Small Update

Well, it has been a week since my last post. Not much has happened in that time, but here is what HAS happened nonetheless. I received another check from Peace Corps, it appears that they considered me eligible for an additional $125 of medical reimbursement, which brings the total reimbursement to $137. I am presently working on a "professional" resume to submit to the Placement office. That has been a bit of a challenge as I have little experience and all education. I want to put together something worth reading for goodness sake! Not just: "Here is my educational background, and well, I have NO relevant experience." Even if I do submit such a resume it will not impede my progress toward becoming a volunteer, but I want to submit a good truthful resume that is at least somewhat interesting.

On another note, today I am one step closer to my degree. I completed the final exam for my Statistics course about an hour ago. Once that grade is submitted to the registrar's office at UAF I will have 139 credits on my transcript. Also, I will be attending my LAST formal undergraduate level college lecture tonight from 5:30pm to 6:45pm!!! That is provided I do not ruin anything while finishing up my other two correspondence courses. When my Physics final is complete on Thursday night and that grade is submitted via transfer from UNM to UAF I will be at 143 credits. The remaining credit is Geography of Alaska (GEOG 302): 3 credits and Calculus (MATH 200): 4 credits. So... 143 + 3 +4 = 150!!! That is, I should have 150 credits when I finish everything in about another week or two!

Well, that's about it for now. I hope all of you have a great day and may God's peace and blessings be with you!

Good Day!

I know it has been a long time since my last post. There is not much to report at this time. I am simply busy with finishing up all of my course work and trying to graduate! I am very tired. Anyway, Peace Corps asked me to submit a new resume to them as well as an essay. I will be doing that soon, also I received a check in the mail from Peace Corps that reimbursed me for my medical packet expenses. Although I spent a few hundred dollars for everything, I only received $12 from them in return. They said that I was ineligible for the rest of the $147 that I applied for. They did not offer an explanation, but really, this is a volunteer agency and I would feel bad taking money away from an already poor organization. I am grateful for what I did receive. Well that about sums everything up for today. I hope you have a great day!

+ There is a new video that I put online. In my video bar it is the one with yellow flowers as the cover if you want to see it.

Peace Corps Logo

For those of you who have visited my page before today, you know that I had a Peace Corps logo on it. However I was reading through an online Peace Corps manual and the use of that logo is not authorized by Peace Corps for use on the websites of trainees and or volunteers. Unfortunately, as a result I will have to remove it. Otherwise someone else will tell me to do so. You don't want to break the rules!

On another note, I will include in its place a banner created by Peace Corps that states the organization's slogan: "Life is calling, how far will you go?".

As far as I know doing that is not against the rules. I'm just glad I was the one who figured this out before I had to be told.

Anyway, have a great day!

The Letter in the Mail

As stated in a previous post, when the letter Peace Corps mentioned it had sent reached me, I would inform you of its contents. The letter contains a note from the Peace Corps Office of Medical Services and the most important part of it states the following:

" Dear Mr. Rodriguez,

You have been medically qualified for Peace Corps service. Your application will now be considered by the Office of Placement, which matches the experience and skills of medically qualified applicants with the requirements of available assignments. They will notify you directly of their decision..."

Yesterday I also recieved an e-mail from Placement as mentioned in an earlier note. That e-mail began as follows:

"Greetings from the Placement Office at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, DC!

The Office of Medical Services has informed us that you have received your medical clearance. Over the next few weeks, your file will be reviewed by the Placement Staff for further evaluation. This includes evaluation of technical skills, suitability and legal information. Upon completion of the assessment, you may be considered for an invitation. Please keep in mind that this stage in the process can be competitive as there are typically two applicants nominated for each spot available. Given this, an invitation is never guaranteed and applicants should make no plans to go overseas until an invitation has been issued and you have spoken to headquarters staff to accept your invitation. "

This has all been very exciting. Now all I need to do is maintain strict focus on the courses I've yet to complete so that this Peace Corps process can continue to the point where I accept an invitation and can tell you all when and where it is that I will be serving.

Peace be with you all!

Medical Clearance II

Yesterday, after my first post, I recieved an e-mail from Peace Corps placement stating that I have been granted medical clearance! This is one step closer to receiving an invitation to serve. Now the game will be to correspond with Peace Corps concerning my skills and educational background so that I can be placed. I believe my actual placemet might have to wait until sometime in August because that should be when UAF will update my transcript after my graduation at the end of the summer session. From there I should recieve a placement, I hope :) . I will keep you updated! Have an excellent day!

Peace Corps Medical Clearance

Earlier today I recieved a note from Peace Corps in my MSN e-mail account stating that there had been an update to my "mytoolkit" account. With the greatest of excitment I quickly navigated to the Peace Corps sign in page and logged in to my account. There were two new check marks on the list of items required for Peace Corps Nominees to complete. One check was for Dental clearance and the other Medical clearance. Beside the medical check there was a note that read: A decision has been reached regarding your medical review. Please look for a letter in the mail. I don't know what that letter will contain exactly, but I will be sure to post the details concerning that as soon as I recieve it.

Well, until next time... have a great day!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Happy Fourth of July, hope everyone out there has a happy and safe day while they celebrate the birthday of the United States! Keep this country in your prayers, that as it enters a new year, it will do what is right on the international stage as well as at home!

Have a great day!!!

Peace Corps

I applied to Peace Corps last summer in 2007, and was Nominated in September 2007. At that time I was entering the Fall semester of my final year at UAF. I was extemely busy during the Fall semester with 20 credits, so I was unable to take time to complete the Health forms. During Spring semester I could wait no longer, so despite being enrolled in 31 credits (21 on-campus and 10 correspondence) I made apointments to complete first the physical exam, followed by the eye exam, and last the Dental exam. All went well, however I needed to have all four of my wisdom teeth pulled which I was going to attempt completing during the semester. NO WAY! I couldn't risk failing a class. Too much was at stake, so I had to postpone that procedure until returning to New Mexico. Finally, I had the "surgery" on June 20th, and went straight from the dentist's to the post office with my completed Medical Packet. I dropped the envelope in the slot while clenching on gauze at the back of my mouth, I was ULTRA EXCITED!!! Almost two weeks later, on July 2nd with healed gums, I recieved an e-mail from Peace Corps showing a status change on my account. They recieved the papers! Now all I have to do is wait to see if I am medically cleared! What an adventure this has been. I can't wait until I hear more!