So, Swearing In.
I AM OFFICIALLY A PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER!! Ahhh!! It is so hard to believe that I would be here finally after everything. Part of me feels that I have been waiting forever to be able to say that, and the other part of me feels that I *just* put in my application. I remember the day that I decided to do it, and I remember the process- the moments that it was hurry up and wait and the moments where it flew by. Then I remember packing up my life in FL to head out to NE. I remember (vaguely almost) that time crawled by in NE. And yet, all of that seems so far away and distant that there must have been some speeding through it all.
Then I got to Ukraine and it was all of that and so much more. Training was intense. Imagine being a recent college grad stripped of communication skills- reading, writing, listening, speaking- thrown in with a new family, new home, new country, new friends, and a wholly new life. Then you have just less than 3 months to regain those skills that you have taken for granted in the last 2 decades of your life. And training too had its own speed of time. Days could drag by- with lessons early, meetings late and running to and from all throughout the day. Other days went by fast- Did we already finish that community project?! And now that I am at site and using my new skills- limited conversations in Ukrainian for one- it’s hard to believe that these skills were only gained in a few short months. (And, yes, I still have a lot to learn, but that is not the point currently.)
And now that I have had my sentimental deep thoughts moment, I will now tell you about the Swearing In Ceremony and Retreat.
We left our village early last Monday- my host family had a car-owning friend come pick up me and my luggage (a little car with a trailer), my LCF’s luggage, and of course one of my cluster mate and his luggage. Then a 2 hour bus ride to Kiev where we were able to catch up with other PCTs and learn about their homestays. From the original bus ride to our training sites and all the expectations and nerves about living with a completely foreign family to the bus ride leaving- many tears and heartache over leaving new families that were now so close and dear to our hearts. (Often times the families that spoke no English got closer to their volunteers than those who had English speakers.)
In Kiev we all were hustled into our dorms and then from Monday through Thursday we had full days of meetings and instructions- PC Policies and Procedures, meeting our Regional Managers (RMs), meeting (drum roll please) our counterparts, and then PEPFAR information. After day sessions we all would hang out with our friends- whom would be sent to the other side of the country and the separation would be overnight train rides and seemingly longer buses. Thankfully I have a decent group of close friends- one is in a suburb of my city, and then two of my favorites are only a 2 hour bus ride away. But my shopping buddy and other fave is being sent clear to the East, ok, maybe not clear East, but too far away. It will just have to be a better planned and longer visit then when I see her!
As for my life now (day 5 at site) I spend my days at work- trying desperately to catch my Ukrainian up to conversational- and observing my organization to help determine what I will be doing with them. Which, is still an undetermined subject. Then in my free time (the time not spent with my organization while working on community mapping and apartment improvement) I walk around the city- either intentionally getting lost or practicing walking to and from specific places. Somehow, I manage to always end up at the bazaar (not sure how that happens…). Still trying to get stuff to make my apartment home… shopping this Saturday and I can’t wait! And as soon as my apartment is relatively homely I will post pics (or sooner if I end up hosting for Mexican food this weekend!) So much love for now!
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