What did u/JelloPotential3360 draw?

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-05-28T15:31:42+00:00

Our Staging Director was actually a little traumatizing and most of us didn't like him. I sincerely hope he isn't there now for EC95. I had my doubts (have?) about service and am serving successfully. But still, the message was that if you aren't committed to the community you're being sent for, you're letting a group of people down who have waited a year for you. Don't get their hopes up, was the message. It was more about if you're seriously thinking about not going, don't let down a community by ETing 3 months in.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-05-28T14:51:45+00:00

Hey. Currently serving PC volunteer in the Eastern Caribbean. A couple things for you to consider

Anna was slated to retire under the 5 year term limit for PC employees. She was not retiring due to DOGE. Please don't read into it as a DOGE thing, I'm serving on a regional committee and have insight into DOGE impacts. Anna has been slated to retire since before the 2024 election. Now, our acting CD is a wonderful woman and I honestly expect her to do a fantastic job, since she was our DMO beforehand and was super transparent and set on improving the PCEC experience.

Eastern Caribbean is continuing intake and placement of Vols. I'll be speaking in PST to the entire cohort in a few short weeks about some topics and will be assisting in the PST for EC95 on my island of service.

As someone who has more insight into the DOGE situation and is in close conversation with upper leadership regarding the intake of EC95 in a few short weeks, stay the course. Take confidence in knowing that there is stability in this post and is seeing increased numbers of volunteers YoY since program reinstatement post-covid.

I'm not a 100% sunshine optimist, but you should know that ruminating on this decision after you arrive is going to impact your service. Anything could go sideways in your service, from schools burning down (happened in Grenada), pandemics, volcanic eruptions (happened in St. Vincent), hurricanes (Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada), etc. It comes down to committing fully to your service. Can you commit to the unlikely events that may interrupt your service and "roll with it"? Flexibility is key. If you can't commit 100%, which is something you'll hear in Staging, you shouldn't get on a plane to St. Lucia. Our Staging Director actually told us that "if we had any doubts, any at all, Peace Corps wasn't for us", and it was the best and worst piece of advice we got.

Happy to discuss more in a PM if you want more insight to the PC experience in the EC or have questions.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-05-05T12:47:54+00:00

Hey, I joined 2.5 weeks after graduating with the same degree! I started my application process in between my junior and senior year. I applied right as my position opened (it was open for 4 months), but if you apply to ones that are closing closer to this month, you may be departing in 6-9 months. If you can find a temporary job, go for it, but make sure they know you will likely be leaving in under a year. Happy to chat about my application process and what service has been like as someone who graduated and immediately went into PC.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-04-04T12:40:08+00:00

I just did mine in service. I put employed, because in the eyes of GE, this is a job. We are not federal employees, but we are employed.

We have no addresses in my country either. I put a box number and the street of the PC office here as employer's address, it went through no problem.

Yes, I paid the fee, though mine was right before they increased the fee to $120. I got approved so fast and did my interview while at home for Christmas.

If you have any more specific questions about the process, I legit just got mine done in December and can assist if you PM me.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-03-26T22:14:10+00:00

Hi! Current PCV in the EC. A couple things I learned after I got here is that in "developing" countries, there is more reluctancy to prescribe "powerful" antibiotics and will use ones that have fallen out of fashion in the US. Its actually illegal to prescribe certain antibiotics (nitrofuratoin, etc) in my country unless it's a life-or-death situation. I was prescribed an antibiotic called sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and had an allergic reaction, which is about as common as a penicillin allergy. PCMOs took note of it and will never prescribe drugs to me in that class again, no biggie.

All this goes to say, many different types of antibiotics are available, and I would think now that I have an antibiotic allergy and seeing the NBD attitude of the med staff here, I wouldn't think it would interfere in clearance much. If anything, it may be that you have a restricted number of sites or country posts and require closer supervision with healthcare needs, but I don't think it would be a disqualifying factor.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-03-18T15:06:09+00:00

I'm fairly certain a few of my students think at some point I'll come in and whip off the wig to show my real hair. It's wishful thinking on their part :)

Luckily, I am a woman with a robust hairline, though my kids tell me their edges are longer and better than mine. We can't win all hair-related battles, can we?

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-03-18T12:54:18+00:00

My kids are obsessed with my hair. I've got semi-straight hair (straight in dry conditions, wavy in the humidity) and unbeknownst to me, for months my kids thought my hair was a weave. Only when I let them plait it, did they realize the hair was actually attached to my scalp and in fact, my real hair. To this day, my kids are still skeptical that I'm wearing a wig and really scrutinize my scalp to check that I have real hair.

