It's official!

I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! This past Friday, February 3^rd, was our swear-in ceremony.  The American ambassador to Guinea came as well as several Guinean ministers.  It was a lot of speech and circumstance, with one given by the volunteers in French and each of the three local languages.  Lane, another volunteer, and I did the one in Malinke.  Credit should be given to Clara (or Makale, as she is known here) for writing it.  There were speeches by Julie (our country director), the ambassador, Ousmane (our training manager), and the representative of the Guinean government.  Probably the best tidbit from those two hours of speeches was given by the government man (who also lamented all the Chinese food and movies we will miss over the next two years), “Today, people can find the price of anything, yet we know the value of nothing.” 

After the speeches we all stood up and pledged our allegiance to America and our service, and then it was official! Afterwards we had a delicious meal of rice and chicken and scavenged all the Pringles left over in the VIP tent that the ambassador didn’t eat.  Friday night, Julie invited us over to her house for a pool party and desserts.  Overall, a great day to become a volunteer.



All the AGFO volunteers in our matching tree fabric.

To back track a bit, before swear-in in Conakry, we had a farewell ceremony with our host families in Dubreka.  I was very sad to leave the people who had welcomed me into their family and they were equally sad to see me go.  At one point, a petite (young child) just ran off crying and an older boy had to chase after him to bring him back.  Probably most sad was my namesake, Mahawa, who I will miss so much.  She has already called me on the phone at least 8 times since I left, so I am sure we will stay in touch.



My host dad Derem, brother Moussa, sister Mahawa, and me



Now I am shopping for home supplies in Conakry, like a propane stove and cooking utensils, and Sunday I will head to Kankan to be installed at my site.  I am glad to be done with training (it was starting to be a bit of a drag) and so excited to start my work here in Guinea.

And now…

 10 Things We Learned in Pre-Service Training

1. Street food is delicious

2. Toilet paper is a rarity, stock up when you can

3. When all else fails, throw in some local language. Or dance.

4. Nothing starts on time in Guinea

5. “Je suis excite” means ‘I am excited’, but not in a good way

6. The fancier the occasion, the brighter and more garish your outfit should be

7. No meal is complete without rice and fish sauce

8. Knees are too sexy to keep uncovered

9. Speed limits are for squares

10. NEVER look down the pit latrine



Abdoul (our APCD), and all the AGFO guys with their swearing-in mustaches.  Guinea has no idea what is about to hit it.

Oh, and people were asking about mail. It still goes to the same address. The only place that really receives mail in Guinea is Conakry and then it is spread throughout the country in a sort of West African Pony Express kind of system (at least that is how I picture it).
Much Love to All