Graduation!

In non-Peace Corps related news, I graduated college today! My dad, two aunts and an uncle flew in and it's going to be a fun-filled weekend! I now have a bachelor of science degree in Biology! I feel like such an adult.

On an even better note, the charter school which I volunteer at approached me asking if I would be interested in a more full-time position for the next semester before I leave for Peace Corps!!! While they're still not sure they can find a position for me, they're looking and I should hear back by Wednesday of next week. I'm not sure if I'd be teaching or what, but either way it's ideal. I was planning to volunteer teaching a science club enrichment class anyway and finding a part-time job to fill the rest of my time. If they're going to let me be there all day and PAY me to do it, I'm not going to complain!

Plus it would be some amazing experience in lesson planning and classroom structure which I will definitely need when I get to Africa where I may not have the same resources available to me. I absolutely love the school and the teachers are fantastic, I could learn so much from them. So it turns out being delayed until June isn't such a bad thing after all. Now I'll have an opportunity to save up some money and gain some invaluable teaching skills. Either way, I'm thrilled they want me full time! That's the best compliment I could receive.

I'm doing pretty well being patient about this Peace Corps stuff. Now that I'm going to be very busy for the next few months it should be pretty easy. Hopefully I will hear something by my birthday though. That would be a fantastic birthday gift!

Disappointment

So, I got up this morning feeling really optimistic about this week. I was told I would hear something from my placement officer this week. So I got up, logged into my email, and saw that I had an email from the education desk. I was beyond excited since I wasn't expecting to hear anything until Wednesday at the earliest. My excitement evaporated once I read the email though. Apparently, the program I was originally nominated for (early Feb. 2011 SSA secondary science education) is already full. The next available position in SSA that I'm qualified for doesn't leave until June. She also told me that if there are any available positions in other regions before June I would be hearing from another placement officer. However, after a quick peacecorpswiki check, it looks like there aren't any non-African countries with science volunteers leaving before June. June. That's another four months of waiting than I was expecting. FOUR MONTHS. I won't even get to hear from a placement officer for probably another three or four months.

So, I cried, I complained, I felt sorry for myself, I called my mom and cried and complained some more. After thinking about it though, it's not such a bad thing. The worst part is simply that I'll have to wait another four months. It's been 262 days since I submitted my application and the thought of waiting another 190ish days is pretty daunting.

On the bright side:
-I get to be with my family another 4 months
-I don't have to rush to pack and leave right after graduation and the holidays
-I can save up some money
-I get to go to my friends wedding!
-I get to be in town for a very special person's 30th birthday
-I will get to visit my dad again before I leave

At first I was angry that my nomination filled up while my paperwork was sitting on a desk waiting to be looked at (I sent everything in in July and I got medical clearance in November). However, I realized that since two programs have recently closed, one of those invitees may have received my spot. I'm completely ok with that, since they should definitely be a higher priority since they've already received an invitation and had to deal with it being canceled. I think that disappointment would be far worse than my delay, at least I wasn't set on a country yet! So, while I am disappointed, I'm continuing to be optimistic. And while I was hoping to have an invitation in my hand this week, I suppose I will have to spend that energy studying for finals and trying to find a job for the next five or six months. Congratulations to everyone who is getting invitations!

Emailed the Placement Office

So, I caved today and emailed the placement office to find out who my placement officer is and if I can contact her. I got a reply saying that I should wait until my placement officer contacts me directly, but that I can email the placement assistant with any questions. Apparently my placement officer is out of the office for the holiday (Hanukkah?) and will be back in the office sometime next week. This is good and bad news. I was hoping to hear something this week, but at least now I know when I should be expecting a call. Now I'm hoping for the end of next week, which will actually give me time to focus on finals which are looming.

Still No Word

So I'm almost at the one month mark since emailing the placement office with my updated resume. Consequently I am now also at the 8 week mark for my early February nomination. I was very optimistic that I would hear something from my placement officer this week, but since tomorrow is Friday it is seeming more and more unlikely. It is encouraging, however, that so many people in my position are hearing from their PO's. I'm considering calling my placement officer tomorrow, but I don't want to bug them too much. I know that they're incredibly busy placing the volunteers from the recently canceled programs, their office move last week, and all of the recent holidays.

If I don't hear something tomorrow, I expect to next week sometime. I think it's probably a good thing that I don't have an invitation right now, since I'm sure that would make studying for finals incredibly difficult. I know I won't be motivated to study organic chemistry if I am able to research what the next two years of my life will hold. Congratulations to everyone who has heard from their PO's or received invitations! I hope to be in the same place within the next week or so.