Packing Nightmare Continues

So I have undone all of my previous packing. In a rather last minute decision I ended up with more stuff to pack. While visiting Seattle I went to a board game cafe to try out some educational games that I thought might work for my kids in Comoros. I ended up picking up four games.

Story Cubes and Tell Tale, as you can probably guess, are story telling games. Applelettes and Last Letter are word games. Even if the students can't play the exact game I figure I can still use them in my own games. And I also imagine that they have never had the opportunity to play these kinds of games in their classes, so I hope it will incite more interest.

I also received my first care package! It contains pictures of my friends, family, and cat. There are also little clips to hang pictures from a line pinned to the wall. I also received a lovely journal, some cards, and a fancy soap that won't melt in the tropical heat.

I also picked up some random stuff- a lamp, sharpies, luggage locks, and so on. In the end I dumped my previously packed hiking bag out and now it looks like this:

I'll have to start from square one. Four days to go and I'm moving backwards!

Packing

It's now about two and a half week until I leave for staging! I will go to Washington DC to meet with my cohort. It's been really exciting to get to know some of the people who will be in the opening cohort for Comoros with me. There appear to be 19 of us leaving in June and there are at least seven that I have had no contact with and seven that I have had only minimal communication with. So it is time to meet the people who I will be spending the next two years of my life with!

I have, at times, been intimidated by the fact that we are opening Comoros for Peace Corps service. There will be extra challenges and difficulties but as time has gone by I've come to see it as exciting and a potential advantage. I have completed nearly all of the pre-departure tasks, some huge and some barely worth remembering, but the last, and seemingly biggest, is still ahead. Packing. I'm completely dreading it.

Since I will be spending the next week in Seattle I am trying to get most of it done now but every time I see the giant pile of clothing and stuff to sort through I chicken out. I have also been known to be a chronic under-packer. I am worried that I will over-correct this time. I am trying to tell myself that I really don't need much of anything anyway. I can buy most of what I need just like the locals do. And yet I am still obsessively making and editing lists of what I should pack or buy. I spend half the time thinking I should load up on culture appropriate clothings (think calf-length skirts, long sleeved shirts, ect) and the rest of the time I am convinced that I will buy all of that there and I should bring all of the clothing I will miss even if I can't wear it often (tank tops, shorts, ect.). Will my Peace Corps service be ruined if I don't bring rain boots? Am I going to get to my site and think "why on Earth did I think I would want to knit in the dark on this hot, damp island"? Asking other PCVs for advice generally ends in them telling me that I should bring peanut butter and a hard drive full of movies. I'm worried that by the end of all of this I will show up on Comoros with a purse full of saltine crackers and a ball of yarn.

*A more specific packing list for Comoros can be found here: Packing List.*

The PC Medical Clearance Process

While I am sure each experience is different, for me the most difficult process of joining Peace Corps was the medical clearance process. The difficulties I experienced were compounded by living abroad and being uninsured but even so, many of my cohort faced great difficulties and expenses related to medical clearance. I am devoting this post to discussing what the medical clearance process entails.

I began my medical clearance process while in Shanghai. This greatly complicated everything because I needed to find doctors who could speak English and then I had to have the lab results translated into English. It became further complicated because not all of the tests and immunizations were available in China. Some of the issues I faced might only be experienced by someone applying from abroad and some were pretty universal difficulties.

To begin with, when you accept your invitation your medical application portal will open with a variety of tasks to complete. These tasks will contain minimal instructions and a deadline. While it is in your best interest to complete them as timely as possible, if you are experiencing difficulties you can message your nurse on the med portal and get an extension for the task or advice on how to complete it. Your nurse is there to be your advocate, though it is easy to associate him/her with a roadblock to getting to your service. Try to work with your nurse rather than feeling like you are fight them. This can be hard when facing repeated bureaucracy issues and being told over and over that tasks are completed incorrectly. And this will likely happen to you. Make sure you start as early as possible for this reason.

The first task I attempted to complete was the dental task. I found an English speaking doctor and went to my appointment. Unfortunately the results of my appointment weren't acceptable to PC medical. You need very specific x-rays from your dentist. These x-rays must be a full mouth series or a Panorex with bitewings. I got a Panorex without bitewings and this didn't qualify. You will also need your dentist to fill out a periodontal evaluation which many dentists will try to tell you you don't need. You do. I had to get a second very expensive appointment with another dentist to do everything correctly.

I then tried getting my physical done. This also had endless complications. I had to see a general physician as well as specialists. Some tests weren't available and some immunizations weren't offered. The language barrier and need to translate results was also aggravating. In fact I had to bring a male friend who spoke Chinese and English along to my gyn appointment to translate for me since I couldn't find an English-speaking gyn. It was a very special experience. I also got the impression that, due to our very similar physical appearances, that the nurses thought we were inappropriately close siblings. I had to finish the exam in the States were the final immunization boosters and G6PD titer (this is a test for a genetic disorder that doesn't show up in many populations) was available. Your doctor might try to tell you that you don't need certain tests done. If it is on the physical paperwork then you need it. The PC medical staff does not seem to have any leeway to let things slide.

