Peace Corps Update

So, I'm Medically Deferred until December. This means that I will most definitely not be leaving in January, however, by some miracle, I may make it to my original original nomination of April. Maybe.

The reason I have been hesitant to write before now is because of this. This is a really important event, and I didn't want to update anything until I revealed this, however, it didn't really sink in until today. I received the letter on Thursday. I knew that I was not cleared the moment I saw it, because it was in a normal-sized envelope, rather than in a large, thick envelope, which usually indicates the Medical Kit.

I am deferred because the last time I saw a therapist was in December, which was for various reasons, most having to do with the amount of time I commit myself to without thinking about sleep or alone time or studying for finals.

I am so upset by this news that, at this point, thinking about it makes me queasy. I realize that it is a very good policy for the Peace Corps to have, not to send anybody until it has been a year since their last whatever diagnosis, however, it is just sad for me because I wasn't supposed to leave until January anyway, but this is more than definitely going to push back the departure date, since I still have to get the forms and make the appointments and send in the forms and make sure that I did them right.

I spent a lot of time this weekend crying. I am not even going to lie. I am doing my best to look on the bright side of things but at this moment I feel like a failure. I internalize things too much. However, I am not going to let a deferment of five months deter me. This has been my dream for a long time, what is a wait of another few months?

It means I get to stay with my family longer, make a little bit more money to help pay off my loans, and take more classes to see what I could possibly do. I was looking into Master's International programs, however, I would really like to enter the Peace Corps as soon as possible, rather than put it off for more schooling.

The Peace Corps gives you sixty days to repeal a deferral. At this point, I'm not sure if I want to, because it is such a short deferral and I do not want to make more work for them... However, I would really like to get all of my medical forms done as soon as I can, especially because some of my doctors are in LA, and I am leaving for good at the end of August, which is going to make getting paperwork a lot more difficult.

Sometimes, I wish I had lied on the original medical forms. But I know that's wrong. We'll see what happens...

Keep your fingers crossed for me!