatively painless) and a Tdap (tetanus booster). AHHHH! I forgot how much tetanus shots HURT! Maybe I am just especially sensitive to them but jebus...ow! 24 hours later, my arm still feels like it weighs 400 pounds.

I feel like they could have at least given me a cool Spongebob band-aid or something. ;)

Next up is my medical appointment on the 23rd.

In other news, I am considering bumping up my availability date to March from May. I'm starting to get a bit anxious...

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Dental resource - wisdom teeth.

In scouring the internet to determine whether or not a lack of medical insurance will ultimately keep me out of the Peace Corps, I came across this lovely little pdf.
Dental Review Criteria
So, any of you that have impacted wisdom teeth, scroll to page 11...if your dentist does not recommend extraction then the fact that the teeth are there is not sufficient to hold up the clearance process, it seems. They don't want to take mine out because they are concerned that it will do more harm than good for the time being.
I'm going to keep my fingers crossed on this one.
What did people do with wisdom teeth before we had the technology to remove them, anyway? Hmmm.

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A ticking timebomb.

Dental exam, check. However, my mouth very well may be something of a timebomb.

But first, I received the following email on September 4th from the Medical Office:

Dear Peace Corps Applicant,

This e-mail is a gentle reminder sent to you by the Peace Corps Office of Medical Services. As of September 4^th, our office has not received your medical information. If you have not yet submitted your medical information, here are some helpful reminders for you:

1. You should have received your medical forms approximately 2 weeks from the date that your were nominated by your Recruiter. If you have not received your medical forms, you may request a replacement by calling the Forms Request Line. The telephone number is 800 424-8580, option 2, ext. 4047. Include address changes, if applicable.

2. You may use your online Toolkit to confirm if your physical exam has been received. Keep in mind that due to security measures in place when mailing to government agencies, mailed forms generally take at least 2 weeks to reach our office.

3. Only 15 % of Peace Corps applicants submit their medical forms correctly and completely the first time. Use the checklist included with your medical forms to ensure completeness and accuracy. Please send completed forms only.

4. Please be aware that you are required to provide documented proof of having received the following immunizations (see Report of Medical Examination Section IX, Required Immunizations): 1 tetanus/diphtheria booster within the last 5 years, 1 polio booster after the age of 18, and 2 total measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) shots in your lifetime. These immunizations are required before we can find you medically qualified to serve. The immunizations listed under Immunization History of Section IX are not required in order to receive medical qualification to serve; however, we would like you to note if you’ve had any of them so that Peace Corps does not re-immunize you unnecessarily once you’re a volunteer.

5. If you have general questions about the medical process, please contact your Medical Review Assistant. Her name and contact information is provided on the introduction letter (front page) of your medical forms.

6. If you need to withdraw from Peace Corps or change your date of availability, please contact ***********, Program Analyst in the Placement Office. His e-mail address is ***********, (as a professional courtesy, please cc your recruiter to keep him or her informed). Please note changes in availability dates may not be able to be accommodated and may necessitate a program and/or regional transfer.

Please Note: If the Medical Office has not received your completed information 4 months after your nomination date (or 6 months after your nomination date if you’re a Masters International applicant), your application status may be changed to inactive. This status will become active again only when you have submitted your information to our office. If you have not submitted anything 1 year after the date that your file becomes inactive, you will have to re-apply starting over with your local recruiter.
We look forward to receiving your complete medical forms.
Peace Corps Office of Medical Services


Sorry for the small font, space issues and all. So, I guess that's good...at least I know that the Peace Corps still knows that I am out here digging in the medical trenches. I hope that things don't extend to that 4 month mark.

Okay, I had my dental appointment this afternoon. As I mentioned before, I went through a dentist that is an ICD affiliate. No problems at all. For the insurance paperwork, they just had me cite the Peace Corps and I guess they will take care of whatever they have to do on their end. The dentist that I saw apparently didn't know that he had been included on the ICD list. In spite of this, he was really very kind.

