I have SO much to tell you guys about. I'm gonna give you a break down of the week and then ramble about some of the events that took place:
Tuesday: Took an oral examination on what I have learned during PC training
Wednesday: Had a BBQ with the other PCTs to celebrate the end of training
Thursday: Sworn in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer at the U.S. Embassy
More of Thursday: drove on a mountain during the beginning of tropical storm Gustav
And more of Thursday: had a flat tire on the side of a mountain during Gustav
Thursday night and Friday: spent a night and day w/o power
Saturday: took part in an assessment of drinking water sources after the storm (luckily no major problems in St. Ann)
Sunday: Went to church and then went cliff diving in Discovery Bay :D
The swearing in ceremony:
Our ceremony to swear in as official PC Volunteers was really nice at the US Embassy. The US Ambassador for Jamaica was there along with a Jamaican minister, and the head of Ministry of Agriculture who gave a nice speach. The ambassador presented each of us with a certificate for successful completion of PC Training. It went like this, they call your name and your title, and you walk up in front of everyone to shake her hand, receive the certificate and a really cool PC Jamaica pen, and pose for a picture with the ambassador in front of the audience. What I didn't know before my name was called was that the ambassador was saying something to each person as she shook their hand, something like "Where are you from?" or "what school did you go to?" So I get up there to shake her hand and she asks me, "So you're an engineer?" ... This caught me completely off guard. I said "Yes..." very uneasily and she turns to the crowd and goes "Oh! Pretty AND smart!" I was soooooo embarrassed!
HomeComing:
For the last week of training me and my fellow PCTs had to stay in Kingston for final tests, lectures, and administrative purposes. On Thursday after the swearing-in ceremony I returned "home" to my host mother, just before the heaviest part of the storm hit our area. I was greeted with the warmest welcoming, it was so very sweet! My host mother (we call her Nurse cause she's a retired nurse) had made fried chicken and baked a white fluffy cake to celebrate my swearing-in. I felt loved. :) And how did she know that white cake is my favorite?? hehe! Her and Shavan, my host brother, also filled up my water tank and put kerosene in my lamp for me before the storm. I feel so blessed to be living with a caring family. So despite the storm I felt comforted and part of the family.
TS Gustav:
Lots of you were worried about me when you saw satalite pictures of TS Gustav, but luckily the storm wasn't that bad here in St. Ann. Just lots of rain and some wind, nothing I couldn't handle. As I mentioned earlier, we were without power for the night and some of the day but nothing unmanagable.
Lessons of the week:
Not a good idea to travel during a tropical storm. Also not a good idea to swerve a donkey on the road, it could possibly lead to a flat tire during a tropical storm... yikes!
Aaaand here is a few pics for ya:
Me with my fellow Civil Engineers at the swearing in ceremony. We make engineering look goooood!
A giant snail we found on my friend's porch. Tastes like chicken ;)
3 comments:
Wow! What a week!! You had a lot going on. I'm sure proud of you kiddo. You've already accomplished so much. And just think of what's to come. I'm glad you survived the storm. Take care & talk to you soon.
Love ya, Mom
Civil engineers representing!
Here's a shout out from a fellow CE! Congrats new volunteer!
wow--that snail!
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