Hello all my lovely readers! To say its been awhile is an understatement. While I have indeed had some free time over the last month or two, its mostly been spent relaxing after work or sleeping in before work, along with boatloads of family time.
First off, on the Peace Corps front, I have yet to hear anything from the Placement Office in Washington, but hey, whats new? We all know ( those of us who have RAS) that the Placement Office only graces us with its presence when we are least expecting us. I know at least for me that the first thing i do when i wake up each morning is to check each of my emails to see if i have any emails from the PC, along with checking Peace Corps Wiki for any new staging dates that have been added.
I guess all i can do is sit and wait as i have been for the last year. RPCV are right when they say patience is a big part of the job. I certainly have gotten better at being patient. Good things come to those who wait right?
In other news, just had my first meeting of the school year with my Mad Science team, and i cannot wait to start teaching next month! I get to teach at the same school as i did last semester, plus a new school! I will still be teaching at the same age level ( which i have now qualms about) and i get to teach new modules! ( Mixtures, Planets and Moons, etc) along with doing more special events with my team.
Working with Mad Science has made me realized how much less science education there is then reading and writing. I mean, i know there are workshops and stuff for reading and writing but loving science so much this kind of thing makes me more exccited to go teach it in Africa :)
Also, i hope everyone had happy holidays and got to spend time with their family! I got to spend alot of down time with my family, along with getting to see my little bro who was home from college! Even tho i had to work Christmas Eve i still got to enjoy my Christmas :)
Till next time, Courtney!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Monday, October 22, 2012
A God Thing :)
So I have been wanting to write a blog post about something that recently happened to me that totally was a God thing, but I didn't know how to put it into words until now, where I am currently sitting in a Starbucks by myself, and am perfectly content!
So at the beginning of the summer, as most of you should all know, i got nominated in June as a Secondary Education Science teacher with the Peace Corps, teaching science somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa ( basically anywhere in Africa except the Northern tip). I was and still am so excited! My recruiter at the time told me that in the meantime while i was waiting for the new medical system to go into effect, along with getting my application reviewed, was to gain experience teaching science, or tutoring science to kids, so i could have more experience teaching.
Seeing as I did not take a single education class in my life in college, I began the search for tutoring opportunities or teaching opportunities to teach science. However, it being the beginning of the summer, schools were out and there was not that much opportunity for me to get. One of the companies that i applied with, Mad Science, happened to be just me filling out an application not thinking i would ever hear back, as the position i originally applied for was a summer camp counselor.
Just an fyi also, i literally applied for tons of different programs/companies over a period of almost a month. And after a few weeks, i was really starting to lose hope that i would ever find a teaching opportunity, and the PC would never invite me then.
Mad Science, for those of you who are unfamiliar with this company, come and teach mostly after school science programs at different schools for children ages 3-12 years old. We also do birthday parties, in-school field trips, special events, company picnics, and much more!
Anyways, back to my story. So fast forward to the middle of September. I was at my other job (where i am one of the managers at a kids clothing store), when i checked my cell to find a missed call from a number i did not recognize, along with a voice mail After i got off work that day i checked my voice mail to find that the owner of the Mid South location of Mad Science had looked over my application and wanted me to come interview for an instructor position. I literally laughed out loud at how crazy this was. I had applied 4 months ago and had totally forgotten about applying.
I called her back, and ended up having my interview 4 days later. Not even 3 hours after returning home from my interview ( which went great) I got a call from the owner offering me a position as a part-time instructor! I freaked out of course, and accepted right away!
So, this is what its like when God puts opportunities such as this in your path to help you in what your passion is! It is such an amazing feeling, and every time I think of it, i cannot believe how this opportunity landed in my lap!
So at the beginning of the summer, as most of you should all know, i got nominated in June as a Secondary Education Science teacher with the Peace Corps, teaching science somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa ( basically anywhere in Africa except the Northern tip). I was and still am so excited! My recruiter at the time told me that in the meantime while i was waiting for the new medical system to go into effect, along with getting my application reviewed, was to gain experience teaching science, or tutoring science to kids, so i could have more experience teaching.
Seeing as I did not take a single education class in my life in college, I began the search for tutoring opportunities or teaching opportunities to teach science. However, it being the beginning of the summer, schools were out and there was not that much opportunity for me to get. One of the companies that i applied with, Mad Science, happened to be just me filling out an application not thinking i would ever hear back, as the position i originally applied for was a summer camp counselor.
Just an fyi also, i literally applied for tons of different programs/companies over a period of almost a month. And after a few weeks, i was really starting to lose hope that i would ever find a teaching opportunity, and the PC would never invite me then.
Mad Science, for those of you who are unfamiliar with this company, come and teach mostly after school science programs at different schools for children ages 3-12 years old. We also do birthday parties, in-school field trips, special events, company picnics, and much more!