At the end of the day the medical clearance process cost me $1,658 excluding translation, fedex, and transportation costs. It also took about four months. Some of my cohort got through medical spending under $200 if they were insured, in the States, and had no extra medical procedures. Others of my cohort found out that they had serious, expensive dental work that had to be done before they would be cleared.

Your experience could be anywhere in between depending on the details but don't underestimate the potential expense and time of your medical clearance process! There are also many resources compiled online that you might want to check out to mitigate the costs of the physical or dental exams.

Peace Corps Timeline

One for the first questions a new applicant has about the Peace Corps process is "how long did it take". Unfortunately, there is no one answer to this question. Some people receive an interview almost immediately and some wait for many months. I suspect there are many reasons for this and not all of them have to do with your qualifications as an applicant as much as your placement officer and perhaps general luck. This is my experience.

Submitted Application 7/27/14
Country Assignment Form 7/27/14
Health History Form Received and Reviewed 7/30/14
Placed Under Consideration for Sierra Leone and Interview Scheduled 8/14/14
Interview 8/25/14
2nd Interview 09/08/14
Switched Consideration from Sierra Leone (program suspended) to Comoros 11/04/14
Follow-Up Questions by email 12/02/14
Invitation 12/03/14
Medical Clearance 04/09/14
Staging 06/08/15

It took about three week from applying until my first interview. A second interview was scheduled after we discovered a misunderstanding about when I wanted to leave for service. After my second interview it took about three months to receive my official invitation. Of course, this timeline is a little different since my original program didn't open. Sometimes when this happens a future volunteer is forced to start the application process over. Thankfully that didn't happen. Because they interviews are recorded I didn't have to interview for Comoros beyond answering a few specific questions via email. I believe all invitations for Comoros went out at nearly the same time (early December) but that is not always the case. Sometimes an invitation can go out right after the interview even before the application deadline and some can go out on the know-by-date. It seems to depend on your placement officer and your competitiveness. You'll hear the same advice over and over. Each process is a little different and all you can do it wait.

A Few Words to New Teachers

Congratulations! If you have decided to become a teacher you have answered a noble calling. Teaching can also be grueling, thankless, and difficult work. When I decided to become a teacher two years ago I was a little panicked. I had no formal training as a teacher so I sought out more experienced teachers to hear their advice. I've decided to compile a list of advice I received and lessons I have learn along the way.

*Obviously not all advice is applicable in every situation, with every age group, or with every teacher.

Go in hard:
The biggest bit of advice I heard over and over was this: go in hard. No one wants to be mean teacher. And we all want our students to like us more than other teachers and be excited to go to class. This part can come later and it won't come at all if your classroom is in disorder. It is much easier to easy up on rules and discipline than it is too try to implement it later after bad habits have developed. I heard this advice over and over. I even believed it with all my heart. It took about two weeks for me to realize that I hadn't followed it and I had the exact situation I was trying to avoid. I wanted my students to like me and thus I was lax about homework and discipline and hated giving out detention. I had a class that went running and screaming through the library, knocking over chairs and throwing books. I had failed to instill discipline and order in my class. Doing so retro-actively was hard, painful, and much more unpleasant than it is to do so from the first class.

Discipline:
Make sure the discipline method you use is in proportion to the offense and not a result of your bad mood. I have found that group enforcement is great for older students. Each of my classes would get a certain number of stars at the beginning of class. If a student broke one of the rules written on the bored than a star was lost. If the class had three stars left at the end of class they got to play a game. If they had no stars left they got extra homework. This method helped to keep my most difficult class in line. Be firm with the rules but allow students to appeal to you in private. Nothing feels quite as bad as giving a kid detention for not doing homework only then to learn from another teacher that their grandma died over the weekend.

Consistency:
Now, upon entering a new class, I immediately write the classroom rules on the board and discuss what the punishments are for disobeying those rules. Rules should be universally enforced. You don't want to gain a reputation for being unfair or inconsistent. Reward all accomplishments equally and punish all misbehavior equally. The truth is that we all have preferences for some students and hold grudges against others. It is important that our behavior as teachers not display favoritism or prejudice. This can be harder than you think.

Never yell:
This one can be hard but it is important. Yelling is a sign that you have lost total control over the class and your students will know it. If you are teaching ESL students they might not understand you when you yell and this makes it rather comical for them. Not the effect you were probably looking for. Speak clearly, firmly, and evenly. I have even found that after you have their attention and the noise has died down, lowering your voice helps (a trick learned from my father).

Ritual:
When teaching young students nothing helps quite as much as instilling ritual. Young children have an easier time staying focused and in control if they know what is coming every time. Start each class with the same opening ritual that they can participate in. This can be boring as hell for the teacher but it makes a huge difference in classroom management.

