SWEARING IN!!!

  So, I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer. In fact, I'm a card carrying Peace Corps Volunteer. And I have my permanent visa (I'm one of the lucky 2 in my group). I am now in Khorixas, waiting for it to be Friday so I can go have my first day at site.

Yeah yeah yeah, we look good. What else is knew?

Taking the pledge

Prime Minister giving his speech

Hammering that bass

[most of the] Group Photo with CD, PM, and Ambassador with the new PCVs

With my CD...Mr. Gilbert Collins

Thanks for the language lessons, JJ

This group be Khoekhoe

My mama during PST

As part of American cultural day, I had to deliver a speech I helped to write in KKG thanking our host families and for at swearing-in, one of my classmates from my language class had to read another speech in KKG which I wrote (well, I came up with the English version, my instructor translated it). I supposedly did well when I delivered it, though I think that might be because most people don't speak the language and were just impressed that I sort of had clicks in it. Here are those speeches:

Thank You Speech (written by Kaitlynn Jones with help from Jay Salus, read by Jay Salus)

!Gâi tses. Tita ge a Jayb.

Kai Gangans neba, netse has !aroma. ≠Gom da nas ge, !gâi //aeba, du nî u hâsa, sida /kha, neba. Tita tsî ti xrups ge, sado gangansa ra ma, sida di khoexagu, kais !aroma. !Gōm i ge ge i, sida di Amerika /hosan, tsî khoexaguna, khaos ai !gorosa. Xawe du ge, harase sida ge !kho !oa, tsî sadu omdi !na, de ū ≠ga. Tsî //khati, Namibiab !nâ hâ /gausa, //khâ//khâ das !aroma. Tsî /o-aisase, gowaga. //khâ//khâ dasa.

O gangans //nas !aroma. Kai gangans. !Gâi tsesa u hâ re. Khawa mûgus.

Swearing-In Speech (written by Jay Salus, read by Kaitlynn Jones)

!Gâi tses/ /Gam //khâ//khâ, !kharu-hâse, da ge Amerikaba, xu ge ha. Tsî da ge, sida omdi, tsî khoexan, tsî /hosana, khaos ai, ge //naxu. /Gam kuri !nā-hâse, da ge neba, nî sîsen, masenxa-sîsen-aose, ne isa !hub !nâ. O da ge, ne ra sao khoena, ra gangan ≠gao: sida di //khâ//khâ-khâi-aon, tsî /asa khoexan, tsî PCs, tsî kai-//khaes khoena. //în ge, sida tsēdi, tsî !oede, ge //khâ//khâ, tsî hui-≠ui. Sadu a se da ge sida, xu-e di //oa, ge i. Xawe da ge, ne //gōa-≠uide, îa da nî, hode, sadu dî //khâ//khâ-di, /kha nî !oa, tsî sîsen-u. Gangans, sadu si huigu, tsî ≠khâ-!nâdi !aroma. As tsesa, !gâi tsî //khoaxa re.

-Nes Ge Peace Corps Namibiab, Group 37s //khoresa.

So, because I'm sure most of you have no idea what I just said (by the way, typing that up was a pain in the butt), here is the English version of what I just said.

Thank You Speech

Good day. I am Jay.

Thank you for coming this morning, we hope you enjoyed yourselves. My group and I would like to thank you all for becoming our Namibian families. It was hard for us to leave our friends and family back in America, but you have welcomed us with open arms and open doors. You have given us a home, taught us how to live the “Nam” life, become our host families, and helped us learn the languages. We want to thank you for all that you have done.

Great thanks. Have a nice day, See you again.

(if the grammar seems weird, that's because it was reworked to reflect what was said in khoekhoe).

Swearing-In Speech

Good day,

Two months ago we left America, our homes, our families, and our friends to come to Namibia. Over the next 2 years, we look forward to doing our part as volunteers in this beautiful country. We would like to thank all those who have helped us during training: our trainers, our host families, the many Peace Corps staff who have spent hours and days helping us, and the people of Okahandja who have welcomed us and helped us feel at home in this new environment. Without all your help, none of us would have made it here. We welcome the many challenges we are about to face as we go to site and look forward to the wonderful adventures in front of us. Thank you all for your help and support.

-Peace Corps Namibia-Group 37.

Okay, so now that I've done that, I have one more round of personal thank yous. These last few weeks have been anything but easy. I have too many friends, both back in the US and here in Namibia, to name them all, but if you're reading this, you know who you are, and I offer you my gratitude and will reward you all in 2 years when I return. Your support has meant a lot and gotten me through the tough times. To JJ, for teaching us KKG and putting up with all our struggles. Without you, I could never have passed that LPI. To my host mother, Martha, and my wonderful host siblings, who kept me sane during PST and provided me with hours of joy and made adjusting so much easier. I will miss you and can't wait to come back and visit once the new house is ready. To Karen, who has had to put up with so much crap on my behalf, helping with my bag issues and getting us our visas. To Gilbert Collins and Dan Rooney, who despite your importance have always been there when we needed anything. To our amazing trainer Benna (and Uncle Bob for providing us jokes we never really got). To Meme Rachel, for teaching us to sing and being my guardian angel. To Efraem and Jackson and Thenga, who made sure a never went more than a couple hours without knowing the scores of the big matches. To Auntie Kate and Doctor Justin (though you really need to include lollipops with our shots). To the rest of our PST staff. To the resource volunteers, the VSN, and Grace and Steve, who helped show me the ropes. To all the children of Smarties. To the owners of the Garden Cafe and the various bars in town, whose hospitality (and wifi) were quite generous. To my mom and dad, who have done so much to support me, and to the country of Namibia, for making me feel so at home despite being so far from it.

Now that I am a Peace Corps volunteer, I am super excited to begin my work at the Khorixas youth center. But, before I go, I want to put in a shameless plug for Grassroot Soccer. Everyone should look them up, because they are awesome and I look forward to potentially implementing one of their programs at site.

And with that, I leave you so I can spend some time with my new Khorixas host family. Kai gangans. //Khawa mugus, ti /hosana.