All Sweared In!!

So today was an extremely successful day...and maybe one of the best days of my existence.  This morning, we made the short bus ride to the United States Embassy for our swearing-in ceremony.  We all got "pertied" up in our Tanzanian finest and became official Peace Corps Volunteers, or PCV's.  There was our honored guest, a member of the ministry of education, and even the U.S. Ambassador himself, Ambassador Lenhardt.  We sang a little song and did a little dance, well maybe not a dance but we did have to sing, and then said our oath.  After that, they shoved us full of food and patted our heads for a job well done during training.   We had a bushel of samosas and meat on a stick, and man was it delicious.  After that, we went back to our hostel for free time, a.k.a. try to nap in my room, but really just lay there in a puddle of my own sweat.  We piddled around for a couple hours, packing, talking, cutting hair.  Yes, I cut more hair today. I think I might have a new profession in my future.  After that, we had to get dressed back up and loaded a bus to go to the Ambassador's house for dinner.  When we got there, we hung out with his wife Jackie who may or may not be one of the sweetest ladies ever, and talked a bit.  Then the food was unveiled.  What lay before us literally brought a tear to my eye!  Ladies and gentleman, the good Ambassador Lenhardt and his wife managed to wrangle us up an amazing Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of Africa.  I ate so much mashed potatoes and stuffing that I was in physical pain and continued the self-torture by serving myself up a plate of pumpkin pie.  BEST DAY EVER!! Tomorrow, we have to get up at 3:45 though and head to the bus station so we are thinking we might not even bother going to bed and soak up the last bits of togetherness before we get separated.  Despite the awful waking hours, I am extremely excited about tomorrow and to finally get to my home for the next 2 years!!