A timeline of my Peace Corps experience up to official volunteerhood:
2/19/2004 – After much thought, stopped by PC recruiter’s office on campus for the first time.
2/23/2004 – Told my family about my plans to join the peace corps after graduation.
2/25/2004 – Stopped by recruiter’s office for second time, had a nice long chat and found out I don’t need to apply until next fall-ish.
1/10/2005 – Began filling out my application online.
2/16/2005 – Completed application.
2/17/2005 – Interview with recruiter from Chicago office, receive my packet with fingerprint chart and background check paperwork.
3/17/2005 – Completed packet from interview (fingerprints, background check, skill addendem) and mailed to recruiter. Last letter of recommendation submitted.
4/6/2005 – Paperwork received in Chicago office, minus financial paperwork.
4/14/2005 – Second interview via telephone, received nomination for TEFL in Africa in November 05.
7/20/2005 – Medical paperwork completed and mailed to PCMO.
7/25/2005 – Medical paperwork arrives via USPS Priority Mail after 5 days- I blame it on DC security screening.
7/29/2005 – FedEx envelope arrives in mail today. It’s my dental paperwork, I need two fillings.
8/1/2005 – Got my fillings and sent my paperwork back in via PC-provided FedEx Overnight envelope.
8/3/2005 – Dental clearance!
9/19/2005 – No word from PCMO, I call and remind them that my COI is coming up soon. They say, call back in two weeks if you haven’t heard anything.
9/27/2005 – Receive phone call from screening nurse asking about paperwork- says she’ll finish up and send out a letter soon.
9/29/2005 – PO calls, I have medical clearance, missed my program COI and she wants to switch regions: Asia leaving in January or March 2006 or wait until July to go to Africa. I want time to think.
9/30/2005 – Call PO and decide to switch regions. She says it should be 2-4 weeks until I receive an invitation.
10/5/2005 – Toolkit update says I’ve been nominated!
10/7/2005 – Invitation to Philippines arrives via FedEx.
10/11/2005 – Officially accepted my invitation.
12/11/2005 – Mailed in paperwork for passport and visas. It cost me almost $60.
1/27/2006 – Received a CD from PC with Philippines country information.
2/21/2006 – Staging materials arrive. No need to call SATO to make plan reservations, we’re staging in Detroit- I’ll drive to the hotel.
3/21/2006 – Drove to staging, held in a hotel near the airport.
3/23/2006 – Batch 265 left Detroit 76 strong, flying to Manila via Nagoya, Japan.
3/24/2006 – Just minutes before midnight, following approximately 19 hours of travel time all 76 of us arrived in Manila and were scooped up and delivered to our Initial Orientation Site to meet up with one transfer volunteer, making us 77 total.
3/25/2006 – Begin Initial Orientation, poking, prodding, sessions and general jetlag and hotness.
3/31/2006 – Leave Metro Manila from Initial Orientation to go to our regional hubs for continuing training.
4/5/2006 – Broken into 3 clusters, we left our hub facility to move in with our training host families.
5/27/2006 – End of Pre-Service Training 1, we bid goodbye to our host families and prepared for our upcoming Language Proficiency Interviews (LPI).
5/28/2006 – LPI, I pass.
5/29/2006 – Beginning of Supervisor’s Conference at our hub site.
5/30/2006 – End Supervisor’s training, move out of hub site and get on a night bus to swearing-in cermony in Los Banos, Laguna.
5/31/2006 – Arrive in the wee hours, “comittment to excellence” interviews, shopping and preparation for Swearing-In.
6/1/2006 – Morning sessions and afternoon Swearing-In. We are now volunteers, tomorrow the group in the Visayas will swear in and we will be 75 in number.
6/2/2006 – We finish up the last administrative sessions and get fingerprinted. Before Heading off to site, most go to Manila for reasons either medical and/or personal enjoyment.
6/3/2006 – Leave Manila, doctor’s appointment over, and take a night bus to site.
6/4/2006 – Arrive at site and start getting settled in.
6/5/2006 – First day on the job as an official PCV.