Lesson planning:
As a new teacher nothing helps get through a class quite as much as a detailed lesson plan. You don't want to be too inflexible but until you learn the pace of your class and have the material memorized it can help to have detail plans. Also, plan more than you need. Classes will often go by slower than you thought at first and few things are as awful as running out of material 20 minutes before the end of class.

Remember that you are the single biggest determiner of a good class. If you go into the class with a bad mood there is little chance of having a good class. If you have a bad class promise yourself you will do better next time and let it go. Dwelling too much won't help anything. Be forgiving of your students and yourself and let every day be a chance for a new start for all of you.

Packing Guide for Korea

When I made the decision to move to Korea to teach most things seemed to fall into place. I found a school quickly; they arranged my visa and flight. There was little to worry about except for packing. I consulted dozens of forums and blogs. I have now decided to compile my own list as I disagree with many of the sources I originally consulted. This mostly applies to women.

If you are going to be living in a reasonable sized city in Korea then packing should not cause you much stress.

Toiletries:
You will be able to buy deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, tampons and just about any facial care product known to man (Korea is the land of skin care). I wasted so much time and money buying ridiculous items like oil-absorbent face wipes and Lush hair products when all of these things were available (literally!) across the street. While tampons are not as common in Asian countries as they are in the west I saw them in nearly every grocery store. Don't pack a year supply! Do consider bring condoms. Condoms sold in Korea are often of poor quality and western men complain that they are too small (take that with a grain of salt). So only pack enough basic toiletry items to last you until you build up the confidence to brave the Korean supermarket.

Clothing:
Korea loves stylish clothes and the prices are comparable to what you would see in America. Western brand clothing is also widely available (H&M, Forever 21, AE, The Gap ect). While you should dress nicely to make a good first impression when you have just arrived, you will likely be able to dress reasonably casually at work. I would avoid shorts, and tank-tops are a no-go in Korea, but I rarely ever wore slacks to work. If you are over a US size 10 or have a shoe size greater than a US 9 you might want to consider bringing clothing to last you a year, otherwise you should be able to buy clothing with little difficulty. The exception might be bras. Pack plenty of bras. Remember that Korea is blessed with four seasons which means summers are terribly hot, winters are very cold, and it rains the rest of the time. Plan to bring or buy clothes for every season!

Household items:
I would recommend against bringing any household items. You will likely end up with an apartment previously occupied with generations of western teachers. Even if your apartment is bare I can't really think of any standard household item that is not commonly available in Korean stores. The exception might be western style sheets. Koreans tend to use thick, quilt like sheets that can be hot in summer.

Food:
Some westerners go home and bring back suitcases of food. While I found that Korea was able to supply enough imports or Korean equivalents some people are picky about a certain brand. If you cannot live without Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing then bring some. Most of the foods you will find unavailable in Korea are foods that won't travel well, such as cheeses, sour cream, or salt-and-vinegar chips. An exception might be spices. If you love to cook you might find the kinds of spices available in Korea to be limited.

School supplies:
Don't bring any! There is a stationary store on ever corner here. Your school should provide you with all necessary teaching materials.

I suppose my most important advice is to not stress too much and don't over pack. You aren't moving to the middle of the Gobi. Korea is very wealthy and industrialized and it is not lacking for luxuries or amenities. Bring personal items that you need and use every day back home to make the transition easier.

So You Want to Teach in Korea

Teaching abroad is a great way to spend time in another country while gaining work experience and earning pretty decent money to boot. There are lots of great teaching options all over the world. I have friends who have taught in Peru, Germany, Indonesia, and Japan. There are ups and downs to all locations and different motivations to chose each one. I'll be dedicating this post to teaching in Korea and will probably do a follow up about teaching in China.

There are a few things you should know about teaching in Korea-

Korea is a slightly different market than other opportunities to teach abroad. The qualifications are minimal but generally non-negotiable. The pay is pretty solid but there is often very little upward mobility. Teaching in Korea is safe, convenient and easy, but you are very much limited to teaching. If you are looking to transition into something other than teaching Korea might not be for you. But lets circle back to the pay-check again- it is totally reasonable to save $10k a year teaching in Korea. And honestly, it isn't hard to get hired having never spoken to a child before.

A job in Korea should always include these things: a flight to Korea and back home at the end of your contract, an apartment, health insurance, and a monthly pay-check of about 2 million won. Pay may vary with qualifications. If you are offered a contract that does not include these benefits you should decline. You should carefully consider your contract before signing it. It will determine how much you work, how much you get paid, your living conditions, and what benefits you get. Your contract can be enforced to the letter and any promise not written into the contact is not guaranteed.

Korea has tighter restrictions on visas than some other countries. To obtain a work visa you must a have BA degree. Unlike China this cannot be faked or by-passed because you need a copy that is certified by the government that issued the degree. You must also hold a passport from an English speaking country: those being Canada, US, UK, Australia, NZ, Ireland and S. Africa. Being a native speaker but holding a different passport won't cut it. To do anything in Korea you need an Alien Registration Card, which can only be obtained with a visa, so trying to teaching in Korea without a visa is not a viable option. The only other solid requirements are that you need to be able to pass a background check and a health check. If you have a BA, a passport from a native English-speaking country, a clean back ground check and don't have AIDS you are a shoe-in. If you don't meet these qualifications check out China.

