Settling In...

Well, I finally made it! I swore in as an official volunteer on August 12th, marking the end of the first (short) chapter of my life in Peace Corps. It was a bittersweet day, as I was very excited to start my service but also sad that I would be leaving most of the friends I've spent so much time with over the past few months. The ceremony was great (pictures are on Facebook...), and it was an awesome moment when we all took the oath and celebrated our hard work.

After swearing-in, I took the loooong journey up to site with several other new volunteers who were also heading to the North. Once I finally got to my site, I was overwhelmed with nervous energy and, of course, excitement about what's to come. It was strange to set my stuff in this new house with the knowledge that I will be living here for the next two years. Plus, for the first time in my life, I'm living entirely on my own with no roommates, so that's another strange feeling to add into the mix. As I have mentioned before, my house has no electricity, but I do have gravity-drawn water, a luxury that I'm certainly thankful for. For the most part, I have been spending my time unpacking my things and settling in, putting items where I think they belong and trying to make the place feel like home. I have a lot of work left to do, and I'm hoping to buy some paint, rugs, and fabric this week to decorate the place so it doesn't feel so bare.

When I'm not cleaning, organizing, and decorating my place, you can usually find me sitting with the young men at the tiny roadside store across the street from my house or playing with babies in my friend Sanatu's compound. This is what the first three months at site are supposed to be dedicated to, more or less: meeting people in the community, learning Dagbani, and becoming comfortable with my surroundings. Of course I have plenty of ideas for future work, and I'm excited to start some projects, but right now my time is devoted to sitting around with the people of my village and just enjoying life here. It has already been a process of growth for me, as my personality in general makes me want to start projects and keep busy. I can already feel my impatience crumbling, and I'm learning the value of just sitting quietly and living entirely in the moment. I have my frustrating moments, when time feels like it's crawling by or I think my head will explode from all of the Dagbani that everyone is trying to teach me, but for the most part, life here is simple and quite beautiful. I can already tell that Gushie is going to be a great fit for me, and the people have amazed me with their hospitality and openness to a stranger in their community. Even when I'm staring blankly at them as they rattle of sentences that I can't even begin to grasp, there is an incredible amount of patience, and I'm learning the power that laughing at yourself can bring to diffuse awkward situations, which I too often find myself in :)

So that has been my life over the past few weeks, and I am beyond excited to see what the next few months brings as I continue to settle in and get to know my community! As always, I LOVE receiving letters and any sort of mail, so keep it coming! :)