It's Malawi!!

I got my invite packet in the mail a few weeks ago! I called and accepted on the next Monday (I recieved it on a Saturday).

I’m pretty excited! In a little over a month I’ll be living in Malawi!

Here are all the specs:

Program: Environment

Job title: Community NRM/Forestry and Parks Extension

Orientation dates: February 19-21, 2009

Pre-service training (in Malawi): February 23, 2009-April 22, 2009

Dates of service: April 23, 2009-April 23, 2011

From the info I’ve gathered on the internet I will probably be staging in Washington D.C. That would be pretty awesome if we could by chance meet Barack Obama before we leave out! I’d be through!

Whoppeeee!

I am officially invited to Peace Corps service!! I received an email saying my toolkit was updated and voila...it turns into an Invitee toolkit! They say my packet is in the mail so I'm waiting very anxiously for that. Then I'll know where I will be spending the next 2 years of my life. I can't wait to see the packet!!

So far, If I actually am invited for a program in February, I know it could be either Ghana, Nambia, Zambia, or Malawi. I've got my fingers crossed for either Nambia or Malawi...but either one would be awesome.

Medical packet sent!!!

So....my medical packet is officially sent today!! I "FedEx"ed it just to be sure it would get there at a decent time. I'm really excited!!! I'm a step closer to being invited!

Eeeek! I'm Nominated!!!

Just (like one second ago) got off the phone with my recruiter...I'm nominated for Applied Agriculture Science in AFRICA leaving February 09!!!!

This is sooo exciting. Since I now know my prospective area and date of departure I can contemplate things I need to do to get ready. However, I can't make any concrete plans yet since the nominations change quite a lot.

I can possibly narrow down my prospective countries based on this nomination. My recruiter said that my nomination has no language requirement so any African country without a language requirement would be a possibility! On that list is Ghana! I'll have to look up the others soon.

Now onto the part that requires the most patience...Medical clearance. I'm waiting to receive my forms in the mail. I need to find out cheap ways to get these exams done since I'm extremely broke and will not have much money until I get a job after I graduate. Still...I'm steps closer to becoming a PC volunteer!!!! in AFRICA!!!

Flexability is key...

This change isn't really all that bad though...

But first...I received my Toolkit information in the mail exactly one day after I sent in the forms to my recruiter!! I was wondering when I would receive it and lo and be hold it shows up. It's so exciting....okay maybe not really...not yet anyway. It will be plenty exciting when it is updated saying that I am nominated or medically cleared or any of that other landmark stuff. Here's what it looks like...

Now to only get that last recommendation letter in...that's always the hardest part.

Anywhos...they say that flexibility is a big part in the application process for the PC. I may have had my first experience with that aspect of the process. My recruiter called yesterday saying she found out she would be out of town on June 20th and needed to reschedule the meeting. That was really no problem with me so we simply moved it back 6 days to the 26th. Guess I'm pliable.

Weeeeeeee

Time line update:

May 19, 2008: Application submitted on website

May 23: 2008: Received fingerprint, background check, and addendum forms
Sent transcripts

May 29, 2008: Sent forms back to recruiter

June 20, 2008: Future date of interview!!!

Excitement

Woo hooo!!!!

Application submitted today baby!!! I know, I know, "Didn't you do that a looooong time ago?" Nope...I've been sitting on my essays for over a month. Today I just decided I'd get the app. completed and done and out of my hair. So now I have to get the darn PDF of the student loan info to open.

Here's what my submission page looked like...