If you meet these qualifications then the first thing to do is to find a recruiter and decide which sector you want to teach in and what kind of location you are interested in.

About recruiters- schools pay recruiters to find teachers for them so you should never pay a dime for the "opportunity to teach abroad" as they might phrase it. On that same note, always remember that the recruiter doesn't get paid unless you sign a contract so they are more interested in getting you to agree to take the job than they are in making sure you are placed in a good school. Some recruiters promise to find you another school if the school you sign with doesn't work out. Go ahead and apply with a number of recruiters and see who offers you the best options. The recruiter should also be in charge of helping you do all of your paper-work for the visa and arranging your flight. The paperwork is tedious and can take a long time so factor that into your timeline.

There are generally three teaching options in Korea: public schools, private language schools
(Hagwons), and universities. All have advantages and disadvantages.

University jobs can be hard to get, unless you are will to work outside of a major city. Most of the people that I know who held university positions got their job in Korea after having taught for a few years. These are generally the only jobs geared toward teaching adults (though there are some exceptions).

Public school jobs offer more vacations days than hagwons, but might pay less. They tend to be less risky than a hagwon job but you are also likely to be the only Western teacher in your school and you might have huge classes. The jobs are also increasingly unavailable as Korean teachers replace foreigners to cut costs. Public school jobs require a TEFL or a Master's degree. Most people that I know who have chosen this route have been very happy but I think it is an advantage to have already established a friend-base in Korea before working at a public school.

Hagwons are the most popular options but also come with a number of risks. Hagwons are for-profit language schools teaching kids anywhere from pre-K to high school. The image of the hagwon relies on having native English-speaking teachers and they are often willing to pay a premium to fulfill this. It is also important to remember that these are businesses and thus can be prone to taking advantage of teachers or even suddenly closing down without notice. It is important to research your school before accepting an offer!

Beyond considering what kind of school you want to teach in you should also consider where you want to teach. If you are applying from outside of Korea you likely have little choice or knowledge about what locations are open to you but you should consider what conditions you are looking for.

The two major cities in Korea are Busan and Seoul. There are large numbers of jobs in these cities but there are also large numbers of people looking to be placed there. Jobs in big cities often can pay less because they have more interested teachers and you should keep in mind that the cost of living is higher. Your housing will be more limited but your selection of western goods and English-speaking services will be greater.

Medium-sized cities often have a tight-knit group of expats that can be less isolating than a large, anonymous city. Unfortunately, if you don't get along with those expats you might be more isolated than ever.

Rural areas don't often see westerners and as such have added difficulties. You will be stared at, have your picture taken, and pointed at. But you will have plenty of opportunities to learn Korean and be immersed into Korean culture if that interests you.

When considering teaching abroad it is important to do tons of research to understand what you are getting into. You should also consider that what you hear on the internet (say, from Dave's ESL cafe) is going to be disproportionately negative. The majority of people who are in Korea and are enjoying their time there are not stopping to write about it on the internet. It is the people who are miserable who sit at home and complain on forums. I've only known a few people who were unable to complete their year-long contract but do be honest with yourself about your ability to undertake the huge change that is living abroad. You will at times be lonely, homesick, and aggravated with your students/coworkers/boss. Teaching in Korea can also be deeply rewarding and lucrative. It really is what you make of it.

Medical Process

I am currently working to become medically cleared for Comoros. Unfortunately, doing so from Shanghai has turned out to be a nightmare! I was able to book a dentist appointment with an English speaking dentist only to find out later that I didn't get the right x-rays and the dentist doesn't have the kind I need. So I paid $200 for that exam and have to have it redone at a special clinic for three times the price. That was disheartening but what came next was worse. I called around to various places but couldn't find a clinic to do my physical in English and provide all of the right tests. I settled on going to the foreign department of a hospital.

The doctor I saw was really nice and spoke pretty good English. I thought she would just rubber stamp everything like they generally do here in China but she was actually really thorough and did all of the tests she was able to. Including the anal probe. Thanks doc. Unfortunately that office wasn't equipped to do all of the tests. They weren't able to go my pelvic, my titer test, or the metabolic panel. There is no option for a G6PD titer test here because apparently it is a genetic disorder not really found in China. The foreign part of the hospital didn't have a GYN for the pelvic and my doctor spoke English but didn't understand what basic metabolic panel meant. They did the rest of the physical for about $1k. I've been calling them to get the results for the tests but no one will answer the phone. I also dropped $200 on a vision exam that was total BS. Thankfully I emailed PC med and they said I didn't need it. Just wish I knew that before I spent the money!

