Today we had our "juramentacion" or "swearing-in ceremony" and Peace Corps Nicaragua now has 19 new Community Health Volunteers!
The ceremony was very nice; we had a special ceremony for our host families and all they did for us and after a short recess, we started the formal ceremony. After singing the Nicaraguan national anthem, and kind of butchering the US national anthem (ironic?), we introduced ourselves to our families, Peace Corps Nicaragua staff, and the rest of the audience with our names and where we are going.
The director of MINSA said some words, as did the Charge D'Affaires of the US Embassy, and we then started a line of hand shaking to sign our Peace Corps commitment and receive our Volunteer pin!
One of the girls in our group said some words about our experience thus far and what we should expect for our next two years, and after a closing speech by the Country Director, Carol, we all threw up our imaginary caps and tassels and became Volunteers!
We said our farewells to our host families, rested the afternoon and went to Carol's house later to have a lovely Italian feast with amazing food!
We are staying in Managua till the end of the weekend and then head off to our sites to start our service!
My madrecita and me.
Dolores girls!
Don't mess with us.
Madrecita accepting her diploma of awesomeness with Hija #12.
Congratulations Nica 58: Healthy Lifestyles!
2 of the best Spanish facilitators!
Volunteer status!
With the Charge D'Affaires of the US Embassy, Gary Clements.
From Trainees to Volunteers!
Some of the group at dinner.
3 comments:
Congratulations! I just swore in on March 19th in Thailand. Hope life at your site is treating you well.
It’s never too early to think about the third goal. Check out Peace Corps Experience: Write & Publish Your Memoir.
It’s never too early to think about the Third Goal. Check out Peace Corps Experience: Write & Publish Your Memoir. Oh! If you want a good laugh about what PC service was like in a Spanish-speaking country back in the 1970’s, read South of the Frontera: A Peace Corps Memoir.
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