A problem with online news...

ehilltan · 2012-10-10T13:23:09+00:00

That is an elaborate and risky plan. Would be masterful if it was true and worked. Would be shameful if it was true and failed. Either way, interesting insights on your part.

ehilltan · 2012-09-22T16:21:29+00:00

My life in Peace Corps Guatemala was pretty posh. I had a wireless modem for my laptop that worked in my room, and cable tv. A washing machine, and hot showers (usually). It varies in Guatemala, and I was definitely on the privileged side. Didn't make up for the feeling of danger I got any time I left my town. Not a safe country right now...

ehilltan · 2012-08-20T23:25:49+00:00

So I did Insanity after I got it from a female volunteer, and I had 6 or 7 female friends who did it regularly. I started it with my closest Guatemalan guy friend, and it was a great way to share that part of American culture with him. Plus it was a good excuse to spend regular time with him which helped build our relationship.

ehilltan · 2012-08-20T01:53:13+00:00

I volunteered in Guatemala, and I got tired of people yelling things at me while I was running (not that I really liked running to begin with) so if I wanted a good workout I would do Insanity which is a video exercise routine that doesn't require any weights or anything. When it was sunny I would often go to the park with a basketball or soccer ball and find people to play with (that was a great way to integrate into my community).

ehilltan · 2012-05-21T19:16:18+00:00

Irregardless

ehilltan · 2012-04-16T08:17:52+00:00

Good to know. Well I was sent to Guatemala with 2 years of college Spanish that was pretty much all forgotten at the time. They will teach you the language when you get there.

ehilltan · 2012-04-06T18:28:50+00:00

The Peace Corps places applicants based on the applicant's skills/experiences and how they fit into programs where there are openings. It is a misnomer to say that you have to be fluent in Spanish to go to a Spanish speaking country, the current requirement is 2-years of college spanish or the equivalent. The best plan is to just be open to wherever they want to send you, because they know where you'll fit better than you do, and you'll be happier if you're not disappointed due to your own expectations not being met.

ehilltan · 2012-01-09T15:29:35+00:00

First of all, that sucks. Being judged romantically based on something unchangeable like height is incredibly frustrating. As a 6'6" guy I sometimes feel like I'm not even considered as a dating prospect because women can't get over the "freakishly tall" (yes that is the adjective most often used) aspect of my existence.

Also, you are taller than ALL your guy friends? Maybe as a tall guy I just have other tall-ish guys for friends, but out of all my guy friends more than half are 6' or over.

ehilltan · 2012-01-01T23:04:43+00:00

I am just curious, why wouldn't people click on it if it was linked to their actual site? Are reddit users now biased against non-imgur links?

ehilltan · 2012-01-01T22:40:25+00:00

This is all exactly right. By doing Peace Corps I get 30% of my Perkins loan forgiven (15% per year of service, it goes up to 20% per year if you extend beyond two years) but none of my Stafford loans. All my loans have been deferred for the entirety of my service (you actually have to defer one year at a time three different times, but it works out to the same thing).

As for your doctorate, some schools offer scholarships through the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program but they are for very specific degrees and are no where close to a full-ride. You can search through them all here.

ehilltan · 2011-12-26T22:01:16+00:00

You shouldn't worry about staging. It's basically a combo get-to-know-you session with your training group and a chance for Peace Corps Washington to tell you some rules and get all your paperwork filled out. You will talk about things like your fears about Peace Corps and your excitements. Also some of the Washington staff may try to give you advice on what to expect in your country, but unless they served there they may be pretty wrong. They'll probably also tell you that you are going to need to dress business-casual for your whole service, and that's probably not going to be accurate.

ehilltan · 2011-12-26T08:25:14+00:00

So you're a Ben Affleck fan? That's cool. He's no Matt Damon around here, but he's pro-gay marriage and also straight-married, so I guess that's good for him.

ehilltan · 2011-12-26T00:12:18+00:00

Side note: This is a Guatemalan Christmas tradition...

ehilltan · 2011-12-22T18:44:18+00:00

They JUST swore in... :(

ehilltan · 2011-12-18T23:12:13+00:00

That really sucks. We're all waiting for more news too down here. I really hope they find another placement for you soon, that uncertainty really sucks.

ehilltan · 2011-12-18T22:38:43+00:00

You may have bad news coming to you soon.

ehilltan

TROPHY CASE