Allow me to introduce myself…

So…

I figure that even though I started this blog to chronicle my journey through the Peace Corps there’s no reason I can’t also talk about my life as well. So what the hell here we go…

I have two best friends that I’m lucky enough to call my roommates:

Hannah:

• Shot enthusiast
• Musical matador
• Future piano teacher (to your children 🙂 )
• PA native
• Pretty much the best Catholic girl I know 🙂

Vanessa (aka V):

• Surfer
• Cuban cutie
• Former musical matador now future business exec.
• Bar hoppin’ buddy/partner in crime (even when she doesn’t want to be)
• All around badass 🙂

I also go to school here:

• Getting ready to graduate  (Class of 2o1o)
• Studying English with a creative writing track
• Minoring in Cinema Studies

Along with school I also work at a candy store in a nearby shopping plaza. Here are some ideas of what I do at work:

candy…everywhere

Oh yeah…these too! 🙂

So there is a little insight into my life…more to come 🙂

GAHHHH…

No real news about the application process yet. Still going through the motions with it. I’ve emailed the adviser I’ve been speaking with  a couple of days ago. Hoping she’ll get back to me by Wednesday. She’s been pretty helpful so far so I’m sure it won’t be a problem. Everything feels as if it’s all happening at once, and it all feels ridiculous and stupid:

• I’ve been trying to make sure I get the classes I need for next semester, so that I can graduate SEMI on time
• I’ve been working at a job that requires at least six employees that now only has 3 (including myself)
• I’ve been studying for the LSAT on the side
• I have two midterms Wednesday
• I’ve been trying since LAST SATURDAY to download  lectures for one of my classes. OF COURSE my teacher (grad student…grrr) who claims to always be available never seems to pick up his phone/answer emails/exist.
• I’m trying to make sure I don’t rush filling out the application for the Peace Corps, but I also don’t want to be lazy with the process either.
• I’m also really F’n tired. Seriously my body forgot what a sleeping pattern is, and it’s importance on my state of mind and well being.
• I’m always, ALWAYS hungry. It’s really annoying. Spring break is a week and a half away. Bad time to overeat.
• Some girl’s phone keeps buzzing in the library. She’s right next to it and she refuses to answer it. W.T.F.???!?!?!?!
• There is no more diet coke in the fridge. (Pathetic I know…but I don’t run without some source of caffeine in the morning)

So yeah there’s my little rant. I say things like this and I feel so much better that I’ve gotten it off of my chest. THEN I remember that this weekend there was an 8.8 (I believe) earthquake in Chile, and due to that a Tsunami warning in Hawaii. Not to mention Haiti, a disaster that will take years to repair. So…my problems are not as significant as some others. Mine can be handled with hard work and patience. I don’t need a team of volunteers to get me through this process.

So…I guess the moral of the story is I’ll live. You know even though there are some annoying moments in my life there are some pretty good moments as well:

• I forced myself out of bed this morning and made it to class five minutes late. BUT I beat my professor…so I win.
• I have attempted making my study guides for my midterms and they’ll be done tonight
• I’ve discovered Vitamin Water, and it’s not bad.
• I didn’t eat McDonald’s last night. Even though I really, really wanted too
• I’m going to Key West for spring break next week. AND I CAN’T F’N WAIT!!!!!

Now, class is about to start and I actually need to pay attention. Even though I really don’t want to. Blahhh!!!!

The Application

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Well in my defense I haven’t had much to say about the whole process up until recently.

When I went to Gainesville a couple of weeks ago and met with my adviser one of the things she told me that I needed to do was to try to work with a high school  in my area and intern with a class. I got in contact with my former poetry professor and she actually set me up with a middle school class last semester. It was me and two other English majors and what we did was help the students out with their papers/assignments/journal entries etc. So I’ve emailed her to see if she can help get me into something like that ASAP. She was a wonderful professor and I have a feeling she’ll definitely try to help me in some way.

So that aside I’ve been filling out the application for the Peace Corps and I’m almost done! One of the things I wanted to show everyone was the length of this application. Now it’s all done online and the picture below is of my home page (I’ve obviously blacked out some private info, and forgive my arrows I’m not the best with photo shop :p). The arrows pointing are towards the numerous sections of this application.

