Placement Contact

OF COURSE the day I have news to report, blogspot had to be down. I received contract from Placement (on Thursday), unfortunately it wasn't the letter I would have liked to receive. I pasted the letter below:

I am the Placement Officer managing your placement with the Peace Corps. I am sending this email to you in an effort to provide some insight on changes occurring for upcoming Peace Corps programs and their impact on the timing of your placement.

Like many federal agencies, Peace Corps is currently reviewing its operations in light of budget reductions. The on-going review will result in fewer service opportunities available overseas in the remainder of 2011 and in 2012.  Unfortunately, these changes are highly likely to affect your potential placement. Many of our Summer and Fall-departure applicants will be placed in new programs with significant delays in departure dates, as far off as January 2012 or later.  Identifying new placement options for you will require flexibility in terms of geographic preference, assignment preference,  and departure date on your part as another program like the one you were nominated to may not be available. The Peace Corps Placement Office understands and apologizes for the inconvenience the impeding delay may cause our applicants. At this time, we ask that you please let me know if there is any reason that you would not be interested in remaining under consideration for a future program. Please feel free to contact me by email or phone regarding your inability to remain under consideration for Peace Corps service given the new timeframe for departures.

However, should you remain interested in placement, I will be contacting you in the coming months regarding your application. At the moment, the Business Skills desk is currently working to complete the review and placement of applicants nominated to programs previously scheduled to depart in the April to June time periods. As I complete their placements, a Placement Assistant will be in touch with you regarding additional information that may be needed to process your application. Subsequently your application will be passed on to me for a final suitability and skill review to determine the next available program that best fits your skills and qualifications.  It is at this point that I will be able to provide you further details on your specific placement and the timing of upcoming programs.

I would like to thank you on behalf of the Peace Corps for your interest in service and your continued patience. I look forward to working on your placement in the very near future.

I had already thought about what I would do if my placement was extended and had heard from other applicants that budget cuts were affecting programs; therefore it wasn't a big surprise. Of course when you get a letter from Placement, that's not really what you want to read. My first thoughts were "So basically I don't know when I will be leaving and my region country and job assignment may change." But quickly I realized that this was the same thoughts I had before. None of the information we were given was ever guaranteed.  I did not choose the Peace Corps because of a region, program, or time frame. I chose the Peace Corps because I believe in the mission and I know that working with the Peace Corps will help me with my career. (I want to work in the community) Therefore, I will continue on with Peace Corps and just be patient. I had sent in my updated resume earlier and will now just wait until the day when I get the coveted blue packet.

On a different note. I love to watch movies. Usually when I go to the movies with my friend we watch the previews and call out what movies we would want to see.  Lately, when I would watch the previews and see a really cool movie that is going to come out in August (or later) I would get very quiet. Would I be able to watch this movie with my friends? Will I be in the United States? After receiving the letter, I went to watch Thor and noticed a difference. Now, I don't think as much about will I be around when this movie comes out because I have NO idea when I'm leaving. Not even a time frame. So a bit of positivity came out of receiving that letter- less sadness when I watch previews (lol trying to stay positive) Ooo! Another positive note, now I know who my placement officer is!!