New Years 2017



Finished initial medical tasks


I have turned in all of my initial medical tasks.  Hurray!  I’m waiting for their review.  I have not heard what if any additional tasks will be required, but I would not be surprised if I have a few things to do.

I’ve heard from other potential volunteers that they are getting additional medical tasks, some even after they received an email saying that they were done. 

Facebook and the Peace Corps


As I might have mentioned – there is a Facebook page for Peace Corps volunteers 50 years and older.  One of the current threads in this group is the experiences with medical clearance.  Reading and commenting on the thread is a way to share experiences and to provide mutual support.  Anyone 50 or older who is or was a Peace Corps volunteer or is considering it, should definitely consider joining this group.

There are a number of other Facebook pages that could be of interest to Peace Corps volunteers.  One of the groups is the “Future Peace Corps Volunteers” – primarily focused on helping people through that application and clearance process.

Each intake group, such as the group invited to Eastern Caribbean in 2017, will most likely have a group.  These groups help those soon to be in training together get to know each other and to provide some means of rather informal communication between Peace Corps, the post, and the potential volunteers before staging.  These groups are nice and most continue on as a way to communicate during training and service, although WhatsApp groups also are common for group communication during service.

There may also be a larger Facebook group for the country of service, as a means on providing knowledge transfer among and between groups serving in country.

There is a Return Peace Corps Volunteer Job site that is used to help people find jobs.  The group helps with job postings, networking, and reminds people of the services that Peace Corps provides – such as help in polishing a resume.

There are of course many other Facebook groups – such as one supporting parents of Peace Corps Volunteers (not for volunteers to join).  Peace Corps Volunteers know that their service is sometimes hard on parents and families.  So groups were parents and family members can share their feelings, concerns, perspective, and support between each other are good.

So, while I generally not heavily into social media, I will say that Facebook groups related to Peace Corps are helpful.  Of course, Facebook is a great platform for any geographically distributed group of like-minded individuals to bond and work together for particular causes or whatnot.

If you are a Peace Corps volunteer or thinking about joining – look into Facebook groups that you might find useful.  If you are the parent or family member of a Peace Corps volunteer you can check out one that you can join.  If you have some other cause that you are passionate about – take a look to see if a Facebook group can help you have a greater impact on making the world a better place.  After all, that is why we are here – right ?

Love always,

John

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