This past Friday afternoon I swore my first oath ever (Dad reminded me that the Brownie pledge doesn´t really count) ! ! I swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America and the values and mission of the US Peace Corps. FYI - the three goals of the Peace Corps are to provide professional help to developing countries who have asked for it, to increase foreign understanding of Americans and our ways of life, and to bring back to the States a greater understanding of foreign cultures and values.

The realities of a 3rd world ¨Formal¨event were quite interesting. We were sworn in in our best PC clothes (a spattering of skirts and bergen stocks sp?, khakis and polos) in a crowded hotel conference room - brightened with flourescent lighting and peeling mustard yellow paint ! Javier Garza (our country director) and a man from the US Embassy in La Paz both gave ´go get ´em¨speaches - but the best part came after the oath when a large contingent of current volunteers gave us a standing ovation - and came by to shake each of our hands and welcome us to the corps. A little hokey - but pretty great all the same.

An unofficial PC tradition is to have a themed party the evening of swearing in. Our theme was 80s Rockers !! oh yes oh yes, I kid you not. AND one of the most endearing parts of the city of Cochabamba is La Cancha - a one square mile labrynth of hawkers and dealers of anything and everything that is made by the hands of man . . . including used clothing from the States. Let your imagination run wild . . . and perhaps you might have the idea !

. . . Well, we came to the party prepared . . . I´ll post pictures when I can . . . I was sporting a ripped black and neon shirt with the words ¨You Can´t Touch This¨, blue and white striped nylon pants, and a puke green blazer from 1979, with two crooked side pony tales . . . what a night !