We Made It!

This journey to Nicaragua started a while ago...2007 to be exact is when I first started working on my application. The application was started in December or January probably in the middle of a huge snow storm in Burlington, VT. Coincidentally, my Peace Corps journey from Boston to Washington DC to Nicaragua was also affected by the snow and today, April 1, 2011, the day of my swearing in, it is snowing in Boston (I am so sorry family... what a cruel April Fools Day joke). The falling of snow is sometimes seen as a wiping a slate clean; covering up the brown ground, signifying a new start. This has been an overlying theme for Peace Corps-it is a process and a time of growth: from the application to training to our 2 years of service. Even today at our swearing in service, we were reminded by my fellow volunteer and speech giver extraordinaire, Robyn, that we need to live each day without inhibitions and that these next 2 years will be a long roller coaster process. We've had some pretty amazing moments over the past 3 months including an amazingly fun youth group, watching rainbows, acquiring the names of Chinelita (Little Flip Flop) and Caca (Poop-from my 1 1/2 year old host brother), learning strange, random words in Spanish, hilarious yoga classes using balls, mats and partners, struggling through singing the Nicaraguan anthem etc... Our swearing in today began with words from two of my fellow volunteers, thanking our incredible host families for opening their hearts and homes to us! The family ceremony was followed by a snack of fish sticks and cheese cake (how totally random!). Next the Director of Planning and Development for the Ministry of Health spoke and led us through our Spanish oath. He was followed by the US Ambassador to Nicaragua, Robert Callahan, who really is an amazing man-he has been serving overseas and in the US as a diplomat for the US for the past 32 years, traveling to and living in 8 different countries, speaking Spanish, Italian and Greek. Having such an inspiring, interesting and powerful man speaking to us really was amazing. After this we swore in in English, shook the hands of basically everyone on Peace Corps staff, the ambassador and the MINSA doctor. Now weare all officially Peace COrps VOluNtEers!! Corinto, Chinandega...here I come!!!