Ah the big question everyone is asking me right now...what's next? That is a great question. I have a rough idea of what I would like to do, but no details yet. Plan for home- grad school (Master's in Public Health with a concentration in Urban and Immigrant Health-still waiting to hear back from Northeastern University, Boston, MA and SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY) and a great job that I love (honestly...who knows where I'll be working. I need to wait to hear back from schools to know where to apply).
People here always ask me if my volunteer-ship with Peace Corps helps me when I get home. It does! As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) I have non-competitive eligibility for government jobs. That means that my application automatically goes to the top of the pile. It does not mean that I will necessarily get the job; I still have to be qualified, but it does make things a lot easier. For graduate school there is a Fellowship program with grad programs all over the US. They offer scholarships, housing and a fellowship placement in a local organization connected to whatever you are studying. I looked into all of the fellowship programs offered and for me, nothing caught my eye.
So really my plans for the future are on hold while I await the decisions of Northeastern and SUNY. Also in thinking of future plans, I am a bit worried about reverse culture shock when I get home. After two years of being here, I've really become accustomed to the culture here and the general way of life. People talk about having a tough time readjusting to US life and catching up to where friends and family are now. I know I have an amazing group of people at home, so I'm not too worried about that. Hopefully I can find a job that will allow me to arrive 10-15 minutes late!
So I'll focus on short term plans until the long term plans can be figured out. Here's what my last month in Nicaragua looks like:
Thursday March 7- Art Fair with Asociacion Huellas Juveniles
Friday March 8- International Women's Day!! and my going away party!
Saturday March 9- Lindsey's going away party-pool party style
Sunday March 10- lunch with Texas Rotary Club and Chinandega Rotary Club donors. ALSO Nelsons going away and birthday party
Monday March 11-Friday March 15- last week in Corinto!
Friday March 15-Sunday March 17- going away party with Chinandega PCVs
Sunday March 17- Tony's going away party
Tuesday March 19- RING THE BELL=OFFICIAL END OF PEACE CORPS SERVICE!!
Tues March 19-Fri March 22- Chill with Host family in Masatepe
March 22-March 24- Leon
Sunday March 24- Emma's BIRTHDAY! HAPPY 21st! Head to the Atlantic Coast
March 24- beginning of April- Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, kayaking the Rio San Juan and saying goodbye to Nica.
April 9-I'm HOME!
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