Swearing-in and Last-night Livin'

22 September, 2013

Well, we finally did it. We are now officially Peace Corps volunteers as of September 19. The ceremony was short and sweet. Afterwards we said our goodbyes to those that had to leave right away. We had a cry-fest. And then the rest of us went out to celebrate. 

There's not much to say on this entry except for the fact that my life has drastically changed. 

A Promise Worth Keeping

Yesterday, it was July 29, 2013. Today, it's September 18, 2013. Don't ask me how that happened. It's all a blur smudged with PowerPoint sessions, desert sand, and African songs like Nhonholofatsa and Tula Pele. 

Tomorrow, we swear in as official Peace Corps Volunteers. I've been waiting for this since September of 2012. A year's worth of paperwork, vaccinations, blood tests, and patience. And then months of language, training and more preparation (I got intermediate mid on my language proficiency interview, by the way..woohoo!). We've sacrificed jobs, cars, homes, and relationships for this. And it's actually happening. I'm not going to lie...part of me always thought something would get in the way...that something would keep me from coming to Africa. But I think that was just part of me holding on to what's comfortable. 

There's absolutely nothing comfortable about any of this. And that's why I love it. 

Just as we start to get cozy in a new country and comfortable with new faces, we are being ripped out again by our roots, which are still mending their previous wounds inflicted by the claws of American soil. 

(Sorry. That was a little dramatic...)

Yesterday, I met my supervisor. The principal of Gunkwe Primary School. He has already began developing a father figure role to me. He's protective of me and excited to have a PCV for the first time. There comes a lot of responsibility for a volunteer going to a place that has yet to experience the Peace Corps. But I'm willing to take on the challenge. Out of 800 people it's safe to say I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb. But I got this, yo.

Tomorrow, we hold a ceremony where we pledge our service to Peace Corps/Namibia. Some of us leave right after the ceremony, and others (myself included) head out bright n' early Friday morning. We   Zambezi folk have about a 12+ hour drive. After that we'll be in the "jungle" of Africa. My principal asked me if I liked big animals. I don't suppose I have a choice. 

I won't have access to Internet for a while...so I just want to fill the rest of this up with random Sara thought. 

1. I almost cried with excitement when I saw my first giraffe that wasn't behind zoo bars.

2. My host mom killed a bug tonight that she claims eats her hair while she sleeps. Whether that's true or not, the bug was terrifying.

3. I'm going to miss her and the rest of my host family tremendously.

4. I talked about my friends in the states for too long today. Come visit Africa, guys :) it'll change a lot of things in your life, I swear. Same goes for you, family. 

5. I'm so excited to move into my mud hut.

6. I'm nervous to leave Okahandja and the other trainees.

7. I think I should set a daily alarm for my don't-get-malaria meds....because I've been horrible at remembering to take it. I'm in a malaria-free zone right now in Namibia, but my site is definitely not.

8. I'm doing a thing with my iPod where I put all 8,538 songs on shuffle. My goal is to listen to every single song, no skipping allowed. I've had to start over a few times by now, but now I'm in it for good. I'm on #96. 

9. I need to go to bed. Good night, everyone.

We passed PST...like a boss. :)

Hello there, Tondoro...and Real-talk Time #3

11 September, 2013

Here we are. 13 of us on our way to the Kavango region. For those of you that need to brush up on your geography, it's in the north eastern part of the country, right underneath Angola. Yea...I didn't know where it was either...but two of us, Lacy (that one girl I mentioned in that one entry) and I, got sent to a tiny village called Tondoro. 

Oh yea...I guess I should tell you why we went here to begin with. 

September 4-7ish was dedicated to shadowing previous volunteers in their live habitat....a good way for us to see what our job could potentially be like and also just to get an idea of what the volunteers have been through. 

So....that's Tondoro. Or at least an idea of it. There are a lot of homesteads with mud huts. And less trash on the ground than in our training town of Okahandja.

And that's Kyla, my shadow volunteer. Lacy and I creepily stalked her for a few days to see how she did things...like teach...and picked her brain about what we should and shouldn't do when we move to our site. 

I don't want to spend too much time talking about my shadowing experience....because honestly I'm not in a story-telling mood. All in all, we had a great time with Kyla. We cooked good food, had great conversation, and learned a lot as far as what it's actually like to be a Peace Corps Volunteer at work. We took the time to speak to locals (I even got a love letter, typed and printed, delivered to me by a male teacher at Kyla's school) and experienced local Namibian transportation (hitch hiking....don't worry, mom, it's safe here considering that's most people's way of getting around). One of the nights all of the volunteers, old and new, gathered on the river to enjoy each other's company...but I'll have to keep those pictures to myself for now. 

So that's that...but lately I've been in a rather pensive mood. A friend of mine inquired about how I feel about life lately. So, Henrik and anyone else is who may be curious, this is where Real-Talk Time #3 comes into play. 

I had about 7 hours to myself on the drive to Tondoro and also on the way back. Most of this time I had my headphones in... all 8,500 ipod songs on shuffle with fate deciding what i should hear next as I stared out the window at the passing Namibian landscape. As most of you know, with music come memories, and with memories come emotions. I went through an array of thoughts and feelings on this drive. Which was good. Because I haven't had much time to do that yet since I've been here. Sheryl Crow made me miss my dad...Band of Horses had me missing my mom....the New Pornographers induced memories of my brother and I....almost every other song had me thinking of my closest friends back home...and within these songs I would reflect on as many memories I could of each person. But instead of feeling sad about missing my family and friends, I was overcome with intense joy. Because they're the reason I was lost in music staring out at the beautiful rocky hills of Namibia passing by my window. They helped get me to where I am today. Words can't describe that moment of clarity and gratitude. And with each passing landscape I was reminded that time progresses as well...meaning one day I'll hug my family and friends back home again. But for now I'm here. This moment is Now. And this moment is nothing short of Beautiful, even when it's not easy. And trust me, it's not always easy.

Pre-service training can be stressful at times. While I've managed to maintain a stable and content baseline, it hasn't always been the easiest thing to do. They keep us very busy...without much time to just sit and collect our thoughts. Right now, as I'm typing this, I'm also looking at the clock, tapping my foot nervously, because I'm on a strict time limit to get everything done before swearing in on the 19th. 

And with all the work we have to do, we're also all dealing with interesting emotions. 

I didn't expect to fall in love with everyone in my group so quickly. Well, okay, yea I did, because I love just about everyone I meet...but I didn't expect it to feel this deep so fast...and we only have 8 days left.

8 daaaays. 

What?! Where the hell did the time go? And all of these people I've grown to care about so much are going their own way. Yes, we'll be in the same country...but the 19th is going to come with a lot of mixed emotions. I'm so ready to go to my site. I'm anxious, excited, nervous, thrilled, intimidated, happy....everything.....

But damn....I'm going to miss the rest of my group. 

Anyway...I know a lot of these feelings I've poured out in this blog sound heavy. And they are. But without that heaviness, the light weight of pure happiness wouldn't be appreciated. I am exactly where I need to be :) and that's something I will never lose sight of. 

Thanks again for reading :) here are some pictures from my trip to the Kavango region:

Chicken feet all over the school grounds.

Kyla and Lacy

Here I am playing study games with Kyla's 10th graders.

Lacy was sad because of her suitcase lol. We had an adventure by ourselves walking almost 4km to meet the other volunteers.

Morning time on the river.

Rouchelle and Kaitlyn :) 

I love my crazy life.