I wanted to write a quick post as a word of advice/planning to current nominees to Central/South America. I didn't start reading Peace Corps Journals until after I had a minor meltdown about the delay in my placement process, so you guys are already more on the ball than me... and this may be clear after reading lots of other nominees/invitees blogs, but if it helps with RAS or life-planning... it seems that there is currently a three month backlog in C/SA invitations, meaning many invites are being issued with departure dates that are about three months later than the nominee's expected timeframe. I was nominated to late January/early February, and my invitation is to June 9th, which is more like 4 months "late." From what I gather this is a pretty common story in our Placement Region. And when I accepted my unofficial invitation over the phone, the Placement Officer told me they are pretty much full before June and that's the timeframe they are currently placing people for. Other nominees/invitees please feel free to correct me or add your own experiences. I just wanted to give some context to my invite, since I can imagine that many June nominees are thinking that my invitation means I am taking their spot or that their invitation might be coming soon too. I had those feelings about February invites! I don't want to set up anybody for disappointment so yes, I guess I did sort of take your spot, but everyone's spots are being taken three months in advance!
I am really, really thankful that my invitation came the time it did and not a week later. As was evident in my blog, I was near a breaking point. If you are feeling "in crisis" too, I think the big question is whether you have other options right now where you would be just as happy as in Peace Corps. Answers will vary depending on your current situation, future goals, etc. For me, the answer was no- I was sure that Peace Corps was the only thing that would bring me fulfillment over the next two years. For that reason, I was willing to wait another three months, even though it almost felt like a deal breaker when I first heard the news.
If you find out that you have to wait longer than expected, take a night to sleep on it and think about how much those few months will actually change your life plan. I don't want to assume too much about other people's situations (especially financially since that's been a hard part for me), but I think in the grand scheme of things a few months is not that long. It feels like an eternity while you are waiting, but try to take a bird's eye view of things!
I'm still rooting for everyone who is in Placement Limbo to get exciting news soon. I'm still following "Applicants" in PCJ because I want to hear where you guys end up!
