What Do You Mean You Don't Have A Placement For Me?

That's right.  I got the call from my placement officer, only to tell me that there will be no placement. 

She checked with the health desk and found out there wouldn't be anything available even if I got more experience.  Every placement desk has too many applicants for a few positions.  So again my two options are completely withdraw my application and start over from the beginning if I choose to or I can withdraw my application from active consideration with the opportunity to reactivate my file within the year. 

Wonderful options.  I never in a million years would have thought that when I started this second journey with Peace Corps that this could happen.  Medical always seems to be the major hurdle to get over and once you get past that you're in the clear.  Apparently not. 

The placement officer recommended withdrawing my application and reinstate it in about 6 months.  At that time there will be new programs available that they haven't even begun placing people in yet and a new pool of applicants.  In these 6 months I hope to gain more experience and will keep my fingers crossed that I will be more competitive compared to other applicants and better suited for a program. 

Unfortunately, I think I'm kind of confused on what volunteer experience will actually be helpful.  For teaching, she said the most competitive applicants are those that teach full time and well that's not an option for me, that's not the career path I chose.  And for business she suggested trying to volunteer with a chamber of commerce to do some kind of advising for people looking to start new businesses.  It just seems unlikely to me that a chamber of commerce would just allow anyone to "volunteer" to do that kind of work.  Like with the health field, will they just allow anyone to do hands on work without a degree in that field? 

I'd really still like to make Peace Corps work, it just seems...unsure?  at the moment.  Anyone else in the Peace Corps process get the same bad news I just got?

I would love to be preparing to go abroad, but I guess I have to believe that it's not happening for a reason.  Maybe it's just not the right time.  I will take this time to continue going to school, to work, and to find unique volunteer experiences.  I will work on paying my car off and saving money in the mean time.  Who knows where I'll be in 6 months?  Maybe I will be working at an awesome job with the UN and won't even think twice about the Peace Corps.  And maybe in 6 months I'll reactivate my file and get a placement right away going exactly where I want to go.  Or maybe it just won't happen at all.   

It's life.  Nothing is planned and nothing seems to work out as planned.  So we roll with it.