Our Peace Corps Timeline

Everyone who applies for Peace Corps has a completely different timeline of major events. So if you are looking to this for answers I hope it helps, but it might look very different from what you experience and have in your future. This will be pretty short… A simple calender of major Peace Corps moments up until now!

April 12, 2011 : Started Peace Corps Application

April 14, 2011 : Finished It!!! Yay!

April 18, 2011 : Contacted By a Recruiter to Set Up a  Meeting.

April 26, 2011 : Initial Meeting and Finger Printing/ Background Check.

June 14, 2011 : First Interview!! (Over the Phone)

June 21, 2011 : Sent In Additional Requested Forms.

August 3, 2011 : Nominated to Serve!! AWESOME! Region of Asia, Leaving April 2012!!

August 10, 2011 : Received Medical and Dental Evaluations.

September 15, 2011 : Sent Back Medical and Dental Evaluations.

October 6, 2011 : Received Word That They Received Our Medical and Dental Forms!!!

October 25, 2011: We have gotten our dental clearance!!! Took a lot less time than I thought

October 27, 2011: Received mail requesting repeat tests for the Medical Clearance.  I had to repeat my Comprehensive Metabolic Panel and Brett has to write a personal statement about a kidney surgery he had when he was a newborn.

November 8th, 2011: We are in the medical clear! Wow I feel like that was so stressful but we are finally finished with this stage.  I just have to go back in February and get my TSH re-tested but I am still cleared!! Big Relief.

November 17th, 2011:  Heard from one office of Placement.  The education department. Had to send in updated resumes and skills.  

November 22nd, 2011:  We sent everything back on the 18th but heard from her today saying that we still had to wait on our actual Placement Officer to review our files and it could be more weeks! Patience is getting hard… But I guess we are lucky to get nominated for April, it takes most couples over a year from the time the start the application. STILL… I am so ready to know details!!

December 16th, 2011:  We were contacted by our final Placement Officer!! She has changed our assignment to French speaking Africa , Departing May 2011, with new job assignments too! Now, we couldn’t be happier!

December 30th, 2011: Final Interview! It went really well. Nothing to fear if you are about to go through this stage. It is basically a catch up conversation and a chance for you to ask questions and state concerns.  She did tell us that it could be several weeks before we received an invitation because they are on a hold! So sad to keep waiting but at least we are in!!

January 16th, 2011:  Our invitation arrives!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!!!! We are going to Mali! Awesome!!!!!!!! The wait is over.  From start to finish it only took us 14 months. A record for couples placement. I am so Fired Up!!!!

Back to Blogging….

It is time – again – to write about the various life adventures of married Werkheiser life. Which is, at its very basic level, different from anything I have ever experienced. Short Recap: In the last two years as a Werkheiser I have lived in four states, and a van. By van – I mean a burgundy Ford Conversion Van that whisked us away to over 15 states and 19 National Parks, and over 50 Wal-Marts/Holiday Inns (not that we stayed in, but rather lived in their parking lots).  Along with van life I learned how to sing to stay awake, eat “free” breakfasts in various hotel lobbies, take showers in state parks on the quarter system, and how exactly to stay on the road in Kansas winds while driving a billboard.  Its been quite an adventure and my Long Haired, Golden Locks, No Shoes Wearing Husband is very lucky (in my opinion) that he has a wife who has enjoyed almost every bit of it.

Now we are positioned on the outskirts of Los Angeles, California in an apartment that can only be described as our temporary home away from “home.” Temporary as it is, we love it – love our best friend roomies and their 3 year old daughter- love our wild neighbors and their yappy ugly chiwawas – and love the fact that we can walk to downtown and ride our bikes to work (not that I do).

This blog will primarily be to keep our loving family informed of our whereabouts in the world once we leave for Asia in our attempt to save humankind as a Peace Corps volunteer!! As a disclaimer anything we say here is of our own understanding and opinions and does NOT have anything to do with Peace Corps as an organization or their ideas and involvements.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing. I hope I can inspire and motivate someone or all of you to a life that is outside of the North American Norm.  Mostly I hope that you can understand what I am trying to convey however splicy, unprepared, and random my posts may be.  :)

I love you, all of you…. Even if I haven’t met you…. More than you will ever know!