Interview...check!

Wow, so the past 3 weeks have gone really quickly, and I feel as though I've made a good deal of progress on my Peace Corps application in a pretty short amount of time. After I was contacted on January 4 to get my recommendations in, I immediately reached out to my listed recommenders to make sure they were still able to complete the recommendations. Two recommendations (peer and work supervisor) were submitted the same day. My volunteer supervisor was out of the country, but he was able to complete the recommendation form a week later on January 11. As soon as he did so, I wrote to Peace Corps assessment specialist to let him know that everything had been submitted. I was informed that same day that I was being passed on to a recruiter for the next step -- the interview. My recruiter contacted me on January 16 to suggest some interviews dates and times, and we decided on January 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Peace Corps headquarters in DC.

I read a number of blogs and advice pages on what to expect at the interview. The questions on the Peace Corps Wiki (http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/Interview_Questions) were essentially verbatim examples of what I was asked by my recruiter. The interview was a very comfortable experience, as I had prepared to some extent answers to each questions so I wouldn't be taken aback by anything. My recruiter was very friendly and open about her experience with Peace Corps as well, so I was able to hold a real dialogue with her rather than just rattle off some questions. At the end of the interview, she said that she was going to formally nominate me, and I got an email about two hours later saying that I had been nominated to move forward in the process and that my tentative assignment is education in a Spanish speaking country leaving in September 2013! That is exactly when I would like to leave, so my fingers are crossed that everything will work out well!

Here we go!

I can already tell that this application process is going to be a major part of my life for the next few months! I got my first email from Peace Corps staff this morning saying that I had passed the initial screening and would soon be contacted about transcripts (done!), financial obligations (free as a bird!), and recommendations. I heard within my minutes from my recommenders that they had received the recommendation forms. By the end of the day, two had been completed, but unfortunately, my third recommender is out of the country for more than a week, so I'm not sure when all of my recommendations will be complete. I'm really going to be diligent about trying to speed along the process as much as possible by helping out those who are helping me. Hopefully I'll be able to update next week that all of my recommendations have been completed and that  I've spoken with the Assessment Specialist.

Happy New Year 2013!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I'm launching this blog to start documenting my Peace Corps application process, mostly for myself at first, since I won't know for a few months whether I'm officially going to be a Peace Corps volunteer. I'm starting off the year productively, and I've finished my initial online application and submitted it this morning.

At this point, I'm prepared for a few months of doctor visits, forms, interviews, and waiting a lot! Just got nervous reading another Peace Corps volunteer's application timeline because of how long it took her (and realized that I may have to get my wisdom teeth removed!). I don't anticipate having any medical complications, which are what typically delay the final invitation to become a Peace Corps volunteer.

I'll be updating this blog regularly throughout my application process, and hopefully by this summer I'll have actually interesting updates that people will want to read!