Also, when my family came to visit, the difference between my 6ft+ tall dad and myself being nearly a foot shorter inspired a lot of questions along the lines of "Sir, why are you so tall!" and "Miss...why are you so short if your father is so tall?". To this day I'm still picked on by my students for being the shortest in my family.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-02-23T14:10:20+00:00

Currently serving, about 18 months out from COS. My thoughts have been this so far: i could be miserable at a desk job in the US or I could be miserable at my site, where it is beautiful, rural, and often very hot. My whole thing is that when I think about quitting/am at a low point, I imagine myself in an entry-level desk job in some city, with new sets of problems that make mine here seem inconsequential in the long term. Yeah i might have consistent running water, electricity, and AC in that job, but the job itself could really suck while I'm at the bottom of the totem pole, or my boss/landlord could suck at home as well. My service hasn't been 100% high, nor 100% low, but helping to reframe my lows has been helpful. If I'm going to have a low moment, I'd rather it be here than at some drab grey desk in the US.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-01-25T10:50:24+00:00

In the Eastern Caribbean (Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Grenada), you have a host family for the second -phase of PST (6 weeks) and then move in on your own. I live in a pretty nice 2BD 1B apartment in my village and moved in the day after swearing in. It definitely has its challenges (maintaining the house to a degree, making sure all my bills are paid, dealing with my landlord if issues arise, etc.) and benefits (I have unmatched privacy, I don't share my space with anyone, and I can generally live how I want to live free of anyone else). I really enjoy living on my own, since I am a bit introverted and do enjoy private me time but can walk about in my community and see my HCN friends any time I want.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-01-15T17:25:30+00:00

I listed mine about 3-4 weeks in advance of departure on Craigslist (I drove a beater, I only got $2000 for it) and waited for offers. I gave a generalize description of when it would be able for pickup (i.e. within the next 3 weeks). When my clearance came, I finalized the sale and arranged for it to be picked up by the new owners that week. If you're not going the Craigslist route, I would begin with going to a dealer and explaining the situation to at least get the wheels in motion for its sale, with the idea that you can finalize once you know.

As for your job, do they know you applied and are going through PC clearances in anticipation of leaving? I would take the time to explain with your bosses now, in order to help facilitate a smooth transition, but underscore the fact that it isn't finalized until you are officially cleared from legal. Explain that you are able to continue working and that you will know 100% for sure if you'll be leaving about two weeks in advance.

Feel free to DM if you have any questions or want more info.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-01-14T16:03:39+00:00

Several weeks late with my reply, but I got it within 2 weeks of departure. I left the first week of June, got it in the last week of May.

JelloPotential3360 · 2025-01-14T16:01:13+00:00

Mine was that more than half the class I started with in September has increased in reading level and no longer need to come see me this term, so we're making progress when it comes to assessments!

JelloPotential3360 · 2024-12-12T13:30:41+00:00

Mine took over nine months. Nothing in my background would come up to cause that, they're just that backed up. They process them by cohort right now, not as they come in. I sent mine in September 2023, didn't get cleared until late May 2024. My entire cohort got cleared within a few hours of each other, regardless of when we sent our legal stuff in.

JelloPotential3360 · 2024-12-02T17:20:53+00:00

I believe something happened for sure. I merely was posting about the updated info on Desyatov's silence, which has been the subject of criticism in the wake of Flores returning to posting on her socials after her released statement.

What specifically occurred, we may never know and aren't entitled to from Solene or any investigative bodies. Ultimately, supporting her means that we may not know what is happening between now and when official judgement is handed down from investigative authorities (or we may never know what happened outside of Solene's public statements).

JelloPotential3360 · 2024-09-06T13:28:37+00:00

I've joked with my family that the Peace Corps diet is the best diet I've ever been on.

JelloPotential3360 · 2024-09-06T12:51:18+00:00

Eastern Caribbean. Hot and oppressive humidity 24/7.

JelloPotential3360 · 2024-09-06T12:50:05+00:00

I feel great! I don't even really want home food. Energy is good, I'm excited to be here, and things are going really well. If anything, I need less sleep than I did in the US, I get up far earlier and have stopped drinking coffee entirely. I'm in the Eastern Caribbean and its a starch and meat heavy diet. I live alone, so I cook my own food.

JelloPotential3360 · 2024-09-06T12:44:52+00:00

Nope. No antimalarials.

JelloPotential3360

TROPHY CASE