Tuesday, March 30, 2010

blerg

This past week has been a whirlwind for me.
I've started my new job at the YES House as a Treatment Aide. Luckily for me, I am educated and experienced in residential programs and facilitating groups, so they have put me in charge of running the groups in the afternoon. I'm pretty stoked about this because it means I have more responsibility, which somehow makes me like my job more. I also am able to make some time for planning, which really means time away from the kids - I need that sometimes, especially when my patience for shenanagans is running a little thin. There is a lot of paperwork involved, but I do not mind it at all. Oh, and I am able to get almost full time hours, which really rocks. I can't wait to get my hands on a macbook.
So this job is taking up a lot of my time. My schedule last week was a little something like this: Juvenile Department (8am-12pm) then YES House (12:30pm-7pm), except on the weekends which is YES House (8am-1pm). Now I have school from 1pm to 2pm, so I won't get to the YES House until about 2:30pm, which I found out last night means staying til like 9pm. I really don't think it will always be like this. Once I know what I'm doing then I won't need so much time to get organized and plan. Then I can relax a little. But, I have to say that I'm not really looking forward to being completely busy and tired all the time. Does not sound fun to me, I've got to say.

Alex on the other hand had it so easy! The kids were all on Spring Break, so he was on Spring Break. He worked 3 out of the 9 days off. I'm just jealous.
He finally got all of his shots and blood work done. He got his PPD (TB) test, and forgot to go in to have it checked. So, he has to go in today to get it redone. Hopefully he won't forget to have it checked.
I asked the nurse at Detention if I could have a copy of my results, and she told me that while I'm checked off for being tested, that she never signed off on it. Not really sure how that happened, but I am going in on Thursday to have it redone.

I'd have to say that the whole medical packet for Peace Corps is frustrating, only in that I find that people are really disappointing me. The medical/dentist people. They're making this whole thing a lot harder than it's had to be and I'm really over it. We're so close to having everything completed, checked off, and signed that I just want it to be over with! Right now, we're waiting on our PPD tests, our new dental forms to be filled out, and for my physical forms to be signed. We ought to have all of that done by Friday. They've also requested that I write a personal statement, which also needs to be done.

Really, there is a lot of little things that need to be done, but it has nothing to do with us. We're just waiting on other people to get their acts together. I guess this is why we're doing Peace Corps and they're not.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

the price of being a pre-service volunteer

So, I've become increasingly irritated with the lack of information for pre-service volunteers. I have been scouring through blogs of current volunteers and I have found very little on their experience with paperwork and the entire process of becoming a Peace Corps volunteer.
Considering I'm starting this months before we even receive an invitation, I will be documenting my experience as a pre-service volunteer. I have thus far talked about emotions, but I think it's important to talk numbers here.

I had no idea that going to the doctor while not having insurance was going to be so costly. Because we don't have full time jobs with benefits, we've had to foot the bill for all of our exams, shots, blood work, and dental work. We will be getting reimbursed, of course, but it is only going to cover about one-third of our costs.

Desaree's bills
Physical: $257 + $50 for filling out the paperwork
Blood work: $230
Urinalysis: $25
Boosters: $175
Pap: $47

We were able to go to a dentist who does free exams and x-rays for Peace Corps applicants, so that was free. On the other hand, this particular dentist told us that we had several cavities (9 between the two of us) which would have been well over $1000, so I got a second opinion.
Second opinion: $100
Cleaning: $80

Eye exam: $119
Extra frames: $140
I am unsure on how much a new set of glasses will cost, but the frames I chose were approximately $140. Then I will have to pay for the lenses, as well.

Alex's Bills
Physical: $190
Blood work:
Urinalysis:
Boosters:
He goes to a different doctor than I do, so his prices are different. He just scheduled his blood work and boosters today, so I will fill those in when the bills come. On another note, we tried to get him in to the Health Department, where bloodwork would have cost $48 and boosters would have been $140, but they refused us because he was not a patient and they couldn't (or didn't want to) fax his results to another doctor. We tried!

Dental cleaning: $80
Dental work: $350
While he did not have any cavities that needed to be filled, the sealant that was on his teeth had worn down. This is more preventative care, but we chose to do it.