So! All-in-all it has been expensive and disappointing. I will be able to do the rest in April when I get back to the States but that is already well past the due date. I think I will try to get my pelvic exam done at Planned Parenthood since I am uninsured. I am hoping the VA hospital can do the remaining blood tests and that I can find a travel clinic for the Yellow Fever vaccine.

I was finally able to get my FBI background check done! It was ridiculous and insanely expensive to be fingerprinted in Shanghai but at least it's over.

My advice to future PC applicants- don't try to get your clearances done from abroad!

Invitation

I forgot to mention that I received my official Peace Corps invitation to Comoros. Yay! As time has gone by I have become less nervous and more excited.

As I have mentioned in previous posts it is very intimidating to be going into a new program. I can't simply follow in someone else's shoes- I have to define what Peace Corps will mean to my community. No other PCV will have lived at my site or worked in my school. Much of the PC staff will be new to this. There will be twenty of us spread over three islands, and though they are small islands there are no promises that we will be close to another volunteer. It is all very scary.

On the other hand I am hoping that working with a new program will have different advantages. I won't have to overcome anyone else's mistakes, I expect the staff will be more attentive to an opening cohort's needs, and I am hoping that I can have more of a future with the Peace Corps having been a part of a new program.

Also, Comoros seems pretty cool. It is a tiny chain of tropical volcanic islands off of the cost of Africa. Can't beat that for interesting.

I didn't have to reapply even though the first country I was being considered for, Sierra Leone, didn't open. I did have to answer a series of questions via email since a phone conference wasn't a great option. The questions mostly concerned how I felt about being part of a new program. I am hoping that the seriousness of the follow up questions means that this cohort will have many experienced and serious volunteers. I am now at an age where the just-out-of-college crowd isn't a draw and I'm not yet at an age where I find them charming.

Since receiving the invitation I have entered the pre-departure part of the process. It is actually a lot more aggravating than the application/interview/invitation part. I'm having to do everything from China and it is an added burden. I was able to apply for my no-fee passport but with some difficulty. It took two appointments and nearly involved tears. I am currently unable to find anywhere to do my fingerprints for the legal kit. I may have to do that myself. I have a dentist appointment soon but will have to pay out of pocket. It is going to add up to quite a lot. I didn't realize joining the Peace Corps would be such a financial burden!

I will update soon concerning the legal and medical clearance processes.


*If you are interested in more information about my experience with PC Comoros, check out this blog: This Alien Shore.*

Korea vs. China

I have been meaning to write this post for ages but haven't been able to organize it. A question I am often is asked is whether I like Korea or China more. Both have advantages and disadvantages and I have decided to try to write a post exploring them.

While I was born in Germany and have traveled in Europe my first real experience living abroad was Korea. Moving abroad can be overwhelming. The culture shock and homesickness and knowing you have made a commitment that may trap you for the foreseeable future creates a great deal of pressure. I felt positively sick during the weeks before I left for Korea. I was certain that teaching in Korea was the wrong decision and that I would spend the year just trying to make it through.

Korea turned out to be quite easy. My recruiter helped arrange my visa and plan ticket. The school sent someone to pick me up from the airport and take me to a hotel. The head teacher from the school came by in the morning to take me around and tell me about the school. An apartment was provided for me. There was very little risk or hardship involved. Korea is very industrialized and many of the young people in the cities speak English. Most restaurants have an English menu. While Korea is distinct and different from the US I didn't find the culture shock to be so tremendous. Korea is a very safe and an easy place to teach abroad for the first time.

That being said- Korea is boring. It is nice, pretty, safe and convenient. All of those things have merit, but it is boring. Korean society can be very closed to non-Korean so most foreigners spend all of their time together. Visas are closely controlled in Korea so most of the foreigners there are teachers or students, which creates an insular social group that can feel claustrophobic and incestuous. There is also very little mobility there. You can be a teacher but that is about it. You'll likely never progress much beyond the job you first received when arriving in Korea. The people who have been there for five or six years don't seem to have done much with their lives. But the money is good! With little effort you can save quite a bit of money in a year. I have friends who paid off student loans or paid for Master's degrees after teaching in Korea for two years.

China, on the other hand, is more of a frontier. In Shanghai the opportunities are limitless. You have the freedom to do anything you like and the social scene is very diverse. Only a few of the people I have meet here are teachers or students and many of them aren't from English speaking countries. However, the risks are much greater and the experience wouldn't be as easy if this were my first time abroad. China is much more overwhelming to the inexperienced. English isn't as common, the schools are more likely to be scams and screw you over, friends are harder to make with such a large selection, and there are more mistakes to be made for a first timer. If done right, there is good money to be made here. If you are rash and sign a contract with a school because it seems easy you might be trapped in a low-paying, over-worked job that has control over your visa. I've seen this happen to many people!

My overall impression is that I find Shanghai to be a wonderful place- but probably only because I was eased into it by spending a year in Korea. When picking a place to teach abroad consider what you want out of it. Do you want to make money fast and get out? Do you want to invest in being in one place for a long time? Do you want the freedom to travel? Different counties, particularly in Asia, can offer different things.

