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I've got about three to four months before I plan to apply for an engineering related position with PC. I've already had one engineering internship for eight months in Shanghai and worked at a summer camp in New York. I consider these my two most important experiences thus far that are relevant for applying. For the summer, I will most likely be working a second engineering internship and doing volunteer work with Engineers Without Borders for a Kenya project. I've already finished three years of high school Spanish and will be taking one more year of Spanish. I have to do a senior design project and I've decided on an alternative energy project. Does this sound like enough for PC to consider me for a alternative energy assignment in a Spanish speaking country? Any other things I should try and squeeze in these last few months/next year of school?
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May 28, 2012 05:58
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| # ¿ May 11, 2024 11:40 |
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Is there a time by which references need to be sent in? I'm not going to have two of my references until the summer is over but I need to apply by June 17th for a May 2013 departure date.
huhu fucked around with this message at 20:12 on May 30, 2012 |
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May 30, 2012 19:22
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I was wondering what you guys think of using a person who has English as their second language to write me a reference for my engineering internship in China? I would ask my old boss but he is very busy and I already got a reference from him to get college credits for my internship. The person I would be asking gave me some of the engineering tasks to work on, ran an English discussion/class with me, was my closest friend Chinese friend, and we helped each other improve our language skills. My only problem is this is his level of writing. (I copied this from one of our emails talking about internships/Engineers Without Boarders) "It’s like US society supplies many chance for youth grow before they get a job and start steady life, or maybe you want to take involve in these activities, to have a good accumulation at the beginning of your occupation. I would like to do the same as you too, but I think it’s hard to find a pure organization, and a lot of corporation and organization here are cheaters, or bad ending. I like the name "Engineers Without Borders", it sounds like the engineers are come from everywhere and reserch every secter." Do you think that's good enough? Or should I try and bother my old boss for another reference?
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Jun 11, 2012 05:24
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Wondering if anyone can shed some light on what opportunities exist after Peace Corps? I'm just graduating with a mechanical engineering degree with a three month engineering internship, an eight month engineering internship, a project with Engineers Without Borders revolving around supplying water, and a senior design project revolving around alternative energy completed by the time I'm ready to start. My recruiter says I'm most qualified to teach physics or math to secondary high school students. I'm all for this but I'm just afraid teaching for two and a half years won't make me very competitive for the job market when I graduate. I'm most interested in either alternative energy, environmental conservation, or some sort of international policy. Would teaching with PC be able to push me in any of these directions?
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Jul 4, 2012 14:03
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Anyone have any experience with getting organisations such as Engineers Without Border involved within their community? I'm currently an undergrad in EWB and we're working on a project in Kenya. I'm thinking of trying to get EWB into my community or another similar organization. My aim is to keep myself involved in engineering work while I'm there since I'll be teaching math most likely. Also, my application was submitted to Washington DC sometime around the middle of September. Any thoughts on how much longer I'll need to wait for an update?
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Nov 9, 2012 19:31
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Just got picked for Panama doing environmental work ad they are only allowing me 7 days to decide.  But it's the exact position and location I wanted... going to be a fun week of deciding if this will be my first job after college.
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Feb 8, 2013 23:27
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Grammar Fascist posted:If you think it's going to take you the full week to decide if you want your dream country and assignment, I'd be quite concerned... If you already have doubts, I'd take that as your answer.
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Feb 9, 2013 01:48
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Got some questions... - Anyone know of people not passing training? I read that 9/10 get placed after training. - For visits from family/friends what is a typical "acceptable" stay? It says that if they stay for an extended period of time you need approval. - I don't know exactly where I'll be placed in country until after training. They say they'll look at my skills and I have some say in where I'm placed. For Panama, if I already have experience with envrionmental health and five years of Spanish could that mean I work on bigger projects in a town where Spanish is spoken? It says 30% of people will work with indigenous people in very small communities and I'm not so sure I want to do that. huhu fucked around with this message at 19:38 on Feb 11, 2013 |
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Feb 11, 2013 19:31
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I accepted Panama! Now comes the fun of finishing all the paperwork and preparing. Did it before when I lived in Shanghai for a year, this should be a little more interesting. I'll definitely be back in the coming weeks with lots more questions.
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Feb 16, 2013 05:43
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xcdude24 posted:I also accepted my invitation yesterday, although I'm headed to Ethiopia in July. Is it worth picking up some language software/phrasebooks, or should I just wait until training to start getting the language down? Can't hurt starting now. I lived in China for eight months and it took me about 3 to 4 months to grasp a lot of the basics. If I'd started in America I could have moved to China being able to make basic sentences and I would have learned a ton more while I was there.
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Feb 16, 2013 17:15
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Forgot to say it, thank you Slaan for answering my questions. Emailed the head of my program, the head of Panama, and posted here, and this was the only place I got a reply. Hopefully if I need help in country I'll get a reply.  Browsing for my packing list and just came across this in case anyone is interested: http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/Volunteer_discounts huhu fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Feb 16, 2013 |
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Feb 16, 2013 20:46
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What are the thoughts on bringing a DSLR camera with me to Panama? I've always wanted to improve my photograph skills and I figure living abroad in Panama would be a great opportunity but I've read it's best not to be flashy.