It’s taken me a looooonnnngggg time to get through this whole process, but I have a feeling that once this application is finished I’ll have this feeling like I can conquer the world HA! =)

I’ve Been Busy

Hey everyone!

Ok I have been running around like a crazy person for the last few days so…I have some updating to do.

First off I met with my Peace Corps advisor from UF and she was AWESOME! She helped me out so much. After talking to her she told me that I should be fine as far as getting into the Peace Corps. since I will have an English degree. Apparently I would be qualified to teach English to children overseas. What’s great about this is that I  will be working with children directly which may open the door for other things! So I’m really excited. The two main areas of the world they’d send me would be west Africa (like Morocco) and eastern Europe (like Albania, Romania, Kazakhstan etc.). Right now I’m in the application process and I’ll hopefully have that sent out by next month which will then lead me to be shipped off right after Christmas. Man this is all happening so fast.

SO as a little treat for you all I am posting a video of myself  to get the video blog portion of the website up and running. So here ya go =) :

Last Minute Thoughts…

*NOTE* I am doing this post entirely from my blackberry so I apologize if spelling or anything else is off…

Ok I was going to wait until tomorrow to blog my next post(which explains the blackberry post…didn’t bring my computer with me), BUT I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to share…

I have been jotting down questions in a notebook that I wanted to ask that I felt the website didn’t answer. So I’ve decided to post my questions up now…and my next post be the answers. Ready…here we go:

– Describe the process you went through personally when applying to volunteer.

– The website stated how many months of service would be considered competitive for each category. Do you feel that, from your experience, there is something extra I could/should do to stand out?
– If so then what?

– How many months of community service do you think I should have before I meet with a recruiter?

– What should I expect when I do meet with my recruiter?

– The website said it could take anywhere from 9-12 months for a decision, does this include the time that I begin my service or is this after the paperwork has been processed?

– The website said that they ask for student preferences, but ultimately you are sent where you are needed. If you really want to help, and sincerely have no preference is it wise to not state a preference?

– Do you feel that when they reviewed your community service that they looked more at quantity or quality?

– Is there a website, organization, anything really that you feel I should check out that would give me that extra edge to standout?

Ok I feel like I have a solid group of questions…answers later…now sleep =)…

Till then…Cya!

UF Bound!

Today is the day folks!

I’m off to Gainesville to meet with an advisor about the Peace Corps. A little nervous about asking the right questions. She’s not my recruiter BUT that doesn’t mean I don’t need to make a good impression. You only get one chance to make a first impression and I’m going to do my best to make sure that this is a good lasting impression and a VERY productive meeting!

So far the status on my letters for my community service is 2 down 1 to go, which is AWESOME! Starting to gain some serious confidence with this deal. I’ll blog about my meeting with my advisor on Friday (maybe Saturday…at the latest!!!)

Happy Thursday Everyone!!! =)

First Order of Business…

*RANDOM NOTE* I REALLY SHOULD BE DOING MY HOMEWORK…ALAS I’M WORKING ON A BLOG POST THAT WILL HOPEFULLY LEAD INTO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE =)

So…

Something I didn’t realize when I first decided to apply for the Peace Corps was that you can’t just join the Peace Corps. You have to be accepted. Besides the whole standard procedure of background checks etc. you also are up against some pretty steep competition. As stated on the Peace Corps website (www.peacecorps.gov) they receive roughly 15,000 applications a year and they only accept 4,000. They give some helpful suggestions to help you stand out amongst the crowd (www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.howvol.addsteps).

I totally understand that you need to have some sort of experience in order to really do some good, but I’m nervous that when the time comes for me to meet with a recruiter that they only look at the quantity not the quality of my skills. I primarily want to work with youth development. I really have a passion for this. The problem is I don’t have any real experience. That is simply because I am only 22 years old and generally 22 is the youngest age that can work with at risk youth. So I hope that when (…a ways down the road) I do meet with my recruiter that he/she takes that into consideration.

This leads to the first order of business: community service. I did a little google…ing…and I found a program in my area (http://www.covenanthousefl.org/home.htm). They seem like a great organization. So I printed out the application form and now all I need to do is get my resume in order and get some letters of recommendation. The resume I have down. I’ve had a saved copy on my computer for eons and I constantly update it when needed. What I’m a bit nervous about is the letters of recommendation. I need 3.

