The Road Less Traveled : It's Official

On Friday, I officially swore in as part of the 77^th Peace Corps Group in the Kingdom of Tonga. I took the oath of office from the US Ambassador to Fiji and accepted my Peace Corps Tonga pin from the Prime Minister of Tonga. In attendance were the Tongan Minister of Health, the Japanese Ambassador, diplomatic representatives from China, New Zealand, and Australia, and the President of the Tongan Free Wesleyan Church.

It was a humbling experience. The US Ambassador, Frankie Reed, a former Peace Corps volunteer herself, spoke to us of the importance of our mission. The Tongan Prime Minister relayed a discussion he had with his grandson the night before when he was asked, “Are the Peace Corps armed?” to which the Prime Minister replied, “Yes, they are armed with wisdom and that is how they can best help us.” Cliché, maybe, yet when spoken by the Prime Minister it lent credence to my decision to join the Peace Corps.

The ceremony itself was very nice and reminded me of graduating from college. Everyone got all dressed up and had to wear ridiculous outfits – in college it was the gowns and caps, while in Tonga I had to wear a special ta’ovala made by Faiana that was covered with leaves and flowers. As I told another volunteer, and as you will see in the pictures below, I felt like a walking rainforest.

My official training is now over, but I still have much to learn. I am excited and anxious, scared and confident, but most of all ready to integrate into my new community and to start teaching in my school. That is later, however, as of now I am proud to say that I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Enjoy the photos below