finals week frustrations...

Hey!

Okay so this is like the worst timing but apparently I made some mistakes in my paperwork and now I have to run around on Friday and get my ophthalmologist to fill in some numbers. Then I have to run up to Alpharetta to get some more blood drawn for a Hep C core antibody test that I apparently forgot to do. Don’t really know how this happened. And of course this would happen in the middle of finals week and with me flying away to Jamaica and New York on Saturday this doesn’t leave me much time to get this stuff done. Thank god a) I’m done with my exams as of today and only have a paper to write for Thursday and b) my dad is a doctor and one of his nurses can take care of my blood work quickly while I’m away. All of this is really not a big deal, but it’s just frustrating because of the timing. Just think, three more days till I’m done with Georgia Tech FOREVER (yay for skipping graduation to catch a flight to Jamaica!) and then I will be able to relax on the beach and sip piña coladas and enjoy the glorious 80º weather…

*sigh*

ciao,
- Nikhil

in the hands of peace corps...

Hey everyone!

So I finally did it. I turned in my medical and dental packet today (okay well actually my mom did since she has all my forms…thanks mom!). So it’s finally done. No more doctors visits. No more visits to three different dentists (that's right, 3)! It was a long and ridiculous mountain of paperwork but whatever. I’m just glad that I’m a relatively healthy person so my paperwork was pretty easy to fill out. I feel bad for anyone that has any kind of medical problems because I heard the PC really puts you through the grinder and asks for all kinds of tests and exams. But I guess that’s what you have to jump through if you want to be a Peace Corps volunteer. At least it shows how thorough they are and that your health and safety really are their #1 concern!

I heard this part of the process has the longest waiting time (~4-6 weeks) before you become medically cleared for service. Only once you are cleared can they start to match you for a program and an invitation. And that waiting time is only if you filled out all the paperwork correctly! If you made mistakes, that could add another 2 or 3 weeks to your wait time. Eeek! So here’s to praying my medical packet is complete and ready…

Ciao for now,

-Nikhil

update

hey!

So I apologize for not updating but even though a LOT has happened over the past month (incredible fall break road trip to delta sig chapters across the midwest, winning 1st place in mock rock for the 2nd year in a row!, exam hell week #2, etc.), not a lot has progressed in terms of my peace corps stuff (still working on dental clearance but almost there...final dental appointment is in one week!). Once I get some exciting news I PROMISE to let y'all know what's up. till then, ciao!

Fall Break - Fall break was AWESOME! probably one of the best fall breaks ever :) Me and four other brothers road tripped across the midwest visiting other delta sig chapters and it's an experience I recommend for all brothers. It really helped me better understand my brotherhood on a national level and how amazing we are. Visited Trannsylvania, Purdue (and watched the Purdue vs. Ohio State game...football is SO different in the north), Illinois - Urbana/Champaign, Millikin, Rose-Hulman and Kentucky over 4 days in a cramped SUV. I was very unsure how we would all get along as all our personalities are so different but we came out alive.

Mock Rock - I took the reigns again this year with the help of TJP III and we won Mock Rock for a second year in a row! Check out youtube for our amazing show (and you can also see our amazing show from last year). It was a LOT of hard work but totally worth it; I hated being the asshole but I guess that's what you have to be sometimes with this group. It's funny, although I think this show theoretically was WAY better than last year's show, technically, last year's show is still my favorite. oh well...hopefully or first place tradition will continue long after I graduate this December (no pressure Hollywood lol).

medical clearance part 2

Sorry it's been so long since I last updated but as usual, not much has happened. Unless something super exciting happens over the next few weeks (apart from me reading Harry Potter Book 7 in less than a day!!! Harry Potter V...the movie that is...was ridiculously awesome...as was Transformers btw), you probably won't hear from me until September since the last part of my clearance (dental) takes place August 22nd. I could have probably gotten an earlier date but the Peace Corps has a new program where dentists who are a part of the International College of Dentistry have agreed to perform FREE DENTAL CLEARANCE for PC applicants and I am ALL about free stuff.

My visit to the doctor to get all my paperwork signed was pretty uneventful except for the fact that now I have to go and find some place that will give me a polio booster (hopefully the GT Health Clinic). All my tests came back clean and surprisingly I even had normal blood pressure (which is amazing considering the amount of stress I am normally under). The only thing of "concern" was my high cholesterol but that's mostly my parent's fault as high cholesterol is genetically-linked and both my parents have high cholesterol (but I am working on eating a little healthier and have started to work out more frequently since I can't blame EVERYTHING on my parents). Everything with the eye doctor went well as well. My contact lens prescription is the same but my eyeglass prescription increased slightly.