So, no cavities! Hooray. This makes my life infinitely easier with regard to this whole process. However, my wisdom teeth are scary. The top ones have materialized over the last couple years but the good news is that they are doing what they should be doing and do not need to be removed. The bottom ones, however, are completely sideways. The dentist said that the way they are situated is not dangerous and they do not need to be removed but that I should consider it for sometime in the future. I may take the x-rays to a specialist or two and get some quotes...but, from what I can tell, getting them removed would set me back somewhere in the ballpark of $1000. Not really within my realm of capabilities. So, I'm going to consider my dental stuff done as far as the PC goes and worry about the rest of it in a less stressed way.
Some advice, though...check, check, check, and super check your paperwork BEFORE you leave the dental office. The lady that was taking care of mine forgot several boxes and blanks and I had to ask her to take the papers back 4 times before it was all finished. Second, make sure that they give your x-rays to you on photo paper. They gave mine to me on regular printer paper and the directions that come with the dental portion EXPLICITLY say that it has to be photo-quality paper. My dentist didn't have any glossy photo paper but used a heavy matte paper. I hope that this does not cause issues for me.
So, I suppose that is it for now. I have an appointment for my polio booster on Friday (final official total, $75. Bah.) and my medical appointment scheduled for the 23rd. Note to self, I must remember to get a copy of my immunization history as well. I was most nervous about the dental portion so I am hoping that medical part will be cake after this. Demanding, I know...but I know without a doubt that I am healthy. So far, so good I think.

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Forward motion is good!

I woke up this morning, resigned to the fact that I was going to have to spend yet another day on the phone with every dentist at which I could point my car. Not the case! For all you other applicants that have been checking in on my blog, especially those of you with no dental insurance, the ICD is DEFINITELY the way to go for the dental. One thing to note about the listing on the ICD website is that it is both out-of-date and generally inaccurate. Make sure to verify with the office that the address listed is correct (I came across 3 that were not). Every single office I talked to was extremely kind and as accommodating as they could possibly be...except for the office in Charlotte.

First of all, there is only 1 office in the Charlotte area that is an affiliate of this ICD program for PC Nominees. One! There are 3 in Greensboro and only one in Charlotte! Sadness. I called the Charlotte office and the woman huffed a bit when I told her what I was calling for and then proceeded to tell me that they could not get me in for an appointment until October 14th. More than a month away!??! I was a little shocked and felt my emotions head slightly in the direction of discouragement. I decided to make some phone calls to the plethora of offices in the Charleston area. 5 offices, to be precise.

The first office I talked to had to talk with the dentist and said she would call me back before the end of the business day. I called the next one and it was a fax number. The third was the charm and all good things started to happen after this phone call. They told me they could see me on the 8th. Fantastic! I went ahead and set up an appointment.

Then, I got to work on the polio booster dilemma. I called the SC Health Department. First, they couldn't find my shot records (ahhhh! Scary!). They found them and then we argued for a bit over the fact that I'd already had a polio shot and didn't need a booster. Yes, I know that and you know that...but the Peace Corps says differently. I was told it was going to be $55 and then was sent over to the Nurse Practitioner in order to verify that I could actually be given the shot. Got voicemail, left a message. She called me back and left me a message, telling me that she understood I was a Peace Corps Nominee and the polio booster would be no problem...and that it would be around $75. $20 increase in an hour? Immunization inflation, apparently. I'm going to make an appointment tomorrow.

A little while later, the dentist's office that I called first returned my call and asked I was available to come in tomorrow! Psh, take that, Charlotte clinic. Anyway, I can't drive down to Charleston tomorrow so I scheduled an appointment with them for the 8th (seems to be a good day...). I will cancel the first appt I made as I have a better feeling about this office.

So, lesson to be taken from this blog post:
Use the ICD if you don't have dental insurance! ICD for Peace Corps Nominees Website Here.
If you do the ICD thing, make sure to verify the address of the office!
The state health department will give you a polio booster but watch out for instant inflation!

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Goodbye August - or - 9 more months to go.

Well, I have discovered the pitfall of having to resort to a community health clinic. I have to wait. For weeks! The earliest appointment they could give me is not until the 23rd of September. *sigh* I have half a mind to just walk-in but I feel like, if they are already this backed up for appointments, the waiting room is probably another story entirely. I'm not really sure what to do and am concerned that this lengthy waiting process is not going to get me to Mongolia (or anywhere else, for that matter) anytime soon. Certainly not in the anticipated 9 month time frame that remains. 9 months!

