Re a lotšha, bagwera baka!

(Translation, from Sepedi: We greet [you], friends of mine)

Alas, I do not have the energy for an extended post after an exhausting first four days at site, but I wanted to let everyone know that I survived training and have made it safely back to Ga-Mathabatha to begin my two-year stint as a full-fledged Peace Corps Volunteer. My posts through the next few weeks are likely to be rather haphazard chronologically as I attempt to catch you all up on my Pre-Service Training (PST) 'adventures' while simultaneously posting on my current experiences here at site. Please just bear with me for now.

Last Thursday was our swearing-in ceremony, where we took the same oath our new president uttered a mere 2.5 months ago (unlike our Chief Justice, however, our Country Director did not opt to exercise creative license). I was fortunate to have been selected as one of two Volunteers to deliver a speech in our target language, which in my case is Sepedi (my colleague, Sharon, gave an impressive speech in Zulu). After substantial editing the night before by our Language and Cross-Cultural Coordinator, Mogobe, I was able to read my speech well enough to elicit laughter from the non-American portion of the audience.

After the ceremony and a delicious lunch, we rushed to our makeshift pick-up point to load our luggage and recent 'settling-in' purchases into bakkies (pickup trucks), khombies, and trailers. Following a few tearful goodbyes, I set off in a bakkie with a fellow Volunteer and a driver from her organisation. Despite waiting nearly an hour for a vehicle swap at the nicest KFC I've ever seen, I made it to my new home well before dark.

As much as I have to say about the last four days here at site, let me close for the night by introducing y'all to my host family, of whom you're likely to read quite a lot during the next two years. The head of my host family is Paulina, a 53-year-old widow who is incredibly sweet but happens to speak even less English than I speak Sepedi. She also is one of the five founding members of my host organisation, Fanang Diatla Self-Help Project, where she still works today. Paulina has seven children, four of whom currently live with her.

The eldest of the children still living at home is Vynand, my 28-year-old host brother. Vynand works as a machinist in one of the areas largest platinum mines, but many of the mines have suspended operations due to the decline in global demand for platinum. The next eldest of Paulina's children is Leah. She is 24 years old and works in many different administrative capacities at Fanang Diatla. Leah has a two-year-old daughter named Jessica, who is a strong contender for the title of World's Most Adorable Child. Next eldest is Kedibone, who is 22 and currently stays home to take care of Jessica and help run the household, a task which is much more demanding than in the States. The youngest of Paulina's daughters is Tumelo, who is currently on a three-week break from school between terms.

That's all for now, but expect more soon.