Finally, I am now an official Peace Corps Volunteer!

Okay, here it is - my official commencement as a Peace Corps volunteer. What a long haul but I made it...now I have two years to go, the attrition rate based on past groups is about a third. We started with 41 and are only down to 40 going into our service. The next three months are crucial in retaining our number.

Yesterday, Swearing-in Day, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. The bus collected us from the hotel at 8:30 in the morning - we proceeded to the General Governor's Belize House (he is the highest officer appointed by UK in the Belize government above the prime minister). Before the ceremony, we had time to

take pictures of our group. The first group pictured is our Business Organization (Bus Org) team. Eleven of us are assigned to a variety of places all over the country, some sites include: Eco-Tourist NGO, Women's Groups, Village and Town Councils, Parks and Conservation Agency, and, of course, my site, the National Association of Village Councils.

The next group is the entire forty volunteers - 2009 - 2011. I do stick out, don't I? I can't remember if I described the four major groups of volunteers: Education, Healthy Community, Youth

Development, and Business Organization. Each group trained in a community and with technical and language training, then we came together once a week for training in development, Peace Corps roles, and keeping healthy and safe.

At the swearing-in ceremony, the Governor-General of Belize, the newly (Obama appointed) US Ambassador Thummadapally, and the Peace Corps Country Director, Dr. Steven Miller were present to give us our certification. It was a thrill to take the oath to our country - I felt closely connected in allegiance and patriotism - I think this feeling is rarely presented to us in our daily lives.

After the ceremony, the Governor-General offered a wonderful Belizean lunch

for everyone who attended. My San Antonio host family, the Cantos, came to see me swear-in. Not everyone came because of work or school - it was wonderful to see Don Ramon, Dona Lucina, Aracella, Lorraine and her fiance, Rafael. Lorraine and Rafael announced their wedding date, November 28, and I look forward to being there to celebrate their union. Aracella continued to recover from Denge, she struggled with the slow recovery, and I really appreciated her presence at my event. Since they had no car, Don Ramon took the bus at 6 am while the rest rode in the back of the truck of another cousin who was also a host family from San Antonio. As you knew from my previous angst with the rough roads between San Antonio and San Ignacio, I imagined what discomfort they endured coming to Belmopan. They decided to take the bus back and, fortunately, I called a taxi to get them to the bus station.

Ambassador invited all the Peace Corps volunteers (first year and second year) for a reception at his embassy house. The bus again picked us up from the hotel at 5:30 - the Embassy community situated in an

enclosed compound was modern and beautiful complete with gated security and guards. I had imagined a Washington like banquet hall but was pleasantly surprised to enjoy an informal, relaxed setting -

the dinner tables were set out in an elegant patio area and the food was cooked and served by the embassy staff. The menu consisted of Indian dishes from Mrs. Thummadapally - the Ambassador and Mrs. Thummadapally are of Indian descent and welcomed everyone with such warmth and cordiality, it was hard to act formal. I spoke at length with Mrs. Thumadapally - they just moved from Colorado Springs, Colorado, had lived there for twelve years - it was fun finding out that they also had a grown son and daughter. Carrie, you will love hearing this...they brought their Labrador dog to Belize - the dog wandered and smoozed with the group like he was the ambassador!

Finally, the volunteers voted on funny "most likely..." categories.

The winners were announced at the end of the reception...and you guessed it...I got one of those silly recognitions, "Most Changed Since Staging." The staging occurred in Washington DC where we all came together for the first time and before we flew to Belize the next day. I actually don't get it - I'm the same person I was in SF and don't feel changed at all...well...maybe a little tanned and sweaty all the time.