Photos posted

After a joint effort and much patience, we believe we have successfully posted pictures to this web blog. If you're on facebook with Christine, you've already seen these pictures.

As for updated news, we're official Peace Corps volunteers. For our swearing in ceremony, Christine served as the presenter for all the volunteers learning Okanisi (also called Aucan). In this extremely diverse country, volunteers were split into three - a bridge language for all the different groups. Anyway, Christine prepared her speech with the assistance of her language teacher while still in training. Then, when we arrived in the city, the director informed all the presentors that we needed to lengthen our presentations.

Christine typing: So I added some simple transition lines and expanded my thank you to all the villagers in the training region. This made for a very memorable speech as I added a line stating that I love to sew, so my host family taught me to sew blah, blah. blah. I declared with gusto that I love to sew and everyone laughed. I was puzzled and racking my brain. I knew I pronounced everything correctly as it is a simple sentence. Then, I suddenly remembered - the word for sew, 'nai' is also the word for sex. To recover, I said it again and emphasized the sewing part by gesturing as if I was using a needle to sew on material. Not very effective, but again, very funny. I then added that I love to nai - both types - and went on. As a little side note, several reporters, including the local TV news station, were there to capture this moment. On the bright side, no one remembers all the mispronouncations or english words I accidently spit out while talking and everyone liked my speech.

We're in the capital city until Wednesday am and will be checking email and our blog until we leave. Then we're off the grid again for three months or so. Hope you are all well and enjoying the miracle of refridgeration.