I don't like the sound of this...

We got this email this afternoon from the Peace Corps office. This is just about the only communication they've sent us aside from requesting additional medical information. It's unlikely that we'll get everything they want to them before we get back in January, so I'm not sure what this means for us.

Greetings from the Peace Corps Placement and Assessment Office!

Our records indicate that you were originally nominated for a program departing in January – March of 2009 and that you are currently working on obtaining medical clearance. Keep in mind that you still need to turn in the medical paperwork, receive medical clearance, and pass a final suitability review before you can be considered for placement.

It is important to note that due to programming changes in the Africa region and all other regions of Peace Corps programming, the number of assignments has decreased as well which will result in a more competitive process for all programs. If/when you obtain medical clearance, the next available programs for which you can be considered depart during the January-March 2009 timeframe, and potentially April-September 2009 depending on your assignment area and the specifics of available programs.

Upon your medical clearance, we will screen and review your application materials and you will be notified if any additional technical, suitability, or legal information is needed for your file at that time. Once we have initiated the review of your file, we will update you on the next steps of the application process. Upon completion of the assessment process, you may be considered for an invitation. Please keep in mind that this stage in the process is competitive as there are typically two applicants nominated for each spot available. Due to programmatic changes, the current process is even more competitive. Given this, an invitation is never guaranteed and applicants should make no plans regarding Peace Corps service until an invitation has been issued and you have spoken to headquarters staff to accept your invitation.

We understand that you might be eager to receive more information from Peace Corps at this point and we greatly appreciate your patience. In the meantime, you can prepare for Peace Corps service and make your application more competitive by: continuing to gain experience through working or volunteering within your nominated field; attending Peace Corps events; talking to Returned Volunteers; and reading books, articles, and other resources about Peace Corps. You can also find resources and learning activities on our website and in My Toolkit.

The Africa Placement and Assessment is currently reviewing applications for the January-March 2009 timeframe. We will be reviewing applications for the April-June 2009 time period in the next 4-8 weeks. Once those programs are completed we will shift our efforts to the programs leaving after July.

Please be advised that during your application review, you may be contacted by our office if any additional technical, suitability, or legal information is required for the assessment of your file.

We appreciate your patience and look forward to working with you in the near future. Please do not reply to this e-mail as we are unable to respond in a timely manner.

Warm Regards,

Peace Corps Assessment and Placement – Africa Region

Mi Patagonia

Wow! Two whole months without writing anything on here. It kinda takes some work to really keep this thing up to date. On one hand a lot has happened since we last wrote, and on the other, it's been a lot of the same.

With one big exception...

PATAGONIA!


Now, I'll be honest. If I had had my way, I would have chosen to go to the Patagonian mountains (Chalten, El Calafate) rather than the Patagonian coast. I just generally prefer mountains to the beach, especially a beach as cold as those in Patagonia. But, I must say, that the animals and places we saw were definitely worth the trip. Amazing!

We made the trip south in stages, first going from Buenos Aires to the beachtown of Villa Gessell about a 6 hour bus ride away. We stayed in the apartment of Patti's aunt and uncle there, and it would have been a great place to be, except for the fact that we were two months too early. Almost everything in town was closed and it was freezing cold. We passed the time watching really bad movies on TV and hanging out at the one place that was open - the arcade.

From Villa Gessell we headed a few hours farther south to Mar del Plata, where Patti has another aunt and uncle who were kind enough to take us in. Jorge and Leni were really great to us. They showed us around town and took us out to some great places in Mar del Plata. One of them was a microbrewery where I had the first truly good beer in Argentina. Most people here drink beer colored water, but this was a proper brewery. Jorge ordered me the sampler, so I got to try the whole range. I found out that they have a location in Palermo Hollywood in Buenos Aires, so I can get good beer here if I want.


From Mar del Plata, we continued south for many, many more hours to Puerto Madryn. There we met up with Jen, Chris and Albie. Now, for those who don't know, Puerto Madryn is just south of the Peninsula Valdez, which is where there is the largest gathering of southern right whales (coincidently, National Geographic just did a story on them). Out of the 10,000 or so southern right whales there are, about half of them gather around the Peninsula Valdez to breed around October. So, our first hour there, we found ourselves sitting outside of a cafe on the beach, drinking tea and watching whales breach a hundred yards or so out in the bay. To really see the good stuff we rented a car and drove out onto the peninsula. It was a bit exciting, since there is very, very little development there, and the road is kilometer after kilometer of dirt and gravel. We drove to the small town of Puerto Pyramides where there are whale watching boat tours. We spent about and hour and a half on the boat right up next to the whales, which felt a little strange, since they were all mating. It was a little instrusive, but the whales didn't seem to mind.

The next day we drove down through more nothingness to Trelew. Albie wanted to see the dinosaur museum there, so we made a short stop. Trelew has one of the best dinosaur museums in South America. From there, we continued on to Punta Tombo - home to the world's largest colony of Magellan penguins. There are about a million there. They also show up this time of year to mate. There is a walkway through the mating grounds, and literally under every bush and shrub for as far as the eye can see is a penguin or multiple penguins. Oh yeah, and there were sea lions, too... and conaco's, sea birds...

That's the very brief overview of the trip. I'll try to fill out the details of the last two months soon.

Complete photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/PRotherbennett/TripDownSouth#