Tip for those in the cyber world. If they ask for letters of recommendations do your best to have AT LEAST 3 letters. Why that is the magic number I haven’t a clue, but yes for some reason it helps to have 3. Ok so since I need 3 letters (and they can’t be family members BELIEVE ME they check) I need to find three professionals that will express my good qualities and why this program should take me on as a volunteer. I have two candidates that will be a tremendous help, and I found a third one…that I’m not sure I should use.

I was sorta in a relationship with this guy a while ago. Nothing was ever official, but we sorta have a love/hate/like/hate/love/hate AGAIN relationship. He is a professional and I asked him to write it which thankfully he said yes, but I feel like an idiot for asking him. I know that I don’t have feelings for him, and after all that he put me through the least he could do is write a nice letter about me. I just hope I didn’t open the door for more drama…but we’ll see. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Today is Wednesday so…

by next Friday I should have all three letters in my hands (hopefully) and have my application in the mail for the Covenant House. I’m also going to check out some other youth building opportunities so that I don’t put all of my eggs in one basket. I’m hoping by August of this year (at the LATEST) I can meet with a recruiter and get this party started. Tonight I have to pack up my stuff and head out to Gainesville in the morning. THEN I finally get to meet with an advisor. Apparently she’s been on two tours of duty volunteering so…I hope she has some good tips for me to shine out the competition =P…

Until tomorrow!

The Beginning….

Wow…

I had no idea how much time it was going to take to start all of this website stuff! I’m not super savvy with technology so some things may take a while, but I’m learning =).

Well seeing that you may have stumbled onto this blog by either mistake or curiosity…regardless…welcome!

I guess I should introduce myself a little bit:

• My name is Melissa.
• I’m a 22 year old female.
• I’m originally from Atlanta, Georgia.
• I am a college student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
• I’m an English major with a focus on creative writing.
• I’m also minor in Film.
• I am in my final few months of college (THANK GOD!)
• I want to eventually become a lawyer focusing on international law and human rights.
• By the end of this year I hope to be a volunteer in the Peace Corps.

You may be wondering why an English major would want to join the Peace Corps or even be a lawyer. I originally had hopes of being a broadway performer while I was growing up. Then when I got to college I decided I wanted to be a writer. THEN finally my sophomore year of college I decided become a lawyer. I decided on law because I’ve always had some what of an admiration for it and I got to a point where I felt like (for me) it was decision making time. I can’t waste my parents money or my money being a professional student without a clue as to what I want to do with my life. So far law has been the one thing to keep my interest for a long period of time.

So why would I waste my time in the Peace Corps?

I have been playing around with the idea of the Peace Corps for about a year now. I realized while preparing to take the LSAT exam for the second time that even though I have an interest in international relations and human rights I have absolutely no real concept of what I would be fighting for. I have my own morals and values, but unless if I’m right in the thick of it…I haven’t got a clue. So I decided that I want to go to law school with more of an understanding of what I will be representing.

Since I’m young and I’ll be graduating very soon I feel like the time is NOW! Time to take some big chances, take in some new surroundings, and do something good for mankind for a change. I’ve decided to blog and tweet (@mspeacegiver) about my journey from beginning to end. I’ll also use this blog to chronicle my life as well. So far the first step in my journey to the Peace Corps was telling my friends and (some) of my family.

Last night I went out with my roommate (and also best friend) Vanessa and our good friend Kacie to a restaurant for dinner and drinks. I had decided to finally tell them what I’ve been planning to do. I thought they were going to think I’m crazy. Honestly because we do hang out with some great people, but not a single one would make a declaration like joining the Peace Corps. To my surprise they were really receptive of it. They actually thought that it was a really “bold” move.

Today I had lunch with my dad, which is something we do during the week every now and then. I decided to tell him of my plans to join and he himself thought it was really cool too! Probably because when my dad graduated from high school he went straight into the Air Force, and was shipped to Thailand during the Vietnam War. He used to tell me it was one of the greatest and most rewarding experiences of his life.

So besides telling a few other people of my plans, I have to meet with an advisor on Friday to ask all of my final questions and figure out when I’m going to apply. What kinda sucks is I have to drive all the way to the University of Florida to talk to this person. I don’t feel like traveling for two hours, but oh well no big deal.

Thanks for reading and I hope you stay tuned!

Until friday…

=)