This crazy adventure of mine begins far before I’m actually
in country.
I applied to the Peace Corps in November 2011 and passed through all the (intensive) interviews and medical qualifications to the invitation stage. After not hearing from the Peace Corps since March 2012, I made plans to go to grad school in Boston. Then on a crisp (for dramatic effect) December morning I got an email telling me that I had been invited and that I would do a final placement interview! A week later I officially got my invitation to serve in Namibia!
I had seven days to respond. ONE WEEK?!?!... How was I supposed to make a life-changing decision in a week? I will be leaving my family, friends, and a world I know and understand to dive into the unknown. After much contemplation, research and soul-searching I decided to go for it. How could I turn down a chance to fully immerse myself in another culture (language and all) while also working in public health?
Preparation checklist:
-Tell Family and Friends: Check
-Accept invitation: Check
-Visa/Passport apps: Check
-Find other Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV’s) I'll serve with via Facebook: Check
-Yellow Fever Vaccination: Check
-Packing: …yeah right!
So many things to think about in terms of packing! I’ll get back to ya’ll once I’ve tackled this but for now here is a link to help unlock the mystery of Namibia:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wa.html
I applied to the Peace Corps in November 2011 and passed through all the (intensive) interviews and medical qualifications to the invitation stage. After not hearing from the Peace Corps since March 2012, I made plans to go to grad school in Boston. Then on a crisp (for dramatic effect) December morning I got an email telling me that I had been invited and that I would do a final placement interview! A week later I officially got my invitation to serve in Namibia!
I had seven days to respond. ONE WEEK?!?!... How was I supposed to make a life-changing decision in a week? I will be leaving my family, friends, and a world I know and understand to dive into the unknown. After much contemplation, research and soul-searching I decided to go for it. How could I turn down a chance to fully immerse myself in another culture (language and all) while also working in public health?
Preparation checklist:
-Tell Family and Friends: Check
-Accept invitation: Check
-Visa/Passport apps: Check
-Find other Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV’s) I'll serve with via Facebook: Check
-Yellow Fever Vaccination: Check
-Packing: …yeah right!
So many things to think about in terms of packing! I’ll get back to ya’ll once I’ve tackled this but for now here is a link to help unlock the mystery of Namibia:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wa.html
