Dear friends and family,
On May 24, 2010 I was accepted into the Peace Corps. The way that this process works is very lengthy. Almost one year ago I submitted my application with essays and letters of recommendation. Once my application was received and processed I was called in for an interview at the Peace Corps regional office in downtown Seattle. After my interview I got a phone call from the regional office notifying me that I was recommended for the Peace Corps and I was given my nomination. My nomination is to depart to the region of sub-Saharan Africa in January where I will be working as a nurse involving HIV/Aids promotion/prevention/treatment. This position requires two years of nursing experience and I have been working as a registered nurse at the Seattle Veterans Affairs hospital on a spinal cord injury unit and will celebrate my two years of working there this month! So everything sounds pretty set in stone right? Wrong… Seven tubes of blood and a lengthy physical later I sent in my EXTENSIVE medical paperwork and am waiting for it to be processed. I have spoken with people who have been through this process before, and I have found out that it is not uncommon to miss a nomination deadline due to delays in processing paperwork. My fingers are crossed and my heart is set on Africa, but in the mean time I am taking the advice from my friend who is stationed in Morocco with the Peace Corps. I am going to enjoy every minute with my friends and family and trust that everything happens for a reason. I will keep you all updated on how things are going at home and through all the bumps and bruises along the road of my 27 month commitment to whatever country I end up in!
-Lots of Love-