I'm sure you don't really care about the health of my body so let's just blame my rambling on boredom at work and leave it at that. Till September...

medical clearance...

So, I finally recieved my medical/dental clearance forms in the mail last week and they don't appear to be too complicated since I don't have any serious health conditions that need crazy tests. I got my dad's office to do my physical for me which makes my life soo much easier lol. They got to conduct all the fun labs on me like urinalysis and blood work (PC requests a lot of blood work. I ended up giving 4-5 small vials of blood). I also got three shots today, my Hep B (shot 1), TB test, and my Tetanus shot and was soo proud of myself for not crying (Preface: I hate needles and more so, hate getting shots! go figure for the guy who wants to be a doctor...). Luckily I don't think I've have much of a problem being medically/dentally cleared but everyone was right in saying that this will be my first time practicing my patience as this is going to take a few weeks to complete since I have to wait till next week to get my eyes examined, the earliest I have time to get my dental check-up is in two weeks, and then I have to go back and get my polio booster since my mom has to order one for me along with my Hep B (shot 2) in about a month. Luckily, I don't really need the full Hep B series to be cleared (but mom and dad want to do it anyways even though the peace corps normally provides it) since the the third shot is given 6 months later or else that would have really delayed my medical clearance.

Sorry this post isn't very exciting but remember that part of the reason why I am writing in this blog is to document the Peace Corps process for any prospective PC applicants, particularly GT people referred here by Sarah. Also I'm bored and blogging about the Peace Corps is a lot more fun than doing my Physics II homework...

Oh and I would like to take the time here to say goodbye to Sally Kline, an administrater in the Office of Community Service and Greek Affairs who is leaving Georgia Tech for an Assistant Dean position at the University of Virginia. Sally provided me with much advice concerning my decision to apply to the Peace Corps and her support for me has been incredible. I am truly grateful for her advice and support and I wish her the best in her new ACC school :)

ciao,

-Nikhil

alaska

Since people have been asking how my trip to Alaska was, well it was pretty incredible. Actually it was absolutely incredible. Alaska is such a BEAUTIFUL state and its sad that not that many people get a chance to visit due to its somewhat "extreme" location. I flew out to Anchorage to meet up with my parents and other family friends who were just coming back from the land portion of the trip up to Denali National Park. I am extremely mad that I missed that part of the trip (silly summer school) because seeing Denali on a clear day is something very rare and my parents got to see it. Its okay though, give me a reason to go back :) After meeting up with my folks we toured around Anchorage for a bit then over the weekend took a trip down to Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward and saw some pretty incredible glaciers and landscapes. I even got to kiss a glacier (why not?) somewhat illegally.

After a weekend on land, we all set forth sail aboard the Island Princess for a 7-day cruise southbound to Vancouver. Along the way we visited College Fjords, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchican before finally arriving in Vancouver. The cruise was awesome and very different from the Carnival Carribean cruise I took a few years ago because we pretty much followed land about 75% of the time. The ports of call were fun because I got to go and see a musher's camp and ride a sled dog cart as well as go rock climbing and rappelling in Skagway; then ziplining in Juneau and finally sea kayaking in Ketchikan. I also ate massive amounts of awesome food (particularly great seafood) and even go to try some pretty exotic stuff like caviar, escargot and frog's legs (which I promise does taste like chicken).

Saw some cool animals. Bears, sea otters, bald eagles, ginormous starfish, moose and WHALES! I saw not just pods of orcas in the open water but one of my favorite memories was a huge pod of humpbacks! Me and my friends were sitting in the food court on the top deck looking towards the bow of the ship when we saw whale after whale after whale breach slightly. The pod must have had at least 15-20 whales. The coolest part: I SAW A HUMPBACK WHALE BREACH AND EAT A BIRD! no joke!

We ended our cruise in Vancouver and honestly, I now love the west coast even more than before. West coast mentality and culture just rocks and suits me well. I really hope that I get the opportunity to move to the west coast at somepoint in my life whether it be to Vancouver (one of my new favorite cities) or Portland or Seattle or San Francisco. We'll see where life takes me.

