Swearing-In Speech (in English)

Wendy, thank you for the introduction. Mr. Ambassador Stephen McFarland, Mr. Luis Alberto Montenegro and Adolfo Orozco representatives of INACOP, Martha, Wendy, Roberto, Salvador, Peace Corps staff, thank you very much for your presence.

A special shout out to Peace Corps’ drivers – thank you very much! And I would like to stop myself for a second to thank enormously the Guatemalan families to whom we owe so much, thank you, matiosh chihüe (thank you in Kachiquel), for being with us this morning and sharing the joy of us becoming, as we say, agents of change.

Finally, fellow trainees – whoops, I didn’t mean trainees, I meant volunteers!! Wow, isn’t it awesome that we’ll never again have to use the word trainee, right? Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to stand in front of you this beautiful morning and express a few thoughts to you.

We are here full of hope because finally, we are going to start the work that we came to do. The work that we have been planning for up to five years. And in this moment we now do feel prepared and excited. But at the same time, we are perhaps a little nervous too because of something, we are nervous too because of the so-called “the Peace Corps question” which we ask ourselves. What is this question? The question is, “Am I making change? Will life in my town actually be better when I leave in two years?” We ask ourselves these questions to motivate our work. But these questions can sometimes depress us, or at least make us question our purpose.

I’m telling you the truth when I tell you that in these first few months in the field, we are going to face confusing and depressing feelings, thinking in these questions because unfortunately, change is slow and it is hard and the majority of the time, it doesn’t look like skyscrapers nor highways but it is something invisible to our eyes.

Well then, instead of meditating on this question, I suggest that we turn our attention to something more cheerful, something happier, something more to our liking, like…love.

Speaking of love, did you all know that I am married? Yes, it’s true, I got married here in Guatemala the second weekend I was here in country. Well, as you guys know, I’m really popular with the women here and…

No, just kidding, that’s a total lie. What really happened is that my second weekend here my Guatemalan family and my Spanish teacher decided to stage a wedding – that is, do a fake typical Guatemalan wedding. And in that way Devon and I got married. Through this experience we learned the traditions and culture of our town, Santa Catarina Barahona. Everything was very nice: we dressed up in traditional clothing, there were rings, flowers and of course, pepián (the traditional Guatemalan dish).

And amidst all of this happiness, they taught us many things, one of which what is a sute, here is one (it is a traditional weaving). This weaving is used in many Mayan towns and women use it like this (I put the sute balancing on my head), to protect themselves from the sun. Yes, yes, photo op, take your pictures.

Usually the bride weaves the sute by hand and gives it to her mother-in-law the day of the wedding. She will take about one year to weave it. And if you are an artisan weaver or if you have seen the artisans of this country, you’ll know how incredible are their patience and skill to do this kind of work. The sute, then, is a symbol of the commitment which is the key aspect to marriage.

But why am I talking about marriage when basically all of the volunteers in this group are single? Because I would like us to take each one of the activities we’ve carried out in this swearing in like a commitment, like a way of marrying ourselves, like a wedding. Today we begin our marriage, even if it is a short-term one, only two years, with the people of Guatemala. We will be like a bride who gives her sute to her mother-in-law. Today, we commit ourselves to the people of our towns. And this is the way I suggest we see our service: not like a job in which we measure ourselves only for our achievements and where this so-called Peace Corps question pursues us, but I suggest that we see it like a marriage focused on our commitment to our partner, our town.

For those of us who come from a results-based culture, it’s difficult to assign importance to changes that are not concrete achievements or visible to our eyes. All the same, I am sure that our committing ourselves will lead to many concrete achievements because, well, what does our commitment mean? It means that we stay with the people, that we show solidarity with them and that we try every day in our work with and for them.

Because generally it is easy to distinguish or separate ourselves from the people, to feel superior to them. It could be our particular ways of life or our education, our cultural norms or, really, a ton of things that can make us think like that.

But we did not come to Guatemala to be superior. And really, when you think about it we haven’t been either. We are weaker than we look. For example, just look at our stomachs, or at least mine. With all of my problems, perhaps it does not surprise you that my family calls me “Baby.” Because the truth is that I depend on them.

And in this marriage that we are going to establish with our communities, in this mutually dependent relationship, we are going to realize that we do not have all the answers, that we need to learn as much as teach and that accepting the help of another person is something that is in reality beautiful. While the world strains for upward social mobility, toward superiority, toward fame and wealth, we on the other hand identify ourselves with the poorest, with him whom lacks, with him whom the outside world does not care to know.

And what does it say to the members of the community that we want to spend two years working with them for their benefit? To the community it says this. You are important to us, and we believe that you deserve all the advantages that we have been lucky to have enjoyed. When we place ourselves at the same level as the people, when we integrate, when we take risks together with the people, we show solidarity with them, and being in solidarity, we can truly share life with them, supporting them and learning from them

In Santa Catarina, I know that I have helped to effect change in a few people’s lives; however, very little of that was through our official work, simply it was the result of living together with the people.

In any case, we are going to try as hard as we can to achieve lasting changes in our work, but we should not let ourselves be consumed by this so-called Peace Corps question. We are not going to get depressed over it. It’s better that we focus on living our commitment with the people, in being present and at the same level as them, in being faithful to them in all that we do in Guatemala. We trust that our presence in the country will be useful to bring forth meaningful changes here.

Well now, to end like a good wedding, on behalf of my fellow volunteers I will take the vows of our commitment in front of the community.

Where others are suffering, we will share their suffering.

Where they are happy, we will enjoy their happiness together.

Where there are problems, we will listen to them first.

Where we have the opportunity to feel superior, we will remain humble.

And never, never never never will we allow someone to tell us that being here was not worth it, that we didn’t accomplish anything, because our commitment is strong and our friendships valuable, and more than that, we know that change is not measured in quetzals or nor in dollars but in mothers and fathers and children and grandparents. That is how we will be. May God bless them, and may he bless us too. Thank you very much.