November 15th!

This past week my group had our Close of Service Conference (COS). It started Wednesday morning in the office where we had our final language interviews. I was nervous that I hadn´t gotten better or (worse yet) that I had gotten worse. Fear not! I am now in the "advanced" category, low, but still. I made it! I was definitely pleased and relieved.

Thursday our group boarded the PC bus and headed towards Granada. I was impressed we all fit until I realized that between the English teaching side and the environmental side, we have lost TEN PEOPLE since coming here. 39 to 29. Incredible. Some have quit early for personal reasons, some were sick and had to go. Sometimes you can´t help it. Anyways, we pulled up to this really nice hotel in Granada. Julie, Carla, and I volunteered for the three people room. Comfortable beds, AC, hot water, delicious food, some of my best friends. Nothing to complain about (except the desserts were gross...good thing there was a nearby cafè with chocolate rice crispy treats!).

Anyways, the meetings on Thursday were mainly to give feedback about our programs. Since improvement is always possible, everyone had a lot to say, including me. PC has been a very enriching experience that I would recommend to most people, but there have definitely been some downsides. We also found out about our final three day medical extravaganza where we´re tested for everything under the sun (NOT looking forward to the parasite test!) and cleared to leave the country. For me that´s happening in late-October. Keep your fingers crossed that I get the all clear!

Friday PC hired a life coach to come spend the day with us. When I saw it on the schedule I had my doubts but she was AWESOME! She taught us how to do resumes, cover letters, helped us out with a little bit of grad school advice, and gave us the general lowdown on what benefits and opportunities are available to us. I´ve pretty much decided I want to work for the government for at least one year upon return. Any suggestions? Yes, that´s vague and I know it. But seriously, if you know anything about how to get a government job, please let me know. THANKS!

We also learned about all the forms we have to fill out before we leave :( Not fun.

AND (drumroll please...) we can leave as early as November 15th. Now, that doesn´t mean I´ll for sure be coming home that day. I could get special permission to leave earlier, which I might do because some friends are doing the same) or I might hang out a couple of days. It´s up in the air. But expect to see me flying through the air around that date!