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!

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

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

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 :)

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

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)

"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.

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

PC Update in Maui

Well, its about time for another post! I hope everyone is well! The current update is that i got an email from my recruiter on May 31st,while i was still on vacation in Maui, stating that the programs that are leaving April-July 2013 are going to open up in the next few weeks for him to look at. He said that he would do his best to nominate me into a program,and would let me know via email/phone when he finds a program for me! Im staying positive as always, and really do appreciate all your prayers and support!

Until next time!

-Courtney

Update Time!!!

Hey everyone! Just a quick update. I received a phone call from my recruiter last Wednesday and he basically told me what i was thinking he would. He said that he looked over all my forms and such and everything looked good for now, but all the programs for 2012 are full..... which i was sure would happen. He told me that he cannot look at the programs and positions for next year until starting next month (June), so he told me to email him at the end of this month to let him know i am still interested. Im not really bummed because i had an inkling that this was what was going to happen. In a way i guess it worked out well because i knew i was at least a year away from leaving to serve. My recruiter also told me that the PC wont start sending volunteers out till April 2013 for next year anyways.

In the meantime, i have begun the job search for a full-time job hopefully in the science field, so i can put my degree to good use. I also have been looking for a 2nd part-time job to work at along my current job just until i  find a full-time job.

Also, WOOOO HOOO!!!! I can finally say i am an official college graduate with a B.A. in Biology. Man does it feel so amazing and crazy. I cannot believe i am finally done with college forever. But as my dad always says ( and he will probably read this so, Hi Dad!) learning never ends!! Anyways, I'm off to be productive and hopefully work on updating my resume a bit either tonight or tommorow.

Once again, thanks for reading my blog :)

-Courtney

Well, i had my interview today over the phone, with my recruiter. I have to say, i think it went pretty well! I was so nervous at first, sitting there waiting for my phone to ring. Right at 1pm it rang and my interview began. My recruiter asked me tons of questions, consisting of why i got interested in wanting to do the PC, leadership questions, questions about my job, finances, how i deal with stress, how i would deal with certain situations. I also got to ask questions if i had any, which of course i did. I got to learn about my recruiters time in the PC and what are he worked in.

That is pretty much it in a nutshell. I would go more into detail, but i don't want y'all to quite reading half way through haha. Anyways, he said to expect a call sometime before next Friday. And if i don't hear anything from him by then to give him a call.

Have a great day and thanks for reading my blog :)

Interview Scheduled!

Hey everyone! Just a quick update. My recruiter emailed me today and we have tentatively set up a phone interview on April 26th at 2/1pm EST. I am getting very nervous because i heard that the interviews can last anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours at the most. If you could, say a little prayer for me that day :) Many thanks!

-Courtney

Application Timeline

My timeline for my application process. I will be continually updating this as i go through each stage. enjoy!

And begin.

Sometime 1.5 years ago: Started application online.

November 2011: Notified 2 of my people doing recommendations for me (Thanks Tay and Morgann!!)

November 4th: 1st rec form submitted.

November 11th: 2nd rec form submitted.

January 25th, 2012: Notified last and final person for my last rec form.

March 20th, 2012: Uploaded both of my completed essays, resume.

March 24th, 2012: FINALLY turned in completed application online.  Completed the Health Status Review.

March 26th, 2012: Mailed my 2 transcripts to the regional office in Atlanta,GA.  Also received email that i had already been assigned an PC adviser ( who is always a returned Peace Corps Volunteer), who would be contacting me in the next two weeks.

March 29th, 2012: Received both a letter giving me the name of my recruiter assigned to help me through the application process, along with a large packet of forms to be filled out, including 2 fingerprint charts, and a request to do a background check. Both have to be mailed back in the next two weeks, or by April 13th. Also, received info needed to get on my Toolkit on peacecorps.gov, which allows me to track my application process!!!

Later on March 29th, 2012: When to my local police station where they helped me get my fingerprint charts and did not even charge me! I was so excited because they can cost from $10-$15 a chart, sometimes even $50 apiece if you have to do them electronically. Praise the Lord! Also, completed request to do a background check. Lets hope both go through without a hitch!

