Nomination!!!

I have been nominated to a Business Development assignment with Peace Corps in the Eastern Europe region, with an anticipated departure date of September, 2009. Please keep in mind that this can change.

Six Steps to become a Peace Corps Volunteer

Step One: Application (Completed)

• To complete an application I wrote two essays (one on the front page entitled "Motivation Statement" and one in the posts entitled "Cross Cultural Experience")

Step Two: Interview (Completed)

• In the interview, my recruiter and I discussed my skills, interests, job opportunities available, social and cultural awareness, motivation and commitment to the Peace Corps service.

Step Three: Nomination (Completed)

• My recruiter will match my skills with a program and nominate me for a specific program. I will know the general geographic region and approximate departure date. A formal invitation to a country in that region will not be made until the medical and legal review has been completed.
• From my recruiter: "Congratulations on your nomination! I am excited to be able to share that I have nominated you to a Business Development assignment with Peace Corps in the Eastern Europe region, with an anticipated departure date of September, 2009. Please keep in mind that this can change."

Step Four: Medical, Legal, and Suitability Review (In Process)

• A member of the Peace Corps medical screening team will review my Health Status Review. I will need a physical, dental and eye exams. Also, any legal paperwork will be collected. Last, a review of my suitability will be assessed.

Step Five: Invitation

• When a final match is made between a country's request for assistance and my skill, I will receive an official invitation to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Step Six: Preparation for Departure

• I will receive an airline ticket for travel to my orientation site. Soon, I will be on my way to my country of service.

Cross-cultural Experience

Cross-cultural Experience Peace Corps Volunteers must be open to ideas and cultures different from their own and may need to modify their appearance or behavior appropriately. Give an example (between 250-500 words) of a significant experience that illustrates your ability to adapt in an unfamiliar environment. Please highlight the skills you used and the perspectives you gained. You may draw from experiences in your work, school, or community in the U.S. or abroad. Please list the date(s) of your experience. Whether it is in a dark alley, a new school or a foreign country, being in unfamiliar surroundings can be debilitating if you do not have the correct tools to help you. When faced with an unfamiliar surrounding I execute three steps: observe, accept and respond. First, I observe my surroundings as if I am watching a scene in a movie—people, furniture, language, dress-code, and even emergency exits. Then, I accept the inputs collectively as if putting together pieces of a puzzle. Last, I respond to my surrounding in an appropriate manner. This approach has helped me in numerous situations. I had an opportunity to put this process into practice during my study abroad for the spring semester in Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham UK in 1997. The British have a reputation as cold and aloof people. I found this furthest from the truth. Admittedly, some of my classmates from the United States did not share my view that the British are warm and caring individuals. However, my classmates did not adopt my strategy of observe, accept, and respond. When I first arrived at school, I looked, acted and dressed differently from my British classmates. I was immediately singled out as the American or the "Yank." Observing that none of them wore running shoes, or trainers as they called them, outside of gym class was at the top of my list. It was customary for me to wear my running shoes everywhere here at home. Second, I accepted that my accent was going to be different from theirs. Last, I responded to a few of the most obvious ways in which I was outwardly American by buying a pair of black shoes. Also, I adopted a bit of British vernacular into my vocabulary. As a result, I learned that as I changed a few things that were inconsequential to me as a person, my British classmates were more willing to accept me as a person. In the end, none of those things changed who I was, but my British friends could see that I was accepting their ways instead of remaining stuck in my old habits as, I suppose, some of the other American students had.