Ndi masiari

This is my first official post as a Peace Corps volunteer.  As of yesterday, we completed our Pre-Service Training and took our oath to start our lives for the next two years.  Excitement and an itching to get started was within all of us, but of course we had some tears about leaving each other for the next 3 months until in service training (IST).

Doing the Cupid Shuffle one last time

Doing the weasel in Groblersdahl (its sweeping the world)

Alyssa and I at the homestay event

Ashley and I at the homestay event

Doing our Venda dance

He already had this hat before I got here.

My last month in Moteti was very memorable as I finished up my teaching for part of training.  Although there were some challenges and a lot of time to wing-it, I can truly say that it helped to prepare me for my next 2 years of teaching English in a South African school.  We celebrated our last day together by doing the Cupid Shuffle and the weasel one last time and by taking a selfie of course.

I'm officially a PCV not a PCT.

We found a shopping town only R30 away from us by khombi, and made sure that we were able to go twice before we moved.  Our first adventure to Groblersdahl included giant cupcakes, tons of food, shopping and even more food.

We had our homestay event to celebrate the families who took us in and made us part of their families.  There was a plethora of traditional outfits and traditional dances.  Our tshivenda group performed three songs.

Also within the last few weeks, my family threw a farewell braai for me at our house.  My whole family was there along with 5 other volunteers.  We had so much fun dancing and singing.  We took it upon ourselves to teach all of the children and my siblings the wobble and the weasel.  We also made sure to have a "Just a Friend, "Bohemian Rhapsody," and South African National Anthem sing-a-long.  We got to finish off my last Moteti weekend with a bang, and what a bang it was.

Moteti has served as my home for the past 2 months, and the bonds that I created with my family are those that excite me for my next home family.  I can't even imagine how hard it will be to leave my permanent site host family after knowing how difficult it was to say goodbye to my Moteti family.  I can feel us all becoming a little more South African everyday and I cannot wait to see how much we grow as individuals as our journey continues.

Tomorrow I will be off to greet my new family and move into my new home for the next two years.  The excitement that I feel for being able to unpack and not have to move for 2 years is unreal. Here goes nothing. :)