China
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US Peace Corps American Overseas Staff (FY2011):
Latest Early Termination Rates (FOIA 11-058): (2008 29 %), (2007 13 %), (2006 16 %), 2005 29 %
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Please check out: Volunteers Supporting Volunteers (VSV)for up-to-date information on PC China, VSV pages were composed and are edited by volunteers currently serving in China. The VSV pages serve to complement the information below but the information is often more candid.
Volunteers Supporting Volunteers (VSV) is a group of China PCVs who make themselves available to speak confidentially with volunteers who may be feeling stress with their assignment, relationships, or daily living in China. If you are a current volunteer or have been invited to volunteer in China, feel free to contact them any questions or concerns (pcchina.vsv at gmail.com).
China has a long, rich and complex history. Chinese people are proud of their culture and their ancient past and, at the same time, moving forward in a rapidly changing environment. With a population of 1.3 billion people, China is home to nearly 20% of the world's population. Through the Peace Corps, Volunteers are able to live and work in China, learn Mandarin -- the world's most spoken language -- and experience the intricacies and nuances of the culture.
Countrywide, China has a shortage of 500,000 English teachers. In 1993 the first group of eighteen Peace Corps Volunteers were sent at the request of the Chinese government. Volunteers participating in the pilot project taught English at the university level. English education continues to be a top priority for the universities in China.
Currently 114 Volunteers are teaching English in more than 62 universities, including five medical colleges and four vocational colleges. Peace Corps Volunteers are known as "U.S.-China Friendship Volunteers" to their students and colleagues. Volunteers teach English at colleges and universities within four regions of Western China: Sichuan, Guizhou, Gansu, and Chongqing.
Common classes assigned to Volunteers include: Oral English, Listening Comprehension, Reading, Writing, Literature and Linguistics. Secondary projects instigated by Volunteers include English resource centers, radio shows, movie nights, sports clubs and women's clubs. Volunteers have created a website where they are able to exchange teaching ideas, lesson plans and methods.
China is a place full of vitality and opportunity. U.S.-China Friendship Volunteers have a unique opportunity to be part of this vitality and transformation.
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[edit] Health Care and Safety
Main article: Health care and safety in China
The Peace Corps’ highest priority is maintaining the good health and safety of every Volunteer. Peace Corps medical programs emphasize the preventive, rather than the curative, approach to disease. Peace Corps/China maintains a clinic with full-time medical staff who take care of Volunteers' primary healthcare needs. Additional medical services, such as testing and basic treatment, are also available in China at local hospitals. If you become seriously ill, you will be transported either to a medical facility in the region or to the United States.
[edit] Diversity and Cross-Cultural Issues
Main article: Diversity and cross-cultural issues in China
In China, as in other Peace Corps host countries, Volunteers’ behavior, lifestyles, background, and beliefs will be judged in a cultural context very different from our own. Certain personal perspectives or characteristics considered familiar and commonly accepted in the United States may be quite uncommon, unacceptable, or even repressed in China. You may be advised to avoid discussion of topics with your students. Outside of China’s capital, residents of rural communities have had relatively little direct exposure to other cultures, races, religions, and lifestyles. What is advertised as “typical” cultural behavior or norms may also be a narrow and selective interpretation, such as the perception in some countries that all Americans are rich and have blond hair and blue eyes. The people of China are justly known for their generous hospitality to foreigners; however, members of the community in which you will live may display a range of reactions to differences that you present. Peace Corps China has launched a Peer to Peer network -- Volunteers Supporting Volunteers -- to support volunteers currently serving in China and serve as a resource for incoming invitees. One of the goals of VSV is to support volunteers who may have difficulty, or just a different experience, because of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, religious background, and disability or limited access.
- Possible Issues for Female Volunteers
- Possible Issues for Volunteers of Color
- Possible Issues for Senior Volunteers
- Possible Issues for Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual Volunteers
- Possible Religious Issues
- Possible Issues for Volunteers with Disabilities
[edit] Frequently Asked Questions
Main article: FAQs about Peace Corps in China
- How much luggage will I be allowed to bring to China?
- What is the electric current in China?
- How much money should I bring?
- When can I take vacation and have people visit me?
- Will my belongings be covered by insurance?
- What should I bring as gifts for China friends and my host family?
- Where will my site assignment be when I finish training and how isolated will I be?
- Should I bring a cellular phone with me?
[edit] Packing List
Main article: Packing list for China
This list has been compiled by Volunteers serving in China and is based on their experience. Use it as an informal guide in making your own list, bearing in mind that experience is individual. There is no perfect list! You obviously cannot bring everything we mention, so consider those items that make the most sense to you personally and professionally. You can always have things sent to you later. As you decide what to bring, keep in mind that you have an 80-pound weight restriction on baggage. And remember, you can get almost everything you need in China.
Volunteers Supporting Volunteers, a confidential peer to peer support network for volunteers in China, has also compiled answers to common questions about serving in China, what to expect, and what to bring.
[edit] Peace Corps News
Current events relating to Peace Corps are also available by country of service or your home state
The following is automatic RSS feed of Peace Corps news for this country.- Third US-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange - US Department of State (press release) (May 04)
- Cal Energy Corps interns prep for sustainable future - UC Berkeley (Apr 25)
- Stewart Brewster of Los Gatos is living in Armenia as a Peace Corps volunteer - San Jose Mercury News (Apr 23)
PEACE CORPS JOURNALS
( As of Thursday May 17, 2012 )
- There’s a Pig in the Washroom
- Who is your Superhero?
- May Newsletter
- Today only!
- If You Ever Run Into Lady Gaga, Leave Her Alone!
- It’s All Uphill From Here
- Leshan Lately
- The Teacher and the Prostitute
- Found this gem in my unpublished drafts... enjoy!
- Why is there Olive Oil in the Bathroom!?
[edit] Country Fund
Contributions to the China Country Fund will support Volunteer and community projects that will take place in China. These projects include water and sanitation, agricultural development, and youth programs.
[edit] See also
- Volunteers who served in China
- List of resources for China
- Pre-Departure Checklist
- Inspector General Reports
- 2008 Sichuan Earthquake