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yatzik posted:You can actually try your butt without going to a doctor, just try holding a stick of any kind with yout buttocks. Make sure you realize that sucking it in is a normal reaction of your rear end and you will have made it going okay. Or just hold it so you don't feel like a homosexual sexualist. Wibder stuff is holding it (the dirk) with your hands and not feeling like a homosexual. However thare's rumored plenty of excitement with stucking stuff up your rear end. Just don't think it's by default with girls and it should be okay. This is the best post in this thread.
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May 11, 2011 12:16
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Lamedeer101 posted:I'm about to start a volunteer program tutoring immigrant adults in English one on one for about 2hrs a week. Should I start the application process now, or do I need to wait until the 30 hours are complete? I don't have much other volunteer experience outside of when I was in Boy Scouts (being an Eagle Scout helps, I assume?) Go for it. I hadn't even started when I applied. The earlier you apply the better since you dont know how long delays will take. Moon Slayer posted:This is the best post in this thread. agreed.
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May 14, 2011 02:17
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Yay, successful COS! Yay, FECA paperwork to look forward to! Seriously though, I feel great. A little sad to say goodbye, but most of my projects are going to be sustained. After all the exit interviews and packing and goodbyes my brain is fried, and I'm just looking forward to a bowl of chili and a beer.
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May 16, 2011 18:12
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Thanks for all the information here. It is really helpful. I will be getting my MA in TESOL this year and then hopefully want to join the Peace Corps. My biggest concern is work references. I'm currently an English teacher under the JET program in Japan. My bosses don't really speak English. Can I have a professor write me a reference instead?
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May 23, 2011 04:20
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Peace Corps sounds pretty cool. I did a year of volunteer IT work in Guyana, and a short stint in Trinidad, through VSO Canada. At the time they had a new initiative called Netcorps, which was sending IT guys off to help local business in developing countries get up to speed on computing and get a website going so they could help draw in tourist dollars. It doesn't seem to have really helped though, as the last time I read some Guyanese news, they main story was about how something like 70% of the hotels and tourist businesses were up for sale because the owners had had enough and were looking to get out of a failing venture. There was a whole mess of things that were conspiring to keep that country down, mostly the complete collapse of their mining industry. Still, I was very surprised to find out how much incompetence there was with the people at the top, so to speak. I guess the lucky few who do get a good education and can afford it quickly move out of the country and leave the not so bright to run things. The current government at the time would literally tell interviewers "Hey, how can we be expected to know how to run a country, our party has only been in power for a few decades now." 
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May 23, 2011 06:16
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elleohelle posted:Thanks for all the information here. It is really helpful. Yes. You need 3 reccomendations actually. Someone you did volunteer work for, a work boss and a friend. You can replace one with a university professor.
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May 24, 2011 06:56
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Anyone had any experience with Mercy Ships? I was thinking of doing a volunteer stint with them, but they seem like a really overt and strict religious organization, which doesn't really jibe with me. I was trying to decide between them and Operation Smile, which several doctors from the hospital I work at do volunteer work for.
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May 24, 2011 07:07
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I don't think I'm planning on joining the Peace Corps anytime soon, but I'm curious in learning about the program. Sorry if some of my questions have already been answered. 1. What are the demographics of Peace Corps volunteers? Are most volunteers recent college grads or is there a sizable number of people in their 30's and 40's? Did most applicants receive a degree from a top-tier school? Is the Peace Corps community diverse or is it kind of homogeneous? 2. How much do you get paid for being in the Peace Corps? How much money do you get in stipends? 3. How is it like readjusting to life in the U.S. after living in a foreign country for two years? Do some Peace Corps members volunteer abroad for more than two years? How is it like re-entering the job market?