Grand Total: $1843


The thing I'm having trouble with now is whether or not we need to send the receipts from our appointments in with our reimbursement sheets. I think I will do so for good measure, but no where can I find if it's absolutely necessary. I've made copies to keep for our records, and I'm sending them the originals.

I hope that this helps any pre-service Peace Corps looking for answers on how much everything is going to cost. It's tough in this position, especially not knowing if you're actually going to get an invitation for an assignment or if you even want to make the leap into this commitment. I figured that since we already started, we might as well just continue our progress to ensure we don't have regrets later.

All I can say for now is thank god we live with our parents, or we'd never be able to pay for all this stuff. And really, I hope it pays off in the end.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

e-mails to recruiter

Here's a summary of what's been going on since I last wrote, all in e-mails to my recruiter.


To: Matt Hogue
Subject: Cold Feet?
From: Desaree Reynolds-Cervantez
Date: Thursday, March 11, 2010, 5:44PM

Hey Matt -

So we sort of have a little problem. Well, not really a problem so much as just considering the possibilities. I want to tell you what's going on, and maybe you could give us some advice?

I think I have cold feet about leaving. I am positive that this happens to nearly everyone, but there are some issues I have that may change the situation.

Firstly, I'm sort of scared that even if we get our paperwork in by the end of the month, we may run into problems (like I've been reading on some PCV blogs) which could make things drag out and we could miss the boat. What would happen in that case? I've heard that paperwork expires after a year, so would we have to redo all of our medical paperwork?

Secondly, even though I said I would be cool with anything, I think I would really prefer to do youth/community development. I think I could probably do a good job with an education assignment, but my experience has been more with youth/community development, and it's what I enjoy. I know it's hard to find assignments for married couples, but is it possible to find something else? Or do you have any anecdotal advice about doing an assignment that is not necessarily you're "thing"?

Lastly - We've been to the dentist and we've been told that we have to have about $1000 worth of work done to our teeth. All of it is very minor, it's just costing a fortune! Luckily, we have the money. But, the money we have saved I had put aside for all of the things we may need to buy for our departure. Maybe my estimates of what we'd need (I know this will vary depending on where we end up going) may be high, but I'd rather have some money left over than us not being prepared, obviously.
I don't know that we need advice, unless you can give us a ball park estimate of how much volunteers spend to get ready to leave, so much as this was just a little background into what we're dealing with. I don't want to spend our savings on getting our teeth fixed now if we may not leave in August (for any number of reasons).

Maybe we can come up with a plan based on these concerns. None of them are deal breakers, but all of them together are really stressing me out. So, maybe it's possible to find another assignment that would be a better fit before out paperwork expires? Or maybe we just put all of our medical in and depending on if we get an invitation, we may decide to decline and wait til something else comes along?
Basically, I want to do what's going to be best/easiest for both us and you guys.

I know this is a long email with a lot of variables in it. You can either write back or give me a call, whatever is easiest for you. If you want to give me a call, Friday is pretty good in the middle of the day (between 10 and 3pm), and Monday is good anytime except for 12 to 2pm (final for Spanish!). After those days, I'm pretty open.

All right - hope to hear from you soon!


Thanks,
Desaree


From: Hogue, Matthew
Subject: RE: cold feet?
To: "Desaree Reynolds-Cervantez"
Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 4:15 PM


Thanks for your email. Sorry for the slow response but I’ve been out of the office quite a bit looking for the next batch of world savers. In response to your questions, if you happen to not get medically qualified in time for the assignment nominated to, the placement staff will then look for another good fit. Typically something will come up before your medical exams expire.

As far as type of assignment, I suspect you’ll have plenty of opportunities to work with youth development as an education volunteer. You’ll already be working with youth and being able to take on secondary projects with those students and others will likely be a possibility. Everyone takes on secondary projects and at times they become bigger your primary assignment. You’re a creative individual and I’m sure the possibilities are endless.

Regarding dental work, sorry it’s so expensive. I had the same experience prior to departure. It’s frustrating, but worth it. One dentist told me I needed my wisdom teeth out while another didn’t, so I went with the one that said I didn’t need them out. I’m not necessarily suggesting a second opinion, but you never know. As far as money needed prior to departure, that’s a personal decision. I sold all of my stuff, so I had a bit of a cash infusion prior to departing. Packing light would be my advice. You’ll find that what you think you need isn’t what you actually need. You’re wardrobe may change to local attire and a variety of other things. Often times the things you discover you need will be available locally. Peace Corps is going to cover all of your costs to get from your home of record to your country of service, so there shouldn’t be any cost there and you get a settling in allowance after your three months of training to buy necessary items needed for your living situation. And we just found out that your readjustment allowance at the end of service will go up to $7400/person.

