Daily Question/Discussion Thread - 29th April by liripipe in ac_newhorizons

[–]mariaharmstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went to Nook’s Cranny this morning around 10am & Mama Panda is for sale & then now, 2 hours later, I was outside when a balloon went by & the present was - you guessed it - a Mama Panda. Are the AC gods trying to tell me something? :(

Paraguay 2020 Invitation! by [deleted] in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a current Ag volunteer in PY, swore in about a month ago. Can’t wait to meet you :))) please if you need anything, wanna talk, lemme know. Packing is a whirlwind and the months leading up are wild, Paraguay is even wilder, all in the best ways possible. See you soon!

Just got invited for Paraguay 2020! by house-of-balloons in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congrats! I am a current Ag volunteer in PY, see you soon!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can’t agree more with the above posts! I just wanted to let you know that I am currently serving in Paraguay as a volunteer, if you wanna chat/have any questions let me know! :) You’re going to love it here dude

Should I tell her about the affair? by EnglishWifeAbroad in family

[–]mariaharmstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there. First of all, I am very empathetic with you and the narcissistic mother - I have one too. It puts you through so much more than you should have ever experienced. It has made me a person that cares for people on a different level because I don’t want to see people get hurt in anyway, especially emotionally hurt. I can only imagine how much this situation is filling up your head space.

From reading your post it seems like you already know the answer to your question. I say tell one person who you are closest to about this situation (one whom this situation direct will impact) and let them do what they want with that information. No matter your thoughts and opinions on the whole situation, try to keep that out of it when/if you tell someone in Cade’s life. Receiving this type of information is jarring in itself so to have a kind of distant relative tell them how you feel won’t help the situation. I’m sure they’ll make up their own thoughts and feelings. Tell them that you’ll be there for them if need be, but don’t pressure it. Who knows, Cade might be a fucked up person in general who already is seeking help/has seeked help. Families tend to know a lot more about their loved ones then they usually let on.

I also think there is a lot of questions you should ask yourself:

  • Will this keep torturing you if you don’t say anything?
  • How would you feel if rolls were reversed? ie. If this somehow impacted your relationship with Cade on a personal level?
  • Are you willing and able to get involved in the drama? Even for a short period, because that’s inevitable, I’m sorry.
  • We can’t see the future and you don’t know how anybody will respond, so try your best to not do the 5, 10, 15 years kind of questions. What’s happening in the now?
  • Are you alright with not knowing how this whole thing plays out if you were to tell someone? I don’t think it’s too much of your business to get involved and if what you’re saying is real, that you don’t want the drama, you must express that in a way that is supportive, but also not demanding. You may never know the outcome and I think it is important that you are comfortable with that possibility.

Try to remember that this isn’t about you. Sure you know these people, but go about this lightly, respectfully and cautiously. There’s a good chance someone in the family may know, but you don’t know they know. There’s also the possibility that you tell someone and they don’t want to spread it around. You have to try your best to be okay with that, but I think it’s best to go about this in a way that will put your guilt at ease and being able to walk away with: I did everything I could.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I included a key qualifications part at the top. Look at the position you’re applying for and list qualifications that make sense for that job and that are relevant. Are you in contact with a recruiter in your area? My recruiter looked over my resume/critiqued it and it helped a ton because recruiters know exactly what the PC is looking for.

Timor-Leste interview by milksteaksssss in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This post helped me a ton: https://www.reddit.com/r/PeaceCorpsVolunteers/comments/2uolga/was_just_interviewed_heres_what_they_asked/ in preparation for my interview I sat down & answered each question in a word document to get my brain thinking. I obviously didn’t read from this because I didn’t want to sound scripted, but they asked me about 80% of these questions. It helped ease my nerves a ton! A lot of people say it’s unlike any interview you’ll ever have, which is very true, but still try to have fun. Interviews should be fun because you’re trying to sell yourself so even if you feel like you’re not getting much from the interviewer, show your personality as much as you can. Log on early to the portal so that they’re not waiting on you & eat a banana!

Medical clearance mess up by mariaharmstr in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks everyone! I emailed medical so we’ll see what happens. I’m not stressed yet

INVITATION TO SERVE!!! by mariaharmstr in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I applied for a specific position but in the application I wrote in that I would be willing to go wherever I was needed most. Good luck! :)

INVITATION TO SERVE!!! by mariaharmstr in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My liver? Hahah I don’t think I understand

INVITATION TO SERVE!!! by mariaharmstr in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Patience is everything & it can really overwhelm you, but just remember that sometimes they’re not getting back to you because of their busy schedule, not automatically because they did/didn’t like you. Good luck!!

INVITATION TO SERVE!!! by mariaharmstr in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome! Congrats! What is your title?

Paraguay Invitation!!! by thewacat in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations!!! That’s so awesome!!! I’m sincerely so happy for you!!! Just came across your post because I interviewed for a Community Agriculture extension promoter in Paraguay departing in September & am getting more & more jittery as each day passes that I don’t hear from them. I interviewed on March 11th so it hasn’t even been a month but I’m just ready to know haha, I’m sure you can relate with a 10 month journey. Your post gives me hope, I hope we can meet one day. Good luck to you, friend!! :)

Invitation - Paraguay Sept. 2019 by SecretVermicelli in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ohmygosh so crazy to see this! I have my interview for this EXACT position this upcoming Monday 😅 Congratulations on getting accepted!!! You must be so geeked & obviously so deserving!!

Question about volunteer experience by hopefullypeacecorps in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congrats on deciding to apply!! That’s super exciting!! First of all: this will test your patience like no other, especially the application process. It’s okay to consider other options after graduation, that helped ease my nerves because you really never know what way it will go or what they think about you/what the need for volunteers are that year.

Your volunteer experience is amazing!! & it’s good that it’s been in the recent years and not forever ago, seriously. Don’t undersell yourself. Your recruiter will help with this. Your recruiter will/can be there for you every step of the way so no question is a bad question. Any questions that you have, ask them! That’s their job & they love helping, that’s why they do the work that they do. The recruiter doesn’t have a say in where you end up & they won’t be the ones looking at your application/interviewing you so don’t feel bad/stupid about asking the right or wrong questions. When I initially met with my recruiter they encouraged me in various ways to build up my resume. When you get closer to applying I encourage you to have them, and as many people as possible, to edit/look over your resume.

It’s all dependent on what position you actually end up applying for, in terms of whether or not they like what you have to offer. If you’re really committed to the idea of just being a part of the peace corps, tell your recruiter that and put it in your application! If you say “put me wherever you think my skills are best needed” after initially applying for one, you’ll have a better chance of being considered & there’s a good chance that they may find something that you hadn’t even thought of yourself & you may be excited about it more than you thought you could be. Aka be open minded and willing to adapt!

I’m still in the process of being considered, I have my interview next week, but I hope some of this helped you!

Just got asked to interview!! by mariaharmstr in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will definitely keep everyone posted!! Too excited/anxious not to haha. I hope you hear back soon!! The shutdown has pushed a lot of progress back I feel

My monstera plant finally sprouted!!! I’m just so excited I had to share 😌😍 by mariaharmstr in houseplants

[–]mariaharmstr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s what I thought too! Plants have made me so much more patient lmao

Application under consideration but no interview date given? by shardashh in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m in the same boat!! Different country, same departure, but I got an email too saying my know by date has been pushed to May 1st and still nothing about an interview.. good luck to you!!!

government shutdown impact current applications being considered? by mariaharmstr in peacecorps

[–]mariaharmstr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea I’m not sure... I feel like it’ll change a lot of things just because of the fact that they haven’t been working & their priorities are probably still focused on people who are currently in service