I still can't find anyone to give me a polio booster. I am going to get in touch with the health department tomorrow and see if maybe they offer it. *crosses fingers*

I made phone calls to ICD members in my area that are willing to see Peace Corps applicants for free...I got machines and no phone calls back by the end of business hours today. Errgghhh. I am wondering...I have 2 impacted wisdom teeth. Both are in the bottom of my mouth, one is partially erupted. They've been like that since my freshman year in college (6 years ago....uggghhh, haha) and have never caused me any pain or problems. I don't know if they will have to be removed. Anyone have any insight in this? I am going to try this ICD people again tomorrow...I'm also going to try and plead my case to my former orthodontist and see if he'll do an exam for me at reduced cost. All about utilizing the ties one has, I suppose.

Hello, September!

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More medical adventures.

So, I found a community health clinic that charges for service based on one's income. This is good news as I work as an instructor/program assistant for a couple non-profits and make quite a bit below the poverty line! I always have more than enough, though...I don't feel like I'm poor. I think that's another blog topic, though. The whole thing should cost about $75, which the Peace Corps will reimburse. Whew. Right now, I am trying to get my shot records transferred from the clinic I used to frequent to the clinic in which I am trying to get an appointment. Also, this clinic does not do polio boosters for anyone over 18. I'm not sure where to do in order to get that done.

Next up, my biggest fear...dental exam and such. I know that I am at least going to have to have my wisdom teeth removed. I only have two but I feel like it's going to be a hellishly expensive experience nonetheless. Ugh. I am going to try and go through this association that has partnered with the Peace Corps (of sorts) to offer free exams to applicants. I feel like they do not, however, offer free oral surgery. *sigh*

Trials and tribulations.

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Medical madness.

So, navigating the medical process with no health insurance. A challenge to test even the most resourceful of us.

My mom called her family practice just to get an estimate of what it would cost to do this whole medical review. $1300. Yes, you are reading that correctly. That option, completely and absolutely out.

I started calling around to VA clinics in the area yesterday. I called two in Charlotte and one in Rock Hill. The went essentially like this:
"Hello, such-and-such VA clinic, how may I help you?"
"Yes, my name is Lindsay and I was calling to try and get some information. I am a Peace Corps applicant and was told that we had the option of going to a VA clinic in order to complete our medical review. Does your clinic serve Peace Corps applicants?"
"*confused pause* Ahhh...do you have discharge papers?"

Hahahahahaha.

I should be getting some phone calls back later on today. It's also been suggested to me on the boards in the facebook group (Future Peace Corps Volunteers) to try community clinics, since I have no insurance and am under-employed. Ooh, also! I found another girl who has also been given a country...she's got China, though. It's so strange...I'm not sure why they would do this only to those slotted for Mongolia and China. In any case, I should be hearing something over the next couple days.

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Timeline - August 2009

August 1 - Medical kit received in the mail in Charleston...should be headed up this way next week.

August 5 - Toolkit updated...there's a legal hold on my application? The only thing I can't rule out is student loans...but I already sent them a paper verifying that they are deferrable. Hmm...maybe the US decided to revoke my citizenship?

August 7 - This isn't PC process related, really...but Rhiana, one of my best friends, sent me this link about one of the best things I have ever seen. I hope my placement doesn't end up being in the Gobi Desert, haha. Mongolian Death Worm!!!!

August 10 - Received Medical Toolkit and Nomination packets in the mail. Here are some pictures:

Medical Toolkit Envelope

Nomination Packet

Nomination Letter (note: A country is listed, not a region)

August 11 - Not PC-related...but Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to 18 more months house arrest. Will things EVER change in Burma?

August 12 - The more I research Mongolia, the more I fall in love with the idea of being there. I really wish they had not given me a specific country yet. I have this awful suspicion that the second I let myself believe I am actually going to Mongolia is the second they change where they want me to go. *sigh* Meanwhile, I have started to turn my attention to learning Cyrillic (much to the delight of my Eastern European students, haha), just in case. Here's a video from a group called Projects Abroad about some of their activities in Mongolia (just lovely): Linky link.

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Peace Corps Timeline - July 2009

July 6th - Application submitted

July 10th - Received an email from my recruiter in Atlanta telling me that my application had been received and that my fingerprint cards and background check forms were on the way. Also included some additional financial forms, educational skill addendum, and 2 possible assignment descriptions (Secondary Education, Community Development).
Called my recruiter to discuss an interview.

July 20th - Submitted all things that could be emailed (addendum, transcript, financial mess).

July 21st - Scheduled phone interview for July 27th at 11am.

July 22nd - Sent fingerprint cards ($10 complete at the sheriff's office) and background check form to the regional office in Atlanta.

