Mid-PST and Site Announcement Ceremony

Halfway Through PST: Milestones and Celebrations

We’ve officially reached the halfway point of our Pre-Service Training (PST)! Since arriving in our training village, we’ve been immersed in intensive sessions covering language, cross-cultural adaptation, and technical job training. It’s been incredible getting to know the other trainees in my cohort—each person brings a unique story, and I’ve been deeply inspired by their journeys to the Peace Corps and their hopes for our time here.

Language Placement Interview (LPI)

Reaching the midway mark of PST also meant facing our first Language Placement Interview (LPI). This oral exam is designed to ensure we’re on track with learning the basics of Sesotho. Many of us felt nervous leading up to it, but once it was over, we realized it wasn’t as intimidating as we’d anticipated. It felt good to see our hard work paying off.

Site Announcement and Halloween Festivities

That same week, we had our permanent site announcement ceremony—a huge milestone in our Peace Corps journey. Coincidentally, the ceremony landed on my birthday, which also happens to be Halloween! The party planning committee organized a fantastic day, complete with a Halloween costume fashion show. The creativity and humor on display were unmatched. My friend Bella and I dressed as characters from The Matrix, which was a blast.

For the site announcement, Peace Corps staff gathered us outside, where they had created a large map of Lesotho in a nearby field. Each district was marked with a sign, and one by one, trainees were called to hear where they’d be living and working for the next two years. It was an exciting and emotional moment for all of us. I was placed in Qacha’s Nek, a district in the southeastern highlands—a beautiful but remote area!

Permanent Site Visit

The next day, the education volunteers left for a workshop at Khotsong Lodge before heading to their permanent sites to shadow at their schools. Four days later, it was time for the health volunteers, including me, to do the same.

During my week in Qacha’s Nek, I settled in with my new host mother and met some of her adult children. I also received an orientation at the health clinic where I’ll be working starting in mid-December. The staff at the clinic were incredibly welcoming, though I can already tell the work will be quite different from my experience in U.S. clinics. It’s going to be a steep learning curve, but I’m excited for the challenge.

After my site visit, I traveled back to our training village with Isabel, a fellow trainee who will be about an hour north of me in Qacha’s Nek. The journey back took around nine hours—a long day of travel! But the reward was reuniting with our cohort and sharing our experiences.

Looking Ahead

With just a few weeks of PST left, I’m focused on soaking up every moment with my cohort. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come in such a short time. I’m looking forward to our swearing-in ceremony and officially becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer. Soon, we’ll be fully settled in our permanent sites, ready to begin the real work.