Lets try this again...

Alright everything was resubmitted, I guess what  happened was the E-mail got deleted in an automatic purge their office does, because it was over a holiday weekend. Moral of the story make sure they get your info... E-mail, E-mail, E-mail! I'm truly hoping I still make my original nomination, in reality I only have this month to be placed so I can get my invite in time for January. I'm gonna be a pain and call if I don't hear anything next week... and possibly call every week, I still can't be alive this whole month was wasted time. At least I found it out before it was too late.

Side note, I also can't believe its already been over a year into this application which mean 6 months since finishing school... hello student loan payments! When did you get here?

Information got lost in placement...

Sigh well I found out why I hadn't heard anything new in awhile. Apparently they never received my information. I have been sitting around being a complete nut about my placement checking my E-mail everyday, and the whole time they hadn't gotten any of the info I E-mailed 2-3 weeks ago. Good thing I broke down and E-mailed them to check on my application. I'm really hoping they have time to go through my information in time for my nomination date, grrr now I'm disheartened.

The waiting game! And are my comments still not working?

Watching all the peace corps journals is frustrating, I keep seeing people getting invites for the Jan/Feb and even March programs. I am well aware that I still have plenty of time before the 8 week mark but I'm still doing the compulsive check my E-mail, thank god I don't have a smart phone! I will say that the applications process leaves no room for uncertainty you have to be committed to the Peace Corps to be willing to deal with this process haha. I'm trying to not bother my officer until November, granted that will most likely mean at midnight of 1 November first I'll send and E-mail. Soon I just have to remember it will happen eventually...

On a side note, people have been E-mailing me from this site saying they couldn't comment on my blog I fiddled with the settings and I think it should be fixed anyone wanna try to see if its working now?

We have contact with placement!

Came home from work to find placement office contacted me for follow up information! I'm a bit too excited about this. Just E-mailed my undated Resume, scanned transcript (not sure if that is okay but I figure it was worth a shot), and some info about my HIV and AIDS experience since original application. I'm so close to the end of this application and it makes me happy. I hate that it is a holiday Monday so I have to wait until till later next week to find out if I need more info. Could this mean that an invitation will be coming soon? Fingers crossed!

While you wait... Read a book!

So while this wait between medical clearance and placement feels like forever I have to remind myself that I am already a year into my application. And I've noticed what helped pass the time best, was good books so here is a list of some of the books I have read (some re-read) in the last year that you might want to check out... Oh its also on a 1-5 scale (5 being AMAZING GO BUY THIS NOW!!!!!11!!1!)

Currently reading:

White Oleander - Janet Fitch: ***** One of my old favorite books. If your interested in a poetic and emotional book this is a good one. The first time I read it I was 14 and I was so captivated by it that I literally would skip meals and sleep to read more. Its look into the relationship between mothers and daughters, at its core level. Be warned it's fairly sexual and very heavy material but you'll remember it.
 

Galapagos - Kurt Vonnegut: **** I'm a huge Vonnegut fan first off so I will recommend a lot of books by him. I think this book is set apart from his others because of how concise it is. The book takes a look into all that is flawed in human beings, and all that is great in them. I love the theme of evolution in the novel and though I wont say its my favorite book of his, I'd say its worth a look at.





Finished:

Catch 22 - Joseph Heller:   ** This one is difficult, I REALLY wanted to like this book. By all logic I should have liked this book. Its satirical, its witty, it had a unique voice, and for me... it was boring. I really hate to say it. I just was disinterested after the first 50 pages, and it took effort for me to actually read it all the way through. I loved the ending, but aside from that I don't think I'd read it again. Honestly I believe it has a lot to do with the writing style something about it just didn't thrill me.

American Gods - Neil Gaimen: **** Wonderful book! I always like Neil Gaimen. As usual the story and characters were interesting and I wanted to keep reading. However, as usual with his books the ending was a bit weak/ too ambiguous. Thats pretty standard for him, but I greatly enjoyed this book.

Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips: ***** Awesome. This was hilarious! Nice light, humorous read. I read the whole thing in one sitting. If you want a book to keep you happy while your are trying not to look at your phone this is it.

Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut: ***** I think Vonnegut was out of his mind when he wrote this, which made it great. The book seemed to be a series of odd thoughts in his head, kinda relating to a story. I was very entertained. My favorite part was about Germany and the creation of the beetle cars. The drawing were wonderful, I laughed the whole way through.

Slaughter House Five - Kurt Vonnegut: ***** Can you tell who one of my favorite authors is? I loved this book. The whole disjointed storytelling was captivating, I wanted to always know more. I was instantly intrested in the characters and the story. After Cat's Cradle I knew I need to read this story and I have to tell you it lives up to the hype.

War of the Flowers - Tad Williams: ***** I had always heard good things about Williams fantasy novels but this was my first time reading one. Don't let the cover fool you, this is a well written and interesting book. Though it follows a lot of the classic "fantasy" plots it still manages to feel original and thought out.

The Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett: *** After reading Good Omens last year I needed to find out about this author who's voice was so obvious against Neil Gaimens. This book was a mix of reactions for me. I loved the humor and I loved the characters, but I disliked the lack of chapters and the occasional run on joke. This being my first disc-world book it was impressive to read and I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

Choke - Chuck Palahniuk:  *** Unexpected is the best way for me to describe this book. I wasn't blown away but I was often shocked. If your a fan of Palahniuks writing you'll know what I mean. This book can be a bit overpowering with the details and can make you feel uncomfortable if someone is reading over your shoulder. But over all well written and interesting.






I'll think of more later. How is everyone else spending there waiting time?

Possibilities?

Still waiting to hear ANYTHING from placement office. I looked around and it seems to be either something that happens right away or not for months. Just trying to not check my E-mail ten times a day...

Due to boredom I decided to play around on the peace corps wiki calculator and do a bit of cross referencing with departure dates. I found a good amount of posted programs leaving in Jan/Feb for community development.

Looks pretty promising! I was nominated for Southern Africa so its narrowed down to Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, and Malawi. I'd prefer South Africa or Namibia, but I wouldn't mind going to somewhere like Thailand. Honestly I'd be happy to go anywhere, I only wish the programs were still open in countries like India or Turkey. Now back to the waiting game!