Details

The invitation packet arrived with a bit more information:

I depart March 14th for Mexico and will spend the first three months in training in Queretaro (124 miles NW of Mexico City), where I'll live with a host family. My title will be "business consulting, technology transfer and organizational strengthening specialist."

I'll find out then where I'll be stationed for the next two years. I might remain in Queretaro or go to another state where it is safe, which includes many parts of Mexico. Volunteers in the Technology Transfer program live and work in larger cities.

I'm making some progress with Spanish classes and enjoying my free time, especially now that the waiting and wondering are over.

Here's to a wonderful holiday season and an exciting new year! I'll write more when my new adventure begins.

Adios

It's official -- I'm in the Peace Corps!

I just received an e-mail from the Peace Corps saying a letter of invitation is in the mail with details about my assignment and I will have 10 days to accept. This is for the Technology Transfer Program in Mexico I described earlier, which departs in mid-March.

Finally! It's so nice to have something concrete to go on. I'll add details as soon as I know more.

Yo estoy feliz (I am happy!)

Donna

Hola!

I had a phone interview yesterday with four people from the Peace Corps: The country director for Mexico, the Technology Transfer Program director and two others. It could not have gone better. They were enthusiastic about what I would bring to the position and are recommending me for several openings. The next step is to get approval from the sponsoring organizations in the country. The soonest I will hear is early November.

I also learned more about the positions they are recommending me for: I would work with scientists and engineers at a research and technology center or university in a medium to large city to help them improve their business, communication, management and English skills. They wondered if that sounded OK to me. I resisted saying "DUH!" and instead said "It sounds like it's made to order," and they agreed. Then I said "I hope the organizations agree with you and me," and they said "We'll do everything we can to make that happen, and we hope to see you in March."

I have already purchased The Rosetta Stone Spanish (for Latin America) Level 1. Oy gevult. (<-- not Spanish).

This is definitely not a typical Peace Corps assignment. I was prepared to use a squat toilet and fetch water from a community well if I had to. But I'll adapt.

I'll report back in a few weeks.

Invited to interview

Happy day! I was invited to interview for the Mexico position departing in March 2011. The interview will be either this Thursday or Monday. Here's a link to more information about this assignment: http://mexico.peacecorps.gov/faqs/future.php.

According to the site:

Mexico's program is made up largely of mid to late career professionals or retirees. Approximately 50% of the Volunteers are over 50 in Peace Corps Mexico, and include many couples. The program is slightly different from other Peace Corps programs in that Volunteers frequently work with other Volunteers in the same office or nearby communities, and/or may be part of a cluster or multi-disciplinary work team which is made up of other Volunteers, Host Country partners and/or staff. This is a program that fosters collaboration, partnerships and networking, both amongst Volunteers as well Host Country Agency partners.

I'll post the results of the interview.

Latin America in March?

I received an e-mail today from the supervisor for placement review confirming yesterday's phone conversation (see previous post), but with a little more detail. She said I'm being considered for a program in Latin America that leaves in March, and that has a slightly different placement process than other Peace Corps programs. She has forwarded my resume to the post and said if they think the fit is not right, based on either my resume or the interview, she will return my file to my placement specialist to be considered for another program that matches up with my skills and background.

Sounds good so far. That would give me time to get the Spanish version of Rosetta Stone and start learning Espanol. Si? Esto es muy emocionate! <--courtesy of Babel Fish online traslator. Try it! www.babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt.

I heard a heartbeat!

I heard from the Peace Corps today. WAHOO!!! There's no specific assignment yet, but the call was to give me a heads up that there's a good match for me in the Technology Transfer Program. The program looks for people with business skills and backgrounds in areas such as organizational development and communication to fill site-specific needs within a country. The Peace Corps works in partnership with these organizations, which would sponsor my visa, but it would still be a Peace Corps position. I was told to expect a call within the next two weeks for an interview. In the meantime, the Placement Office is waiting to hear back on some other positions that are also a good fit. It's nice to be able to post some progress on my blog, and even nicer to know my file is still alive.

My first post!

Welcome to my new blog. This is my first post about my Peace Corps experience, which I hope will commence soon with an actual assignment and departure date. If all goes well, I will continue to write about my experiences for the duration of my 27-month assignment, or for as long as we'll have each other.

With my corporate career soon behind me, I look forward to the next chapter as a Peace Corps volunteer. It has been 14 months since I submitted my application. Now I wait for an assignment. I could depart in as soon as a month, or not until sometime next year. It looks as if my wish for some down time between my Sept. 1 retirement and departure has been granted, which gives me time to paint, read, work out, sleep late, finish cleaning my closets, or just zone out on my patio if I want to.

Friends familiar with the Peace Corps warned me that the application process was long and tedious. But the reality has far exceeded my expectations, from reams of required paperwork and medical and legal reviews, to the interminable waiting for word on my status. I have had decades of experience learning how to hurry up and wait; this has got to be excruciating for someone in their 20s.

I was nominated in July 2009 for a business development position working with artisans in Morocco or Jordan, with a September 2010 departure date. Although I was apprehensive about an assignment in the Middle East, I was excited about the prospect of working with artists. Plus, the nomination was necessary to advance me to the next step: the medical review.

I was checked from stem to stern and I have an "all-clear," with two medical limitations, one or both of which disqualified me for Morocco and Jordan. The placement officer said there were many other countries where I was medically qualified, however, and added teaching English as a second language to business development as potential assignment areas.

For some reason that probably makes sense to the U.S. Government, the placement officer couldn't share the list of qualifying countries. I found a Wiki site (www.peacecorpswiki.com/timeline), a grassroots effort to fill in the blanks by people such as I who are hungry for information but can't find it through official Peace Corps resources*. As nominees receive their letter of invitation -- the final assignment notice everyone hopes for -- they populate the Wiki site with their assigned country and departure date. The site lists the remaining countries where volunteers are being deployed through the end of the year. There may be other countries not listed; the site is only as accurate as the people posting the information. Although the rule of thumb is six-weeks departure notice, one month is a possibility.

So here I sit, poised with catcher's mitt on, ready to find out what's in store. But for now, my first agenda item for Wednesday, Sept. 1 is: "Sleep late -- presenter: Donna"

I'll post another entry when I have Peace Corps news to share.

Until then, Peace!

* The Peace Corps does provide excellent information on the volunteer experience, as well as countries served, types of service, the application process and other information. To learn more visit http://www.peacecorps.gov/.