Congratulations! You have been nominated to serve in the Peace Corps

YAY!! I am officially a Nominee! Instead of Eastern Europe as I was originally expecting, my recruiter has nominated me for a Secondary English Teaching position in Africa. Flexibility and patience, remember? I am totally willing to go wherever PC wants to send me and now I just need to wait. The medical packet will be arriving in the mail in the next 'couple of weeks'.

I am a NOMINEE!!!!!

The process

Following is a bit of what I have learned about the process.

The Peace Corps application process is just that- a process. Not only is there an application, but essays, references, health questionnaires, interviews, fingerprints, background checks, medical evaluations, and more. You must wait wait wait and wait some more. Don't forget about patience, that comes in handy from day 1. If you are sure that this is something you want to do, go for it. Do not give up. Prepare yourself and BE FLEXIBLE. You may not get to go where you want or even where you are told you will go. Everything can change, so flexibility and patience are imperative.

You will receive different labels which indicate your progress through the process:

1. Applicant - After many hours spent on the application, you will be proud to call yourself an applicant.

2. Nominee- After you have met with a recruiter, usually a RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) [get used to acronyms!] and have been selected for a specific program. This is the longest stage as you must WAIT after being nominated for your medical evaluation. The medical process takes time and money. Once you receive word from your recruiter, you will be proud to call yourself a nominee.

3. Trainee (PCT) -  After receiving an invitation (!) and accepting your assignment, you will be given 4-6 weeks to wrap up your life in America and embark on your journey. For the first three months of service, you will be in training. You will live with a host family (your host family will not speak English) while you receive cultural, language, safety and technical training.  You will be proud to be a trainee.

4. Volunteer (PCV)- If you make it through training, you will 'graduate' to volunteer status. Another proud moment... finally after months of planning and waiting. Get ready to begin "the toughest job you will ever love". While being away from friends, family and modern conveniences, you will have the adventure of a lifetime. There will be good days and bad days, but most of the time you will be proud to be a volunteer.

5. Returned Volunteer (RPCV) - Wow, after 27 months of service, traveling, meeting new people, learning a new language, getting involved and making a difference, it is time to come home. You will forever be labeled a RPCV. After service there are so many opportunities open to you. Get ready to talk about your experience!  This is when the pride beams brightest.

Good luck!

The call

Life is calling... It isn't calling very loudly, so you must be alert and listen for it. One must also be patient as life may call, but it will also put you on hold. I first heard the ring about a year ago. College graduation was still far away, but graduate applications were oh so close. I never had a doubt that I would attend graduate school and one day become a psychologist. It just always seemed so far away. Well, the application time line approached rapidly.  Before I knew it, it was time to make a decision- apply to graduate school or figure out something else. If something doesn’t feel right, I usually don’t do it. While I know graduate school is something I want to do, I just couldn’t apply. Not yet.

I have found something to do with my time that will make a difference. Instead of working to feed the consumerist society we live in, I decided to remove myself from it to devote at least 27 months of my life to meaningful service. What better way to do that than through Peace Corps. Although 27 months may seem like a long time, it is but a minuscule blip in the scope of the universe and time itself. Next month will mark the 27^th anniversary of my birth. For 27 years my entire focus has been on myself.  I am grateful for the opportunity to take a break from my egocentric life and focus my attention on the betterment of others. I hope to be nominated as a Secondary English Teacher, somewhere. That's part of the fun- not knowing where you will serve.

First lesson learned- Be Patient. The Peace Corps application process is quite laborious. I'm sure it is designed to weed out those who are not serious about service, but if you are passionate about giving up your privileged American life to for at least 27 months to do some meaningful work, learn patience.  More on the process later.