July 27th - Had my phone interview with my recruiter. We talked for almost an hour and a half (mostly because I do like to tell my stories, haha) and she told me that she felt that I was qualified to be more than a teacher. She told me that she was pleased to nominate me as a Teacher Trainer for a program leaving in June 2010 for Mongolia.

MONGOLIA!!?!?!?!

Not a country that had even been in the same galaxy when it came to my mental list of possibilities. Also, I didn't expect to hear an actual country until (if?) I got my invitation letter in the months down the road. Ohhhhh, mon dieu. Mongolia? I'm a bit apprehensive and a little bit inclined toward disappointment (so long, African horizons) but my recruiter said that there is a 45% chance that my nomination will change/that my invitation will not stay the same. Okay. I wish she would have just told me that I was going to be nominated and left the bombshell of specifics until they were more of a guarantee. From what I can tell, this degree of info is not common at all. Mongolia.

July 29th - Fingerprint forms and background check form received by the regional office.

July 30th, 5:15am - Got an email from the Peace Corps telling me that my application status had been updated. Went online to my toolkit and I am now officially a Peace Corps Nominee. There isn't any interesting info in my toolkit yet (no mention of countries, regions, placements, or timelines) so I guess we'll see what's in my nomination packet/medical toolkit, which should be coming in the mail over the next few days.

July 31st - Toolkit updated again. My medical kit was mailed yesterday.

So, the next step on the road is medical/dental clearance. Should be an interesting experiment in what the system is like for people who do not have health insurance (c'mon, Senate, get it together. The Reps are doing great things, where are you!?!). I have been reading and I can apparently try and get appointments through VA hospitals/clinics and they will do everything free of charge to me...but I have to find a hospital/clinic that is willing to serve PC Applicants. Otherwise, the PC will reimburse me up to like, $300 or something. The specifics are in my toolkit but I don't have it open. Bleh. Needles and needles and more needles...expensive needles, at that. This is the part that I am dreading.

Current status : Waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

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And so it begins.

I couldn't decide what I wanted to do.

The Peace Corps is one of those things that I always knew I was going to go. It's the same as it was with the move to France...not a question of will I or won't I but merely when. I found out about the Peace Corps in elementary school and sort of internalized it. There have always been blocks and stepping stones up to this point, though. Graduate from high school (with flying colours, if possible), get accepted to college, study abroad, graduate from college (with flying colours, if possible), gain some sort of relevant experience, make it through the American citizenship process. With a diploma, a year abroad in a foreign language, two degrees, two years of hard-earned and unparalleled experience, and a naturalization certificate under my belt, I am completely out of excuses.

I toyed with the idea of moving to Asia to teach ESL but knew the experience of working with well-off kids in private English schools was not the mark I was looking to make. Working with refugees has changed me forever and I find myself with a mindset, a skill set, and a history of qualifications and experience that just don't really allow for me to go off to Asia to be a T.A. or a conversation teacher. I turned down a really great job offer in Thailand, a country that has been calling me for years and years. If it had been a position in a refugee camp, I would have been there in a second (or 18 hours, give or take).

I toyed with the idea of applying to the EFL assistant program in France. La France me manque toujours. It was my first chosen home and I miss just about everything, just about daily. I miss the way I feel there and I definitely miss the music of the language. Moving back to France would be an entirely selfish endeavour at this point in my life and I couldn't justify it. Not yet, in any case. There are too many other things that I need to do and languages I need to learn.

So, the Peace Corps. I may never have the opportunity again and I found myself constantly asking, "Why not?"

I submitted my application on July 6th and got my first email from my recruiter on the 10th. The email included a pile of instructions and more forms to augment the already extensive application. It also included the possible assignment areas of Secondary Education or Community Development. These are exactly the areas that I was hoping for and exactly the areas that no other organization could offer to me (keeping in mind it's difficult to navigate the web of NGO's and non-profits when one has little access to the network).

I received fingerprint cards in the mail and went down to the sherriff's office downtown to get fingerprinted (which is really very cool). I mailed those and the background check form on Wednesday (July 23rd). I've completed all the other paperwork that my recruiter has sent and now I'm down to nothing but my interview, which is scheduled for Monday (July 27th) at 11am. My recruiter (who, might I add, is wonderful) has told me that I could get a nomination as soon as August 3rd.

The timeline of a year, give or take, until departure somehow seems very, very short.

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