Anyways, back to my story. So fast forward to the middle of September. I was at my other job (where i am one of the managers at a kids clothing store), when i checked my cell to find a missed call from a number i did not recognize, along with a voice mail After i got off work that day i checked my voice mail to find that the owner of the Mid South location of Mad Science had looked over my application and wanted me to come interview for an instructor position. I literally laughed out loud at how crazy this was. I had applied 4 months ago and had totally forgotten about applying.
I called her back, and ended up having my interview 4 days later. Not even 3 hours after returning home from my interview ( which went great) I got a call from the owner offering me a position as a part-time instructor! I freaked out of course, and accepted right away!
So, this is what its like when God puts opportunities such as this in your path to help you in what your passion is! It is such an amazing feeling, and every time I think of it, i cannot believe how this opportunity landed in my lap!
Medical Pre-Clearance!
Update time! Good news everyone, I received an email October 19th from the Office of Medical Services in Washington telling me that i have been medical pre-cleared for Peace Corps service. Now this is NOT a final medical clearance. This just means that they have reviewed the Health Forms I had to submit with my application when i fist applied, along with another Health History form that i submitted about 2 months ago.
But wait, that's not the only exciting news, this also means that the Placement Office is finally starting to review and look over my application! Woo hoo! I have been waiting 3-4 months for my time to come! Lets hope and prayer that everything goes well and I receive some good news before Christmas! Now that would be the best Christmas present ever :)
Thats all for now.
Now I am off to review my lesson plan to teach Mad Mixtures ( a chemisty-based lesson) to my little 3 and 4 year olds tommorow.
See yall!
-Courtney
But wait, that's not the only exciting news, this also means that the Placement Office is finally starting to review and look over my application! Woo hoo! I have been waiting 3-4 months for my time to come! Lets hope and prayer that everything goes well and I receive some good news before Christmas! Now that would be the best Christmas present ever :)
Thats all for now.
Now I am off to review my lesson plan to teach Mad Mixtures ( a chemisty-based lesson) to my little 3 and 4 year olds tommorow.
See yall!
-Courtney
Friday, September 21, 2012
Busy as a post-college grad....
As you guys can see, its been some time since i last posted. This is because I'm in the waiting process to hear something from the Placement Desk in Washington. As of right now, they are currently reviewing applications of nominees nominated to leave December 2012 to March 2013, so I'm just in the long, slow, waiting process that is making me go a tad crazy.
But on the bright side I have had free time ( when I'm not working 1 of my 2 jobs) to add to my resume, and boy, i am super proud of it ( my resume). I had added alot of volunteer work, gotten CPR/First Aid/AED certified with the American Red Cross, and gotten a part-time job as a instructor teaching after school science programs with the company Mad Science.
I am particularly excited about this last accomplishment because this is exactly what the Peace Corps asked me to get experience in, and i feel like this opportunity fell into my lap for a reason, because this is basically what i will be doing with my nomination that i have
Anyways, i will be teaching an after school programs once or twice a week in difference scientific areas ( human body, heredity, physics, dinosaurs, etc) to kids 3-12 years old, and im SO EXCITED :)
Oh and Im thinking of posting my essays that i submitted when i first applied to the PC, just to let people read if they are interested.
-Love you all!
-Courtney
But on the bright side I have had free time ( when I'm not working 1 of my 2 jobs) to add to my resume, and boy, i am super proud of it ( my resume). I had added alot of volunteer work, gotten CPR/First Aid/AED certified with the American Red Cross, and gotten a part-time job as a instructor teaching after school science programs with the company Mad Science.
I am particularly excited about this last accomplishment because this is exactly what the Peace Corps asked me to get experience in, and i feel like this opportunity fell into my lap for a reason, because this is basically what i will be doing with my nomination that i have
Anyways, i will be teaching an after school programs once or twice a week in difference scientific areas ( human body, heredity, physics, dinosaurs, etc) to kids 3-12 years old, and im SO EXCITED :)
Oh and Im thinking of posting my essays that i submitted when i first applied to the PC, just to let people read if they are interested.
-Love you all!
-Courtney
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
It's Been Awhile....
Hey folks, sorry it has been so long since my last post. As of right now, im sitting back and waiting to hear from the Medical Placement Office in Washington to see if i am medically pre-qualified and if I will be invited to serve in the Peace Corps. If i receive my invitation in the next month or so, i will begin going through the medical process, that can take anyway up to 3 months.
August 15th the Peace Corps launched the new medical portal where applicants can fill out a Health History Form that takes about an hour to complete. It basically asks a bunch of different questions regarding if your family has a history of certains dieseases, disorders, and goes through pretty much every system in your body (Cardiology, Dermatology, etc).
