Once we were ready and looking good, we all hoped in PC vans and went to the US Ambassador’s house for the ceremony. The Ambassador swore us in and then we were presented with certificates. Then two volunteers gave very nice speeches and another recited a poem. Overall, it was a lovely ceremony.
Afterwards we had a reception of… BAGELS!!!! (Bagels are hard to find in Ecuador and really expensive and it was a special treat.) We all took lots of photos and I had a chance to chat a bit with the ambassador. She was really nice and had only arrived in Ecuador a few weeks ago, so we all were new to the country.
Once the reception ended, all of us newly sworn in volunteers returned to the hostel in order to change for the picnic put on by the VAC (Volunteer Advisory Committee). The picnic was very pleasant and it was nice to meet other volunteers. A lot of volunteers came to check out the new blood.
That evening we had the traditional unofficial PC blow-out celebratory party. Basically, it was $11 to get in and then it was an open bar. After behaving myself throughout training, I was dying to let loose… and I did. A bit too much. The following morning was not fun. Oh well, I had a blast and it’s not like I’ll have the opportunity to get that wild for a very long time.
Saturday was basically spent recovering, packing, relaxing/watching TV, and saying goodbye to all the volunteers. Then I left that evening for… La Misma!!!!
I arrived in la Misma this morning after an uncomfortable and long bus ride. The first thing I had to do was move all the stuff out of the former volunteer’s old apartment. After a lot of back-and-forth, the landlady would not hold the apartment for me and I decided that I didn’t want to have a landlady that inflexible. Thankfully, the other volunteer had arranged for her (now ex) boyfriend, Hamilton, to help me move the stuff and store it at his house. He was very nice to agree, especially since he is extremely busy/stressed with work and his thesis. Sound familiar? I could definitely relate and thanked him numerous times.
After we moved everything, we hung out at his place and he showed me what cocoa looks like and how it is harvested and prepared to be sold to make chocolate. As a chocoholic, I found it very interesting. I then helped him do the nasty chore of taking out the seeds from the rotten plants. Now that really made me appreciate how much work goes into my all those chocolate bars I eat.
Hamilton drove me back to La Misma in the afternoon and I spent several hours trying to track down the landlady to give her the apartment keys and get the deposit. Finally, I located her and—thank goodness—she gave me the deposit with very little hassle. I had prepared myself to go into battle with her for nothing!
Giddy with success, I then went for a run. Oh my goodness! Running at sea level was amazing!!! After running at an altitude of about a bazillion feet (I don’t exaggerate… much), I felt like I could go on and on forever. And I almost did! Only the approaching darkness brought me back.
To top off a wonderful day I made my own dinner consisting of cauliflower and goat(?) cheese. My host family thought I was crazy, but I was in heaven. I’m sick and tired of not having control what I put into my body. No more rice for this gringita!!!
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