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Monday, April 11, 2011

And so a new process begins . . .

An e-mail message was received within minutes afetr I hit the 'SEND' button for my acceptance of the invitation. This e-mail congratulated me for becoming a PC Invitee and, in addition, contained two pages of instruction for things to do between now and departure for Staging. I was informed that from now on, I would need to also be coordinating plans with The Country Desk Unit for Macedonia. This was in addition to and somewhat redundant with the instructions received in the BBP. Never-the-less, time was of the essence for submitting two things; An Aspiration Statement and a re-formatted resume.

I spent this past weekend studying the contents of the BBP and searching the Internet for information on the history and culture of Macedonia, in addition to writing, editing and re-writing an aspiration statement, and thanks to the postings of previous applicants, I had already re-formatted my resume.

My Toolkit has been updated:


Today, I submitted my aspiration statement and re-formatted resume and now must move on to other files and activities outlined in my BBP to complete.

The good part about the long wait until Staging is that I can more carefully plan my packing.

I have a wonderful sense of calm at present, knowing that my files and planning are both being coordinated with The Country Desk Unit for Macedonia. No RAS, no IAA, no CAS; just a pervasive sense of calm, with an overall sense of purpose. So, fellow applicants, TAKE HEART! It get better.

At last, it is time to start the countown clock (!).
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6 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 11, 2011 at 7:52 PM

    I am in the same boat as you! I am leaving for Nicaragua in the end of August so I am appreciating having plenty of time to pack and I can take this time now to devote to the mountain of paperwork included in the invite! Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. PaLewApril 11, 2011 at 9:51 PM

    Holy crap!
    I looked at your time line and saw how fast you went from aplication to invitation. That is FANTASTIC!
    I appreciate your comments, so I also looked at your blog and feel we might share a lot of common perspectives. I think that it might be nice to stay in touch with each other despite being in diferent hemispheres for our PC service.
    Best wishes to you.

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  3. Michelle -April 12, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    Hey Lew,
    Congrats on becoming a MAK 16. It is an exciting experience and you will have a wonderful time here. The country is beautiful and the people are very welcoming and friendly. If you have any questions or just want to hear more about Macedonia you can email me, michelle.carr25@gmail.com.

    Looking forward to meeting you in September!!!
    Michelle

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  4. PaLewApril 12, 2011 at 11:22 AM

    Thanks, Michelle!
    I will likely have many questions as the calendar creeps toward departure.
    My anticipatory excitement grows with each blog I read. Everyone in Macedonia writes about the people and the country in such positive terms.
    I am counting on the PC placement process to have made a good match with me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 12, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    I had four months before my departure when I got my invitation and I had been operating on the assumption that the region I was nominated to would stick so I started picking stuff up when I would find something super on sale. Now with just three weeks before I leave I care less and less about packing. It's a strange phenomenon.

    Heidi

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  6. PaLewApril 12, 2011 at 12:39 PM

    I appreciate hearing that, Heidi. I anticipate experiencing a similar shift in my thinking/planning. It often seems as though too much time exaggerates anxieties more than does too little time.

    ReplyDelete

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