Peace Corps Application Time Line

A lot of Peace Corps applicants have some kind of documentation of their process so here is mine:

February 2008 -- Meet with recruiter to talk about the Peace Corps

April 28, 2008 -- Submit application

May 2, 2008 -- Recruiter contacted me about scheduling an interview and sending additional forms

June 9, 2008--Interview with Peace Corps recruiter, Sarah Barfield, in Wilmington, NC

June 23, 2008--Officially Nominated for either Eastern Europe or Africa::Community Development

July 30, 2008--Sent nominations for Community Development in Cetnral/South America or Sub-Saharan Africa

August 4, 2008--Pulled my application due to multiple reasons...to put aside this opportunity for a better time in my life

March 3, 2010--Talked to recruiter about reapplying for Peace Corps

March 15, 2010--Start Application Process Again

March 28, 2010--Turned in Application

March 29, 2010--1st Recommendation submitted (Thanks Peggy!)

March 30, 2010--2nd Recommendation submitted (Thanks Jeff!)

April 28, 2010--Emailed Recruiter because I had not heard anything (this is where the waiting game began!)

May 6, 2010--Heard from Recruitment Coordinator, have to wait due to outside circumstances to move forward with the process.

December 1, 2010--Can finally move forward with application

December 5, 2010--Recieved packet of information including fingerprints, NAC Questionnaire, College Transcripts, Certifications

December 16, 2010--Received an email from the recruiter stating that they needed the information back by January 5th (no problem!)

December 22, 2010--Had to submit a new recommendation to fit the guidelines of preffered recommendations (Thanks Sheila!)

December 23, 2010--Delayed information for log into my toolkit was finally sent to me

December 28, 2010--Peace Corps representative called to have me send over copies of scuba certifications

December 29, 2010--Send back all information including transcripts, fingerprints, etc.

January 20, 2011--Peace Corps Toolkit update! Paperwork is complete!

February 11, 2011--Interview at NCSU completed::possible nominations for Community Development or Business Development, waiting for program specs to be released

February 25, 2011--Emailed recruiter asking what else I should be doing--stated just wait for more information to be released and update him on any new skills I acquire

April 1, 2011--Emailed recruiter looking for an update. RAS (restless applicant syndrome) is settling in

June 13, 2011--Emailed recruiter while in Europe asking for updates. Officially nominated for Eastern Europe doing NGO Development leaving June 2012

July 17, 2011 -- Home from trip to Europe with a medical packet sitting in my mailbox.

September 13, 2011 -- Finished all medical paperwork - Sent back to PC headquarters.

September 24, 2011--Forgot to have Doctor co-sign all paperwork and have to redo two tests.

October 20, 2011 -- Send back all information to Medical Office

November 2, 2011 -- Status Update! Letter came in the mail a few days later saying I am Medically cleared for service!

November 28, 2011 -- Email from Placement Assistant stating my file is complete and a Placement Specialist will be in touch.

Medical Packet Received.

As any Peace Corps applicant may know, the best thing to wake up to in the morning is an email from PC saying "Application Status Update" !! Having sent in my medical packet on the 3rd of September after becoming the most immune person in North America, I have been waiting for an update since then. Seeing as I'm not set to leave until June 2012 I know, and have prepared myself for, this to be the longest and most agonizing part of the process. (Insert Restless Applicant Syndrome (RAS) Here). Even my status update prepared me for such -- "Peace Corps received the results of your physical exam on September 12, 2011. If the program you are nominated for is not scheduled to leave in the next 4 months you may not hear from Medical until the time of departure is closer. Currently those programs scheduled to leave in the next 4 months are being reviewed. For applicants leaving within 4 months Peace Corps may request additional medical information. Please respond quickly to these requests."

So now is the waiting game. Fortunately I'm in the best position possible with a great job, supportive friends and family, an opportunity to save some money before I go, and lots and lots of patience.

I've been fortunate to be able to talk to an old friend quite a bit and he has been a huge support through this process. My friend Josh (check out his blog -- eatingwatermelonseeds.wordpress.com) is serving in Peace Corps Kenya and really loving it. Josh and I applied at about the same time, so I'm super jealous that he is in country already and I'm still waiting and wishing. I've had the fortune to be able to talk to him about once a month so he can give me real time updates on what Peace Corps life is like. His statements - Peace Corps isn't for the faint of heart. Which I already knew.But he loves it!! The camaraderie, the challenges, the new experiences, the beauty of the people and places, are all well worth it.

I'll continue to keep you posted as more updates come along!!!

Car Free Lifestyle

I'm thinking about selling my car. Living a car-free lifestyle has often been on my mind, but as of late I have been thinking about it more and more. As I'm trying to cut back my expenses and reevaluate where I'm spending my money, I realized I spend an astronomical amount of money on my car. Actually, I spend more money on my car than I do on the roof that is over my head. Seems crazy, huh.

Although in my head I'm thinking about this in sheer dollars there are a lot of other things to think about to. Currently, I can walk to work, the bank, food and drinking establishments, the park, and many other things but there are things that would be less convenient. Such as:

Trips to Target...which could be the death of Sami as you know her.
Easily accessible grocery store
Beach Days
Cold walks to work in the Winter Time
Am I missing others?

Fortunately living downtown allows me to walk to work and there is an OK bus system that would allow me to get to the grocery store and target with little afterthought. However, for 25 years I've lived a life of instant gratification...and I want to be sure that I think about all the aspects of my life that may be affected positively and negatively before I make this drastic lifestyle change.

Here's what my 7th grade History teacher, Ms. Hanifee taught me to do when life offers choices: A good ol' pros and cons list.

Pros
Environmentally Friendly
Get Exercise
Save LOTS of money
Wilmington offers Public Transportation and living downtown allows me to walk to food and entertainment
Can rent a car for long day or weekend trips

Cons
Won't be able to do things at a moment's notice
Will have to walk in the cold/rain
Inconveniencing friends when needing a ride

So, it's looking pretty good that I may want to try this. My mom and I came up with a good idea to try to live for two weeks without using my car. Meaning hide the keys from myself and see how I can get around without using my car. Seems easy enough.  Since I'll be leaving for the Peace Corps, hopefully, in June 2012 and will need to sell my car anyways I really want to think seriously about this. It's a great way for me to save up some money before leaving by severely cutting my expenses.

What do you think? Any advice would be great. I know a couple of you have lived in Wilmington without a car and I would love to hear your experiences!!