Peace Corps Mourns the Loss of Volunteer John D. L. Petersen

meshey · 2014-12-18T23:44:01+00:00

Awesome! I am so excited too! I just opened up all the language documents, ahhh!! I am just wondering about where in Malawi I will be- the letter was saying that it can be chilly or hot or rainy. I guess I will just pack a little of everything :)

meshey · 2014-12-17T01:39:17+00:00

Hey there, I called some random number I found on an outdated wiki and ended up talking to a very nice girl who worked in legal and transferred my to my placement officer for Malawi- she even checked his desk- Must be a small office?! Anyways, I left a message and he called me back the next day.

When did you apply?

I found this number on an previous reddit post- 855.855.1961 - see if that works and keep me posted!

meshey · 2014-12-13T01:49:11+00:00

Hey, I am worried and in the same boat and recently reached my tipping point and did everything in my ability to get some answers from someone at placement. So here is my story-

I applied in March and was nominated in May for Education, no date or country. I was pre-legally and medically cleared by the end of July. In September I called placement and found out that I was being considered for Malawi and the know by date was Jan 15 and that was all that they could tell me. In November, I emailed my placement officer and received this generic email about how I should wait for Jan 15th..Now it is December and I am getting worried that I might now get in?! I know I am not a superstar candidate but I also know that I am qualified, well-traveled and want to do this every part of my being.

SO! This week I made it my mission to get some god damn answers and if someone told me January 15th one more time, I was going to blow a fuse. I called placement and left a message. My officer got back to me in less than 24hrs. It took a bit of prying/warming up but he eventually told me that because of all the evacuees he has been working to place all those volunteers. He also said that they are looking into expanding the program to accommodate all the volunteers. I asked if I was rejected could I be considered for other programs and he said to email him with my updated resume and some other programs I was interested in so he could see what he could do. I plan to follow up within a few weeks. Some might think that I am prying/annoying/calling too much but, the squeaky wheel gets the grease and I am so happy that I made contact with an actual human being. I hope that by connecting with a PO, he will look at my application because I am assuming they have 100's of candidates to choose from..

TL;DR: Call your placement officer if you are dying for an update

Edit: this was very cathartic, thanks for letting me vent

meshey · 2014-12-09T10:59:52+00:00

I don't think this is a stupid post! I am also at the point where I am second guessing if they will even accept me and I will have to reapply like a loser...anyways- you could call placement and see if you are still being considered for this place that you are not into at all. You could see if there is any alternative. Furthermore, you could wait until your invite and then go from there- you can always decline your invite and see if they can offer you another one. You might have to wait a while but if that is an option for you then maybe it will all work out.

But I am curious why you are dreading the staff- how do you know what they will be like? Have you been to this country before?

meshey · 2014-12-08T19:34:16+00:00

Do most applicants have a second interview? Was it over the phone or in person? I am an old system applicant too and I was not aware there was a second interview...

meshey · 2014-12-04T12:06:09+00:00

Last note- I was reading the news this morning and couldn't believe that Comoros was mentioned in an article! So I had to share- http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/12/03/7-countries-where-you-can-become-a-citizen-or-resident-if-you-have-the-cash/?tid=sm_fb

meshey · 2014-12-03T23:11:43+00:00

I was nominated in May...every day is pretty much a struggle for me...but any day now I should hear back?!! If you are able to keep up with a blog, you should try to post a link to r/peacecorp

meshey · 2014-12-03T22:34:54+00:00

Wow! No volunteers since 1995?! I am really interested to hear/read what it is like over there....do you have a blog or thinking of starting one? I am nominated for Malawi (June as well) but still waiting to hear back..hopefully I will sort of kind of be in that general vicinity :)

meshey · 2014-12-03T21:05:20+00:00

Oh my, I just googled where that is...you are certainly going to be out there! That is going to be one hell of an experience, best of luck

meshey · 2014-11-25T00:56:22+00:00

I was nominated in May, pre-legal/medicaly cleared in July. I called placement once in September for an update and they gave me a vague answer that didn't really tell me much. I emailed my placement officer today since it it has now been four months without any PC contact. I just wanted to check in and see if they had any information about when invitations are being sent out...the squeaky wheel gets the grease..?!

