Peace Corps Update, Parts II, III and IV

Part I can be found here.

Part II: When leaving camp around 7:55PM on June 22 as referenced in this post, I got a call from a New York City number (area code 212). I don't know when or why I got into the habit of ignoring calls from unknown numbers, but I did, figuring, if it was important, they'd leave a message.

They left a message. I listened right away. It was a different recruiter from Peace Corps. He wanted to talk. Call him back.

I called back immediately. Actually, I called back many times, over and over, alternating between his direct line and the main number. Nothing. What did he do, call and then sprint out of the office? Why on earth would he call so late on a Friday anyway?

I called back first thing Monday. Nothing. I left a message. I called a few other times during the day and got no one at his number or the main number. Getting really, really frustrated. On Tuesday, same thing. Eventually on Wednesday, someone answered the main line and told me that the office was actually technically closed for the week, she was just trying to catch up on paperwork. But she listened, and apologized, and promised she'd figure it out for me. Except, I was going to be in Canada the following week and couldn't take calls.

Come to find out via voice mail from Recruiter 2 while visiting the US on July 4, that he was just calling to check in and see if I wanted to continue the process. Way to freak me out and get me all sorts of excitedupsetfurioussadthrilledexcitedsad. I decide to remain in limbo ("withdrawn"), but the girl who answered the phone when the office was closed became my new recruiter.

Part III: Seven days before this post, while I was getting my luggage out of the Jeep at Alice's place in Fishtown and tying my boots (didn't want the heavy shoes in my checked luggage when it needed to be under 50 pounds and already contained a case of Yuengling), I received a phonecall from a 212 number, and after contemplating ignoring it again, I answered it. It was the third recruiter, offering me a nomination...

...on the condition that I fill out the new application. They've changed over to a new system since I was withdrawn (see Part I). I filled it out. It was tedious and frustrating, but I did it, carefully.

Then I waited.

and waited.



and waited.

and my recruiter knew nothing because I am one of the first people in the country under this new system, and no one knows anything.

Part IV: After two months of no contact, I receive an update from the medical services, requesting more information about my nerve disorder, which was inevitable. They sent me paperwork on Immunology and Rheumatology, which my NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER is not. You know, the dystrophy that I clearly wrote about under "Neurological Information" on the initial health form. I do understand simple mistakes, but it seems that I am constantly a simple mistake, and continually fall through the cracks on every little thing with them. I am being strung along in a bad relationship.