I’m not sure if this alleviates any of your concerns or not, but I will say the experience is well worth it. Go for it! It will be awesome.

Matt



To: Matt Hogue
Subject: RE: Cold Feet?
From: Desaree Reynolds
Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 8:46 PM

Matt-

Thanks for your response! I've been anxiously awaiting all week!

Yes, your responses do help. I actually went to another dentist today for a second opinion, and he told me that I don't need to have any fillings, so I'm going to be saving money. You know I'm excited about that!
Alex is going in tomorrow to have the dentist take a look to see if he will be needing fillings. We shall see.
Also, my freaking doctor's office shredded all my original papers for my physical - they made copies and shredded the original. I am going to be contacting the pre-service nurse to see if they need the originals, or if the doctor can just sign the copied forms again. Uh, frustrating!

Anyway, thank you very much for your advice and encouragement. We're gonna keep on truckin and just get stuff turned in to see where it takes us.


Desaree

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

dental work is expensive!

We're well on our way to having all of our medical paperwork completed. This is the good news. The bad news is that this week, when we went to the dentist to have our exam and x-rays done, we learned that we each have a couple cavities that need to be filled. Our exam and x-rays were free, but cleaning and cavities cost money. A lot of money. We're talking almost $1000 to have our mouths in working "Peace Corps" order.
Luckily, we have the money. Unfortunatly, and really the only two things I can think about is, this is all of our tax refund and this means I may not be able to get my computer/take Spanish next term. That money was spoken for and now it's going to the place that does all our our speaking. Needless to say, I'm upset.
My plan for this week is to try to find another doctor in town that can do the same job for cheaper. So far, with the research I've done, I haven't found anything substantially different, but I will keep looking.

On a lighter note, I got the job at Milestones' Women's program. I start toward the end of next week. This will help recover some of the costs, but it's only about 10 hours/week so I'm going to have to think of some other ways to make money. I actually really like having multiple part time jobs, but sometimes it gets a little hairy when trying to make schedules work together. Either way, it makes life interesting.

Friday, March 5, 2010

timeline

I've been meaning to start a blog for sometime now. When we were planning the wedding, I tried to make a "planning blog", but it accidentally was deleted when I signed up for a Google account. Since then, I've been too scared to put time and energy into another.

As far as a Peace Corps update, here's what's happened so far this year.
-January
Matt, our regional recruiter, contacted us to let us know that DC is interested in giving us an assignment in Central or South America. This is our first preference, and due to our language skills, I guess they see it as a good fit. The only other information we received is that it would be an education assignment and that it leaves in August.
-February
We received our medical packets a couple days after being nominated. They were HUGE. Well, mine was huge as I have three doctors (physician, dentist, optometrist) to visit and various issues that I need follow-ups on. I swear, my packet was about two times as large as Alex's.
We sat on these packets for an entire month, deciding (again) whether or not we really want to do this. We're going to miss out on niece's and nephew's birthdays, some births, maybe some deaths, and our friends and the adventures to be had.
-March
We finally decide that we will just turn all of our paperwork in and see what happens. I am under the impression that if things are meant to happen, they will, and vice versa. Here is our doctor line-up:
*March 3 - Desaree's physical (awaiting lab results, still need boosters)
*March 8 - Desaree's eye appointment
*March 9 - We go to the dentist
*March 19 - Alex's physical
The cool thing about our dentist appointment is that it is going to be free!! On one of the many pages the Peace Corps sent to us in our medical packets stated that there are certain dentists that will provide free exams and x-rays to potential Peace Corps volunteers. You know I had to at least look into it and, what do ya know, there was one in Corvallis. So, even though she's not our regular dentist, she will provide us with what we need for free, which I'm not going to be mad at.
The goal is to get all of our papers in by the end of the month. If we can do this, we'll probably still be on track to leave in August. If not, who knows! I guess it really depends on how well we/our doctors fill out the papers.

Now that we've got this baby up and running, I will definitely update it when new information becomes available. Otherwise, I may just post random things about life with us.