Sunday, March 21, 2010

Moving Right Along...

I went back to the doctor on Friday to get the PPD results checked and also to get the blood tests done. Oh, and he ended up doing that not so fun #13 on the physical. It actually wasn't all that bad though :-)

So, all that I have to wait on now is the results of the lab tests (should be by Wednesday of this week) and the specialist reports from UF (those might prove to be kinda tricky and more time-consuming). And I need to find time to go down to the Health Department to get a Polio booster.

I'm trying to not totally get my hopes up, because it is so way early in the process....but from what I can tell, Lesotho is the only SSA country with a Primary Ed program and a departure date in November.... and Lesotho happens to be the first country I told my recruiter that I was interested in.....

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Correction!

Talked to my Regional Office today....turns out my estimated departure date is not February 2011.... so here's my corrected nomination info:

Program Name: Primary Ed./Teacher Trainer
Region: Sub Saharan Africa
Departure Date: November 2010

I'm very excited about this change in the date :-) Makes some decision making about teaching next year a lot easier for me! Looks like I should not start the next year teaching....instead I'm thinking I might just substitute teach for those couple months until November....that will be more flexible and less stressful anyways!

Also they said there is some possibility I could get placed with Special Ed., just all depends on what is needed and such later at the time of my placement....but at least I know it is not totally out of the question :-)

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Dentist & Doctor- all in one day!

Had my dentist appointment today....and my doctor's appointment! The doctor called me yesterday and said they had a cancellation and could squeeze me in :-)

The dentist visit was kind of long....but free! and included a full cleaning, exam, and x-rays. And I have no cavities or anything....so I'm all set to go with that :-)

The doctor visit was also long...he was kind of annoyed with all the paperwork and all the lab tests he needed to order. I got a tetanus booster and my Tuberculin test applied. I have to go back on Friday to have the Tuberculin test results read and to do the blood tests for all the other stuff. He also didn't do/check off the part of the exam regarding the anus and rectum.....did everyone's doctor actually examine that or just check it off??? I'm going to ask him about it on Friday.

I'm amazed this is all going so quick. Looks like I'll be waiting the longest for the specialist reports from UF :-(

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Nomination Packet

Yay! I have some nomination info! Here it is:

Program Name: Primary Ed./Teacher Trainer
Program Number: 170 2011 1 M2 (I don't know exactly what all this means, but I know 170 is the primary ed part, and I think the rest might mean something about February 2011?)
Region: Sub Saharan Africa

So, there was not anything else that talked about departure date, which is why I'm guessing maybe that program number is code for Feb 2011? Not totally sure though. If anyone knows for sure, please comment :-)

I am very happy about the region and also the date if it is 2/2011. The Primary Ed. is okay too, although Special Ed. was my first choice. But, I don't know, maybe I might be changed to Special Ed. by the time I get placed....one can hope, right? :-) And even if not, I will be happy with Primary Ed. and I will just have to create a secondary project for Special Ed.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Appointments

Wow! I never would have guessed I would be able to get a dentist appointment more easily than a doctor's appointment. I called a dentist from the ICD list http://www.usa-icd.org/ who will do the dental exam and x-rays for free. They gave me an appointment for this Wednesday! Wow! Super easy :-)

Unfortunately, I then stopped by my doctor's office to make an appointment with them....they can't get me in until May 28th! And they won't start any of my labwork or anything until after I see the doctor! Very disappointing :-( She said she'll give me a call if there end up being any cancellations and she can get me in earlier.

So, I just left a message with my OMS nurse to see about possibly going to a federal facility if they can get me in earlier. Who knows....maybe I don't even need to worry about rushing, since I have no idea when I'm nominated to leave lol.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Medical Packet Received

Nominated? YES, I guess so....for the past week and a half according to my toolkit...

Know what/when/where I'm nominated for? NO....still haven't heard from my recruiter....

A little bit annoyed? YES....but I'm practicing patience....

On another note.... I received my medical packet in the mail today. I started filling out some of the papers and made copies of past history ones I have to send to UF Clinic to get filled out. I will try to schedule my doctor and dentist appointments on Monday. Fortunately I did my gynecologist one last week, so that is out of the way :-)

So I guess I'll just keep moving with the medical stuff.... and keep on waiting for my recruiter to contact me and tell me what my nomination is for.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Nominated???

So... my toolkit says I have been nominated (on March 3rd)... but I have yet to hear from my recruiter about the nomination. By now, I've been thinking I will probably receive my packet in the mail before I hear from her. But I just checked the mail.... nothing :-( Guess I will have to wait until Monday to hopefully either talk to her or get something in the mail...

Friday, March 5, 2010

Hello Blog!

Hello! I have started this blog as a way to keep record of and share my adventures in the Peace Corps. Hopefully this will serve to keep my family and friends informed, and also to share useful information with other Peace Corps applicants and volunteers. Please feel free to comment or ask questions about anything you read or see. I'm looking forward to a fun and productive blogging experience!