Swearing-In

What a day! Our ceremony was held at a 5-star hotel about a 10 minute walk from the hotel we've been staying at for the past three months. The Berber Palace pays tribute to the movie industry in and around Ouarzazate. Recently, Babel and Charlie Wilson's War were filmed here, but the area has a long-standing history of movie making. We also heard rumors about a month ago that Leonardo DeCaprio and Matt Daemon were in town filming a new movie.
For all the glamour and over-the-top décor in the lobby of the hotel, the ceremony took place in a rather plain conference room. At the front was a podium, flanked by the U.S. and Moroccan flags. On either side, facing the center of the room, were the trainees – Health group on the left and Environment group on the right. The remainder of the room was general seating for PC staff and many of our host families from CBT. Mina had told me that she was coming, but I didn't see her or my host dad before the ceremony began. It was a surprisingly brief and straightforward ceremony. The Governor of Ouarzazate Province gave a brief speech (in Moroccan Arabic), followed by Bruce Cohen (speaking English), PC Morocco's director. Abderachmane, a PC staff person, translated these speeches. Then the trainee with the highest achievement in each of the 3 languages, gave speeches in their target language. It was pretty neat to see the audience, of mostly Moroccans, react to these speeches. We each learned just one language, so I only kind of understood the one given in Tamazight.
The ambassador couldn't join us, so the number 2 person from the embassy gave a brief speech. He spoke first in French and then gave the speech again in English. Finally, we took our oath and things were finished. There wasn't much fanfare or ceremony involved, but it was exciting. There were moments when getting to this point seemed impossible and others when I wondered if this was really where I wanted to be. Being here, today, confirmed that this is where I should be. I shed a few tears of joy, amazement and wonderment while we were repeating the oath. I am joining a group of Americans who choose to spread peace; we are a small group, but there is a common bond among those who take this road. today, I join 150 volunteers already serving in Morocco and more than 3,800 volunteers who have served here since 1963.
There was a reception after the ceremony with lots of food and soda. Mina and my host father were there – I spotted them at the end of the ceremony – so we sat together. We chatted and they told me to eat more. I hadn't felt like fighting the crowds for the food, so I only had a few things from the beginning of the buffet on my plate.
We spent the afternoon at the Berber Palace – they graciously let the new Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) stay for the afternoon and hang out poolside. It was glorious to bask in the sun in a swimsuit. After three months of pants or skirts that go to the ankle, shirts with sleeves that go past your elbows and nothing that remotely reveals cleavage or your midriff, it was slightly intimidating. My roommate and I joked about how white we were and how even though our swimsuits were ones we had worn Stateside, they seemed most inappropriate. It was weird to show all that skin.