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May 24, 2011 09:13
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Last post before Ethiopia 
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May 24, 2011 11:52
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secret explorer posted:I don't think I'm planning on joining the Peace Corps anytime soon, but I'm curious in learning about the program. Sorry if some of my questions have already been answered. 1. It really varies, but most seem to be fairly recent college grads in the 21-26 range. My program has a bunch of older folk though (50-75) although many of those are in programs OTHER than the TEFL program. Degrees vary as well, and it seems to be a fairly big mix of people. 2. It varies for cost of living, but at the end you get a set chunk of...about 7k, I think? 3. No idea. Hi folks, I'm a PT in Georgia now. One month in, just got my first bout of food poisoning, so my host mom is freaking out. On the bright side, I guess I know I can trust medical now, because they're totally on top of this. On the down side, oral rehydration salts taste like butt. But it is gorgeous here, and the hiking/travel are amazing.
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May 26, 2011 15:13
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I have a lot of teaching experience (2 years working for a private test prep company and I'm currently studying education and teaching in Brazil) but I've also got some competency in business and economics (about to finish an International Affairs major with a lot of coursework in economics and maybe an accounting class). I'd strongly prefer not to be stuck doing education for 2 more years, but I'm not sure I have the necessary qualifications for business advising, etc. Should I still strongly emphasize my education experience, while stressing that I'd prefer not to be teaching?
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May 27, 2011 19:40
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Got an interview scheduled in two weeks! Excited! Hopefully I don't screw it up.
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May 27, 2011 23:22
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What are the odds that both me and my husband could join and get the same site? Live in a little hut together or something. Would they force us apart or would they be willing to put us together somewhere?
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May 28, 2011 00:29
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barbudo posted:I have a lot of teaching experience (2 years working for a private test prep company and I'm currently studying education and teaching in Brazil) but I've also got some competency in business and economics (about to finish an International Affairs major with a lot of coursework in economics and maybe an accounting class). Yes. You never have to commit to anything in Peace Corps, so you can stress stuff you dont want (such as this). It can delay your placement but they actually want to know this stuff. Ronald Spiers posted:Got an interview scheduled in two weeks! Excited! Hopefully I don't screw it up. Tamgerine posted:What are the odds that both me and my husband could join and get the same site? Live in a little hut together or something. Would they force us apart or would they be willing to put us together somewhere? 100% actually. Peace Corps will guarantee married couples will live together, but again this can make your placement take longer, in some cases MUCH longer. If youre teachers you may not work together, in fact its likely you wont, but youll live in the same house. Training you probably wont because housing options are more limited but at site you're golden.
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May 28, 2011 04:03
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Stuntcat posted:On the down side, oral rehydration salts taste like butt. Oh god yes. I just got over some food poisoning (luckily only the second time I've gotten it in a year), but I refused to drink that stuff. We once used it in PST in attempt to cure a hang over, and even with a bunch of sugar it still tastes like you're drinking a gallon of poo poo. I now opt for the gatorade my mom sent me.
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May 28, 2011 11:11
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Private Label posted:Oh god yes. I just got over some food poisoning (luckily only the second time I've gotten it in a year), but I refused to drink that stuff. We once used it in PST in attempt to cure a hang over, and even with a bunch of sugar it still tastes like you're drinking a gallon of poo poo. I now opt for the gatorade my mom sent me. Yeah, the upside of being in southeast asia is that pocari sweat is in easy supply so that's an option too.
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May 29, 2011 12:28
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RagnarokAngel posted:Yeah, the upside of being in southeast asia is that pocari sweat is in easy supply so that's an option too. Not in Cambodia! When I first got there our PCMO had this orange-flavored stuff that she gave to us, I think it was similar to powdered Gatorade. But after about six months we got a new PCMO who switched us all over to the WHO-approved rear end-flavored oral rehydration salts. The orange powder soon became a form of currency between the volunteers.
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May 29, 2011 12:47
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I gave up. There is this salty mineral water that is really popular here that I've substituted in instead. On the bright side, on my mid-assessment test, one of the questions was how much water should the salts be dissolved and I was like...BAM, ON TOP OF THIS.
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May 29, 2011 13:52
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That's great news that married couples can stay together. But what is it actually like? Does every volunteer live in a giant house where we'd get no privacy together?
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May 29, 2011 21:22
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What's the deal with these oral-rehydration salts? Is it something they make you take all the time? Don't they trust that you guys can keep yourself healthy and hydrated?