Shanghai

Despite my intentions, I moved to China and immediately became that person who forgets about their blog. I suck. But I will update now!

Shanghai is amazing! It's diverse, dynamic, and easy. Everything has been so convenient here. The cost of living is really cheap and it is easy to get around. My best friend from college picked me up from the airport and I was immediately able to move into the apartment I share with her. We took it easy over the weekend and by Monday Chase, another friend from college, had set me up with some tutoring work to support myself. Teaching work is abundant here and it pays very well. The metro is simple and can get you anywhere in Shanghai. Taxis are also cheap and easy.

I commute to the apartment of a famous Chinese actor to tutor his two little boys for two hours a day, five days a week. Tutoring one on one takes more focus and energy then teaching a class but the kids are generally better behaved when they have your undivided attention. Next month I will take on a larger teaching load to earn some quick money. Private tutoring pays well here, about 33 USD an hour. Considering the low cost of living I probably won't need to teach much after January.

I like the food here, and it is cheap! For 3 USD you can get a decent lunch. A reasonably nice dinner might cost 15 USD. I miss Korean food though. I think, despite my complaining while in Korea, that it has become my comfort food.

I think I will have to write a post comparing and contrasting China and Korea.

More later!

New Placement Consideration

The Peace Corps was in touch. I was told that it looks increasingly unlikely that Sierra Leone would open. Everyone under consideration was given three options- to pull their application, to remain under consideration, and to switch consideration to another country. I said I would wait but my placement officer got in contact and asked me to consider other countries. I was asked to switch to Comoros, which is a new program opening in 2015.

I have mixed feelings about this. Comoros is exciting because it is a new program. I'm honored to be considered for a position in the program- only twenty volunteers will go. Comoros also seems very beautiful. It is a tiny island nation off of Madagascar and looks like a tropical paradise (if an impoverished, devoutly Muslim, politically distressed nation could be considered paradise). On the other hand, there hasn't been a Peace Corps program there for some time, so there are no paths laid down. I am having to surrender the image I had created of how my Peace Corps service would be. I envisioned living in a hut with no power or electricity. I would have a compost heap and eat dinner at my neighbor's house most nights. Local village kids would help me get water from the well and come by after school for extra English lessons. There isn't much information with which to build a new image; no blogs, packing lists, or RPCVs to give advice. I can't seem to get a hold of the placement officer for Comoros so it is an entirely new waiting game, and this time I can't read dozens of blogs to satisfy my desire for information.

In other news I am almost entirely ready to depart for China. I'm packed, I have my ticket and visa, and have taken care of last minute chores. I leave in two days!

A Note on the Title

It occurs to me that I should state for the record that the title of my blog, A Place in the Sun, was chosen because I like the sound. It isn't intended to be evocative of German imperialism or Weltpolitik. But it could be a good starting point for a conversation on the impact of colonialism on African nations and the struggle of many of these Africans nations to find there own so called "place in the sun" amidst the discord left over by European imperialists.

But I'll spare you the lecture.

How to Write a Blog (that doesn't totally suck)

I have been told that that anyone can write a blog post. Teenagers can do it, old people can do it. Hell, if you are reading this you have probably done it. I'm not sure if this is even blogging. More like journaling? Either way, it doesn't come naturally to me. So I have fallen back on an old habit- research!

I love research. I love it much more than actually doing anything. But here I am putting research into practice.


My research informs me that the first step is to disregard everything you learned about writing from your college professors. So I am off to a bad start it would seem. You and I, dear reader, are supposed to be having a discussion, rather then me talking at you. We'll work on that one.

Point two- know what you are writing about. I am struggling with that one. I am supposed to have a clear idea of what my purpose is and understand who you, my audience, is. I think it is probably obvious at this point that I am writing aimlessly. I'll work on this one too.

Next you are supposed to have a catchy title and engaging intro. I imagine that I will now sit and stare at blank blog entries paralyzed by being unable to think of a clever title. Then you follow up with actual content and some kind of conclusion. Also, add a nice picture (see my nice picture?!). I've been told pictures are very important to blogs. Unfortunately this is going to be hard for me as I read blogs for content and tend to skip picture heavy posts.

I think I am missing other important elements like direction and, well, a point. Work in progress.

China

After more than a month of vacation in Florida I have finally organized everything I need to get my visa for China. It was a grueling process and if it turns out to be anything like my visa process for South Korea there will be tears involved (seriously a hellish nightmare that involved a five hour midnight road trip to Tallahassee because of FL's incompetent bureaucracy). But anyway, I got my passport, photos, photocopies, my friend's residence permit, letter of invitation, application, visa agency confirmation, confirmation of payment and a dozen other things into an envelope and sent off to NY. Now I wait and hope that I don't having anything wrong/missing.

What's this about China, you might ask?

