For those of you that ever doubted...I'm official

I took my oath and am an official Peace Corps volunteer! We swore in on Friday at the U.S. Ambassor's house in Quito. The ceremony was gorgeous and very well done. I have posted a few pics [http://community.webshots.com/user/kenneysarah] It was located on the lawn overlooking an amazing view of the city. The Ambassor cried at the end of her speech, and could not continue. It was adorable; her excuse was that she was channelling our parent's emotions to us since they could not be present at the ceremony. Two volunteers gave wonderful speeches. Theresa spoke about what she learned from different volunteers and how impressed she is by our group. I concur...I am constantly humbled and inspired by the talents of my colleages and the wonderful friendships I have made here. She also mentioned how she obsessively checked the On-line Toolkit for the status of her application and invitation...Do you all remember how often I checked that website?! haha, it was great to know that all the other volunteers behaved similarly. Damon spoke about one of the PC slogans "How far will you go?," arguing that we should instead remember how far we have come. He mentioned key moments/obstacles/life-changes from our 3 months from training, such as 3 months without cell phones (I now have a cell phone. If you'd like the number, email me), 3 months of being herded in big group activities (it will be nice to escape from the constant group setting), 3 months of eating piles and piles of carbs, etc. This speech was right on as well. I am trying to get a copy of their speeches to post, because I think they give good insight into our lives here, and our transition from training to our service.
It's weird, these emotions that are flooding my mind and heart. I almost feel as I did when I left the U.S. The sadness I felt when leaving my good friends and family in NC is similar to leaving my PC friends here in Ecuador. My little bubble of safety and comfort is being shattered as I enter the crazy unknown of Ecuador by myself. Despite all of this, I am super excited to get out there and start working. Finally, what I have waited so long for.
The past week has been spent in tourist areas of Quito with my gringo friends who I love dearly (after the 8hr long sessions on PC rules and regulations). We have eaten yummy American food (meaning meals without potatoes and rice, that are less likely to make us sick), gone dancing to celebrate the end of training, spoken english for 7 days straight, and ran a 10K in the historic section of Quito.
The race was awesome...it is called Ruta de las Iglesias (route of the churches; http://www.rutadelasiglesias.com/) and is held after dark in the heart of Quito, passing 11 churches. I felt like I was in a parade because of the sheer number of people watching and cheering us on...Viva Quito! (Long live Quito) Si, se puede! (You can do it) Vamos campeones! (Let's go champions). Bands played at various checkpoints and water/Gatorade was given every few kilometers. The atmosphere was simulataneosly familiar and strange. It was familiar because it was sponsored by Gatorade, I was running a road race and surrounded by tons of athletes...these strike me as very American things. It was strange to me because I was running in a section of Quito in which we are strongly discouraged from entering after dark, and with people who could afford to buy running gear and the ticket to participate in the race, and who have the time to exercise. For the past 3 months I have been living and socializing with people from an entirely different social & economic class.
So I am off, taking a bus through the night to the coastal province of Manabi, arriving at 6am. We are supposed to "hang on out" for the first week or so, introducing ourselves, becoming familiarized with the area and our future work. It sounds much easier said than done, but I'm excited.
Keep me updated with your lives as well! Miss you all.