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May 29, 2011 22:40
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Bloody Hedgehog posted:What's the deal with these oral-rehydration salts? Is it something they make you take all the time? Don't they trust that you guys can keep yourself healthy and hydrated? No, it's only supposed to be used when you have diarrhea/vomiting, so it keeps your electrolytes in balance. You tend to get insane stomach/intestine issues when you're in a place different from what you've been used to, and usually the host country usually doesn't have the same standards of cleaning their food so you can get food poisoning pretty easily if you're not careful. Diarrhea definitely the most common PCV symptom. Private Label fucked around with this message at 23:44 on May 29, 2011 |
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May 29, 2011 23:37
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Private Label posted:No, it's only supposed to be used when you have diarrhea/vomiting, so it keeps your electrolytes in balance. You tend to get insane stomach/intestine issues when you're in a place different from what you've been used to, and usually the host country usually doesn't have the same standards of cleaning their food so you can get food poisoning pretty easily if you're not careful. Diarrhea definitely the most common PCV symptom. Ironically, the only time I got food poisoning in Cambodia was when I was eating at a western-style restaurant in Phnom Pehn. I never got food poisoning when eating the food my host family prepared. Tamgerine posted:That's great news that married couples can stay together. But what is it actually like? Does every volunteer live in a giant house where we'd get no privacy together? What do you mean by "every volunteer?" Every volunteer in the country? Because Peace Corps sends the volunteers all over the host country; chances are very good you will be the only two volunteers in your village. Maybe if you are in a larger city there will be another volunteer but chances are they won't do the same work or work at the same place you do. Especially not since they will be placing a married couple in that site, since then there will be two volunteers instead of just the one. As for actual housing, it varies from country to country. In Cambodia we lived with a host family for the entire time. Other countries help you find your own place after training. I don't remember for sure but I think the married couple in my group had their own little house. Moon Slayer fucked around with this message at 01:56 on May 30, 2011 |
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May 30, 2011 01:53
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Moon Slayer posted:Not in Cambodia! You think the Royal D was good? When K1 first got out there Linda was actually giving us genuine bona fide Gatorade packets. I stuffed my pockets with Gatorade and condoms at the first medical meeting. The former saw significantly more use than the latter.... The Orange Royal D was pretty delicious stuff, though. We used to mix it with rice wine to make it go down easier.
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May 30, 2011 15:30
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Royal D! That was the name. That stuff was worth it's weight in
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May 31, 2011 00:37
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ORS is fine, don't know what you guys are talking about.
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Jun 1, 2011 08:48
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Moon Slayer posted:As for actual housing, it varies from country to country. In Cambodia we lived with a host family for the entire time. Other countries help you find your own place after training. I don't remember for sure but I think the married couple in my group had their own little house. Yeah theres a married couple in our group. They will be with a host family though so they probably will lack privacy. I havent figured it out yet but the "live with a host family" seems to be either a SE Asia thing (At least here in Indonesia, living alone is considered a bit creepy) or because the programs are new, since Moon Slayer was also in on his program early, so they havent found decent housing yet.
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Jun 4, 2011 04:42
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FINALLY got all my medical paperwork sent, after fighting with, and hunting down childhood doctors. Bleh. Anyway, I'm like 6 months behind on everything, so I hope it doesn't mess up my chances. Update: I got an email saying quote:If you have (or when you have gained) additional experience, please e-mail your skills desk with an updated resume that includes the following information for each volunteer/professional activity you have completed: I honestly have no idea what my "skills desk" is, and I'd really like to update my resume. Anyone have an idea of what that is? Pocket DeSade fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Jun 9, 2011 |
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Jun 4, 2011 18:23
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Theyre just saying if you get any new training you think would be relevant, give it to them. If you dont, dont worry about it.
