Orphan Promotion

Good Morning! I thought I would do a little shameless plugging right now, since it is my last day in this wonderful office, with all of my wonderful co-workers and bosses. :) The Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project has been my "summer" internship since March, and I can't say enough about all the wonderful experiences I have had here. The organization runs two primary schools in Uganda for children who have lost their parents to AIDS. We also run a farm in order to feed them healthy meals, a community library so everyone can get in on the education and are in the process of building a health clinic.

For the past 5 months I have been helping to manage the Grandmother Basket Program, which helps provide opportunities to the Grandmothers of Nyaka to extend their economic independence, and provide for the children that they care for. They make beautiful handicrafts, which we then buy for a fair price, sell here in the states and then put the money back into the organization. We also have training programs for them in community development and micro-loans. Supporting the Grandmothers of the community is essential since, after the death of their own children, Grand parents often take over guardianship of multiple children.

So it is a wonderful organization, and I have been proud to work here for the past couple of months. That being said, they recently started a blog and we are trying to get the word out there, thus the shameless plug :) http://nyakaproject.blogspot.com/ is the address, and if you are interested in helping out the project you can check out the website at: http://www.nyakaschool.org/

On a more peace corpsy type note, I am hoping to hear back from placement sometime soon, since I sent in all of the extra information and at this point the only thing they (and myself) are waiting on is my final transcript. I'm hoping that they can still work on placing me before that comes in because I feel like it would just be a waste of time to wait for a document that isn't going to be ready until the end of the month. But we will see, and I can be patient. Breathe in, breathe out, the time will come sooner than you think.

Much Love,
Claire 

Medically Cleared!!!!

WOOHOOO!!!! I just got the status update that I have been medically cleared to serve!! I had no idea it was going to be that quick, but I sent in the last of the paperwork yesterday and am now good to go. :)

Of course, Peace Corps being Peace Corps, about 5 seconds after getting the update email I got another email from a placement officer asking for more paper work. I have to submit a final transcript (which I still need to write one more paper for,) an up dated resume and a form called a Romantic Involvement Questionaire. The somewhat annoying point of this is that I already submitted an RIQ when I first applied for Peace Corps and I can't imagine that the answers are going to be any different and I have also been sending them "resume updates" since December.

So...for those of you out there who might be doing the same thing, just stop, they are going to ask for it again once you clear medical anyways.

Super pumped, going to get the paper work in quickly and hopefully figure out where the heck I am going sometime soon!!!

Keep you updated, hope all is going well,
Claire 

Medical Round 2 DONE!

Hey everybody, I know its been a bit but I have been running around and trying to wrap up life things before moving back home. That being said I finally received the last of the paper work from my doctor and have submitted to the medical office. Fingers crossed I hear something soon since we are reaching the two month point from the "confirmation" email, and now that my medical stuff is in I should be good to go/ wait a bunch. :)

Either way it is nice to have what is hopefully the last portion of this paper work in. Now I just need to turn in my final paper so I can officially graduate and send in my transcript!!

Hope all is well!
Claire  

Placement Manipulation

Hello Everybody!

So I am in the process of getting my second round medical stuff into the office, and am hoping to have everything done by the end of this next week (assuming my blood tests come back quickly.) On another note I wanted to post about some "placement manipulation" I am attempting.

Before I get into this, let me make it clear that I am serious about my flexibility and I will be thrilled to serve where ever peace corps wants to send me, that being said; I have an Asian Studies specialization and it would be cool to end up somewhere in Asia. Imagine my elation when this morning I go to poke around peacecorpswiki.com and find a few new postings for deployments in January! There are only two of them but one of them is in Thailand, which would be an amazing placement for me seeing as my Grandfather (a tenured Sociology professor who specializes in East Asia) spends a lot of time there, and my mother spent three months there and couldn't stop raving about it.

Clearly neither of these trips probably went deep into the areas in which I would be working as a Peace Corps volunteer but I would still be interested in traveling to a country that everyone in my family seems to love so much. There is also the little fact that I am currently writing the last paper of my degree as a comparative study between Uganda and Thailand's approaches to prevent the spread of HIV. I'm hoping that I can put this paper on some sort of experience addendum since I'm certainly getting an insane amount of knowledge about Thailand's HIV population.

