Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Peace Corps to Clifford: You're going to Madagascar
What a week. I almost feel like I should make a second Peace Corps timeline to chronicle all the events that have happened since posting the last one in my first post. But I'm too lazy to go through my email archives. Please take a second and scroll your eyeballs a bit in the upward direction and re-read the Mark Twain quote I posted when I first created this blog. Pretty much sums up my sentiment of this week's events in my Peace Corps pre-departure saga.
To make a long story short, after postponing the staging and departure date to monitor the situation in Guinea, Peace Corps ultimately decided to pull the plug on the whole program. Major understandable bummer. By the next morning, most of my training group (including myself) began receiving re-assignments via phone calls from DC. My phone call went something like this:
"Hello Clifford, this is Lisa (I made up this name to protect her privacy, haha, who knows who lurks these murky waters of the internetz) from the placement office."
"Hi"
"Have you spoken to the Business Desk?"
"Yeah"
"Great! Thank you for your continued interest in the Peace Corps! Would you be interested to leave at the end of February to Francophone Africa?"
"Yeah"
"Great we have a program for you. I'll send out a new invitation and you should receive it in a few days!"
"Great, appreciate the quick response."
"Bye!"
She was actually very pleasant to talk to. So I go back to my laptop and reports from my training group via email begin to trickle in with one volunteer being placed in Madagascar leaving end of February. Sounds very similar to mine so I pull up Peace Corps Wiki departure dates and Madagascar pops up. So I email my placement officer and say yo where I'm goin'? Another long story short, I'm now going to !Madagascar! Now I no longer want a dog but a tomato frog as a pet. And I want to go on an underwater snorkeling safari. And marvel at eight feet yellow butterflies.
Within the next few hours my whole group is blasting emails with "I'm going to Mali!", "I'm going to Namibia!","I'm going to Zambia!", "I'm going to Madagascar too!", "I'm going to Ecuador!", "I don't know where I'm going!" It was pretty exciting and disorienting to read everyone's new re-assignments, especially after a day of gloom from news of the cancellation the day before. Good thing I got to see Weezer in concert that night. Damn, it was so sick. But I digress, this blog is about Peace Corps.
Then I got sad and had to close the computer and go buy food. Who knew you could miss people you've never met? I guess something about the common thread of all these young folks giving up two years of their lives really made me respect them all the more. Especially when going through the normal motions of school, work, then whatever else afterwards seem so much easier to do. People who do this really are accepting a challenge to test themselves to their ultimate limit (and probably more so). I know I am. Props to my Guinea group.
Now, I'm transitioning my brain to embrace Madagascar. Haven't quite built up the level of love I had for Guinea, but I won't lie. Reading about coral reefs off the north shore and seasonal lychee and jackfruit is really pressing my buttons in all the right ways. However, I do find myself, like now, pulling up articles to follow Guinea and its progress. Today the Supreme Court confirmed one of the candidate's victory and I couldn't help but feel very excited for the country. I found myself speculating how the president would handle all the mining contracts in attempt to keep all foreign investment fair and at bay for the good of the country and how long it would take for these things to implement, yadda yadda yadda. I won't be in/directly involved in any of that anymore... So, to Guinea, I bid you goodbye even though I never got the chance to visit. I will 4sho step foot in Conakry at one point in my lifetime (God willing) and try your pho restaurant.
And to you Madagascar...Looking forward to when I dig my toes into your white sandy beaches. Insert exit music with cartoon penguins with yellow hair banging on a conga drum.
Forgot to mention, I am very thrilled that my sexy Maui beach wallpaper you see behind this text, courtesy of my amazing photography skills, still applies to my new assignment. Continuity rules.
Outtie.
To make a long story short, after postponing the staging and departure date to monitor the situation in Guinea, Peace Corps ultimately decided to pull the plug on the whole program. Major understandable bummer. By the next morning, most of my training group (including myself) began receiving re-assignments via phone calls from DC. My phone call went something like this:
"Hello Clifford, this is Lisa (I made up this name to protect her privacy, haha, who knows who lurks these murky waters of the internetz) from the placement office."
"Hi"
"Have you spoken to the Business Desk?"
"Yeah"
"Great! Thank you for your continued interest in the Peace Corps! Would you be interested to leave at the end of February to Francophone Africa?"
"Yeah"
"Great we have a program for you. I'll send out a new invitation and you should receive it in a few days!"
"Great, appreciate the quick response."
"Bye!"
She was actually very pleasant to talk to. So I go back to my laptop and reports from my training group via email begin to trickle in with one volunteer being placed in Madagascar leaving end of February. Sounds very similar to mine so I pull up Peace Corps Wiki departure dates and Madagascar pops up. So I email my placement officer and say yo where I'm goin'? Another long story short, I'm now going to !Madagascar! Now I no longer want a dog but a tomato frog as a pet. And I want to go on an underwater snorkeling safari. And marvel at eight feet yellow butterflies.