Well I can't sit on my bum here in FL until June when most programs (that I am interested in) for the Peace Corps launch. So I am heading to Shanghai for six months, where I will get to live with a fantastic BFF from college and work as a private tutor to pay for my gallivanting around China. I'm hoping I can continue to improve and expand my resume by gaining experience with teenagers (I mostly taught primary aged kids in Korea) and by volunteering with local orphanages. Also, Shanghai is cool. I am hoping to get into a nice productive routine in China since I have found it very difficult to motivate myself to do anything while here on vacation.

I will be on a plane on November 7th ideally. Actually, I don't know what happens to my plane ticket if my visa is denied...

So I have my ticket, an apartment, a job plan, and hopefully soon a visa. In the mean time I will do a last round of visitations while in the States. Things are moving right along!

The Other Road

It does look increasingly like the Sierra Leone won't be up and running this year. I haven't heard any news from the Peace Corps and likely won't until the last possible minute. I know the Peace Corp is hopeful that they will be able to run the program on time but the news just seem worse and worse. It is my continued hope that I will be in Sierra Leone in June but I have been considering alternative assignments. 

My alternative choices include Botswana, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda and Zambia. I am also looking at some non-teaching postings, though I suspect that classroom teaching experience is my most valuable skill. I wonder if part of the reason  am so enamored with Sierra Leone is because the PC picked it for me. The thought of making my own choice and then living with it is much more intimidating than being assigned a country.  

I am mostly leaning towards Malawi, Tanzania, Swaziland, or Zambia I think. Tanzania especially seems like a good option. The accounts I have read seem very much like Sierra Leone. It is considered one of the "hardcore" posting, mostly without running water, electricity, and sometimes paved roads but the PC staff seems great and the people of Tanzania seem warm and welcoming. 

Most of my opinions are based on PCVs' blogs, so I do worry that I just happened to run across some awesome blogs and that I should be taking more into account. I suppose I will cross that river when I get to it! It's frustrating to know that I won't get an official invite for months, and won't depart for months after that (if I make it through medical clearance).  

Old Vs. New

Holy cow! I'm reading blogs about the application and invitation process from past years and I am very grateful to be among the new applicants. It looks like it took FOREVER! It seems that when you applied you were part of a nomination group who could possibly leave in the next two years. You first had to pass the background check and then many rounds of medical clearance, all with no indication of where you might serve or what you might do. That part could take many months. After getting through medical clearance your qualifications were reviewed and you might be scheduled for an interview. You were discouraged from having an opinion on where you would serve. After the interview you might be invited to serve in a region but still with no idea of which country or what you would be doing. Eventually they would snail mail you an invitation with your country and assignment. Still subject to change.

There is a certain excitement to the process I imagine. And perhaps time honored tradition and the comfort of knowing that many other PCVs when through the same thing. But I think I still prefer the new system.

The new application takes about thirty minutes. You are asked a few initial questions: do you have dependents? Have you filed for bankruptcy? Are you related to anyone working in the intelligence field? And so on. Probably less then 15 questions. Then you submit a motivational statement, reference info, resume, and sign some agreements. That's pretty much all I remember from the application. Very shortly after I received a medical history form to fill out and submit online. This was very detailed. A day after that I received an email saying I was medically precleared to serve in any country and a form asked where I wanted to be placed and what I wanted to do.

I selected that I would serve anywhere and do anything but my preference was for Africa (I also correctly assumed I would most like be considered for education or youth development programs). In the new system you are encouraged to make your preferences known, unlike the past where any hint that you might prefer one way or another was seen as inflexibility and thought poorly of. In retrospect maybe I should have asked for a specific assignment but I feel confident that I would find any of them worthwhile.

Within days of submitting my preference form I received an email saying that I was being considered for placement in the education sector in Sierra Leone. Any indication of where you were going seemed to be among the last things to happen in the old system. The interview was scheduled using a handy internet site. The interview itself seems to be more extensive. It seems that past interview could be as short as thirty minutes. They made up for the lack of information in the initial application by having a two hour interview that sussed out every qualification and deficit you might have. It was also very informative and a surprisingly enjoyable process. I believe they are trying to be more transparent with applicants. Or else my placement officer has great communication skills.

After the interview I uploaded a few documents (transcripts, TEFL cert.) and completed a skills assessment form about my former teaching experience. I feel as though I should have been much more detailed when completing the form. Oh well.

I do wonder if some of the speed at which this happened has to do with the placement site being Sierra Leone. It is in quite a rough situation right now and has always seemed to be considered one of the most traditional and "hardcore" of the Peace Corps assignments.

I still have to go through the hellish medical clearance process, and I am very worried about timing. Despite what seem to be assurances that I will be invited to this program, actual invitations won't be made for some time, possibly as late as December. My problem is that I will be in Shanghai from November until March (about two months before Sierra Leone's departure date) and I will have to do all of my medical clearance abroad or in the last few weeks before departure. Sounds like potential for things to go terribly wrong. Particularly if my wisdom teeth need to come out!

