Informing about Peace Corps Health Forms

The application process for the Peace Corps is by no means easy, especially when applying from overseas.

Having written the two essays talking about why I would be a great Peace Corps applicant, updated my resume, got my fingerprints in the US consulate in London while being a tourist there (story below), and had the 2-hour overseas interview with my recruiter, she nominated me for service teaching science to high school kids in sub-Saharan Africa. I'll only find out where I'll spend my 27 months of service 6 weeks to 2 months before I'm supposed to go there.

The post-nomination steps involve getting a medical checkup. It's just like a regular checkup, but, given that I'm a recent college student overseas, it's quite difficult. As a college student, I got many injections/etc at UMBC for various reasons (e.g. my visa for Portugal). The record of these immunizations were not sent two my regular doctor/pediatrician. Furthermore, when I went to Brasil, I received many injections, and records of those are in yet a 3rd place! I need to consolidate all of those records to find out what further injections I need for the Peace Corps application.

Once that's done, I will also need to go to a private dentist for xRays for my teeth.

Keep in mind that Portugal, like all of the EU, has Universal Health Care. Meaning, that if I wanted something done about 6 months from now, it would be free. However, given that this is time-sensitive, I need to get a private practice (a.k.a. expensive) to do these checks. Money is Not the important thing, obviously, but does play its part in this current step.

Once all that goes through (basically the final step!!), it will be reviewed, and, on or before July 18th, I will be presented with an invitation for service, that invitation coming along with placement, country, housing family, job, etc!!

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P.S. London Consulate story: After walking through the gate for the London Consulate on Thursday November 1st, I waited in line, passed through the security check points, and made it through one of the doors. As always happens in large places, the place where you go "isn't where you need to be," and are redirected somewhere. When you get to that place, "it's actually in a different place where you need to be." Having originally gone to the door on the left side of the building, then the right, then the center, I found out that, "as it turns out, the place you originally went was the correct place." Now approaching a furious rage, I went to that place and leveled with the people there. Actually! As it turns out, they were Brasilian! Hearing within a second of them talking to each other (based on their accent), I broke the ice and we immediately started talking to each other in Portuguese! Now impressed and comfortable around me, they called some administrator in the consulate, who came down.

How is it that you made it through all security check points of the most secure consulate in the world without an appointment or knowing anyone?

What can I say? I guess I'm a smooth-talker.

I explained my situation: how I live in Porto, but all finger prints for Peace Corps need to be done in a consulate. I can't get my finger prints in Portugal (Lisbon) because I live on the other side of the country and need to work. Now in London as a tourist for 5 days, I need to get my finger prints. I told her this as she told me that the London consulate only gives finger prints for passports and not for Peace Corps (ARG!). Now keeping a level head and speaking calmly, making jokes as well, she decided to help me out (yay!). We walked back to the right side of the building, and I joked about one of the guards. She laughed. She also told me how impressed she was that I got through all of the security check points of the most secure consulate in the world (the US Consulate in London) without an appointment or knowing anyone there. "What can I say? I guess I'm a smooth-talker." Having arrived at the other side of the building, I was given the name of the person who would take my finger prints (yay!) and set my appointment for the following day, Friday November 2nd (WHEW!). Had I gone to the consulate on Friday, I would have been completely SOL, but yay that it all worked out perfectly.