Nominated: the *real* first step

Hello everyone! We have officially been nominated to serve in the Peace Corps. Below you will find the e-mail from our (new) recruiter:

Hi Alison and Nick. Congratulations! You've been nominated to an English teaching program in Asia departing in June! You will be teaching students in a college/university setting who will go on to become English teachers. Alison mentioned some concern that you did not have TEFL certification but your experience will serve you well and you will be able to build upon your experience immensely in the training.

As I mentioned, your placement officer is Y--- H---. She served in the Peace Corps in China from 1997-99. I will send you her contact information along w other contact numbers in DC in a packet in the next few weeks. She will be working on your file AFTER you've been medically cleared. As always, there could be a chance that your nomination could change based on anything uncovered in the medical screening process (that might require a medical accommodation) or if there is a change in the program or country. But, you are less likely to be changed due to the specific nature of your placement bc you are a couple.

In two weeks, you will receive a packet from the medical office. It's very extensive - you go to your GP, the dentist, optometrist and any other specialists you see. Once you've turned in your tests and you've been medically then legally cleared, you will be issued an invitation - which could be the same as your nomination - could be different. That invitation comes no later than 6 weeks before you're supposed to depart. At this point, you will know the country.

You meet your training group in a designated city in the US for about 3 days - this is called staging. After this you depart for the country w your training group. In the country of service, you will live w host families for three months while you're in training w the entire group. You will learn the language, history of the country, culture, health and safety issues and how to do your job.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions or concerns as you go through the process. And, again, congratulations!

Best,

D---

So what does 'Asia' mean specifically? Well, next June there will be 6 countries in the Asian region of the world where Peace Corps works: Mongolia, China, Thailand, Philippines, East Timor, and Cambodia. You can read about these countries by choosing one here, and looking to the right side for Culture and Work Areas links.

We are so excited right now! There is alot left to sink in, including even learning more about that region of the world, what languages are spoken, and our own place there.

More to come!