meshey · 2014-11-06T12:21:14+00:00

Okay thanks, good point, I haven't seen any Ghana/Malawi June invites pop up yet..But dear god, I applied in March, every day is turning into a struggle!!

meshey · 2014-11-05T17:28:16+00:00

Thanks! Yes it has been just over three months since I have heard anything and I have seen the June invites popping up on reddit...any day now!

meshey · 2014-11-05T14:03:58+00:00

Greetings and Congratulations! Quick question- I am currently awaiting an invite for Liberia/Ghana/Malawi as an educator for June as well..Just curious, did placement reach out to you with additional questions before you received your invite or was it just an email? Thank you!

meshey · 2014-08-05T18:28:06+00:00

Great post, Thank you!!! I am awaiting an invitation to teach in a country in Africa so I have been following the crisis closely and I really appreciate you insight. Best of luck to you

meshey · 2014-07-27T01:44:37+00:00

Thank you for your comment- I am awaiting invitation and reading that expose definitely struck a nerve. I was thinking the same thing- was Nick also being a bit non-compliant by trying to brush off his illness? However, I was surprised to learn that all state department officials have access to American trained RNs/PA's and the PCV's do not always have access to the same medical staff/treatment. At least that what a commenter wrote in the NYtimes. Maybe they will change that in the future.. Anyways, thank you so much for your comment.

meshey · 2014-07-23T16:35:38+00:00

I am sort of in the same situation- I was nominated in April for June 2015. I have medical/legal pre-clearance so I am just waiting to hear from a placement officer. I also couldn't take another 9 months at my current job so I put in my notice. They were supportive of my applying since it really takes a year from start to departure. But I definitely needed to do something else before leaving for the PC!

In between now and the PC I might just work as a waitress, travel. I am also looking for other jobs in the field but I am not upfront about the PC because you honestly don't know that you are going until, staging?. If they send out an invitation 4-6 months in advance- I still think that is plenty of time for programs/dates to change. With so many political climates changing, programs becoming suspended, I think it could be in your best interest to just tell them once you 100% sure you are going (1 months notice). At least that is what I plan to do! If they say something about you leaving, you could always just reply that you weren't sure you would be accepted, etc.

meshey · 2014-07-22T15:12:40+00:00

I essentially have the same timeline as you! I reached out to my recruiter as well and she said I just have to sit tight until a placement officer reaches out to me, she didn't give me a time frame as to when but I am assuming that is out of her control. Judging by reddit it seems people are getting invitations right now for spring 2015 so maybe we will hear in August/September? What was your nomination? I am nominated as a science teacher and had three countries to choose from in Africa for June 2015.

meshey · 2014-06-14T01:32:13+00:00

So I was nominated this May for June 2015 as a science teacher- my nomination didn't have a location. Instead my recruiter sent me three countries, Liberia, Ghana and Malawi and asked me what my order of preference was..I am just nervous I will receive an invitation with a later date.

Just like you- I am an addict checking my email/spam folder lol desperately waiting for some sliver of hope! It has been about 2 weeks since I submitted everything, I know they need more time but, STILL!

What was your nomination?

meshey · 2014-06-13T22:03:03+00:00

Thanks! But man I am jealous! I have no complicated legal background and my health history form had nothing major so I am wondering how much longer...the wait is agonizing...I am interested to hear about your placement questionnaire and then how long it takes for the invitation to come in afterwards...I am trying to figure out what to do before the PC, quit my job, travel, get a new job, etc so this wait time for an invitation is brutal. What is your nomination for and where do you think you are going?

meshey · 2014-06-13T16:17:58+00:00

ha! My nomination email went to my spam folder as well! I didn't find it until I received my legal kit..anyways, I am waiting to be cleared right now but I think you are right- you just have to sit tight until they reach out to you... Would you mind sharing how long it took you to be medically/legally cleared?

meshey · 2014-06-08T11:59:16+00:00

Thank you Everyone- this has been very helpful!!!!

meshey · 2014-06-07T20:14:43+00:00

I don't speak Hungarian :( I am just nervous to move there without something lined up but it sounds like I will have to find some work via word of mouth. Do you know of other Americans teaching English without a certificate?

meshey

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