before service

Step 1: Application & Initial Documents
  • Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 12:20 am: Submit Application and Health Status Review
  • Saturday, August 14, 2010: Receive Fingerprint Charts and National Agency Check Questionnaire
  • Tuesday, August 17, 2010: Receive email requesting transcripts, marriage certificate, teaching/scuba certificate, financial obligation statements and reminder about fingerprints and recommendations
  • Wednesday, August 18, 2010: Email Couples Questionnaire to Assessment Specialist
  • Friday, August 20, 2010: Get fingerprinted
  • Thursday, August 26, 2010: Receive notarized financial statement from parents
  • Friday, August 27, 2010: Send transcripts, financial obligation statements and letter and certificates to Peace Corps via certified USPS
  • Saturday, August 28, 2010: Realize we left our completed fingerprint cards and National Agency form on our kitchen island; send those UPS for a Tuesday arrival
  • Tuesday, August 31: Peace Corps Assessment Specialist receives our transcripts and other documents
  • Wednesday, September 1: Peace Corps Assessment Specialists receives our fingerprints and NA form; toolkit updated!

Step 2: Interview & Nomination
  • Tuesday, September 7: Receive email from our newly-assigned recruiter Chris; skill addenda forms attached for both of us and asks us to contact him for an interview.
  • Thursday, September 9: Schedule our interview.
  • Thursday, September 16: Interview with recruiter at Peace Corps DC office. Given 4 options for our nomination and chose Asia, August 2011.  Chris teaching English and Kate teacher training.

Step 3: Medical Kit Completion
  • Wednesday, September 22: Toolkits update: Officially Nominated and Medical information mailed!
  • Thursday, September 23: Schedule doctor, dentist and ophthalmologist appointments. Pray that medical kits arrive in time for next week's appointments!
  • Friday, September 24: Receive medical kits! Spend hours pouring over and reading information.
  • Monday, September 27: Chris sees dentist and receives cleaning, panorex and bite wing x-rays, and dentist completes dental paperwork.
  • Tuesday, September 28: Kate sees doctor (pap smear, urinalysis, polio and tetanus boosters, PPD injection and 4 vials of blood), dentist (panorex and bite wing x-rays and cavities to fill) and ophthalmologist (eyeglass form completed.)
  • Wednesday, September 29: Kate gets cavities filled and dental paperwork is completed.
  • Friday, October 1: Chris sees doctor (general check up, urinalysis, polio and tetanus boosters, PPD injections and withdraws 5 vials of blood- paperwork completed.) Kate returns to doctor to have PPD test read.
  • Saturday, October 10: Chris receives lab results.
  • Friday, October 15: Kate receives lab results.
  • Saturday, October 16: Medical kits mailed back to Peace Corps headquarters!
  • Monday, October 25: Medical kits received by Peace Corps and online status updated.
  • Tuesday, October 26: Chris receives Dental Clearance
  • Wednesday, October 27: Both receive a Legal Hold on account and status update indicating this change.
  • Thursday, October 28: Kate receives letter asking her to get another cavity filled.
  • Friday, December 3: Chris calls our medical assistant to check in on the files.  He says they look fine, will be reviewed when we are closer to our leave date, and recommends we continue to call and check in every 45 days or so.
  • Wednesday, December 22: Kate gets cavity filled, note signed by dentist
  • Monday, January 3: Kate overnights dental kit back to Peace Corps.
  • Friday, January 7: Kate receives dental clearance.

Step 4: Gaining Medical Clearance
  • Thursday, January 13 & Tuesday, January 18: Kate attempts to call medical assistant; leaves voicemail.
  • Wednesday, January 19: Chris calls medical assistant and speaks to him. He notifies Chris that our medical kits are now stapled together for the rest of the process, and are currently on a nurse's desk, awaiting review.
  • Tuesday, January 25: We both receive Application Status Updates.  It says "Complete. A decision has been reached regarding your medical review. Please look for a letter in the mail." Chris calls our medical assistant, who confirms that for him, it means Medical Clearance. Given that our files are stapled together, we hope and assume it means both of us have been medically qualified.  That evening, we both receive official notification of medical clearance via letters in the mail.

Step 5: Initial Contact with Placement
  • Tuesday, February 1: We receive an email from a Placement Eligibility Specialist, who informs us that our legal hold is due to our mortgage and we need to explain how we will take care of this financial obligation while serving.  Kate calls to confirm that the notarized letter we plan on getting will suffice and if there is anything else we need.
  • Wednesday, February 2: Eligibility Specialists returns call; notarized letter is great. He tells us to hold tight, our file is on the desk of the skills desk and will likely be reviewed when we are closer to our nomination date (which is still six months away.)
  • Friday, February 4: Chris mails notarized letter.  We receive emails from our Placement and Assessment Associate to please send her updated resumes.  