Anyways, I guess its not really "manipulation" because (as I am sure you all know), they are going to give out whatever placement they want, and you don't get much say, but I feel better thinking I have some amount of control over where I am going for the next two years, so at least there is that.

Hope all is well,
Claire  

Official Placement Move Back Email

Hello All,

Had a bit of a delay in the information gathering seeing as the hotel I was staying in didn't have internet access, and the train refused to let me get on to my email account. That being said I am sure many of you have already received the below email from the placement office, but in the case you haven't, this was waiting for me when I logged on this morning:

Greetings from the Peace Corps Placement Office,

The Placement Office is the office responsible for the final evaluation of applicants for suitability and competitiveness and the final selection of applicants for specific programs.   Evaluation and selection are typically done after applicants have received medical and legal clearances.  At this time, we understand you are still in the medical process, however, we are contacting you to provide you with information regarding your current status.

Recent events, specifically the federal budget resolution for this fiscal year as well as projected budget realities for next year, have had a significant impact on current Peace Corps’ operating plans. A result has been significant reductions in the number of Peace Corps Volunteer assignments to be filled for the remainder of 2011.  As a result of these adjustments, if/when you successfully complete the Peace Corps medical qualification evaluation and final application review, there is a strong likelihood you would not be placed in a program until January-March of 2012. 

Recognizing the challenge this may pose to you, we want to ask what you would like to do at this stage of the process.  The first option is to evaluate your application with a target placement date of January – March 2012.   If you choose this option, we would conduct an initial screening of your application for suitability and competitiveness and let you know the next steps within two months of the date of this letter.  Please keep in mind, any potential invitation would not happen for several months and is pending successful completion of the medical process and a suitability review.  If you choose this option, please continue to seek further opportunities to make your application more competitive.  Also note, if you are selected for service, a Placement Officer will work to match you with an opening, taking into account your skills, availability, necessary medical support needs, and the needs of our host countries.  If this option does not work for you, we can withdraw your application from consideration. 

We understand that you may need some time to consider these options but ask that you respond to this email by July 15^th, indicating your interest in remaining active for consideration or indicating your desire to withdraw.   If we do not hear from you by this date, your application will be withdrawn. 

We appreciate your dedication to service with the Peace Corps and thank you for applying to volunteer.

I don't know about the rest of you but I didn't get this far just to be deterred by a few extra months of waiting. If this experience is really as life changing as people say it is, then it is going to be worth it. I emailed them back and let them know I was willing to wait. On that same note though, I don't know how long the period of patience will extend. I have decided that if Peace Corps asks me to wait more than a year from this point in time, I will be deferring my application in order to go into Masters International program. 

For those of you that may not know, Peace Corps has a program where an applicant may apply to Peace Corps and certain masters programs separately. If you get into both, you may defer your application, go to school for two years and then the rest of your degree is completed during your service. 

I really hope those of you reading this stick with it. I know I am in a relatively easy position to be able to push things back since I am fresh out of college, don't have a career, family, or house to take care of and have relatively few "life obligations" to move around in order to accommodate a term of PC service, but what you really have to ask yourself is how much you want it? And if not now then when? Is life going to get any easier later on down the line? If it is, maybe you should consider reapplying later, but if its not, and you want this as much as I do, you will bite down, suck up, and do what you have to do to make sure you can go and have the greatest adventure of your life. :)

Much love, 

Claire   

Canada Adventure

My mother being the wonderful person that she is has decided that we needed to take one last family trip together before I leave for Peace Corps (and at this point who knows when that will be?) and my sister leaves for college in Wisconsin. That being said I am now writing from my Grandmother's cottage in Ontario Canada, after the 4th of July we will be driving to Toronto and then board a train to take us to Montreal.

I have been looking forward to this trip for a while now and I am glad that my mom took it upon herself to plan it. Fact is as I get older there will be less and less opportunity to travel together as a family and so I am trying to take advantage of it now, and not take it for granted.

