June 7th, 2014 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | 1 Comment »
The Peace Corps application process has always been known to be very slow and tough. It really tests our ability to be patient. The Boston marathon bombing, the government shutdown, snow days and my disability have unfortunately made my impossibly slow application process for Peace Corps slower. No joke. Here is the timeline of my application process:
March 15, 2013: Application Submitted
April 19, 2013: Interview Day (Cancelled due to Boston being on lockdown to find the marathon bomb suspect who was on loose)
April 24, 2013: Rescheduled Interview Day
May 8, 2013: Nominated – This simply means that I passed the interview.
May 29, 2013: Legal and Medical Paperwork Submitted
*Radio went completely silent*
September 5, 2013: Contacted the medical office for an update and was told that they had no updates
October 1 – 16, 2013: Government shut down
October 30, 2013: Ran into my Peace Corps Recruiter at an event and asked her for an update on my medical pre-clearance
November 1, 2013: Finally heard from the medical office. They asked some questions relating to my cochlear implants.
November 6, 2013: The medical office asked additional questions
November 7, 2013: The medical office asked more questions
November 13, 2013: The medical office asked more questions
December 10, 2013: Snow Day in DC. Office closed
December 11, 2013: The medical office asked more questions
December 13, 2013: Received Medical Pre-Clearance
January, 10, 2014: Received Legal Pre-Clearance
January 21, 2014: Snow Day in DC. Office closed
February 5, 2014: Received a Placement Questionnaire. It’s a document that asked me a series of questions to confirm that I understand the challenges of the job.
February 13, 2014: Snow Day in DC. Office closed
April 2, 2014: Heard from the Placement Office and was told that I’d receive an invitation but they needed to check with the medical office to make sure the country that best fits my skills and experiences can accommodate my medical needs
April 2, 2014: Received an invitation a few hours later. Invited to serve in Cameroon in community health education.
April 25, 2014: Submitted more medical paperwork for final medical clearance
May 8, 2014: Final medical clearance!
September 9, 2014: Staging in Philadelphia
September 10, 2014: Depart from NYC to Yaounde, Cameroon!
A blog entry detailing my journey in applying to join in the Peace Corps will come later this summer. Stay tuned.
1 Comment
Robyn
June 8, 2014 at 6:26 am
Sounds like any typical govt department – we have them here in NZ too 🙂