Step 6: Invitation
  • Friday, February 11: Chris receives a phone call from our Placement Officer.  She says she reviewed our file and she's qualifying us for service.  She said no further information was needed and explained that she had possible programs leaving in July, August or September and that Chris would be doing Youth Development and Kate doing English Teacher Training.  Chris said we'd prefer August; she said she was sending the invite that day.  We then received a follow up email explaining that in fact, our program was no longer leaving in August, and we should decided between a July 1, July 19 and September 22 departure.  After much deliberation and speaking with our PO on the phone again, we accept the July 1st date, and our PO said she would send the invitation as soon as she has ensured that our legal hold is clear.
  • Sunday, February 13: We discuss the realities of leaving July 1 and decide to email our PO to see if July 19 is still an option.
  • Monday, February 14: Chris speaks with PO who says she is glad we took the weekend to think it over, and she will send the invite for the 19th.
  • Tuesday, February 15: Wake up to Application Status Update: Legal Hold removed, now Legally Cleared.
  • Wednesday, February 16: Emailed with our Placement Officer; she didn't know we had been legally cleared, but found our file and said she was sending our invite the next day.  She called Chris to ask if we could ride a bike for 10-15 minutes, to which he replied we could, proficiently.
  • Thursday, February 17: We receive a toolkit update and are OFFICIALLY INVITED! Then, at 8 am, our PO emails us to let us know that our invitations are still with her, awaiting an updated description from the Post and she should be able to send it out in the next few days.
  • Friday, February 25: Kate arrives home to find our invitation on our doorstep.  We're going to Cambodia on July 19!  We're both part of the TEFL program, and slotted as English Teachers/Teacher Trainers.  Chris also has "youth development" handwritten on his Volunteer Assignment Description. 
  • Saturday, February 26: We send our placement acceptance email to the Education Desk.
  • Monday, February 28: Receive confirmation of our placement acceptance and our positions are confirmed.  We're reminded of the next immediate steps, including a resume and aspiration statement, and applying for our no-fee passport and visa. 
Pre-Departure
  • Sunday, March 6: Submitted aspiration statement and updated resume to country desk.
  • Monday, March 14: Chris receives updated Volunteer Assignment Description specifically for Youth Development.
  • April: Complete visa and passport paperwork; send to PC's travel agency
  • Tuesday, May 31: Receive email notifying us that our departure date is now July 22nd (Kate sent email asking about this change and country desk replied in the affirmative.)
  • Tuesday, June 14: Receive email requesting us to complete TEFL Questionnaires about our experience and expectations.  
  • Thursday, June 23: Receive staging information; Chris calls SATO travel and schedules our flight. We leave 7:00 AM Friday, July 22 and arrive in San Francisco at 10:00 AM after a six hour flight for staging through evening.  Our flights to Phnom Penh depart at 11:30 AM the next day, and we arrive in Cambodia at 8:00 AM on Sunday, July 25.
  • Thursday, June 30: Submit TEFL Questionnaires


PACKING LIST

Clothes
  • 3 skirts
  • 7 collared shirts
  • 1 pair of flats
  • 2 pair of chacos
  • 2 pair of rubber flip flops
    • 1 pair running/trail shoes
    • 25 pair of cotton underwear
    • 5 cotton sports bras
    • 3 cotton underwire bras
    • 3 calf length jersey pants
    • 1-2 pair of jeans
    • 2 work out pants
    • 7 cotton tee shirts for sleeping/running/whatever
    • 1 pair of yoga pants for sleep/exercise
    • 1 one-piece swim suit
    • 5 pair of socks
    • 1 light weight hoodie
    • 2 cardigans
    • 2 long dresses
    • 1 rain jacket
    • 1 fleece
    body amenities
    • 3 deodorant sticks
    • 2 tubes exfoliating facewash
    • 2 contact solution bottles
    • 30 contact lenses
    • 1 bottle exfoliating body scrub
    • 3 toothbrushes
    • 2 tubes of toothpaste
    • 1 bottle of gold bond powder
    • 1 bottle hair shampoo/conditioner
    • 10 razors
    • tweezers
    • small mirror
    • 2 packs of floss
    • 2 tubes eyeliner
    • 2 tubes mascara
    • 1 stick cover up
    • 1 box Q Tips
    • 2 nail clippers
    • 2 nail files 
    • 2 pair glasses
    • 2 pair sunglasses
    • 2 diva cups
    • 1 pack bobby pins
    • 1 small, 1 large pack hair ties
    • 1 pack small, 1 pack large hair bands
    • 2 claw clips
    • 4-5 bandannas
    Medication
    • 4 months birth control
    • 1 large bottle Advil
    • 1 large bottle Tums
    • 1 large bottle Pepto Bismol
    • 2 packs Dramamine
    Tools
    • leatherman
    • compass
    • hand fan
    • small fan
    • neck/hidden hanging wallet
    • scissors
    • voltage adapter
    Jewelry
    • wedding band
    • 2 pair silver stud
    • 2 pair gold stud
    • 1 watch
    Miscellaneous
    For Self
    • kindle and charger
      • ~45 books
    • ipod and charger
    • computer and charger
    • external hard drive
    • camera, charger & empty SD cards
    • surge protector
    • photo book of family and friends to share with host family
    • 3 empty notebooks for journaling/writing
    • address book
    • 1 pillow cases
    • stationery
    For Teaching
    • markers
    • crayons
    • 2-3 pack pens
    • uno cards
    • travel scrabble
    • other games 
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