Thursday, August 28, 2008

Le Sigh

Prior to realizing that I may not get my invitation until January, I had been planning to spend the month of January fucking around Europe drinking beer, smoking spliffs, and generally soaking up my last few weeks of complete freedom. Not that one should think that I am in any way dreading service with Peace Corps or the massive responsibility that I will face when I am given my 2 year mission, quite the opposite really. It's just that I am really craving some time to myself without the burden of work or bills to pay or really having to do anything at all before I resigned myself to the nun-like behavior that, I'm assuming, is expected of a PC volunteer. But it has now come to my attention that if I spend those four weeks reveling in commitment-free debauchery I may miss my invitation all together and will have to delay my departure with the PC. That cannot happen. I need this chance to live, work, and travel abroad like I need air to breathe and I need it now. Or at the very least, as soon as possible.

So Europe is a no-go. Even though I had taken up a second job to pay for the trip and I have been scrimping and saving ever since. Even though I was planning to quit my job before my Christmas vacation to see my family and I will now have to stay at said boring job for another month or so. Even though I have to be out of my apartment as of Jan. 1st and I have no idea how I'm going to find a room to sublet for a month or a month and half, depending on when my departure will be. Even though I have a family friend that lives right outside of Amsterdam and I was going to stay with her, meet her new Dutch husband, and help her celebrate her birthday with a huge Dutch party. Le sigh.

At least I'll have plenty of money to travel during my PC vacations and I'll be able to afford mini-vacations in the northeast before I leave New York.

The Waiting Game...is Killing Me

So I haven't posted in about a month and a half and I wish that in that time I would have some exciting news to impart, like being medically cleared or the like, but alas the only that revelation that has come is the unwavering fact that I will not be finding out anything for quite some time. Like months.

After receiving word from the PC that they were concerned with my BMI, which frankly after coming face to face with the number I was too, I complied with their request for the lab results of my blood sugar, cholesterol, and thyroid functions. Fortunately everything came out relatively normal (my LDL is slightly "abnormal" at 112) and I sent in all the info, including my new weight, 12 lbs less than I had originally had on my paperwork. Hoping that since they had already been looking at my file, the PC would quickly come to a decision about my clearance and relieve me of the agony of not knowing if I'm in or not. This has not been the case.

I have learned from the forums at Peace Corps Folks that many people are actually not medically cleared until 2 months before they are slated to leave! Which, of course, means that they don't receive their invitations for another 3-4 weeks! The PC justifies the intense frustration and uncertainty they place on you by claiming that this is all lesson in patience and flexibility that a volunteer must have in order to be successful in their mission. That's all fine and good, but, dammit, I wanna know!!!!! If only for my sanity and the safety of those around me....