Monday, August 16, 2010

In the Beginning

This is an attempt to keep friends and family up to date on our lives in Nicaragua!

Our Peace Corps Journey is just about to begin, although we started our application process a year ago! (Here I'd like to quote my little brother's Taekwondo Instructor, Master Jason "Persistence is the Key--Never Give Up"). I won't bore everyone too much with the application process details--it was thorough and included a lengthy application with professional and personal and volunteer supervisor letters of references and something like 10 years of job history, an interview, fingerprints, a nomination and acceptance, a super lengthy medical process--dentist, eye, regular doctor, etc--a few follow up essays and motivation statements--and FINALLY an invitation to serve as TEFL Volunteers in Nicaragua!!!

A Run Down of Events We Know of From Here on Out:
August 30=Depart for Washington, DC--Orientation/Staging
Sept 1=Depart for Managua, Nicaragua-Continue Orientation
Sept 4?= Matt and Julie Sent to Live with Separate Host Families for 3 Months of Training--the exciting part--we don't really know much about the Where and the Who yet~will update when we do! All we know is that we will be placed in either the Department of Masaya or Carazo.

Nov 24 2010--Hopefully we will have survived Training which includes Language Class (have to be at a certain level of proficiency to continue), Safety and Culture Class, and Technical Skills Class--that I think will involve lots of hands-on Teacher Training and Group Facilitation components. If we do make it through Training, then we will actually be sworn in as Official Peace Corps Volunteers at a fancy schmancy event sometimes held at the US Embassy in Nicaragua!!!! That's right, we are Peace Corps Trainees at the moment (-: not quite Volunteers.
Also at this point in time, Matt and I will continue our lives as a married couple that lives in the same house!

I hope to get some pictures up in time and that everyone who wants to can enjoy this blog! We are both incredibly sad to be leaving behind our ABSOLUTELY amazing family and friends, but hope to see you further down south (-: *Please Visit* Without the help and support and love of all you guys we wouldn't be who we are today nor would it be possible to be pursing this adventure!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!