Official Volunteer

Yes it is true, I am now an official volunteer with the United States Peace Corps.  I'd like to start by thanking our good President  John F. Kennedy for making this idealistic dream, a reality...just kidding I'm won't be this cheesy.

Yesterday though we did have our official swearing-in ceremony held at the US Embassy.  After a saying a sad goodbye to our village and families we have have been living with for over 2 months now, we boarded a rutiera with all of our luggage and headed to the capital.  All dressed up, sitting on stage, with all of our future school directors, partners, host family members, current peace corps volunteers, a returned volunteer, all the head-hauncho's of peace corps, the US Ambassador, and the Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs in attendance.  We started by taking the same oath the President, and all other government officials take before assuming their post, "I swear to defend the constitution of the United States..." Then we received our official Peace Corps Moldova pin.  It was pretty surreal to have that put on, looking at it I couldn't help but think about when I was first introduced to peace corps.  I remember in high school thinking how cool of an organization, that someday I wanted to do something like that.  Finally here, after all this time, after the two years of applying and waiting, after my 10 gruelling weeks of training, this little pin has symbolized and concentrated the reasons I have joined Peace Corps and the values I held close enough to dedicate more than two years of service for.

After we were given our pins, the assistant country director spoke detailing our training, then our program director spoke and introduced each one of us and showing on a map where we are from, and what village we will be going to.  Then the Country Director spoke, the top of ladder of peace corps moldova.  He then gave the floor to the US Ambassador, who after giving his speech officially swore us in with the peace corps affirmation.  Finally, the Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs gave a speech, which was awesome.

Directly after the ceremony I was interviewed by the national news.  I felt like a celebrity with three microphones and two cameras pointed at me while answering questions in romanian.....and then repeating my answers again, but this time in English.

There wasn't much down time after the ceremony, as we took some pictures, filled our water bottles and fetched our luggage.  It was hard to say goodbye to all the volunteers we have become like family with through training.  To think we had spent at least 12 hours a day...and on certain occasions much more than 12 hours a day, everyday, for the last 10+ weeks straight.  But with only a few watery eyes we all rode away separately with our future host families and school directors, to our separate villages, where we will be living for the next two years...a bit daunghting.

I have now been in my permanent site for almost 24 hours.  I love my new family, my new room, what I have seen so far of my new village, and tomorrow I am sure I will love my new school!  My family laughed when I referred to today, my one day of rest, as my summer vacation.  I start work tomorrow, I'll go to the school and start making the long-term plans for my partner-taught classes, and hopefully find out what grade I will be teaching solo.  I already know the school is going to be very different from what we are accustomed to in the US.  For instance we have to handwrite the student grades, in blue ink, with the same pen all year, without any mistakes - and I mean NO mistakes - in this giant book for the whole school to use, that will be turned into the ministry of education - which is a federal government entity directly in charge of all schools in Moldova.  Also, instead of students moving from class to class between periods, they stay and the teachers move to a different class.  So this means I will need to be very well organized, and condensed with my materials! It should be interesting to see how the beginning goes - but I think it will be funny to look back on at the end of my two years of service!