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Ronald Spiers posted:Hmm, he doesn't seem like the nicest of guys... Given the non-political nature of Peace Corps and the countries it operates in, you should get used to not only meeting but working with people who aren't the nicest.
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Jun 26, 2011 02:54
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Moon Slayer posted:Given the non-political nature of Peace Corps and the countries it operates in, you should get used to not only meeting but working with people who aren't the nicest. This is what makes the PC exciting, right? Challenge accepted!
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Jun 27, 2011 15:42
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Do you actually need a business degree to do the business advising section of the peace corps? It says you do on the website, but I've heard it's more flexible. Right now it looks like I'll graduate with a degree in public policy, and I might focus on corruption or something tangentially related.
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Jun 27, 2011 16:50
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It's official, Turkmenistan in October!
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Jun 30, 2011 18:36
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Pocket DeSade posted:It's official, Turkmenistan in October! Congrats! How long has Peace Corps Turkmenistan been around? I thought it was a pretty new program.
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Jul 1, 2011 09:02
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I'm told it started in 1993, so it's not terribly old, but there was this little episode a while back: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/09/ap/asia/main5373489.shtml
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Jul 1, 2011 20:17
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Arrr Im a Pirate posted:I'll see you in Mongolia Hey now, Mongolia is the best  I heard Mongolia PCVs can extend for a 3rd year in China... yes/no?Also, missed ya at the children's camp! It was nice, but holy hell, I'm so done with children for the rest of the year at least. Thank god I'm not a TEFL.
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Jul 7, 2011 09:03
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So does the doc really have to check your rectum during the medical checkup? We got most of the physical stuff checked off but I have to comeback to the doctor's office for the blood test results and conspicuously, my doctor left the physical check of the rectum blank... Does Peace Corps really need me to be anally probed?
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Jul 8, 2011 07:52
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Private Label posted:Hey now, Mongolia is the best If China can't fill its needed slots then they accept transfers from other countries that have the relevant qualifications/experience. There wasn't any special relationship with PC Mongolia that I was aware of when I was there, and I never met any transfers from Mongolia. No one in PC China goes anyplace where the locals are ethnic Mongolian or speak Mongolian, so I don't think that experience (while awesome) would make PC Mongolia people more likely to get invited to transfer. Re: Butt stuff. If you don't want to do it and you're not too worried about delays, send it in without and see if they come back and tell you to do it again. They might give it a pass.
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Jul 8, 2011 13:12
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Ronald Spiers posted:So does the doc really have to check your rectum during the medical checkup? We got most of the physical stuff checked off but I have to comeback to the doctor's office for the blood test results and conspicuously, my doctor left the physical check of the rectum blank... Does Peace Corps really need me to be anally probed? I thought that was only if you're aged 35+. I didn't get anything either.
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Jul 8, 2011 18:08
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I didn't get prodded in the butt, but roughly half of the guys in my group did. It was a source of great indignation (and hilarity) when they found out not all of us had had to submit to it.
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Jul 9, 2011 02:36
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Most people don't do it, but if you call medical they will most likely tell you that you have to do it  .
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Jul 18, 2011 04:28
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The day after I mailed the medical packet I get this: quote:HOLD. Your legal eligibility to serve in the Peace Corps is currently under review. If further information is required, our legal eligibility specialist will contact you. TIP: Some commonly requested legal forms are available in the Download Center. The only thing in their list that may apply is that I could have applied for employment with an intelligence agency in the past (unsure if I actually did). Is the legal hold something to worry about?
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Jul 19, 2011 07:57
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Intensive Porpoises posted:The day after I mailed the medical packet I get this: No, that just means they're doing the legal clearance now. Everyone sees that.
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Jul 19, 2011 15:32
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Rush Limbaugh #1! posted:No, that just means they're doing the legal clearance now. Everyone sees that.
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Jul 19, 2011 17:43
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How much should I sweat these essays? I've been writing and rewriting them for a month and what ever I come up seems lame. The first essay goes over long and has no form and the second one I just can't seem to think of a good enough story/example to center it around.
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Jul 20, 2011 05:14
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Mollymauk posted:How much should I sweat these essays? I've been writing and rewriting them for a month and what ever I come up seems lame. The first essay goes over long and has no form and the second one I just can't seem to think of a good enough story/example to center it around. I thought it was something you could totally bullshit, but like 6 months later, after I was about to be invited, they asked that I rewrite one because I didn't quite answer one of the questions they essay asked. I rewrote it, and was accepted a week later. haha
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Jul 20, 2011 14:11
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Noted my OCD nitpickyness will continue then.
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Jul 21, 2011 04:36
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But do take that with a grain of salt, because I did my entire application in like a marathon, get it down and get on with things, sort of way and never had an issue. So maybe just make sure you're stressing what you know they want (like in every job application) and you'll probably be fine?
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Jul 21, 2011 05:28
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How much of the initial process did you have to pay out of pocket? IE, do you have to pay for those medical exams / dental exams (what if you don't have health insurance)? Does sending form after form cost more than regular postage? Do they pay for your trip to the staging area? Roughly, when it's all said and done how much do you think you paid to actually join the Peace Corps? oxidation fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Jul 27, 2011 |
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Jul 27, 2011 03:46
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oxidation posted:How much of the initial process did you have to pay out of pocket? IE, do you have to pay for those medical exams / dental exams (what if you don't have health insurance)? Does sending form after form cost more than regular postage? Do they pay for your trip to the staging area?  Anything you need to mail the PC is pre-paid and free to ship. Everything else is covered.
