May 27, 2005: Headlines: COS - Uzbekistan: Safety and Security of Volunteers: Blogs - Uzbekistan: Personal Web Site: PCV Jennifer Post says: Due to events beyond my control, I will have to leave Uzbekistan on June 1st. This is the day my visa expires and the responsible parties in the Uzbek government have not responded to our renewal efforts. Therefore Peace Corps has begun the process for the departure of the 52 volunteers that remain of Uzbekistan 18.
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May 27, 2005: Headlines: COS - Uzbekistan: Safety and Security of Volunteers: Blogs - Uzbekistan: Personal Web Site: PCV Jennifer Post says: Due to events beyond my control, I will have to leave Uzbekistan on June 1st. This is the day my visa expires and the responsible parties in the Uzbek government have not responded to our renewal efforts. Therefore Peace Corps has begun the process for the departure of the 52 volunteers that remain of Uzbekistan 18.
PCV Jennifer Post says: Due to events beyond my control, I will have to leave Uzbekistan on June 1st. This is the day my visa expires and the responsible parties in the Uzbek government have not responded to our renewal efforts. Therefore Peace Corps has begun the process for the departure of the 52 volunteers that remain of Uzbekistan 18.
PCV Jennifer Post says: Due to events beyond my control, I will have to leave Uzbekistan on June 1st. This is the day my visa expires and the responsible parties in the Uzbek government have not responded to our renewal efforts. Therefore Peace Corps has begun the process for the departure of the 52 volunteers that remain of Uzbekistan 18.
...and the fat lady sang...
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Flag of Uzbekistan
Friday, May 27, 2005 14:07
[Excerpt]
Due to events beyond my control, I will have to leave Uzbekistan on June 1st. This is the day my visa expires and the responsible parties in the Uzbek government have not responded to our renewal efforts. Therefore Peace Corps has begun the process for the departure of the 52 volunteers that remain of Uzbekistan 18. Peace Corps will not allow us to be here with expired visas because of safety concerns that could occur.
The visa issue has been a problem for us since we arrived and even before our arrival in January. I’ve written about the delay of going to my site in April, but this time it is different. Perhaps the recent events in Andijon have changed the attitudes of government here, but that is only my opinion and I don’t know what is really going on. All I know for sure is that I must leave on Wednesday.
Just 2 days ago we received word that the government was not responding to our efforts to renew our visas, so the volunteers were instructed to come to Tashkent on May 27th, today. The staff at headquarters remained hopeful that a positive response would come in those 2 days, I also remained hopeful.
[Excerpt]
In Tashkent the volunteers gathered, we received the final word from the Country Director, he told us, “We are leaving.” What? Say that again, please. My mind kicks into a new gear…now it has sunken in, the mental preparation can continue, and I can start to think about what is next for me.
I have some options to consider, though none are easy and clear cut. I can choose to go home and somehow finish my Master’s Degree and I’m sure I could figure something out. Peace Corps would give me the statue, “interrupted service” and if I chose to do Peace Corps again, I would be given priority but the re-application could be as lengthy as the first time, and no guarantees from them. That does not sound like fun. Another option is to transfer to another country, either directly from Uzbekistan or first returning home to wait for my next assignment to start, depending on the placement. The other countries in the Europe/Mediterranean/Asia region have been extremely supportive and have spots available for volunteers to transfer to them. Transferring would mean starting over, another PST (3 month training), and completing a 24-month service. There are a lot of spots open for TEFL and Health volunteers, not so many for NGO development volunteers and none for those of us that call ourselves water-engineering volunteers. (I’m considered an NGO development/water engineering volunteer) So Peace Corps is looking for spots in other regions. Now that I’ve been in PC for a couple of months and have had time to think about what kind of work I can do in Peace Corps, I would like to peruse the water engineering side of my job description. Also, given the current situation, I feel entitled to be a little picky about where I would serve next. Maybe that’s the wrong attitude, and perhaps that will change over time as this all sinks in. Ideally, I can picture myself returning home to wait for another assignment to begin later this summer, conceivably in Latin America/Caribbean or the Pacific Islands. I say this now but nothing is definite anymore.
There is still so much to find out, I just wanted to inform you of what’s going on here. On Wednesday June 1st I leave Uzbekistan, and at this point, I don’t know what the next step will be. Thank you for all your support, letters, and packages, while I’ve been here. You all helped me so much. I will keep you us to date.
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Story Source: Personal Web Site
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Uzbekistan; Safety and Security of Volunteers; Blogs - Uzbekistan
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