I'll try and post pics on facebook or something like that soon. But for your viewing pleasure, here's one of my favorite pictures from the trip: a panoramic view of Marjorie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park.

congratulations! you have been nominated to serve in the Peace Corps.

So just to let you all know, I had my interview with Valerie, my recruiter, this past thursday and it went very well. It was a lot longer and more personal than I expected it to be but I guess also a lot more "normal" than the interviews I'm used to (after you've interviewed for GHP and done the whole thing in Spanish and after you've interviewed with Freshman Council, you're ready for anything!). However there were some slightly amusing questions that dealt with what kind of cultural circumstances I would be able to tolerate such as privacy issues, appearance issues, alcohol issues, etc. Reflecting back, I've had some pretty incredible experiences in my life and I've been in almost every kind of living situation from a fancy hotel with running water, WiFi and room service to a village "house" with a squat down latrine, sporadic electricity and eating food from a banana leaf. I'm so glad that these experiences will hopefully prepare me for my transition to life in a developing country.

Anyways, if you haven't guessed by now as per the title of this post, I recieved my nomination to the Peace Corps this weekend. According to the website the nomination means that my PC recruiter has nominated me for service in a general field to a general geographic area for an approximate departure date. I won't know any specifics about my exact job nor the country I will be going to nor my exact departure date until I recieve my actual invitation to serve. Before I can recieve my invitation, I have to get medical, dental, financial and legal clearance which i hope to work on before the end of the summer. During my interview Valerie told me that she was going to nominate me for a health position since that's what seemed to be the best fit for me but as for geographic location, she had a few choices. Because of my strong Spanish backgroung she was originally going to nominate me for a position in Latin America for a departure date of January/February but since I wasn't too excited about serving the Central America and because it's been a dream of mine to go to Africa, I pushed the whole "I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to go to Africa" and she told me the earliest she could get me to Africa was June-ish 2008. Although I was hoping to leave around March/April, I decided field and location were a LOT more important to me than departure date because the only departure restriction I had was that I wanted to be back in the US around August to apply for jobs and graduate school and leaving in "early" June would let me do that.

So basically my situation right now is that I am "in" the health program pending medical/dental/financial/legal clearance and it will most likely be somewhere in Africa around "early" June. But just to clarify, nothing is certain until I recieve my actual invitation. So there is still a decent chance that I may open my invitation and it might say I'm doing NGO work in Honduras leaving August 2008. So pray for me please :)

p.s. since my application packet is all done, if any of you (particularly those of you who are filling out the application) want to read my two essays (personal statement and cross-cultural experience) for an example of what's expected, just e-mail me and I'll send it to you. No real point in posting them up here...

you want to join what? the peace corps?

Hey!

Since i basically spent this past week trying to explain to my family friends who were travelling with me through Alaska about the Peace Corps, i thought i might shed some light to anyone reading this blog as to what prompted me to apply (I've provided a short version, a summary of sorts, for those of you who just want to skim this post, as well as a long version for anyone interested in delving into my psyche) :

the short version

It's something I've wanted to do for a long time; I want an adventure; It's a REALLY great career opportunity; It's my way to start "saving the world"...

the long version

So there I am sitting in Junior's flipping through the Technique quietly, skimming for interesting articles while munching on my chicken tenders. That's when I see it: "Your Life is Calling. How Far Will You Go?" and advertisement for the US Peace Corps. For some wierd reason, those words resonated with me. Maybe it was just the emotional place I was at the time with concerns about what I was going to do post-graduation; maybe my soul just wanted an adventure in some far off exotic place. Whatever the reason, I knew that my life was calling to me and it was telling me to join the Peace Corps.

Before I go on, I must explain a little about what the Peace Corps is to all my non-US family and friends. The US Peace Corps is a federal agency committed to world peace and friendship. It was established by President John F. Kennedy's Administration in 1961. The Peace Corps was founded upon three simple goals:

1) Helping the people of interesed countries in meeting their need for trained men and women

2) Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served

3) Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans

The program consists of placing volunteers in developing countries that request the assistance of the United States through the disemination of knowledge and transfer of skills to that community in certain areas such as health, agriculture, education, business, etc. Volunteers involved first undergo 3 months of in-country training followed by a 24-month permanent site placement where they are supposed to integrate into the community and work on projects related to their field (do the math and that comes out to 27 months of total service). They are typically assigned individually and the goal is to develop self-sustaining projects to benefit the community so that after the volunteer leaves, the project is not dependant on an outsider. Integration into the community is faciliated by the volunteers partcipating in homestays during training and then being adopted into families in site. The Peace Corps is currently serving in 73 countries on all 6 continents.

