Swearing- In/ Setbacks
Lumelang!
You are currently reading the blog of an official
Peace Corps Volunteer! Swearing in was last Wednesday, and it was a really
special event. Before swearing in though, the days leading up to the swearing
in were also crazy busy. We had a village feast which is where we could
celebrate with our host families (lots of cultural dances and songs), a trip to
Maseru to buy things for our site, and our language exam. Everyone passed! Before
the village feast, we had our World AIDS Day event which went so well! It was a
community event where we invited many HIV related organizations to have booths.
Jhpeigo, PSI, Help Lesotho, and Lenaso came. We gave out little passport books
so participants could get a sticker at each booth after they heard the
information. It was kind of like a Purim Carnival! Help Lesotho brought their
group called Girl4ce who acted out a play about consent and child marriage. We
also learned a dance (to WakaWaka) and performed at the event. It was a huge
hit! PSI had a testing booth, and seven people at the event got tested for HIV,
which is a great number. Overall, very successful day (and we had enough food
for everyone which is a huge plus). Ask one of my parents if you want to see
the video of our dance!
So back to swearing in. The celebration was both
swearing in of Lesotho 88 trainees, and also the 50th anniversary
party of Peace Corps in Lesotho. Peace Corps was invited here in 1967, and two
members of the first cohort spoke at swearing in. That was really special! Many
important members of Peace Corps and the Lesotho government were in attendance,
including the King of Lesotho, King Letsie III (who has a British accent!). To
officially swear in, we said an oath to the American government as well as a
pledge to Lesotho. It was a really fantastic day, and it was fun celebrating
with all of the volunteers in Lesotho and our staff.
The day after swearing in, everyone departed to their
sites. Unfortunately, I’ve had a few setbacks with my site. After some issues
with my housing after site visit, the staff looked into the issues and later, my
organization came to the decision that they could no longer host me. This
happened about two weeks before the end of training. Peace Corps did not have
any backup sites, so now they have to go through the site development process
to find suitable site and safe housing for me, which normally takes several
months. Now, they have to speed up the process, and in the meantime, I will be
remaining with my host family in the training village and shadowing at the
clinic nearby. It is not an ideal situation, and it’s really hard to stay put
when everyone else has gone. I am disappointed in this situation as a whole and
that Peace Corps didn’t have any backup sites. It’s also stressful that it
might take some time to find a site, which may affect integration when I start.
Considering it’s Christmas time here, it may take longer than normal to get all
the parts worked out, and a lot of PC staff is going on vacation. Also, a lot
shuts down in Lesotho around the holidays, so overall, it’s a crappy time to
get things done efficiently. That being said, hopefully I can learn a lot at
the clinic in my village, and use my time well. I know Peace Corps staff is
working tirelessly to remedy the situation. It’s extremely uncommon for a site
to pull out in the middle of training, so it’s an unprecedented situation.
All this being said, I am dedicated to being here, and
I know that everything will work out soon. We also get Christmas break to visit
friends, so I will be able to see friends from training during this time. I am
excited for a little break, because training was so intense and busy. I hope
everyone had a great Hanukkah (mine was great, made latkes and everything!) and
will have a great holiday season! As always, I’m open to questions and am happy
to hear from you all so please reach out!
Sala Hantle!
Everything will work out!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you are having an amazing time, and I'm so proud of how much you've already learned and accomplished! Passing a language exam after only a few months of study- not easy!
Have a wonderful holiday season, and I wish you a speedy placement! <3 Elena
Good morning my dear friend. I finally have a few moments break from getting ready for our Christmas celebration to sit and type my thoughts to you.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures I am seeing are amazing! What a beautiful place you get to spend your time. There really is no shortage of beauty in our earth.
Your swearing in ceremony sounds like it was a very cool event. What an opportunity to be there at such a time.
I have been thinking about you since Thanksgiving. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, our church hosted a multi-faith Thanksgiving service where several local denominations came to our building and we all worshipped as a community. 2 different local Synagogues came as well as local Catholic, Methodist, Muslim, Sikh, and others I cannot remember. It was a wonderfully unifying and special event. During that service, a choir from my church sang a favorite hymn of mine. The first few lines say this:
Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad, made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
I love these lyrics! I take the message this song is conveying very much to heart. I believe that one of our purposes for us being here on earth is to lift each other up. You, my friend, lift people up where ever you go! Plans come and go, that will never change, but as you keep being you, wear that wonderful smile of yours, treat people around you the way you always do; you will learn what you need to learn, you will continue making good friends, and all will work out for the best. Before you know it, issues will be resolved and you will move on with the rest of your cohort.
Okay, have fun. I love seeing those beautiful pictures. We'll talk to you soon.
Mr. M.