Well, here I go - my first blog post ever. In the time between first applying and now, with an official invitation traveling through the US postal system, I've vacillated between the idea of sharing a blog and simply keeping in contact with only close friends and family through email. Then, a few days ago I read the Peace Corps blog of an acquaintance from Providence College and decided there will probably be others in a similarly disconnected position, curious about what exactly we Peace Corps Volunteers are sticking our noses into.
When discussing my decision to enter the Peace Corps, many folks balked at the 27 month commitment. At this point, it feels like I've been committed to serving for over a year. Since being nominated in August 2010, about 14 months ago, I have made most long term decisions based on the fact that I would (eventually) be leaving for a third world country.
I originally applied in June of 2010 and as mentioned, was later nominated in August. My recruiter told me to start booking doctors appointments to get the necessary clearance as soon as possible - as the process normally took 3 to 6 months. I assumed that my general good health would make it easy to get clearance. Oh, how naive I truly was. Due to my own idiocy and other complications, I was not medically cleared until mid-July 2011. Shortly after, I was sent an email informing me that due to all-around government budget cuts departure dates (like many other areas) would be affected. I was given little information about when I would hear next and was essentially told to sit tight. I finally received an email from the Placement Office in the last week of September, asking me follow-up questions that would simply update my file. Three weeks later (two days ago) I was notified that my invitation packet was in the mail.
And so it begins.
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