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Jun 12, 2011 01:32
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RagnarokAngel posted:Theyre just saying if you get any new training you think would be relevant, give it to them. If you dont, dont worry about it. Update: Apparently the person in charge of my thing had quit or something, which was why I couldn't get in touch with her. I was assigned someone else, so I'm all good now. lol durrrr Pocket DeSade fucked around with this message at 06:09 on Jun 14, 2011 |
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Jun 12, 2011 06:07
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My girlfriend called me a few hours ago. She said that Congress cut $20 million from the Peace Corps budget back in March or something, which caused everything to get pushed back. She was originally planning to leave this August, but now they are saying her departure date might be as late as next August, if not later. Suffice it to say, she is pretty upset. She turned down three amazing job offers because she had her mind dead-set on doing Peace Corps. Now she feels like the rug has been pulled from underneath her. Is there anything I can do or say that might console her a bit? I think she's going to give up and start looking for jobs again, but she's not sure. I told her she might as well.
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Jun 14, 2011 01:57
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enraged_camel posted:My girlfriend called me a few hours ago. She said that Congress cut $20 million from the Peace Corps budget back in March or something, which caused everything to get pushed back. She was originally planning to leave this August, but now they are saying her departure date might be as late as next August, if not later. I just got the same thing. That really sucks, although they did say in their original application letters to "not make any serious life plans around this" until you actually get their invite. If she's really serious about all this, showing commitment to the application process will probably show she's patient, and really in this for the long run. I think that whole letter thing they sent about the cutbacks was partially meant to weed out the people not committed enough.
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Jun 14, 2011 05:57
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Pocket DeSade posted:I just got the same thing. That really sucks, although they did say in their original application letters to "not make any serious life plans around this" until you actually get their invite. Yeah, she's not going to withdraw her application or anything, but at the same time she wants to be realistic and cover her bases now that Peace Corps proved to be unreliable.
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Jun 14, 2011 06:26
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enraged_camel posted:Yeah, she's not going to withdraw her application or anything, but at the same time she wants to be realistic and cover her bases now that Peace Corps proved to be unreliable. I know honestly speaking, I'm hoping the Peace Corps will lead me to better opportunities (while helping people, of course.) If I were in her place, if I could find better opportunities without it, I'd go for it!
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Jun 14, 2011 07:30
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That really sucks. I got in right before that cut so I got lucky, I'm sorry for her and the probably hundreds of others who just got screwed. In good news looks like I survived training. Tomorrows swearing in and moving to post.
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Jun 14, 2011 11:32
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Just did my final phone interview. I got nominated for English teacher training position next year in spring or summer somewhere in Asia. Supposedly that can change... good to know they will contact you a few months in advance for the actual invitation. Now to figure out what to do with the rest of my time...
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Jun 14, 2011 19:26
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Ronald Spiers posted:Just did my final phone interview. I got nominated for English teacher training position next year in spring or summer somewhere in Asia. Supposedly that can change... good to know they will contact you a few months in advance for the actual invitation. Me too! Yay buddies! Central Asia, or some other Asia?
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Jun 25, 2011 05:22
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Pocket DeSade posted:Me too! Yay buddies! Well one of my BA majors was Chinese, I think they are pushing me for East Asia. But I told them I didn't mind anywhere... but I think they want me to be in China because of my language background. The nomination letter said they want me to go June of 2012, which falls at the same time as when the China PCVs usually leave for training as well.
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Jun 25, 2011 07:39
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Ronald Spiers posted:Well one of my BA majors was Chinese, I think they are pushing me for East Asia. But I told them I didn't mind anywhere... but I think they want me to be in China because of my language background. The nomination letter said they want me to go June of 2012, which falls at the same time as when the China PCVs usually leave for training as well. I'll see you in Mongolia
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Jun 25, 2011 09:05
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I am leaving Tuesday morning for The Gambia. Apparently it is the PC's 50th anniversary, in honor of this I will be meeting the crazy President of the Gambia. Yeah this guy.
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Jun 25, 2011 15:54
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Iwate posted:I am leaving Tuesday morning for The Gambia. Apparently it is the PC's 50th anniversary, in honor of this I will be meeting the crazy President of the Gambia. Yeah this guy. Hmm, he doesn't seem like the nicest of guys...
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Jun 25, 2011 21:39
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