March 30th, 2012: Received my 1st email from my recruiter who has been assigned to me through this application process. He went to Zambia back in 2002 for 3 years so its pretty cool that he has been kind of semi-recent. He gave me a list of stuff to make sure i email/mail him back by April 13th.  Most of it i have already sent in the email and now all I'm waiting on is my last rec form which i hope gets done by next Friday.  He also sent me some areas he thinks I'm qualified for, one which is secondary education science teaching which was awesome because that was my number 1 choice that i wanted to do, community development being my 2nd choice.  Anyways, I'm currently filling out a form concerning my references so i can email that out to him tonight or tomorrow.

April 1st, 2012: Last recommendation finally turned in. Sent an email to my recruiter notifying him that all the paperwork he asked me to complete has been sent in. Hopefully sometime this week he will get in touch with me and we will set up my interview. Not sure if i will have to go to Atlanta for it or it will be a phone interview. I would almost rather go to Atlanta for the interview than do a phone interview because i feel they can see more of your personality that way.

April 16th, 2012: Received email from recruiter asking to resend a transcript and also answer a few questions.

April 19th/20th: Requested that a transcript be sent to the PC Regional Office in Atlanta. Updated recruiter and he emailed me back. We set a phone interview date of April 26th at 1pm (2pm in Atlanta).

April 26th: Had my phone interview with my recruiter. It went swimmingly :) Check out my separate interview post for more info.

May 30th: Emailed recruiter per his request to let him know that i am still interested in PC service

May 31th: Recruiter emailed me back stating that he was going to do his best to find a program to nominate me into in the April-June 2012  departure period.

June 12th: Found out via my PC Toolkit that i was nominated!

June 21st: Talked to recruiter and found out that i was nominated as a Secondary Education Science teacher ( he said i might also teach Chemistry, Physics per my skill set) in Sub-Saharan Africa leaving June 2013.

July 31st: Filled out new Health History Form on the new Peace Corps Medical Portal.

August: New Peace Corps Medical Portal goes live. This new portal makes it easier for nominees to submit medical paperwork and such without having to wait as long for the Placement Desk to receive it in the mail

Currently: WAITING, WAITING, WAITING..... oh and did i mention WAITING...

This is the beginning.

Let me start by saying that this blog has been a long time coming.  I started thinking about joining the Peace Corps 3 years ago when i was a freshmen in college.  The summer before i began school at Lambuth University I traveled to Mozambique, Africa (southern Africa, find exact location here http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/mzafrica.gif) for a 2 week missions trip with my home church.  I never thought in a million years that this would be the trip that would ultimately lead partly for me wanting to pursue the Peace Corps.  This trip strengthened my desire to pursue helping others overseas.  While i was there, i enjoyed being their so much because i did not have to worry about materialistic things, such as my cell phone, computer, and other things.  I think when things like those are taken away, we can really concentrate on doing things we love.  I love helping people and this trip helped me verify that i would love to do this for longer periods of time.  Once i got back from this trip, i was so busy with starting my first semester in college that i didn't even think about my trip's influence on me and my heart until school had started.  During my first semester,  I would have days where my heart hurt so much because i yearned to be back in Africa.  I began to feel, at this time, that the Lord had put this on my heart for me to pursue.  After several weeks of praying, i began to think about possibilities after i graduated that would allow me to work/volunteer out of the country.  It was then that i ran across the Peace Corps.

At first i would spend every day of the week going back and forth, pro/con-ning this possible plan of joining the Peace Corps.  I didn't even tell anyone at first, cause i wanted to really think and pray about it.  I ended up spending 2 more years doing this, thinking about if this is what i really wanted to do, and then told my family and friends that i was considering pursuing it.

One major thing i had to think about was if i wanted to stop my life here in the US for 27+ months ( you can extend your stay there for a year) and go to a place i had never been before.  This would mean i would have no paying job ( PC is a volunteer based service, where you do get monthly stipends according to where you are placed, along with approx. $7,000 after your service ends), and limited contact with family and friends.  It was at this time that i had to decide if it was worth it to me.


Here I am, 4 years later, and i finally sent in my application this past Saturday.  It gets real now. Scary, but real.  I'm about to graduate from college in 39 days (yes, I'm counting ) and as the days go by, i realized how soon i have to start being a big kid.  While i trudge on through the application process ( the entire application process from submitting your application to being in your country your invited to can take 9-12 months), i will be graduating, and also looking for a job as i probably wont be going anywhere till next year.  I hope anyone who reads this blog will say a little prayer for me that i don't go crazy through this application process :)

My next step in an interview at the PC Regional Office in Atlanta,GA.  I have already been assigned an advisor who is supposed to contact me about setting up my interview.

So this is it. And im ready.

-Courtney