No longer PCT.... I'm a PCV!

So… I am now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! I have been trained and sworn in. It feels amazing after all that I have gone through to get here, to be here! We had a grand celebration at the US Ambassador's house on Thursday Dec. 6th. It was most definitely a milestone moment in my life to raise my right hand and say the oath. I know that my Grandmother was there with me. It was indescribable!
I have been in Lome for 5 days now, shopping and getting ready to go to Post. I leave in the morning for my village to start getting settled in as a PCV and I am nervous and very excited!

I know that it has been a long time since I last wrote so let me back track a little and tell you about ‘Stage’ (aka training) since I last wrote. I went to my post for a week long visit which was interesting and exciting. My village, Wassarabo, is very small and very poor but the people are extremely welcoming and seem to be very excited to work with a Peace Corps Volunteer, especially the school. I think I agreed to be the new English teacher at the middle school. It’s a big project to take on and I’m not sure if I have the necessary skills. I’ll just have to wait and see how things go. I really like the school setting and I am anxious to start some clubs and girls groups. It is also great because the students are just learning French like me so that will help my language progress. I won’t look too foolish bumbling around in french. We’ll be learning together.

Wassarabo is a great village and my house is nice. I have 3 rooms and I share the building/compound with 3 other families, two of which are male teachers and can also help me with my french. Bonus! The rooms in my house are small but nice. One will be my living/ working/ eating room, one will be my kitchen and the other will be my bedroom. The latrine and ‘shower’ are outside on the side of my house. By shower I mean a concrete square where I use a bucket and a cup to wash. The best part about an outdoor shower is at night when the stars are my ceiling. It’s breathtaking! I have no electricity or running water but the well is close by and the ambiance of candles is nice.
It will be an adjustment to say the least but I am looking forward to the challenge and the work that lies ahead.
The remainder of training has been great as always. Learning lots everyday and spending great time with my host family. I have learned how to make soy/tofu, taught at the local high school for practice, visited a NGO for women’s rights in Lome, and started learning local language. I also successfully completed my language classes and after the final oral exam, I am in the necessary level! I am so thankful for that!
Speaking of being thankful... my first Thanksgiving in Africa was fantastic. We had the day off and I got some time to just relax. The Peace Corps organized for a chef to come up from Lome and cook us a feast. It was so good. I had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and even canned cranberries sauce. After the dinner we played cards and shared family stories and pictures. It was hard to be away from home of course, but I have a great new family here in Togo.
We were lucky enough to be here in Togo for the 45th Anniversary of Peace Corps Togo. It was a great celebration and there were lots of great people there including the U.S. Ambassador to Togo and the number 2 of all of Peace Corps from Washington DC. It was really heart warming knowing that the Peace Corps has been so welcomed here. Lots of great stories were shared about how volunteers have touched the lives of the Togolese. It was inspiring!
The last week at our training sight was sad. I have fallen in love with my host family and it was really hard to say goodbye. They took such good care of me and I really felt like part of their family. I will go back for many a visits during my stay here in Togo. I will miss their "Bon Arrive" every time I got home and I will miss the little ones running up to give me a big hug everyday. I will miss sitting in the cuisine watching my mother and sister cook, listening to and not understanding a foreign language, just taking it all in. I will never forget those moments!
I also had a second family within the training staff! They are absolutely incredible and I owe the world to them for their patience and persistence teaching my 2 new languages and training me to be a Girls Education and Empowerment PCV. There support and friendship got me through stage and will get me through the next two years. Thank you to you all for everything!
So I am setting off for yet another adventure tomorrow morning. I will be on my own, trained and ready for this new role. I am anxious and nervous and know that the first couple of months will be the most difficult. I will need lots of letters and e-mails from home! But none the less I can't wait to get in there and start working! This will also be my first Christmas away from home. I will be getting together with my fellow PCV's for a few days of Holiday, but it just wont be the same as being at home. I have never had a warm Christmas so it will be new for me. You will all have to sing a Christmas Carol for me and maybe do a snow angel (if there is any snow)!
I will be thinking about each of you this holiday season. Remember what is important in life. You can buy lots of gifts and things, but you can never buy love, friendship and respect. Building relationships is priceless and life changing so this Christmas, embrace your relationships old and new! I know that I am doing that here in Togo and just want to thank you all for our relationship. You all have been important parts in my life, big or small, and I am thankful for each of you!
So for now, that's all I have. I will get in touch the next time I have a chance. Keep me in your thoughts and I promise to do the same.
Peace, Love and Merry Christmas!
And P.S. maybe best of all... I have added pictures to a website. Follow the link on the right hand side of the screen and Enjoy!