After 10 weeks of intensive and sometimes quite exhaustive training, I am happy to say that I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer! This has been a dream of mine for several years now and so to have finally have sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer feels unreal. I woke up on December 2nd, 2019 for the last time in my pre-service training host family's house. After finishing last minute packing, I ate a final breakfast with them and then we took a family picture before we said our goodbyes. I am so grateful for everything they did for me over the course of the last few months and I am already missing them so much!
After the picture, I got ready for the big day and put on the Batik that the volunteers in my village and I picked out several weeks prior. Then, I took my final bike ride to the university campus where our swearing-in ceremony was going to be held.
The swearing-in ceremony was an extra special one because Ambassador Joseph Donovan from the U.S. Embassy and Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen were both in attendance. Listening to the speeches given at the swearing-in ceremony made me very excited to start my two years of service. The swearing-in ceremony concluded with a luncheon. I was able to sit and eat with my PST Host family and the other families in my village. Not long after, my friends and I started saying goodbye to each other since my group headed for West Java was leaving in a few hours. Later that night, I took a 14 hour train ride to Bandung, a city in West Java.
During the three days following swearing-in, myself and 28 other volunteers who are also placed in West Java, attended a Principal and Counterpart Conference in Bandung. We met with the teachers we would be teaching with at our new schools and discussed our hopes, dreams, expectations, and more. The other volunteers and I made sure to get out and explore the city too.
On Thursday, December 5th, I said goodbye to the friends that I have grown so close to over the last three months and my counterparts and I headed off to Bogor! I arrived at my new host family and spent the rest of the day unpacking and visiting with my new family. The last couple of weeks have been very relaxing compared to the busy schedule of pre-service training. My school's semester has been winding down and they have had final exams and other end of semester celebrations. I've spent my time getting to know teachers and students at my school, my host family, and other community members. My school will be on break over the next few weeks so I'm also looking forward to exploring my new home and spending time reading. I hope all of you back home are having a wonderful Holiday season! Thank you as always for your support. -Niki
So wonderful to hear about your adventures, and I'm so proud of you that you're an official Peace Corp volunteer! It's amazing what you've already done and accomplished in such a short time! It probably feels like a lifetime to you! You look wonderful and happy and I'm glad that you have a couple of weeks to relax and get acclimated. Wishing you a happy and safe holiday season! Much love to you!
So exciting to be in your new home. Did you get to take your bike with you? It’s kind of nice that you’ll get to explore the village a bit before you dive into teaching. Are there other PC volunteers nearby? I hope you get to make lots of friends and I can’t wait to hear about your students....they don’t know what a treat they are in for! Thank you for sharing your adventures! ❤️❤️