So why would someone like me, who had aspirations of becoming a pediatric neuro-oncologist be interested in a program like this? For me it all really started my freshman year of college where I met many people who were committed to serving the underprivileged community and I realized that I want to do the same. I believe that health is a human right and there are violations of this right everywhere in the world. I want to stop this and the best way I know how is through public health. As much as medicine interests me, I am also interested in other fields such as international development, management, health policy, sociology and anthropology. Public health is basically the intersection of these disciplines and regardless of what I eventually end up doing, it will be public health related.

I've realized that I want to live my life in service to others. And if I don't build the foundation of my life on service, it becomes very unlikely that I'll be able to really live my life the way I want to. I see the peace corps and my future masters in public health as my foundation for which I want to build my medical career on. I don't feel that I have to choose between healing individual people and helping communities of people with their health needs; it's all about balance. To see an example of someone who has acheived a sort of balance, read up on my hero, Dr. Paul Farmer (I honestly believe that you can't understand what I want to do with my life until you read about him. Check out either Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder or one of Dr. Farmer's books AIDS & Accusations, Infections & Inequalities, or Pathologies of Power). He's an incredible person and I hope to do international health work similar to him someday.

Other reasons for joining:

- i love travelling, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures and of course, learning new languages!!!

- think of the peace corps as an incredible career opportunity, especially for the field that I eventually want to enter; opportunity to experience the health challenges of the people I eventually want to help

- i heard the Fellows USA program is working on expanding into other graduate programs including public health so I may be able to get a scholarship to go to graduate school

- free health insurance and dental insurance, not to mention a stipend for when i return

- the peace corps as a diet? maybe i'll finally lose the weight I've been trying to lose for some time lol

- i want an adventure. how cool would it be to say "I lived in XYZ (some exotic country) in a mud hut on the beach for 2 years with the Peace Corps!" [clarification: mud hut and beach location are dependant on resources of my site]

I know that these may not seem like a good enough reasons for some people to join the Peace Corps from your perspective; but I'm not here to change your mind or force my opinion on you. I'm simply stating facts. I'm joining to make a difference in this world...

anyways, I hope that helped you understand my perspective a little more. Also, feel free to ask me any kinds of questions you may have about my process so far. I know I'm only in the preliminary stages of the process but I know a lot more than a person who is just beginning to research the Peace Corps program :)

ciao for now,

-Nikhil

Peace Corps Application - Personal Statement

Hey Everyone!

As promised, here is my personal statement for my Peace Corps application. I know that it seems similar to my next post on "you want to join what? the peace corps?" but I feel that this statement brings up some slightly different points. Plus this essay is a lot more focused and a better example (I think?) of what they are looking for in this essay. Enjoy!

Peace Corps service presents major physical, emotional and intellectual challenges. You have provided information on how you qualify for Peace Corps service elsewhere in the application. In the space below, please provide a statement (between 150-500 words) that includes:
• Your reasons for wanting to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer; and
• How these reasons are related to your past experiences and life goals

The advertisement for Peace Corps reads, “Life is calling. How far will you go?” It’s pretty ironic to read those words because for the past three years, those words have resonated over and over again in my head in some shape or form. I came into college thinking I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. My name is Nikhil and I was going to be a skilled neurologist with the perfect family and wonderful home. But all of that changed after my freshman year where I met some truly inspirational friends who challenged me to serve not just those who CAN serve themselves but rather serve those that CAN’T.

Now I find myself at a very fuzzy point as college experiences have made me question who I thought I was, who I aspire to be, and where I want to go with my life. The words of the Peace Corps advertisement are still resonating in my head, almost as if they are a compass pointing me in the direction I need to go. How far am I willing to go? I’m not quite sure but I do know that I still want to dedicate my life to helping people. Inspired by one of my main role models, Dr. Paul Farmer, I recently wrote a vision statement for my life concerning the desire to achieve universal healthcare and universal access to medical resources. Based on this vision, I ideally see my future self working in the field of international non-profit health working to improve the healthcare infrastructure of developing countries.