This new medical portal will allow invitees of the Peace Corps an easier way to submit important medical documents and communicated with the medical placement office in Washington.
In the meantime I am volunteering as much as possible, and when i can fit into my busy work schedule. So far I have volunteered at the Memphis Botanical Garden, and the Feast for Friends at Friends for Life. Also, August 28th I am getting CPR and First Aid for Adults and Kids certified. For those of you who love to volunteer like i do, check our volunteermidsouth.org. Its an awesome site where you can find events to volunteer at and it keeps tracks of your hours when you sign up on the site.
If any of you do end up signing up for events on this site, let me know what you think!
Until next time, Courtney :)
August 15th the Peace Corps launched the new medical portal where applicants can fill out a Health History Form that takes about an hour to complete. It basically asks a bunch of different questions regarding if your family has a history of certains dieseases, disorders, and goes through pretty much every system in your body (Cardiology, Dermatology, etc).
This new medical portal will allow invitees of the Peace Corps an easier way to submit important medical documents and communicated with the medical placement office in Washington.
In the meantime I am volunteering as much as possible, and when i can fit into my busy work schedule. So far I have volunteered at the Memphis Botanical Garden, and the Feast for Friends at Friends for Life. Also, August 28th I am getting CPR and First Aid for Adults and Kids certified. For those of you who love to volunteer like i do, check our volunteermidsouth.org. Its an awesome site where you can find events to volunteer at and it keeps tracks of your hours when you sign up on the site.
If any of you do end up signing up for events on this site, let me know what you think!
Until next time, Courtney :)
Monday, July 2, 2012
R.A.S. (aka "Restless Applicant Syndrome")
It's official. I have R.A.S ( Restless Applicant Syndrome"). Ever since I got nominated on June 12th I have been reading Peace Corps websites/blogs/books like crazy. As in, 2-3 hours at a time. I swear I am going to be a nervous wreck the next month or so partly due to the fact that the Peace Corps is revamping how they do their medical reviews and the new process wont be live till August 15th :( So its gonna be a lonnnnnnnnnggggggggggg few months. And in between then I'm trying to find a place i can tutor kids in science at and I'm not having any luck :( And i want to get CPR/First Aid certified too, along with about a bajillion other things on my several to do lists.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Until then i will be working like a maniac at my job and working out and doing PC-related stuff.
Have a good day :)
-Court
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Until then i will be working like a maniac at my job and working out and doing PC-related stuff.
Have a good day :)
-Court
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Nomination!
Hey all! Sorry It's been so long since I have posted! But I am very excited and happy to announce that as of June 12th, 2012 I was NOMINATED as a Secondary Education Science teacher in Sub-Saharan Africa, leaving June 2013. I just found out today the general region, time, and program today from my recruiter who I called back after missing his call while at work. IM SO EXCITEDDDDDDDDDD :)
Now let me explain that while i got nominated, i have not officially been invited yet.
What does "nomination" mean? ( the description below is taken from peacecorpswiki.com)
Now let me explain that while i got nominated, i have not officially been invited yet.
What does "nomination" mean? ( the description below is taken from peacecorpswiki.com)
"After your interview, your recruiter will match your skills with a program that needs those skills and nominate you to that program. Nomination means that you will know the general program you will work in, the geographic region, and your approximate departure date.
If this sounds like a step in the right direction, it is! But take note—nomination only means that your recruiter has recommended you for a given program. A formal invitation to that program can only be made after your medical and legal review is complete and after you have been deemed qualified and suitable for Peace Corps service by our Placement Office.
Something to think about: Peace Corps will take into consideration any preferences you have for where you'd like to serve. But when deciding on your nomination, your recruiter is most concerned with finding a fit between your skills and a country's needs. You'll need to be flexible and trust that Peace Corps will match you up with the program that is best for both you and the community you'll be serving."
So, as you guys can see I'm nominated but still have a long road ahead to receive
(hopefully, fingers crossed) my invitation to serve. In the meantime, your prayers and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. In the next year i plan on beefing up my application, resume, to make me a more competitive applicant. If anyone know of any good volunteer opportunities or jobs centering around science PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know.
(hopefully, fingers crossed) my invitation to serve. In the meantime, your prayers and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. In the next year i plan on beefing up my application, resume, to make me a more competitive applicant. If anyone know of any good volunteer opportunities or jobs centering around science PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know.
My recruiter told me not to expect anything in the mail until August, when i am supposed to receive a preliminary health form that I then send to an education placement adviser who then matches me with a country if I'm medically and legally qualified and my skill set and qualifications match the country's needs. It is not until after i receive my invitation that I then start the medical forms needed for service.
Let me know if there is any fellow peace corps nominees that are nominated for June 2013 as well, or even if your nominated into the same program I am :)
Thanks again for reading everyone!
Until then,
Courtney
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