This blog has been moved.

Sorry Blogger, I decided to move to Wordpress.
My blog can now be found at brittanyinkosovo.wordpress.com.
Check it out!

The Long Road to Medical Clearance

I made it folks. I just received Final Medical Clearance.
Because of my remote location in Alaska, I was initially overwhelmed by the medical requirements. I decided to try to squeeze everything into my Christmas trip to Minnesota. It made for a very busy vacation, but I am happy to say that it all got done and things came back with good results!
For those of you applying to the Peace Corps, here is the complete list of requirements:

Dental Exam
-Any dental work recommended by your dentist must also be completed before you will be granted clearance.
Dental X-Rays
Full mouth series or a Panorex with four bitewings (less than a year old)
Physical Exam
-PAP Smear with cytology report (only for women obviously)
-HHF (Health History Form) must be reviewed and signed by physician
Immunizations
Polio- one dose after the age of 18
Tetanus & Diptheria- within five years
MMR- two doses in lifetime
Varicella (Chickenpox)- two doses or blood work indicating immunity
Blood Work/Labs
Varicella titer (To demonstrate immunity if you have had chickenpox)
CBC
Hepatitis B surface antigen
Hepatitis C antibody
HIV (blood work or rapid oral test)
TB test or T SPOT TB or QuantiFERON
G6PD titer
Basic Metabolic Panel
Urinalysis
Cardiology
Because I have a mild heart condition, I also had to have a thorough evaluation done at the Mayo Clinic. This included more blood work, chest x-rays, an EKG, an Echo-cardiogram, and more paperwork for the cardiologist to fill out.
If you have any health conditions at all, expect that the Peace Corps will want it checked out. This is where the costs will add up, especially if you are uninsured. Even though I have pretty good insurance, I am dreading my bill from the Mayo Clinic.


Feel free to leave any questions in the comments section! Click here to read my detailed application timeline.

Learning Albanian

Well folks, I've decided to learn some Albanian before my departure. I mean, attempt to learn.

I shopped around on Amazon and settled on these:

1. Pimsleur 
          This software has been recommended to me before, so I decided to give it a try. Its focus is learning to speak through listening and repeating. It comes with five CDs, each with two 30-minute lessons. (10 lessons total.)
           I listened to Lesson One about a week ago, and all I can remember how to say is, "Are you Sonya Luarazi?" 
   
   PROS    
            The lessons are short and I can listen to them while cleaning my apartment. I also enjoy the listen-and-repeat method. 
   CONS
             I wish that the lessons would focus less on pronouncing random names. The first lesson alone had four made up names that they ask you to repeat, syllable-by-syllable. I would much rather learn common phrases in Lesson One, such as 'hello,' 'goodbye,' 'how are you,' etc.
2. Discovering Albanian Textbook
           I decided to try a more academic approach in addition to the simple Pimsleur method. This textbook was highly rated on Amazon and had the option of purchasing a workbook and audio supplements. It is made up of 18 lessons.
   PROS    
            It is very thorough. It gives me a lot to work with. 
   CONS
             Maybe I have just gotten lazy since graduating college, but it is difficult to pick up a dense Albanian textbook in my free time. I just need to buckle down and start studying.
3. Discovering Albanian Audio Supplement        After opening up the Discovering Albanian textbook when it arrived in the mail, I was intimidated. Each lesson contains at least one dialogue. As someone who knows ZERO Albanian, it was difficult to piece together the pronunciation of 20+ lines of dialogue. I immediately hopped on Amazon.com and purchased the Audio Supplement. This comes with two CDs with recordings of each dialogue in the textbook.

I will write an update on my progress in Albanian after I complete a few lessons. Mirupafshim! (That means goodbye!)

Where do PCVs serve?

Below is a map of where the Peace Corps sends volunteers. Yellow indicates countries where the Peace Corps currently operates and blue indicates former operation. 

As part of the updated application process, applicants have the freedom to select their country or region of service. In the past applicants had little to no say over where they were placed. To the right you can see the percentage of volunteers in each region.
       
The majority of assignments in Latin America require basic to intermediate Spanish language skills. Certain assignments in Africa require French skills. 

Application Process

In June of 2014 the Peace Corps radically changed their application process. It is now much easier (and faster!) to apply.
       

The former application was over 60 pages long and took a minimum of 8 hours to complete. (Unfortunately I applied under the old system and had to tackle this 60-page beast.) 
           
The updated application takes just 1 hour to complete!
          
There has already been a spike in the number of applications since these changes were made. Over 17,000 applications were submitted this year, fighting for the 3,400 volunteer positions. Next year the number of applications is expected to grow even more. So if you are considering applying, now is the time! 

Overview of Peace Corps Service

The first group of 25 Peace Corps Kosovo volunteers arrived in June of 2014 and are teaching English at local secondary schools. Kosovo is the 139th country that the Peace Corps has worked in.

During the first three months of service, each volunteer will live with a host family in Kosovo to become fully immersed in the Albanian language and Kosovar culture. After acquiring the skills necessary to survive on our own, we will be sworn into service and assigned to a community in Kosovo. We will then live and work at a secondary school in that community for two years.

