Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End

As per usual, I woke up at 5 am on the dot and checked my toolkit for an update. Nothing as usual. Went back to sleep. Woke up. Got a massage. Came home. Started talking to Jenna about how bummed I was about not getting an invite yet when DA DA DA my phone beeps that I have a new email. And this is what it said:

"Brittany,

 

I received your voicemail message. I am extending an invitation to you today to a Francophone country in which you are medically able to serve. Please note, should you accept this invitation you will need to begin refreshing your French in preparation for this assignment.

 

 

Thank you,

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I'm Invited! Now I just have to wait for it to arrive in the mail with my assignment! I'll write a better blog about this later, I'm too excited right now!

Status Update!

Ahhhhh finally, 6 weeks after medical clearance I hear some good news! Peace Corps is reviewing my file. :) I was asked for my final college transcripts yesterday (which I'll be faxing today), and my toolkit updated with a check mark next to place. Huzzah! Progress!

First Attempt

I have never been one to blog. Generally, I prefer to keep my private life...you know...private. Call me paranoid, but the thought of having my own inner thoughts floating around cyber space makes me a little bit uncomfortable. However, as I prepare to embark on the great adventure that is the United States Peace Corps, I find myself wanting to record every detail of this long, exciting, and at times, nerve-wracking and arduous journey (and maybe connect with current, returned and future PCVs along the way!). 

Before you get too excited. No. I'm not in country yet. In fact, I don't even know where I'm going...which is part of the excitement! Ah the great unknown. How fabulous it is to leave your life in the hands of fate!...(And by fate I most definitely mean the Peace Corps Placement Office...) 

Here's what's happened so far:

*End of July: Finally finished the long application--references, essays, and all--that I had been putting of for far too long. About two day later I was contacted by my recruiter and we set up a phone interview for the following week.

*August 5: The date of my official nomination (at least according to my toolkit. My recruiter had actually nominated me at the end of my interview several days earlier). The nomination? Sub-Saharan Africa, Health Extension, June 2009. Victory #1! *reenacts the screams of joy and silly victory dance.*

*August 8: The daunting medical kit arrives in the mail and my excitement slowly dwindles. Doctors. *sigh* I hate doctors.

*September 15: Finally ship off my completed medical kit, after over a month of driving my doctors nuts with pages and pages of forms.

*September 17ish: Dentally cleared! Victory #2!

*September 26: Toolkit update! OMS has officially received my medical kit. Victory #2.5!

*November 19: After 7.5 weeks of NOTHING, my nurse calls. MEDICALLY CLEARED! No additional info needed...VICTORY #3!!!!!!!!!!!!

...So that's where I stand folks. Medically cleared and ready to go...pending Invite. Which could come in a few weeks, or a few months. Or, if I choose to be a pessimistic...never. But I prefer to pretend that's not an option. So for now, I wait. So far, the June invites to Africa have been to Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar and Togo. While I wait,  its fun to watch the June invites slowly roll in and guess which country will be my future home for 27 months.

So it goes.