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Jul 27, 2011 07:10
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oxidation posted:How much of the initial process did you have to pay out of pocket? IE, do you have to pay for those medical exams / dental exams (what if you don't have health insurance)? Does sending form after form cost more than regular postage? Do they pay for your trip to the staging area? About $2 in bus fare to the interview.
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Jul 27, 2011 07:20
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oxidation posted:How much of the initial process did you have to pay out of pocket? IE, do you have to pay for those medical exams / dental exams (what if you don't have health insurance)? Does sending form after form cost more than regular postage? Do they pay for your trip to the staging area? I paid about 10$, but then again, I have insurance.
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Jul 27, 2011 13:36
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I think PC covers about up to $65 in dental, $16 in optical, and $165ish (depending on age and gender) for medical checkups in cost-sharing. Surprisingly my medical insurance covered a lot of the medical checkups. The medical checkup was useful, I know I need to eat more red meat and take in vitamin B12 more often.
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Jul 27, 2011 19:31
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Does applying for an internship at the state department disqualify you for the PC?
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Jul 27, 2011 21:55
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I'm pretty sure not. NSA/CIA is mostly what they look for to disqualify you, and even then they just tell you to pull everything.
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Jul 28, 2011 07:59
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Hypothetically, let's say I mentioned on the application that I don't have a history of depression and now that I have received my labwork results, information about previous depression issues is peppered throughout. How hosed am I? If the answer is anything other than "completely," what should I do?
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Aug 6, 2011 00:05
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Are they resolved? Depression isn't a dealbreaker if it's controlled, but you'd need a letter from any councilor or psychiatrist that you saw in the past. You might make the argument that it was an honest mistake and that since it was resolved you marked "no". I can't say what the best move would be, but I would recommend fessing up since there's no avoiding it.
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Aug 6, 2011 01:34
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Aggro Craig posted:I can't say what the best move would be, but I would recommend fessing up since there's no avoiding it. On the other side of that, I personally listed I had at one point had ADHD during my paperwork, because I thought I had it at one point as a child, and I figured it would be good to be upfront about it, to avoid any hassle. What happened next was pretty shittastic. I got a note saying I won't be able to join until I get some kind of documentation about the ADHD (whether it's current or resolved, etc) I had to track down my childhood doctor, whom I found out had died and didn't leave any paperwork behind because his office was now an insurance office. Long story short: I had to find a new psychologist, meet with him for a bit (all out of pocket) just so I could get a note saying I'm fine and that I don't have ADHD. If you're going to list anything, be prepared to jump through a lot of hoops to clarify it with the Peace Corps. I'd even avoid mentioning the depression thing if you think it's under control, or something from years ago.
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Aug 6, 2011 02:08
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Out of curiosity, why does it list previous depression issues on your labwork? My labwork was just the blood and urine tests, and then the medical form that just has whatever I put on it and the signoff by the physician.
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Aug 6, 2011 07:03
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Aggro Craig posted:Out of curiosity, why does it list previous depression issues on your labwork? My labwork was just the blood and urine tests, and then the medical form that just has whatever I put on it and the signoff by the physician. I have no idea, and was quite surprised when it showed up on the labwork for no reason. If I can't get the info reprinted somehow with the depression junk omitted, I may just have to go find a doc with no record of my previous medical history and start all over. What a bummer.
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Aug 6, 2011 18:57
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Welp, T-19 to Turkmenistan was canceled and everyone got the call saying we're not going. Good news is, I'm going to Ukraine instead, and it even leaves when I was supposed to leave. Hurray! I'm sort of being fast-tracked through the whole application process (visas, etc) so I'm hoping this works out.
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Aug 10, 2011 05:50
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Pocket DeSade posted:Welp, T-19 to Turkmenistan was canceled and everyone got the call saying we're not going. Thailand invites are going out now, anyone currently waiting for their invite?
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Aug 14, 2011 07:26
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I turned in all my medical stuff a month ago and PC already approved my dental clearance. I guess they really want me to go to China rather than anywhere else in the world... I would not have minded going to Thailand... I even put Asia as a preference.
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Aug 14, 2011 09:28
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Dental usually takes no time at all. Also, apparently the Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia programs are closing soon and the Nepal one is reopening. The Turkem program is just closed for a bit 'cause of...pressure from Russia or something?
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Aug 14, 2011 12:16
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Stuntcat posted:The Turkem program is just closed for a bit 'cause of...pressure from Russia or something? Is that true? They didn't give us a reason, but I know they've done this in the past.
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Aug 14, 2011 14:36
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That is what a staff member here said, I don't know how much just rumor that is, honestly.
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Aug 14, 2011 20:14
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Man, I just got a letter that said I am medically deferred unless I gain 9 pounds to reach the threshold of 108 pounds within 2 months... Looks like I need to eat a lot and lift weights.
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Aug 23, 2011 01:44
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Ronald Spiers posted:Man, I just got a letter that said I am medically deferred unless I gain 9 pounds to reach the threshold of 108 pounds within 2 months... Holy poo poo you weigh 99 pounds? But yes I can see that this would be a serious thing, because most people lose weight during their time in the Peace Corps and they are legitimately worried about people dropping below a healthy weight. I lost 12 pounds in my first three months due to a combination of bad food and illness, and like you I don't have a lot to spare.
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Aug 23, 2011 02:59
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Moon Slayer posted:Holy poo poo you weigh 99 pounds? Yeah, I normally weigh 110-115 (mind you I'm only 5'5). I lost 20 pounds when I was teaching in Korea for a whole year and I've only regained half the weight I lost. I can see myself losing weight while in China or some other developing country as well. Well, time to pump some iron and eat lots of protein!
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Aug 23, 2011 04:50
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