So I received an e-mail from my placement officer, Kristen, today. She said that I’ve received medical approval from several countries, and that she would issue me an invitation as soon as she was able to, but that for my planning purposes, I would be leaving in June. This makes me think that maybe she just has to go through the process of making the medical approval official and what not before she can actually place me where she wants to place me.
Not sure how entirely reliable this website is, but Peace Corps Wiki (basically the Peace Corps version of Wikipedia, updated by returned, current, and potential volunteers) has a timeline of what programs are departing when. According to them, here’s a list of programs leaving in June:
Out of those countries, Costa Rica, Liberia, and China are the only countries with no HIV/AIDS programs, and apparently, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Mongolia are unable to accommodate people with asthma (not sure of the reliability of that information though.) So, it’s pretty probable that I will be going to Africa..
If I had to make a choice of the countries left, what would I choose? I have no idea. Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world, so it would be really amazing to work at the heart of the epidemic, where I know they probably need the most help. I’ve spoken with returned volunteers from Cameroon and have heard amazing things, (I’ve also eaten Cameroonian Chicken Peanut Soup which was quite tasty, so at least I know I’ll like the food there). I don’t really know a lot about Benin, but it’s on the coast, and we all know how much I love the ocean. So it’s probably a really good thing that the fate of where I will spend the next two years is left up to Kristen, because I’d never be able to choose…