That being said I will be putting the rest of the paperwork on hold for two weeks. I don't think there will be any amount of big hoopla about this, and I will try and get it all taken care of the week I get back (though there is a minor possibility that I will be traveling down south to audition for American Idol for kicks and giggles with a friend, but I just have the feeling that that is going to fall through.)

I guess the moral of this post is that just because you are waiting to hear from Peace Corps doesn't mean life stops and doesn't mean you have to wallow in the horrible limbo of it all. Life keeps on keeping on and not even a federal organization is going to change that. :)

Much Love from Canada,
Claire

Medical Round 2

The unofficial title for this post is going to be "85%" because only 15% of nominees pass through the medical portion of their paper work the first time without having to submit additional material, and I am now in the 85% that is in Medical Round 2!

I was told that I need a bunch of blood work, which I could swear I already sent to them the first time around and am going to check into again before I go and get more ordered. Since I am a more curvaceous individual I have to put a personal statement in about how I am going to work on getting my BMI down before I leave, and then lastly I missed two lines for my doctor to sign on a form that I must now bring into her. All in all not so bad, and I have the next two months to get it done, but I think I should be able to have most everything together by the end of the week.

On a side note, can I just say that I am mildly insulted about the BMI thing? I completely understand why they are asking and I think someone who is signing up to do a little over two years in a situation where they are not going to be able to live to the standard in which most people are used to, should be in good shape but I had thought that the first form I filled out with my doctor would have been enough. I am a little peeved that they seem to equate weight with "out of shapeness."

I have been on the MSU rowing team for the past three years which means 8, 2 hour practices a week for the entire school year, plus workouts with my local boat house over the summer. Now that I am taking a break from rowing I have joined a roller derby team with practices twice a week plus an "off skate" work out. So at this point you may be thinking: "what is she eating that she is so over weight?" well that is a fun one too! I don't really drink pop at all, which leaves me with a whole lot of milk, water and juice. I can't afford ice cream, so unless I am visiting home I don't really eat ice cream, potato chips, candy, or baked goods.

I will say that I do love cheese, and I know its fatty, and that my portion control could use some work even when I am eating healthy things. I guess its just a bit of a let down that my weight and my fitness are so often not in touch with each other.

Alright, done with the rant, just needed to get it off my chest. I think this is actually a pretty good turn out considering how much paper work they wanted. Much love to everybody, as per usual feel free to comment and fill out the question to the right.

Peace,
Claire  

Medical Review Has Started!

I just love that stomach-dropping-out-of-your-butt feeling when you get the "Your Toolkit has been updated" emails in the morning. Checked in to see what it was all about and, as promised by the pre service nurse I talked to a few weeks ago, my nomination "batch" has gotten to the medical review portion of the process. I freaked out a little when I saw the big red HOLD right next to the medical check mark but the fine print says that, that just indicates that it is being gone over and that if they need any more information they will call or let me know.

So did anyone else wake up to this? I'm super pumped that something is moving in the right direction, seeing as the news that I had missed my originally nominated group was a bit of a downer. On a happy note, I took a one week job as a choir camp counselor for August since I am pretty sure I won't be leaving that soon with all the push backs. I hope I don't end up having to smack myself in the face for that one, though it would be like Peace Corps to offer me a new position after I take a job in August.

Hope this finds you all well, as per usual: feel free to comment and due the little survey thingy on the side bar.

Much Love,
Claire

Africa Juice Q&A

Seeing as I will probably not have any new news to post within the next couple of weeks I thought I would post a nice summer juice recipe from Mali, to you all, with love. The credit to this one goes out to my friend Buddy who served in Peace Corps Mali some years back. If you do not have a food processor I have found that a cheese grater works but is a wee bit messy. The colder the better!!

