Swearing In

On January 5, I took the oath of service and pledged to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia for two years. Our Swearing-In Ceremony was presided over by the Peace Corps Country Director, US Ambassador to Namibia, and the first published female Namibian author. A news crew came to film us and made our faces famous throughout the country by broadcasting our ceremony that very evening; there are only three television channels in Namibia so believe me when I say that we were seen by a good portion of the population.

Although Pre-Service Training was an exasperating experience overall, I was still tremendously sad to reach its end as I realized I would face separation from my fellow Trainees. Although I have only known them for a few months, we have seen each other through some very difficult times and have bonded over our shared frustrations and joys. Without the constant support of these people, training could not possibly have been bearable. The array of experiences we have had together and as individuals has transformed the dynamic of our group into something powerfully unique and remarkable. I know that these sixty-two people are truly the only ones on this planet who are fully capable of understanding and empathizing with my experiences as a PCV in Namibia. So I was admittedly quite sad to say farewell to these individuals and to head off to my site.

It will be three months before I see the vast majority of my fellow Volunteers (at that time we have a conference called Reconnect). There are only two other PCVs in my region, and only five others in the South. Those of us in the South are very much isolated from the rest of the group so I will have to wait patiently over the next few months before I will be able to converse with everyone.

Now that I have finally arrived at my permanent site, I have a permanent address. Should anyone wish to send me correspondence, you can do it at this address:

Kate McLaughlin
P.O. Box 1022
Gobabis, Namibia
AFRICA