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Feb 17, 2013 07:16
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I'm a little confused about applying for a passport. In the welcome packet I got, there is a little blurb that says "Because your personal passport may not be used for official government travel you must obtain a "no fee" passport for Peace Corps service." Every other instruction on the page sees to be about getting a new passport or renewing your old one but my passport is fine until 2017. Can someone please clear this confusion up for me?
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Feb 21, 2013 18:08
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 New PC Volunteer Portal opens next week. Good thing I got my blue packet last week and the email I just got says "If you have already received your pre-departure materials by mail, please disregard all but the following documents:..."  On the bright side, I get more time to write my essay.
huhu fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Feb 26, 2013 |
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Feb 26, 2013 21:55
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Mollymauk posted:I sent in my application and I just got an email basically saying I'm pretty under qualified but I might be okay for the Business Development Program. They do recommend I bone up on everything though. Does anyone have any idea on what kind of volunteer work would be useful for that? Also they recommend I become proficient at another language, does anyone have a favorite learning program? I've heard Fluenz is pretty useful and the Rosetta Stone stuff is readily available at my library. I am now nervous because the whole thing seems suddenly more like it will actually happen. What experience do you have now? I started looking at videos of living conditions in Panama and three two videos i watched the guys talked about building things. Also, do a lot of people build stuff onto their homes? I've built stuff in the US and they've been pretty expensive. Is the process of say building a deck or a better bed cheap? For reference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfnqwgcEpp4&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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Mar 1, 2013 05:47
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Heliotroph if you should happen to view this thread please contact me at driven2rhythm at gmail I'd like to talk to you about Panama.
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Mar 3, 2013 19:00
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Anyone do the hometown news release or World Wise Schools? What are your thoughts on them?
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Mar 6, 2013 23:49
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Moon Slayer posted:Don't murder anyone or get arrested for selling drugs, I guess? You sound like the perfect candidate. Hah. This is pretty much spot on.
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Mar 13, 2013 04:30
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Almost done all the paperwork and this question popped up, along with my answer I've got right now.quote:1. Below are some common issues you may face in your community. Please note any concerns, and how you plan to deal with the issue. What do you guys think of this answer? For years I've wanted to become fluent in Spanish. I managed to get an internship in China for eight months and worked on Mandarin while there. I was always frustrated though because I would have preferred a Spanish speaking country because I would have been highly conversational by the time I finished. Now it's looking like there's a real possibility that I'll be placed into an indigenous area, where they don't speak Spanish.
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Apr 2, 2013 20:20
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Slaan posted:Eh, even villages generally have a few people that speak the langua franca of your country, and those are typically the people you talk with the most anyways; the 'Big Men,' chief/politicians, teachers, etc. But it depends on the site, really. I've been invited to Panama and this is just another set of questions they want me to fill out. I'm hoping it's the last one because I just want to be lazy and relax for the next two months before I fly out in June. Thanks for your suggestions, I'll get to working on my response.
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Apr 3, 2013 14:16
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I've now been to my university's medical center so many times the receptionist didn't ask for my ID number just said 'huhu go upstairs to the second floor waiting room.' The Cheers theme song is now playing in my head.
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Apr 5, 2013 14:59
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Thought this day would never come. quote:Congratulations! You have received your final medical and dental clearance for Peace Corps service. Thesaurus posted:Just wanted to check in and say that I'm currently going through training in the Dominican Republic, if anyone has questions. huhu fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Apr 19, 2013 |
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Apr 19, 2013 15:42
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I wanted to double check this, is it proper for Peace Corps to hold your personal/government passports until staging? I got a confirmation from Sato travel but I just want to double check here.
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May 13, 2013 15:21
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Don't plan on traveling out of country until I leave. Thanks though.
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May 14, 2013 16:28
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What are the thoughts on shaving during service? I read somewhere about diseases getting in through shaving cuts and now I'm a little bit paranoid about it.
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May 20, 2013 20:43
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Not really concerned about a beard just more concerned with infection.
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May 21, 2013 03:09
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Thanks everyone for the help thus far. Just had a long chat with a RPCV the other day and all of my worries are pretty much non existent at this point... except for a few more questions about my packing list. I'm in need of some business casual pants I've been looking around but am generally not sure what to get. Any suggestions for hot weather pants that worked out for guys?
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May 26, 2013 21:05
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Slaan posted:(Most) Grown-rear end men here at least hide somewhat in the bushes. But they'll just whip it out to pee. Happens in Shanghai too! Watched a mother holding her kid while he peed on a bush in probably the most expensive shopping district there. Can't wait to see what surprises Panama holds.
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May 30, 2013 17:54
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Ignore.
huhu fucked around with this message at 21:06 on Jun 6, 2013 |
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Jun 6, 2013 18:02
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Throw me on the list for current PC volunteers in Panama (2013-2015).
