Tutoring English as a Second Language

A really nice guy in the Placement Office at the PC headquarters suggested we may want to get involved with a TEFL program in our community. Called the local technical college and they seemed pleased that we wanted to be volunteer tutors.

We started last week and it was a great experience. I think we will both really enjoy tutoring. I worked with two ladies from Korea on the phonetic alphabet. They both have a good command of speaking English but now want to be able to read and write. John worked with a Korean lady who is further along in her writing of the English language. She had work sheets she had completed at home and John reviewed them and helped her with questions that came up.

Our medical deferral is up on May 7th. This is a special day for a number of reasons. It is John's birthday and it is the day one of our girls graduates from college. We are going to see the cardiologist soon after the 7th and she will "interrogate" John's Pacemaker so see how his body is doing in accepting and working with it. She will write a letter to the PC medical screening office with her conclusions and we will see if that helps us. Oh yeah, and we also need new lipid profile and BP checks on him. That should be a no-brainer. The man is healthy as a horse. Out playing golf today in 50 degree weather! Yeah, and he played yesterday too!

Pacemaker n Peace Corps!

Received word this week. John is on medical deferral for 6 months.
That takes us to May 7th, 2007. We were to go to staging in June '07.
Once/if he gets medical clearance then we will be on medical restriction
for countries we can be posted to - it is our understanding there are
three or four countries that can support cardiac monitoring. The
Pacemaker has to be checked once a year. In the interim we are to
rewrite our cross-cultural essay as well as our motivational essay.
Guess that is what has to come next. (Besides waiting)

The Package Is In The Mail!

Woo Hoo! Mailed off another 20 pages of medical forms and information this morning to the PC Office of Medical Services. Now, once again, it is waiting time. BUT, in the meantime we now each have a bicycle and will start a routine to build up stamina on riding. I never should have given up riding a bike when I was 8 years old. Its a little daunting to start again at 63. Did do it though and will continue. It is good cardio on top of going to the gym. If only it could also take some years off (Ha Ha). 8o)

Hello. This is me.

Functional Orthopaedic Evaluation

Got through this part of the medical information requirement today. What a relief! We both had to physically demonstrate our abilities to a physical therapist in the orthopaedic practice.

Good to know we can both lift 40 pounds, squat, lunge, ride a stationary bike, go over and under what looked like a bunch of limbo sticks. We can only hope that the rest of our documentation is found in favor by the PC and we can go to our assignment in June '07. We are trying hard not to get too stoked!