I'm all sworn in and about to start doing actual work. It's hard to say exactly what I'm feeling. On one hand, the completion of training meant leaving my training village and the family I've grown to love for the last two months. My little brother especially has a huge piece of my heart. 5 year old Mustafa would see me coming home from class each day and and would run down the path to greet me. I've uploaded a video of his precious laugh for your enjoyment below.
The last morning in my training village, my family gave me my favorite breakfast "rui," which I believe is a cos porridge, though I'm really not sure. I finished my final packing while eating this first breakfast. I then joined my family to a second breakfast of rice and fish around the foodbowl. Mustafa and I played Dem Napa(Go Fish) until the Peace Corps truck arrived. I swooped Mustafa up to say goodbye and broke into tears when he began to sob in my arms. As my friend, Melissa, says "Peace Corps: Teaching you to say goodbye since 1961." The good news is, few goodbyes are forever, and I've got plans to visit my training village family this December.
On Friday, I swore in as an official volunteer. The ceremony took place at the US ambassador's residence and was attended by embassy officials, Peace Corps staff, and representatives from the Gambian Ministry of Education. Both the Gambian and American
national anthem were sung, a number of speeches were made, and we raised our hands to be sworn in.
“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
And we can now say we're volunteers. Alleluia! We celebrated with the rest of the PCVs on a boat cruise down the Gambia River. Saturday morning we went shopping for necessary items. I bought a bed for sleeping, propane tank and burner for cooking, and bucket and rope for laundry. What more could I need? Today I went to my LCF's house for lunch with my two classmates (pictured above) and got to Facetime my sister at home this evening. It's been a great weekend.
Tomorrow morning I head out to my permanent site. The next phase is called the three month challenge in which we are to stay in our villages until December. The goal is to get to know my host family, school, and community. I will spend time chatting, building relationships, and learning about my village. I will also spend the three months writing a baseline assessment. I will assess what needs my village actually has. The goal is to build knowledge of what the village wants, would benefit from, and be able to sustain. When the relationships are built and baseline understood, I will the be able to create projects with community members to build their own capacity and meet their needs.
I'm feeling excited and empowered, nervous and uncertain. There's a lot of ambiguity in terms of what happens next. The last 10 weeks have been scheduled out hour by hour, but that schedule ends the same hour we get picked up tomorrow for site. The schedule's now in my hands. There is freedom in the ambiguity. I can make these next two years what I want them to be, creating projects, forming friendships, and living the adventure that is The Gambia. There is pressure in the responsibility. Successful service entails building strong relationships, integrating into a new culture, learning Wolof, and hopefully initiating a little progress. There's a lot to take in. I guess it's as the Gambians say when you ask how the work is, "I'm on it, slowly, slowly." I know I've got the love, prayers, and support of those at home, and these faces welcoming me into their home tomorrow. -I know, they look thrilled!
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