My other concern is Sierra Leone's current status. PCVs and PCTs were evacuated a few months ago and have not been allowed to return. The Salone 5 group never even started their service. What will happen to them? I've become very attached to the idea of Sierra Leone over the past month but I have been warned that we might be told at the last possible minute that the program will remain on hold. I have also been told that if that happens I will have the chance to pick another assignment and country that departs around the same time. I am grateful for this, since not everyone will be so lucky. Some people will have to resubmit their entire application and go through this process again if Sierra Leone remains on hold.

More about the alternatives later.

The 4am Decision

So my application was submitted. I scheduled my interview for August 25th, 2015 and I was obsessively preparing for it.  I tried reading everything I could find on the interview process, but I was among the first applicants to go through the new interview. So this is how it went:

On August 4th, not two weeks after submitting my application, I received a response from the Peace Corps. It said they had reviewed my qualifications (master's degree, one year teaching abroad, TEFL) and my preferences (working with youth in Africa) and that I had been placed under consideration for an Education Assignment in Sierra Leone. The email included a link about the Ebola situation in West Africa, but no other real information.

On August 14th I received an email requesting that I choose an interview time. I selected August 25th but this all seemed very sudden. I was still expecting this to be like the older, longer process and considering that I didn't plan to leave before 2016 I though this was all moving very quickly.

Turned out that it was.

I started my interview with the placement officer in charge of my application at 11pm Seoul time after a long day of work. My interviewer was great. He was funny and interesting and put me at ease as we went through the pre-scripted interview questions (most of which can be found HERE). About 45 minutes into the interview we both realized that something was wrong. I was talking about my plans to teach in Shanghai during the year before my Peace Corps service in 2016. He was interviewing me for a position that departed in June, 2015. There were still a few kinks left in the new system. The interview came to a halt. He told me I was a very competitive applicant, that he really wanted me involved in this project in Sierra Leone, and asked me to consider changing my plans if I could. We agreed to speak in a week.

A week later I had packed up my life in South Korea, boarded a plane, and arrived back in my hometown in Florida. I woke up at 4am the day after I arrived and emailed the Peace Corps. I would leave a year early for the opportunity to fulfill this childhood dream.

I went ahead and finished my interview. I felt pretty confident about it, though I can't continue in the process until I have received the official invitation. I have become very attached to the idea of Sierra Leone though, and there is no clear evidence that the program will be up and running any time soon. News about the Ebola outbreak only seems to get worse, with no clear end in sight. In the mean time I will hope, and wait, and prepare as best I can.

Application

I had been in awe of the Peace Corps since childhood. It was an amazing thing that only amazing people did. I was desperately interested but couldn't fully imagine myself among the Peace Corp elite as much as I talked about it with high school friends, then college friends, then grad school friends. Then I moved to South Korea and it no longer seemed so unattainable. I could move across the world and survive. I could be a good teacher. I enjoyed travelling. I could be the stuff Peace Corps volunteers were made of.

I started an application to serve in the Peace Corps about five months after I moved to South Korea to teach. I finished the entire thing, entered my reference information, wrote the essays. The whole thing was done. But I held off submitting it. I told myself it was too early to decide. The process took too long, I didn't know what I would be doing a year in the future. I waited so long the application was deleted. But I didn't stop thinking about the Peace Corps. During my last months in South Korea I had few doubts. The Peace Corp was what I wanted to do. If it took so damn long I would just have to apply ridiculously early and find something to fill my time. The trick was the application process had changed by then.

I am under the impression that mine is among the first of the new applications to go through the shortened process. President Obama and the Peace Corps decided to overhaul the system to make it easier and more attractive for young people to apply. The year long process of applying was shortened to about six months. I found out that the year I had planned into the application process was no longer necessary. I had planned to leave for Peace Corps service at the beginning of 2016 but things don't always turn out the way we planned.

I submitted by application on July 22, 2014 and very shortly was asked to schedule an interview to discuss an education position in Sierra Leone. I was on my way!

Why?

I've started this blog, one of many attempts over the years, because I have found myself repeating over and over "I wish I were able to write a blog like this". I started an ill-fated blog about my efforts to become a runner. I started an even more unsuccessful blog to chronicle my time in South Korea. Well, now's the time to try again.

I've spent the past few months obsessively reading Peace Corps blogs. I wanted to know everything about their experiences. How did they navigate the process of applying? What happened after they received their invitations? What really went on in Pre-Service Training? What did they DO day-to-day? Hundreds of little questions. I combed out hints on how to survive, how to make the best of my time in service, and reasons why some volunteers didn't make it until the end of service. I am hoping to use their experience as a guide, and it is my hope that a future generation of Peace Corps Volunteers will stumbled across my blog and do the same.

I should mention that at this point I am only in the very early stages of the process. There is no guarantee that I will even make it overseas. There are still many road blocks to get over and hopefully I will magically become a good blogger (or even a mediocre one) and chronicle all of them.

Lets get started!