More than 215,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers since President John F. Kennedy established the agency in 1961. Through their service volunteers start community development projects while building mutual cultural understanding. There are currently 6,800 Peace Corps volunteers serving in 65 countries.

Peace Corps service lasts for at least 27-months. Volunteers work in the sectors of education, health, business, agriculture, and youth development. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens, at least 18-years old, and in good health. Benefits include a modest living stipend, medical care, graduate school scholarships, student loan deferment, and "readjustment allowance" of $7,425.

Detailed Timeline

Here is a detailed version of my timeline. If you have any questions feel free to post them in the comments section.

2014

• February   I begin daydreaming about joining the Peace Corps. I begin researching it extensively, spending hours on peacecorps.gov and various volunteer blogs.
• April   I begin seriously considering the Peace Corps and set up an account on their Applicant Portal. Then I stumble upon an article about the launching of a new program in Kosovo and I instantly decide to apply. I also decide to continue working in Alaska for the 2014-2015 school year, making my earliest availability June 2015.
• May 12   Application submitted. (I applied under the old system, so my online application took ages to complete.)
• May 13   I receive an email confirming that my application has been received. 
• May 19   The Office of Medical Services emails me with registration information for the Medical Applicant Portal and asks me to complete the lengthy Health History Form.
• May 21   I successfully complete and submit the Health History Form.
• May 28    I fly out of Alaska for the summer, to go on a vacation and then work at a camp in Minnesota. In the process I switch from my "village phone" to a regular cell phone. I also fly out of the country for a week with no cell service or internet.
• June 3     A regional representative (Erin) from Washington contacts me via phone and email. She tells me that my references are being contacted and must submit their recommendations within ten days. After they are received she will set up an interview with me in Seattle. 
• June 7   I return from a vacation out of the country and find the above email in my inbox and a voicemail about scheduling an interview. I immediately reply and apologize for the delay. I also explain that I will be working at a camp in the woods in Northern Minnesota for seven weeks and then fly immediately back to a remote Alaskan village. I ask about interview options given my remote context. 
• June 8   I receive an automated response explaining that all Peace Corps offices are shut down for staff training for one week. I find out later that the Peace Corps is radically changing their application process to make it more efficient. 
• June 16   I receive a call from Erin. She decides that an in-person interview is practically impossible, so we schedule a phone interview for June 18th at 11:00 AM. 
• June 18   Interview. It lasts a total of one hour and 40 minutes. After the interview she tells me that she would like to nominate me for an Education assignment leaving in June 2015 (my earliest availability). I ask what countries she is considering me for and she lists Moldova, Mongolia, Micronesia, and Kosovo. She asks if I have a preference and I state that Kosovo is my #1 choice.          Nomination. Erin reminds me that the Placement Office will review my application, references, and her interview notes in order to decide whether or not I match up with their country's needs. Because June 2015 is almost a year away, she says that I should not expect an invitation until October, but it could be as late as January.
  
  Torturous Waiting Period...   During this time I work at Camp Cherith in Minnesota for seven weeks, directing the high school division of the camp and teaching archery. I then fly back to Alaska on August 4th, spending some time in Anchorage and Seward, and finally I return to Galena to begin the school year. Students arrive at the end of August and life returns to normal.
• September 22   I receive an email from a Placement Specialist stating that I am under consideration for the Kosovo program. He asks me to complete an attached education questionnaire within one week.
• September 24   I submit the questionnaire. 
• September 26   Invitation. I receive an email saying, "Congratulations! You have been officially invited to serve as a Secondary School English Language Teacher in Kosovo, departing June 5th, 2015." There are several attachments with information about the assignment, as well as a decision form. I read through everything immediately and decide to wait before accepting the invitation. I also prance around my little apartment and call my family.
• September 27    I can't wait any longer. I accept. 
• September 27   I receive an overwhelming amount of information about medical/dental clearance and passport/visa application and legal clearance, etc. 
• September 28     I start googling Kosovo invitees and discover about seven other invitees for the 2015 Kosovo program. I also start following a couple blogs of current Kosovo PCVs.
• November 19     My legal kit/fingerprinting is finally submitted. (Normally this step is done within ten days of your invitation, but my remote living situation made that tricky.)
• November 20     My Peace Corps Passport application is submitted. (I guess we get a special diplomacy passport.)
• December 22     I begin my Christmas "vacation," which is my only time outside of the remote Alaskan village of Galena. Therefore all of my medical clearance appointments must be squeezed into about a week. Yikes.
• December 23     Dental exam, x-rays, cleaning, and a filling.
• December 24     Physical exam, PAP smear, all immunizations, and all blood work. Happy Christmas Eve!
• December 30     Full day at the Mayo Clinic for a cardiology evaluation. (Aka more blood tests, urinalysis, EKG, chest-x-rays, and an Echo.)
• January 12     All of my medical documents have been uploaded and approved, with the exception of the cardiology stuff...
  
  Coming soon...          Final medical clearance perhaps??