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.