Archive for September 2008
» Older PostsPassport and Visa
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 | 10:50 amI accepted my invitation to the Peace Corps last Wednesday. I had to call early in the morning from my hotel in Honolulu, as the PC office was 6 hours ahead, in Washington, D.C. The cute-sounding Josh picked up the phone, and he started asking me questions about my assignment. I read through the materials, but [...]
Kenya
Friday, September 19, 2008 | 12:32 pmI got my package today…I’ve been invited to Kenya! I’ll be working in Small Enterprise Development.
I haven’t been through the big packet yet to get all the details, but here are the main points:
KENYA
Working in Small Enterprise Development
Orientation: November 10-12, 2008 (presumably in Philadelphia, PA)
Pre-Service Training: November 13, 2008 - January 8, 2009 (in Embu, [...]
Congratulations
Thursday, September 18, 2008 | 10:49 amCongratulations! You have been invited to become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Yup, that’s the message I received in my Peace Corps Toolkit today. I don’t yet know where I’m going. I think they mail my invitation. I just e-mailed my Placement Officer to see if I can get more information. I only have 10 days to [...]
The PC Office Called Me
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 | 1:38 pmMy Placement Officer called me on the phone today. I was so excited to see her number, I started shaking! She told me that they were reviewing my file and wanted to ask some follow-up questions. Her questions were mostly about my relationships with family and friends, and how I’d cope. She also asked me about my [...]
Conjecturing
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 | 10:33 amI got a brief e-mail from my Placement Officer (PO) this morning. She stated that she’s shared my file with her colleagues, but a programming match has not yet been made. She said she’d be in touch as soon as she had additional information.
I noticed that she CCed another PO on the e-mail. This gives [...]
PC Article In The LA Times
Monday, September 15, 2008 | 9:00 pmI didn’t mention it in previous posts, but I was recently contacted by a journalist with the LA Times who wanted to interview me about my service delay. I respectfully declined; in spite of ranting in my mostly public blog, I felt that taking a position on the Peace Corps in a wide-reaching publication could hamper my chances [...]
PC Update 4
Thursday, September 11, 2008 | 3:50 pmIt’s been more than a week since I last heard from the Peace Corps office, so I shot a quick note to my Placement Officer asking if she has an update on my file. I immediately received an out-of-office reply stating that she’s on a staff retreat for the rest of the week. I won’t hear back [...]
Known Upcoming Programs
Thursday, September 4, 2008 | 3:05 pmYes, yes, I know the Peace Corps posts are getting way out of control. I can’t help it. I need to do *something* to pass the time.
From the Peace Corps Wiki Timeline page, here are the known dates for some upcoming programs. Dare I even guess where they might try to put me?
November 3rd = Kenya
November 4th = Namibia
November [...]
A Visit With The Boss
Thursday, September 4, 2008 | 2:13 pmThis afternoon, my boss asked me to visit her in her office. She wanted to know if I had an update from the Peace Corps. She’s been interviewing potential replacements for weeks, and found the perfect candidate.
Now we’re in an awkward situation. I wanted to do the right thing by letting my company know that [...]
PC Update 3
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 | 1:20 pmI just tried calling my Placement Officer again. Complete fail. This time, I didn’t even bother leaving her a message. I called the Africa Desk, which is a general line for inquiries, and left a message there. Then I sent an e-mail to the cute-sounding Josh to see if I could appeal to him.
No response [...]