By participating in the US Peace Corps, I feel that my experience as a Peace Corps volunteer would give me not only the perspective I need to know if I am definitely headed in the right direction but also to experience first hand the healthcare challenges of the underprivileged, something that would assist me in better understanding my global vision. Also, I believe that the Peace Corps will be a very humbling experience for me because it will allow me to experience life the way my father did. My dad grew up in a rural South Indian village and struggled to overcome adversity to become the successful doctor he is now here in the US, and, for that, I have tremendous respect for him.

Although I have lived in many different environments, the Peace Corps would be my first opportunity to give back in a truly unique way, through integrating into and serving a community in need of assistance. Additionally, the Peace Corps would give me so much, not only in the forms of new on-the-job skills, but also life lessons in adapting to new surroundings and a renewed passion in fulfilling my mission for universal healthcare equality.

Peace Corps Application - Cross-Cultural Essay

Hey Everyone!

As promised, here is my cross-cultural essay for my Peace Corps application. Enjoy!

Peace Corps Volunteers must be open to ideas and cultures different from their own. Give an example of a significant experience that illustrates your ability to adapt cross-culturally. You may draw from experiences in your work, school, or community in the U.S. or abroad. Please include the circumstances of the experiences and dates.

It may sound funny but although I am of East Indian origin and lived in South India for two years from 1992-1994, it is always a culture shock for me when I return to visit family in India. My shock is not just a result of the blatent political corruption, the lack of proper garbage disposal on the streets or even the fuzzy separation between livestock and man; it is also due to the lack of life’s little luxuries that I am so accustomed to and even take for granted here in the US. For example, in India, showers consist of bathing oneself with tiny buckets of hot and cold water; muggy weather is further exacerbated by the lack of central air conditioning in most places; and water must be filtered or bought for it to be safe to drink.

One of the biggest challenges I face when visiting India is that of using the traditional Indian toilet. In the US, the western style toilet is fairly easy to use because you simply have to sit and then when finished use toilet paper to clean up before flushing. In India, unless you are part of the privileged wealthy class, Indian toilets are usually nothing more than a hole in the ground. The awkward part is attempting to squat over the hole. This may not seem too bad but I remember many a time where I came out of an Indian restroom with numb legs. The process is even further complicated by the fact that water is used in place of toilet paper. All in all the process can get very tiring and very wet. I still haven’t mastered the art of using an Indian toilet so during my past few visits to India, I’ve made a rule of always carrying some type of disposable tissue in case of an emergency where I have to use a bathroom in public.

Despite all these differences between my lives on opposite sides of the world, I have come to find a sense of peace for I know that I can readily adapt to any environment, no matter how different the culture. When studying abroad two summers ago in South America, it took me far less time to adjust to my new surroundings in Buenos Aires than my peers. While I saw Buenos Aires as simply a fantastic new city that I couldn’t wait to explore, my peers saw the city as something completely foreign, a new world that was nothing like the America they were so accustomed to. Even though 50 years from now my life’s little luxuries most likely will not be prevalent in India, I know that it will be okay because these little inconveniences are just a small part of a bigger picture that makes up this exotic country that is both strange and home to me at the same time. After all, if I wanted to experience an “American” India, I would have just stayed here in Atlanta.

testing, testing, one, two, three...

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my Peace Corps blog. I got the idea to start this blog after reading http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/. I found this site after browsing xanga peace corps journals and the site has been invaluable for its insight into my hopeful future position. For those of you who are considering joining the program, hopefully my blog and the blogs on that website will be an important reference for you as you decide whether or not the Peace Corps is right for you. Anyways, hope you keep up with me; however, this is more for me than you so I apologize for my ranting, raving and ramblings. Hopefully you know me well enough that you can forgive me for the way I write :)

Where am I in the Peace Corps process? I actually submitted my application and health status review about three weeks ago along with my transcripts. I’m still waiting for one more recommendation to be submitted. I also went to the Atlanta office two days ago to take care of my fingerprinting and background check. My interview is scheduled for 10:30am on June 14th after I get back from my cruise in Alaska. From what I’ve heard, this first part is the “easy” part J So I’m enjoying it while I can lol.

Oh and I know it seems a little presumptuous to start a blog about joining the Peace Corps when I haven’t even had my preliminary interview and have no idea to what country I will end up in, but let’s just say, I think I’m a great candidate. Also, for Sarah’s sake, this first part of the blog, before I get to my country of service, can serve as a chronicle to the start of my ridiculous adventures ahead and what you can look forward to as you too start the PC paperwork.

Ciao for now,
-Nikhil