Within the next few hours my whole group is blasting emails with "I'm going to Mali!", "I'm going to Namibia!","I'm going to Zambia!", "I'm going to Madagascar too!", "I'm going to Ecuador!", "I don't know where I'm going!" It was pretty exciting and disorienting to read everyone's new re-assignments, especially after a day of gloom from news of the cancellation the day before. Good thing I got to see Weezer in concert that night. Damn, it was so sick. But I digress, this blog is about Peace Corps.
Then I got sad and had to close the computer and go buy food. Who knew you could miss people you've never met? I guess something about the common thread of all these young folks giving up two years of their lives really made me respect them all the more. Especially when going through the normal motions of school, work, then whatever else afterwards seem so much easier to do. People who do this really are accepting a challenge to test themselves to their ultimate limit (and probably more so). I know I am. Props to my Guinea group.
Now, I'm transitioning my brain to embrace Madagascar. Haven't quite built up the level of love I had for Guinea, but I won't lie. Reading about coral reefs off the north shore and seasonal lychee and jackfruit is really pressing my buttons in all the right ways. However, I do find myself, like now, pulling up articles to follow Guinea and its progress. Today the Supreme Court confirmed one of the candidate's victory and I couldn't help but feel very excited for the country. I found myself speculating how the president would handle all the mining contracts in attempt to keep all foreign investment fair and at bay for the good of the country and how long it would take for these things to implement, yadda yadda yadda. I won't be in/directly involved in any of that anymore... So, to Guinea, I bid you goodbye even though I never got the chance to visit. I will 4sho step foot in Conakry at one point in my lifetime (God willing) and try your pho restaurant.
And to you Madagascar...Looking forward to when I dig my toes into your white sandy beaches. Insert exit music with cartoon penguins with yellow hair banging on a conga drum.
Forgot to mention, I am very thrilled that my sexy Maui beach wallpaper you see behind this text, courtesy of my amazing photography skills, still applies to my new assignment. Continuity rules.
Outtie.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Guinea Program Postponed
Woke up to a phone call from DC today. It looks like my Guinea program is postponed until mid-January. The situation overseas is not quite optimal for arrival right now as news reports of escalated tensions are popping up after the elections last week. I do hope that things improve within the six week window that I'll still be here since I feel very invested in Guinea and my training group at this point. Looks like my new staging flight will take place on January 12th. Gives me time to kick it with the family for the holidays and new years. Also I get to procrastinate even further on packing... Deep down I feel Guinea will still happen so I'm not going to feel worried yet. I'll spend the added time bonding with my family and friends. I've been lucky enough that work has been wanting my help so it's been a good opportunity to see some old coworkers and make dat moneys, cuz. Now, with the added time, I can peer-pressure my cousins to move my farewell party from Lake Tahoe to Vegas.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
November 10, 2009
One year ago today, I lost my grandmother to a heart attack. She was in many respects a substitute mother to me. I learned a lot about what it means to truly love another human being and how it feels to be unconditionally loved from her. Her death marked the end of a generation in my family as I no longer had any remaining living grandparents. I mention this in my blog not to be a total downer, but because a lot of what I learned from my relationship with my grandmother I plan to take with me to Africa. My Peace Corps service, in my eyes and heart, is fundamentally an act of love. I hope my service makes my Grandma (and Grandpa), wherever they are, proud. It's a testament to the love that they generously gave me when there wasn't lots of it available.
Friday, October 22, 2010
My Peace Corps Timeline
Hello everyone. Just thought I'd share my Peace Corps Timeline as it may help others who are thinking of applying. Enjoy
2002-2004: I think of joining the Peace Corps
2004-2007: I think of joining the Peace Corps a little bit more seriously.
2007: I set up an account for the online application and stop once I get to the essays. Yikes.
May 5, 2010: I submit my application
May 11, 2010: A recruiter from the San Francisco office contacts me by email and schedules an interview for May 17, 2010.
May 16, 2010: I don't sleep too well. Interviews make me pretty nervous.
May 17, 2010: I meet my recruiter who is an awesome Korean girl a couple years older than me who is a RPCV from Cameroon. Interview goes well. What they say is true: a Peace Corps interview is like talking to an old friend about why you want to serve.
May 18, 2010: Recruiter needs follow up on my French skills. In my application I state that I have 5 years of high school experience and additional family experience. Unfortunately, they require updated French ability since high school was ten years ago (am I really getting that old?) and require a CLEP score. I schedule a CLEP examination in San Francisco on May 26, 2010.
