Let the holidays begin!

This past week has been a whirlwind of combi rides, festive drinks, and greetings (where I immediately forget the person's name after). It started out with a trip to Keetmans, where myself and several other volunteers were able to celebrate Thanksgiving together. It definitely had a Peace Corps element to it, since most of the items were cooked in shifts with a toaster oven. But all of the food turned out well and we even had homemade pumpkin pie to boot!

Soon enough, it was time for all of us to travel up to Windhoek for the 25th anniversary of Peace Corps Namibia. All 132 volunteers gathered in a swanky hotel, where we were fed a proper buffet every meal, given access to a chilly pool, each room had an air conditioner, and we even had a few informational sessions (those were less important though, if I'm being honest). I met so many other members of our little Namily, I couldn't keep them all straight. To credit my other Peace Corps members, very few of them annoyed me. And that's saying a lot, since I tend to be kind of cranky around large groups of people.

At the conference, I was also able to introduce some other volunteers to mine and Julia's project. They seemed impressed with our mission and progress so far. We almost sold out of all the bags we brought with us! I hope in our upcoming training we have planned, we can get other volunteers to come and collaborate with us to make the project even more solid!

The conference ended with a very formal, very official ceremony to celebrate Peace Corps Namibia's 25 years in the country. Media was abound, speeches were made, and a musical performance by the Okahandja Youth Choir stole the show. The prime minister was even in attendance! After the formal event, we were treated to a volunteer/staff BBQ by the pool, complete with drink tickets.

By Friday morning, it was time to say our goodbyes and leave our luxury hotel life behind us. I loved meeting all of the volunteers spread across the country and hearing about their projects. But I can say, I was ready to be home! This thought made me realize, I think of my new site as home. I was ready to get back to work on the project, snuggle with my kitten, and watch West Wing on the couch with Julia. This is my life now and I couldn't be happier about it.