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Jun 16, 2013 17:28
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Our one PCMO just got forced to resign so, . Without going too in to detail, I got an injury and he kept trying to diagnose it as migraines and told me to stop drinking so much coffee. After we swore in, I sat for two weeks on medical hold getting physical therapy because I finally saw the good PCMO who sent me right away to a specialist. Otherwise, our staff is absolutely amazing. There were some lovely people here a few years ago but they've all since been forced out. Our PTS was telling us that for the PC group before his group, there was almost a mutiny by week five because everyone thought training was absolutely useless. Good thing I didn't end up there. As far as posh sites go, I'm environmental health and my host family has a generator running from sundown to about 8:30, clean running water, and a food store only a twenty minute walk and ten minute bus away. I'd say that's pretty posh haha.
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Sep 18, 2013 18:27
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Thesaurus posted:Poor bastards. Santo Domingo has giant super fancy malls with all of the consumer pleasures and western brands that a PCV could ever desire. Last time my wife and I made the trek to the capital we went to IHOP... and it was as good as we had imagined.  The capital has just about every fast food you could think of including Taco Bell. Also, I'm environmental health which is supposed to have some of the most out there sites possible.
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Oct 6, 2013 16:47
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Anyone have any good recommendations for Peace Corps books written by early volunteers? I've heard some crazy stories that I'm not sure if they're real or exaggerations and I'd like to read some first hand accounts by volunteers.
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Oct 24, 2013 14:28
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Tequila Sunrise posted:Me (and pretty much everyone else in my batch) read "When Things Get Dark" by Matthew something or other. It was specifically about Peace Corps Mongolia. I remember thinking it was pretty decent, but I've actually been meaning to go back and read it again now that I've been here for a year and a half and see what I think of it. My crazy stories come from other volunteers in my country. The craziest I've heard is of a volunteer many years back who had a month hike to get to site. Her mom/sister came to visit and they hiked the month in and out and spent two months hanging out there.
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Oct 24, 2013 20:24
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Just moved into my house today. My nearest 'neighbor' is a spider about 4" across that made a web just at the fence to my front porch. I decided to let him stay. I finished hanging up my mosquito net, went outside, came back in, and a two inch long wasp thing was caught in the net. Spiders are cool but freakishly large wasps are not. Ended up catching the wasp and got him tangled in the web and the spider tore him apart in about ten seconds. That was pretty cool. Also, how the hell have I already been in country for six months?
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Dec 10, 2013 19:26
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CronoGamer posted:Peace Corps wisdom. Always leave the non-venomous spiders to their devices, they're there to help you out no matter how creepy they may look. After my mosquito net, my geckos and spiders were my main line of defense against all of the insect life constantly creeping its way into my room in search of blood and cookies. 2 Month PST, 3 weeks on medical hold because gently caress the PCMO, and then about 3 months from moving to site to finishing construction. We have to live with host families for 3 months minimum.
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Dec 13, 2013 05:51
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heliotroph posted:This is incredibly late, I just saw your post from last year. So you ended up in Panama? Which part? I was in Colon province. Ended up in Cocle. Out of site now because I was supposed to meet my friend in Penonome and bring him back to my site but he got robbed and now has to go get all new cards and such.
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Jan 5, 2014 19:20
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General question to you guys. I just had my family bring down all my electronics stuff which is based on Arduino which is like a prototyping tool for making any type of thing that runs on circuit boards and such. I'm trying to figure out what projects/things I could work on/make that relate to my field, environmental health, or any PC projects in general. If you guys have any thoughts let me know. If not I'm just going to end up making a game or something with my free time in site. heliotroph posted:Nice! I only went down to visit friends in Cocle on the way to Chitre once, and I also was pickpocketed. :v Which I thought was pretty rich considering all the time I spent in Colon City. You must know some of my friends that stayed on and became part of the staff there - small internet! If you are inland you are probably fairly close to my former site. You probably had all your questions answered by now but if you have any left I can shoot you an e-mail to talk, I only have a school one so I don't want to post it on here. I haven't been back to visit yet but I'd like to some day - I miss all the weird animals and customs. When I get drunk I still try to gritar for my friends in the US but it just isn't the same without a bottle of Seco and some tipico. 
huhu fucked around with this message at 00:35 on Jan 13, 2014 |
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Jan 13, 2014 00:33
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Slaan posted:Have you got just gotten new VRF and SPA/financing forms? Because Benin just did, and I have no idea what PC/Washington is up to. For some reason, both forms seem to require constant internet connections and constant refreshing; and they can't be used on Macs, which is the computer of choice for ~60% of PCVs. Do they just forget how they lived when they were PCVs? I have to travel 5 hours from my village to get a half-decent internet connection, and half of the PCVs here don't even have electricity. My group is pretty pissed off at these new things. We get the vrf sometime this week. And yes it sucks.
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Feb 13, 2014 02:32
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| # ¿ May 11, 2024 11:40 |
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Question to couples who met in PC, and maybe married couples as well. What do you guys do for fun? I'm getting a little tired of meeting up in the regional capital and getting a hotel room.
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Jul 30, 2014 20:04
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