Lembourouji

(Ginger-Lemon Drink)

recipe origin:   Mali, West Africa

1 to 2 "hands" fresh ginger (about the size of your hand)

1 tiny pinch of cayenne pepper (more for a bigger kick)

1 gallon cool water

1 to 1½ cups lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

1 to 1½ cups sugar

Wash the ginger well.  You do not need to peel it, but can if you like.  Cut off any discolored, rotten, or dried ends.  Pulverize in a food processor until it has the texture of coarse sawdust (should have about 2 to 3 cups worth). Add the ginger, the cayenne pepper,  and about half the water to a large glass jug or pitcher.  Soak for at least 2 to 3 hours at room temperature.  Strain the mixture through a fine strainer, sieve, or cheesecloth into another container.  Pour additional water through the ginger to wash out more of the ginger flavor.  Add enough water to make about a gallon, plus about a cup each of  lemon and sugar.  Stir.  Adjust lemon and sugar to taste.  Chill and serve over ice.

Enjoy!

On a completely unrelated note, I wanted to send out a big shout out to those of you that have been so supportive when it came to the news about possibly being pushed back till January. It was really nice to know I have such wonderful motivators in my life. :)

I also figured I would open up the floor for any questions people might have. I think the blog system that are linked through peacecorpswiki and peacecorpsjournal are great because you can find answers to questions about your own process. If you have a question you think I could answer just comment below and I will post answers sometime soon. I'm also not worried about doing a bit snooping if need be, so fire away!

Much Love,
Claire 

If You Are Going Through Medical, READ!

Ask and you shall receive...whether you want to or not. I sent off the email to placement, as promised in the last post, and was got a reply in quite the timely manner. My placement person let me know that my original nomination project has been filled and then proceeded to forward on an email that is going out to all people who are in the process of clearing their medical portion of their applications. 

Here is the email that they are sending out:

Like all federal agencies, Peace Corps is looking at its operations in light of budget reductions. This will result in fewer service opportunities available overseas in 2011 and 2012.  Unfortunately, it is too soon to tell what impact this will have on the program you were nominated to as Peace Corps is currently reevaluating our needs for the upcoming months.  Please note that these changes may affect your potential placement.  If you are not placed in the program to which you were nominated, your Placement and Assessment Specialist will conduct the final suitability and skill review to determine if we can match you to the next available program that best fits your skills and qualifications.  Please note that this may mean a pushback in departure date, perhaps until January 2012 or later.  We will be in touch with more information should this be the case and anticipate that we should be able to provide you with more information once you have been medically cleared and we have completed the placement review of your file.  Please also keep in mind that a final invitation is contingent upon the completion of a final suitability and skill review.

She then went on to say that it is very likely that my region will be changed and there is even a possibility that my actual sector (health extension) will be changed depending on where there are spots and what my skills are. 

So you know all of that calculating, and trying to figure out where I was going and when I was leaving...yeah...that was a big waste of time. I have to say though, I'm not insanely surprised, based on what I have been hearing around/ reading on other people's blogs. The budget cuts have made for some serious changes, and I am kicking my own butt right now for not turning in my medical paper work sooner (though in all honesty I don't know if it would have made a difference.)

But let us not dwell on the negative but highlight the positive! I get to have that "where am I going to be going in the world" feeling again, since the placement officer said there was "a large chance" that my region location will be moved. Another positive note is that last I checked I am qualified for health, community development and education, so there is a chance that I may be placed more quickly due to this, since I am more able to fill a position than someone who is only cleared for one of them. 

Please do not take this the wrong way, I am not happy about the idea that me not going to Africa or being moved from the health sector are now all major possibilities. Health sector was actually my top pick for jobs, and though I really do mean it when I say I would go anywhere, I decided on an internship and a thesis topic based around the idea that I should learn more about Africa in order to prepare for my placement. But I don't think there is any use crying over spilled milk, and it didn't even cross my mind that I would pull out until someone asked. I have every intention of being a Peace Corps volunteer, whether it happens now or in 7 months or in a year. 

I would encourage those of you that are going through medical right now (since the email included will only come to you after you have been cleared since it is from the placement team) to talk to your placement and pre-service people and also to think about the opportunities you might have that will enable you to fill any extra time IF you don't leave in the fall or early winter. I would also encourage you to stick with it; if you have wanted it this much this far, a few months aren't going to be anything. 

For now I'm going to sit back and wait to hear from medical, continue working on my thesis about AIDS in Uganda, hang out with the wonderful ladies at my internship and love life for what it is right now, and the possibilities that the future holds for me down the road. :)

Love and Smooches, 

Claire