Going Postal

Thanks to Dr. Jordan, our dental exams are done (for free!) and all the forms and x-rays are officially in the mail.

Of course, there was a lot of drama because this is the Peace Corps, and I think getting this application in is only a part of the trials we'll face in the next few years. We stopped at the Post Office on the way to church this morning and dropped the packet in the drive-thru mailbox...and then I remembered that our recruiter said we should have delivery confirmation on it so we can be sure it is received at the PC office. I made David turn around and we stood in line for a solid 15 minutes to ask if someone could get it out of the box. Clearly there was some sort of misunderstanding but after lots of waiting in the heat and a whole lot of attitude from some mail guy in a Marlins jersey, we got the packet out of the box and stood in line again to mail it with delivery confirmation.

And then the lady tells us that because it is in an envelope supplied by the Peace Corps, we can't even get confirmation for it.

Seriously?! 

VA Medical Centers - Help!

Okay all you "Peace Corp Journal" stalkers - I need your help. Has anyone had their medical exams done at a VA Center? I went through a really long phone tree with the WPB VA Center and was told to call back on Monday, and the Athens center said they do not do them at all. Our Pre-Service Nurse said that some VA Centers aren't even aware that they can do PC exams.

Has anyone else run across this problem? Do you know any tricks or have any tips? 

Neither snow nor rain...

With the help of our amazing mail woman (props to you, Mary! I think that's your name...), our medical packets arrived here in Georgia today. David's was sent to the condo and we were expecting Mary to just mail his, but she even went digging through our PO box to find mine too. What a woman.

Anyways there's not a lot we can do with them while we are here on "vacation" and I've basically read everything about it that I possibly can online but hopefully we can go ahead and get some appointments made so we can knock them out as soon as we are back in Florida. David and I both have pretty basic health insurance right now and haven't exactly had regular check-ups, so it will be interesting to see what they find..

Our fabulous recruiter also gave us the go-ahead to apply for and attend Discipleship Training School in Switzerland in September as long as we have all of our health clearances, so I'm ready to knock this out! Movin' on up..

Empty

Well, we checked both of our mailboxes before we left West Palm Beach, but no medical packets. I guess the good news is that we will have something to look forward to when we get home!

Time Only Flies When You're Having Fun...

If you are reading this right now, I need you to stop whatever you're doing and help us with a big favor.

Close your eyes, bow your little head and pray that our Medical Kit packets come tomorrow before we leave for Athens for 2 weeks. I don't think they would do us a lot of good there, but it would be nice to have them to show my parents and potentially get started on (at least with making appointments, etc.). Toolbox says they were mailed on May 26th, so it's entirely possible that they could make it from DC to West Palm Beach in 3 mail days, right?

Hurry up, Mr. Mailman!

Playing Catch Up

I want to start a blog now to keep everyone updated on our journey through the Peace Corps application process as well as our time overseas (one day...) so you can follow us and we'll have something to look back on. As of now, here is what has been going on.

Feb. 1, 2010: "Deadline" for applications. Later our recruiter would tell us that they operate on a rolling application process but we were naive and got everything in by the 1st. We receive initial paperwork packet, including all legal documents and fingerprint forms.

Feb. 8, 2010: I get fingerprinted at the Jupiter Police Station. They spell my name wrong. Really?!

Feb. 9, 2010: Receive initial contact e-mail from our recruiter, Alethea, and required paperwork and skills addenda.

March 12, 2010: Interview with Alethea in Jacksonville. She is based in the Atlanta office but recommended an in-person interview, and would be traveling for work anyway, so we met her in Jacksonville (halfway between Atlanta and WPB - who knew?!). The interview went great and we had a lot of fun exploring Jacksonville (and eating at Mossfire Grill. Best. Salsa. Ever.) but she was honest about the potentially long waiting period for married applicants.

May 26, 2010: Call from Alethea. She has a nomination for us - Eastern Europe/Central Asia in April/May 2011 for Secondary English Teachers (TESL/TEFL). We (especially me!) will need to complete 30 hours of some sort of education training or volunteer work.

May 28, 2010: Receive official nomination packet and other goodies in the mail.

So that's where we're at. Waiting on medical review forms....