It's About Time

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth.  I just got a little lazy about doing a new blog.  But the title of the blog relates to the real subject of the email, my swear in as a PCV.  It still is appropriate though, because even though I have been a full fledged PCV for well over a month I am still living at the transit house and just sort of started my job.  I have signed with a landlord for a house.  It is probably about 2 miles from the UN but that will mean that I get some exercise.  The transit house is also about 2 miles away so I know what it is like.  Right now it is the hottest time of the year so I might be taking a few 7 7's.  No, I am not talking about the drink,  7 & 7. In The Gambian 7 7,  the taxi's will take people to a pre-determined spot for 7 D.  They will fill the cab and stop and drop/pickup more people along the way.  7D is worth about 25 cents, so a bargain it is.  However, so far I have hoofed it both sweaty ways.  I said that I sort of started my job because everyone who knows about what I will be doing is on trek up country.

Anyway, I digress, the subject at hand is the swear in.  The main event took place on August 31, at the home of the US Ambassador to The Gambia.  The Ambassador, our program director, our country director, and the head of the Gambian University all gave talks.  Then PCVs who were good at language, obviously not me, gave talks in the local language.  Then we actually raised our right hands and were sworn in.  This was all done at the ambassador's house which overlooks the Atlantic ocean. This is the view from the backyard.  He also has a lovely swimming pool and big tennis/sport court.  We were not invited into the house so I can't give you any commentary on that.  However his house is a quick walk from the Peace Corps transit house.  I have gone to the beach below his house several times.  The water is warm and the surf is moderate

The gentlemen below are all Peace Corps staff.  They are wearing the traditional Gambian dress for men.  As you can see the men's dress is much more comfortable than the woman's'.

These were all the main dignitaries at the event.  Starting with the man in white at the left and moving to the right, the first man is the vice chancellor of the Gambia University, the next is the second in command at the embassy, the next is Leon Kayego, the Peace Corps country director, and the man in grey is the ambassador. 

Here we are at the actual moment of swear in.  As you can see we are all in matching fabric.  This is a Gambian tradition and the fabric is called an asobi.  Not this specific fabric, but anytime a group gets matching fabric for something. Unfortunately for the picture they seated us alphabetically. As Stewart I was the last person in the group so I was in the very back on the right hand side sitting behind the girl with sunglasses.

The people below are my fellow Wolof trainees and the two instructors.  Mine was Haddy Sowe, the woman, and was a force to be reckoned with.  I will cheerfully admit that I was the bottom of the group.  Learning a foreign language at 65 is not very easy.

In the picture below, it is immediately after I received my certificate proclaiming me a Peace Corps volunteer.

And finally, the celebratory plunge in the Atlantic.  Trust me, I went all the way in, but this is the only one that you can tell who I am (the one in the back right)

So now you know that I have not been faking it.  I am really no longer a trainee and am a PCV.