Seven months into our Peace Corps application process.

-
Greetings from Elizabeth and Perry! Since we both received our medical clearance today, I (Elizabeth) figured it was about time to start a Peace Corps blog. Things are falling into place and this endeavor may just get off the ground! 

To begin, I will briefly recap our journey up until today:
  • Late September, 2011: Submitted our online applications and references.
  • October, 2011: Had our interview at the Peace Corps Offices in Seattle, WA.
  • Mid-October, 2011: At our recruiter's request, I began accruing 30 hours of experience teaching English to adults.
  • Early November, 2011: Put our house on the market. Completed my 30 hours - teaching English to adult immigrants/refugees at the North Seattle Family Center and assisting in an ESL class at Shoreline Community College. Submitted documenting paperwork.
  • November 17th, 2011: Nominated for University English (Perry, who has a PhD in Linguistics) and "Unique Skill" (Elizabeth). Asia, June 2012. Apparently, the main skill sought is University English, making Perry the "lead spouse" on our application. I am labeled ambiguously and could end up in one of several placements, but most likely secondary English. 
  • Late November, 2011: Received our medical and dental packets and began scheduling appointments.
  • December 15th, 2011: Accepted an offer on our house. Around this time, also received notification of a legal hold on our application, which concerned our home equity loan -- we had one, and we needed to indicate how we'd pay it while away.
  • January, 2012: Mailed in our medical and dental packets. Closed on both our house and our new co-op. Moved. Resolved the legal hold on our application by paying off our home equity loan. Became completely and officially debt-free! Woot!
  • Late January to mid-April 2012: Corrected error on my medical forms: Forgot to check one check box on my mammogram form. We also had to re-submit all our dental films because the heat treatment process all federal mail undergoes fried (melted) the first sets we sent in. Perry had some additional immunizations and medical tests (new glasses for Perry!).
  • Late March, 2011: Received dental clearance.
  • April 16th, 2012: Faxed in final set of medical paperwork requested by the Office of Medical Services.
  • April 18th, 2012: Both of our Peace Corps Toolkits are updated: "Medical: Complete. A decision has been reached regarding your medical review. Please look for a letter in the mail."
I am not sure whether we'll make our original nomination date and/or region or not. One thing is certain, though. I will require placement in a medically accommodating country (MAC), probably because of my asthma. 

As warned and as expected, the medical & dental process was lengthy and the information requested was comprehensive. As an over 40 female volunteer, I was required to have a mammogram and to fill out special paperwork indicating whether I'd need a mammogram during the 27 months I'd be away (only certain countries can accommodate this need). As a 50 plus volunteer, my husband needed an EKG and some other additional tests. Be forewarned that the examinations, laboratory work, and tests are not inexpensive, and the Peace Corps reimburses only a small amount (around 300 dollars).

However, readers should also know that older prospective volunteers are strongly encouraged to apply -- Peace Corps recently partnered with AARP and there is an entire section of the Peace Corps site dedicated to 50 plus volunteering.  The abundant life and professional experience that older volunteers bring to the Peace Corps is definitely sought.

So, in a nutshell, that's our Peace Corps journey so far. More soon, I hope!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scrabble Dash!

-
Image
Today I took a few photos of my Dash girls (a couple of boys come to play occasionally, but mostly it's these girls :)). They are hooked on Scrabble Dash! This game is played with three decks of cards. Dark green cards are consonants, light green cards are vowels, and red cards are instructional. Players hold seven cards at a time, just like regular Scrabble, and are initially dealt five consonants and two vowels. When a word is successfully played, players select new cards equal to the number of letters in the word played – either consonants, vowels, or a mix. Dash Girls! To begin, the first player flips a red card over and everyone scrambles to put down an English word. Red cards contain instructions such as “Verb,” “Four Letter Word,” “Three Letter Word,” “Has a ____,” and “Starts with ____.” So, if a red card that says “Has a ____” is turned over, the player who turned the card over must name a letter. Then the first person to place a correctly spelled English word
Read more

Teaching English

-
Image
Where we're from.. Although I wasn't quite sure I'd enjoy teaching English (I'm certified as an elementary education and middle level science teacher), I really had a blast with it! There I am, on the right of the photo, with four of my students: Two from Mexico, one from Somalia, and one from Hong Kong. I also had students in my class from mainland China, Taiwan, India, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Algeria, The Congo, and El Salvador. Working with such a diverse group kept things interesting but also posed certain challenges, not the least of which was trying to accommodate a vast range of proficiency levels. I hope I did right by my students and that I helped them to navigate the English language with a bit more ease! They taught me a lot about how -- and how not -- to teach English effectively.  - by Elizabeth
Read more

Odds and Ends

-
Image
Wow. We aren't good bloggers. Sorry about that. I'm going to try and catch you up with 2014 so far, but honestly, I don't quite know where to begin. I guess I'll start with photos of my number one science learner and Team Tiger's -- I had two science classes last year, Team Tiger and the Kaiser Chiefs -- most improved learner. Xolani (Wise) #1! Lifa, Team Tiger's Most Improved Part I: School I was pretty excited about 2014. I'd no longer have my own class, for one thing. While I very much enjoyed the teaching part of having my own class, I certainly did not enjoy the paperwork and record keeping aspects. In South Africa, each teacher is required to keep a physical portfolio, and each portfolio must contain the prescribed information in a prescribed format with prescribed components. Off the top of my head, each must have an index (TOC), a work schedule (essentially, a pacing guide), lesson plans (in the required format), assessments, memos (key
Read more