Swearing-In Ceremony November 9.  We write this as November is coming to an end and our lives have once again taken a huge turn since our swearing-in to become official Peace Corps’ Volunteers (PCVs --- everything the government touches has substitute initials....) and our departure from Kanye the following day to our site in Goodhope.  

Swearing in, as the pictures relate, was a very joyous occasion.  Not only had we completed 8-1/2 weeks of intense training, our entire group of 35 finished and we were sworn-in together. With no emergencies or change-of-hearts, we all committed to this adventure in service, which is often not the case in training groups. The ceremony was attended by several local dignitaries including Kgosi Malope II,Tim Hartman, Botswana Country PC Director and Michelle Gavin, our U.S. Ambassador to Botswana.  As much as we have experienced in the past two months in country, our swearing in was a surprisingly moving event.  

Tlhabologo Baakangyang, our host mother, had traditional Botswana outfits made for us at the last moment, which was a total act of devotion and pride! (Note how the traditional garb has the German Lutheran missionary motif, from whence it came. We will reserve comment on what the dress might have looked like here before this stylistic faux pas!)  Fellow PC trainee Carol remarked when she saw me, “It would be funny that you look like a Quaker, except that you are one.” That about sums it up.

Here you will see just a fraction of the many pictures we took to commemorate the becoming PCVs at long last.

Thlabologo gets Carol dressed in "traditional wear" which
she had specially made for the event

The eight male volunteer trainees
Nate, John, Brandon, Corey, John, Adam, Michael and yes, a third John!

Here are the four married couples in our group
John and Carol (not kidding), Hayley and Michael, Tracy and John, and us!