May 19, 2010 - May 26, 2010: I sneak off during my lunch hour to study French at the local Barnes and Nobles with my newly purchased AP French book for $30. Geekin' it up hardcore. Subjonctif anyone?
May 26, 2010: I pay $100 for service fee and testing fee (steep!) and I pass (phew!)... Who knew I could still retain information from studying after working for 5 years?!
May 27, 2010: My recruiter sends me a letter in the mail: I am nominated for Business Advising in Africa set to depart December 2010. Holy crap... I'm really going to Africa.
July 2010: I receive my medical clearance paperwork in the mail and schedule doctor visits
August 11, 2010: Toolkit update: "A decision has been reached regarding your medical eligibility. Look for a letter in the mail". Letter arrives about 3-5 days letter - I'm cleared.
September 1, 2010: Placement office in DC contacts me for an updated resume. I send it to them the next day.
September 17, 2010: Placement officer from DC asks some follow-up questions in an email. How do I feel if I'm far from other volunteers? Am I ready for Africa? Yep, or however possible it is to be ready without actually being there.
September 22, 2010: Toolkit update. I'm invited! Look for an invitation kit in the mail. 10 days later I receive it via UPS. I'm going to Guinea as an Community Economic Development Advisor.
September 30, 2010: I put in my two weeks notice at my job. Been there for 5 years. Very nervous, but my supervisor is extremely supportive. Can't ask for anything better.
October 11, 2010: I write my aspiration statement and complete another updated resume for the business desk. There is a lot of writing in this process...
October 15, 2010: I say goodbye to my coworkers. They give me a farewell party and cool survival stuff like toilet paper. Reality sinks in a little bit more that I am going to Africa. But, not completely.
October 22, 2010: Been a week with no work and am preparing my life for departure. A bit overwhelming, but exciting all at once. Not working has been interesting... I get to do novel things like stay up to 2am for no reason updating a blog.
Outtie.
2002-2004: I think of joining the Peace Corps
2004-2007: I think of joining the Peace Corps a little bit more seriously.
2007: I set up an account for the online application and stop once I get to the essays. Yikes.
May 5, 2010: I submit my application
May 11, 2010: A recruiter from the San Francisco office contacts me by email and schedules an interview for May 17, 2010.
May 16, 2010: I don't sleep too well. Interviews make me pretty nervous.
May 17, 2010: I meet my recruiter who is an awesome Korean girl a couple years older than me who is a RPCV from Cameroon. Interview goes well. What they say is true: a Peace Corps interview is like talking to an old friend about why you want to serve.
May 18, 2010: Recruiter needs follow up on my French skills. In my application I state that I have 5 years of high school experience and additional family experience. Unfortunately, they require updated French ability since high school was ten years ago (am I really getting that old?) and require a CLEP score. I schedule a CLEP examination in San Francisco on May 26, 2010.
May 19, 2010 - May 26, 2010: I sneak off during my lunch hour to study French at the local Barnes and Nobles with my newly purchased AP French book for $30. Geekin' it up hardcore. Subjonctif anyone?
May 26, 2010: I pay $100 for service fee and testing fee (steep!) and I pass (phew!)... Who knew I could still retain information from studying after working for 5 years?!
May 27, 2010: My recruiter sends me a letter in the mail: I am nominated for Business Advising in Africa set to depart December 2010. Holy crap... I'm really going to Africa.
July 2010: I receive my medical clearance paperwork in the mail and schedule doctor visits
August 11, 2010: Toolkit update: "A decision has been reached regarding your medical eligibility. Look for a letter in the mail". Letter arrives about 3-5 days letter - I'm cleared.
September 1, 2010: Placement office in DC contacts me for an updated resume. I send it to them the next day.
September 17, 2010: Placement officer from DC asks some follow-up questions in an email. How do I feel if I'm far from other volunteers? Am I ready for Africa? Yep, or however possible it is to be ready without actually being there.
September 22, 2010: Toolkit update. I'm invited! Look for an invitation kit in the mail. 10 days later I receive it via UPS. I'm going to Guinea as an Community Economic Development Advisor.
September 30, 2010: I put in my two weeks notice at my job. Been there for 5 years. Very nervous, but my supervisor is extremely supportive. Can't ask for anything better.
October 11, 2010: I write my aspiration statement and complete another updated resume for the business desk. There is a lot of writing in this process...
October 15, 2010: I say goodbye to my coworkers. They give me a farewell party and cool survival stuff like toilet paper. Reality sinks in a little bit more that I am going to Africa. But, not completely.
October 22, 2010: Been a week with no work and am preparing my life for departure. A bit overwhelming, but exciting all at once. Not working has been interesting... I get to do novel things like stay up to 2am for no reason updating a blog.
Outtie.
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