I was finally able, after 2 weeks of waiting, to go pick up my blood test results and finish my medical packet. The doctor at the international clinic is only in every-other week, so it delayed when I could finish everything by several days. BUT for anyone applying from South Korea, on the off chance that you read this, Seoul National University Hospital is awesome! They are so helpful and so patient. They made what could be an incredibly frustrating experience not so bad.
I was lucky enough to be going through the medical process there with another PC nominee who was really on-top of everything. Since we were doing our paperwork on the same schedule it was easier to explain how it all needed to be, that we needed all our results in English. The nurses and doctor really helped with everything; translating, getting exactly what we need. Plus, last year they had helped a couple other nominees do the same paperwork, so some of the nurses were already familiar with what we needed. Anyway, everything is complete (I hope). I've gone through it all so many times I've lost count, written several personal statements in the hope of avoiding delays, and am going to DHL after work today to mail it. Fingers crossed that I make it into the 15% of nominees who aren't medically delayed for further information/paperwork errors.
Doing this all from South Korea means that I have been relying pretty heavily on my mom to help me get paperwork and general help from home. I can't even out into words how thankful I am to her. She went to my doctor's office several times, picked up the paperwork, made sure it had everything I needed and put it in the mail.
With my original papers I had to send in a notarized letter from my mom saying that she would make payments on my one student loan that can't be deferred if I do serve with PC. She scanned it to me and I sent in the copy with everything else. Well, my recruiter, who had emailed be Tuesday to get my unofficial transcripts, which somehow hadn't made it into the original paperwork, to complete my file, emailed me again on Thursday to say that her boss had just informed her that they needed the original letter. And could my mom possibly drive to NYC to drop it off? Well, no she can't. But she did run home after work, pick up the letter, go to FedEx and have it mailed to it would get to my recruiter by 10:30am the next day, Friday. Seriously, I'm so thankful for her and how great she is to me.
Now, the rush that my recruiter put on getting all my papers together and having everything finished on her end by last week makes me wonder whats going on. I have been nominated for a February departure, so does that mean that everything is going to be rushed through? Or is that just how they operate? February is still pretty far away, so I wouldn't think everything would be rushed, but I hope it is. I want to have everything done and (hopefully) be invited as soon as possible. Seriously, waiting is the worst.
Anyway, on a different note, I've had to make some choices. We all do, that's what life is about. I've always planned on going to law school. I've taken the LSAT, applied, and was admitted into school for this coming year. I emailed my school was offered a one-year deferral. I didn't say that it was because of Peace Corps, but because of money. Which is true. Coming to Korea I had planned to save so much money. That has not happened. At all. So I have this deferral. I have to email them by tomorrow to accept/decline it.
I'm going to accept. If Peace Corps doesn't work out for some reason, them I'm still covered for next year. If it does work out, then I re-take the LSAT and apply to schools again. I feel like this is a pretty good life-plan. Plus, the school I was planning to go to has been amazing about everything. It would probably still going to be the school I choose if I do PC and put school off for a couple more years. I've never had a goo experience with university offices, but they really have been so nice and easy to work with.
Life is full of choices. We have to decide what is best for us and sometimes we have to veer off the course we had set for ourselves. I'm happy with my decisions and can now only hope that everything works out for the best.
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