Pre-Service Training (That's Happened)

Pre-Service Training..That's Happened*

Written on 8/30/2014

Most importantly, yesterday I was officially sworn in as a Peace Corp Volunteer [YAY!].
As we were listening to the speeches at our swear in ceremony, our Country Director Dee said that when she landed in her first country of service and heard she was a trainee she had the same thought I had....No no...I'm a volunteer! What was all the signing and testing and all the other things that had consumed so much of my time the four months before leaving the states?

But, now I know that I had a lot to learn. Pre-Service Training (PST) is almost impossible to explain. I feel as though most training consisted of sitting in rooms while a PowerPoint was read and doing group activity after group activity after group activity. Everyday was filled with information about language, education, health, safety, security, and probably a few other things that have now gotten lost in the mix along the way.
We spent a few weeks living with host families, learning about the culture and practicing new language skills. After that, we were living in the Training Center in Mantasoa. Living at the training center was an experience that was weirdly like a summer camp. We had breakfast, snack, lunch, and dinner intertwined with classes or other activities. Some days, it felt like every second of my life was scheduled - a challenging change for a recent college grad who was used to do everything the way I wanted when I wanted.

All and all though, I see how this experience, although taxing and exhausting, was a necessary part of this experience. I can tell by the way I accidentally say Malagasy words on the phone with my mom that I have learned the new language, the healthy habits that have become (almost) second nature, and my sometimes overwhelming knowledge of past security issues that I have learned way more than I could have anticipated in 3 months.

But now that that part of this experience is over, tomorrow I will move to my site and will get back to being an independent individual. Making my own meals, taking care of my own schedule and home, and hopefully meeting many new friends :).

*"That's Happened" was something the Training Manager said often when speaking of past experiences with other trainees....and now something the trainees volunteers say just as often.