Below is the email nomination that Jessie and I received today. Hopefully this will answer any questions you may have about the rest of the process.
Dear Jessica and Scott,
I am pleased to nominate you to be considered for the following Peace Corps assignment:
(Scott) Health Extension
Program Number - 155 09 044 G2 /A
Region - Central Asia
Departing - Late September 2009
(Jessie) English Teacher Trainer
Program Number - 191 09 044 G2 /B
Region - Central Asia
Departing - Late September 2009
Please remember that although I am recommending you for this program, this is not a guarantee that this is the region where you will invited to serve in. I am sending your file to our Placement Unit in Washington, DC, where several required screenings take place and where assignment matches for qualified nominees are finalized. You continue to play a crucial role in these matters. We cannot complete our review process without all requested documentation (medical, legal, or references) and submitting your documents promptly keeps your file moving forward. A processing delay could prevent you from serving in the assignment area, timeframe, and/or region that we have discussed. Also, as we discussed, any volunteer experience you gain between now and departure would only serve to improve your competitiveness and productivity within this project.
As I mentioned during your interview, medical screening begins at this time. The Office of Medical Services (OMS) will contact you regarding medical/dental examinations. Please schedule your exams as soon as you receive the OMS forms and submit all requested information promptly. If you have questions about the examinations or related matters, a Representative in OMS can assist you.
Once you have been medically and legally qualified, your Placement Officer will match you to a specific assignment based on the requirements of the host country and any special medical accommodation needs you may have. Then he/she will send you an invitation to serve as a Volunteer. Your invitation will include, among other things, a passport application. It is essential that you complete and submit this application promptly. If you do not already possess a regular passport, please secure a copy of your birth certificate immediately. The Peace Corps passport application must include one of these documents. A delay in submitting your passport application may prevent you from departing for Peace Corps service on schedule.
An invitation is your official offer from Peace Corps, and we recommend you not make any major commitments or changes, such as moving out of your residence or leaving your job, until you receive and accept an invitation. Your final possible invitation date for this program is August 1, 2009. After you have been medically qualified for 3-4 weeks, you may contact the Placement Office in regards to your invitation. I am happy to nominate you for Peace Corps service and will continue to be available to you. Best of luck in becoming a Volunteer; please do let me know where you are going once you know!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Peace Corps Application - Part 6
We got a nomination! Exciting and horrifying at the same time.
On Thursday, August 21, Jessie and I each got a voicemail message from our recruiter. She said that she had an update and and wanted to talk to both of us at the same time. The message gave no indication of whether this was good news or bad news. We were both a little nervous that this could be bad news because the Peace Corps recently changed their policy on placing married couples. They now will only interview a couple after they are already married and won't place them until they have at least a year of marriage under their belts. This change didn't come up until after we had interviewed, so we figured that we would get the benefit of the old rule...but we weren't sure.
On Friday, August 22, I was able to speak with our recruiter over the phone. Turns out, it was good news. They want to send us to a country in Central Asia at the end of September 2009. Jessie would be teaching other teachers, I would be in the health extension. This is exactly what our top picks were. As for the selection of countries, I am not quite as excited.
You see, I have always thought of the Peace Corps experience (and I think most other people do too) as living in a small village in Africa or South America. Despite my knowledge of all the countries that they send to, this is still what I daydream about when I am thinking about what is to come. In my thoughts, I have not considered living in the Central Asian countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (eek!), Kazakhstan (great success!), Kyrgyz Republic, or Turkmenistan. Does this mean that I don't want to go to Central Asia? Of course not! I told our recruiter that I would go anywhere for a reason. Does this mean that the experience will be any less? Nope. It just means that what I have gotten myself into, doesn't exactly match what I was hoping for. I will deal with it.
So, after briefly talking with Jessie to relay the message of our nomination, she called our recruiter to accept the nomination on our behalf. The next step is for them to send us packets for medical clearance. Hopefully we are both healthy!
We'll keep you all posted.
On Thursday, August 21, Jessie and I each got a voicemail message from our recruiter. She said that she had an update and and wanted to talk to both of us at the same time. The message gave no indication of whether this was good news or bad news. We were both a little nervous that this could be bad news because the Peace Corps recently changed their policy on placing married couples. They now will only interview a couple after they are already married and won't place them until they have at least a year of marriage under their belts. This change didn't come up until after we had interviewed, so we figured that we would get the benefit of the old rule...but we weren't sure.
On Friday, August 22, I was able to speak with our recruiter over the phone. Turns out, it was good news. They want to send us to a country in Central Asia at the end of September 2009. Jessie would be teaching other teachers, I would be in the health extension. This is exactly what our top picks were. As for the selection of countries, I am not quite as excited.
You see, I have always thought of the Peace Corps experience (and I think most other people do too) as living in a small village in Africa or South America. Despite my knowledge of all the countries that they send to, this is still what I daydream about when I am thinking about what is to come. In my thoughts, I have not considered living in the Central Asian countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (eek!), Kazakhstan (great success!), Kyrgyz Republic, or Turkmenistan. Does this mean that I don't want to go to Central Asia? Of course not! I told our recruiter that I would go anywhere for a reason. Does this mean that the experience will be any less? Nope. It just means that what I have gotten myself into, doesn't exactly match what I was hoping for. I will deal with it.
So, after briefly talking with Jessie to relay the message of our nomination, she called our recruiter to accept the nomination on our behalf. The next step is for them to send us packets for medical clearance. Hopefully we are both healthy!
We'll keep you all posted.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
I <3 Robots!
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