Joining the Peace Corps- Application Timeline

Now that I'm down to the crunch time, it seems as if only yesterday I was filling out the application. Looking back, however, it was certainly a longer wait than I had originally anticipated. Fresh out of my MA and back in the USA only late last September, I foolishly thought I was only a personal statement and a few recommendations away. Since then I've graduated, traveled southern Europe, taken a full time job working on truancy back in the US, volunteered all over the place, built 2 houses and an addition to a rehab centre in Mexico, learned to play guitar (albeit not gracefully in any way at this stage), and read many many books.

So what took so long anyway? Lets take a closer look at the process:

September 1, 2009- Started PC Application
October 2, 2009- Submitted PC Application Online
October 19, 2009- PC Recruiter Interview
October 20, 2009- Official Nomination: "NGO Advising" and "Latin America" for May 2010
October 21, 2009- Legal Review Complete
November 30, 2009- Dental Review Complete
February 26, 2010- Medical Review Complete
March 1, 2010- Placement Contact and Application Update
March 10, 2010- Preliminary Placement Review Complete
March 11, 2010- Invitation to Join the Peace Corps in Paraguay!!!!

As my family can tell you, I almost couldn't bear to go to work every day as I became ever obsessed with watching the mailbox for my big blue envelope with my invitation details. After a gruelling (ok, I'm exaggerating but you get the idea) whole 6 business days, it arrived. :-) YES!

My original assignment was in Municipal Services Development to depart on May 25, 2010. I gladly accepted having seen each of my degrees somehow itemized in the assignment description. Perfect :-) From there a whole new process began:

March 23, 2010- Passport Application Mailed
March 26, 2010- Aspiration Statement and Updated Resume Submitted
April 19, 2010- Staging Date Pushed to June 1st
April 27, 2010- Assignment Change to Community Economic Development
April 30, 2010- My Birthday & Official Resignation Submitted to Employer
May 5, 2010- Travel Reservations Confirmed (NM-> TX-> FL-> Brazil-> Paraguay)
May 6, 2010- Application for World Wise School Match Submitted
May 14, 2010- Last Day of Work
Last 2 weeks in the USA- Packing and Parties
June 1, 2010- Departure for Staging
June 2, 2010- Departure for Paraguay

Needless to say, it's all been a bit of a whirlwind in retrospect. Lesson learned? For those of you waiting anxiously for your Peace Corps invite and ship date, it won't seem like it was such a wait when it's all over.

Wooohooo I'm a PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER!