My speech went as follows:
Good morning Ms. Nancy Szalwinski, Counselor for Public Affairs,
Peace Corps Director Mr. George Like, Peace Corps Director of Programming and
Training, Mr. Craig Badger, Training Manager Ms. Carolyn Beal, Peace Corps
staff, invited Volunteers and guests, and my 12 fellow new volunteers.
I arrived home a few nights ago to a scene just like any other
night. I popped the window open, gently pulled on the lock to my metal door,
stepped inside, and carefully shut it behind me so as not to make a commotion.
Not that it matters much in my house, with the parrots screaming, dog barking,
and tv humming the news of the day. Grandmother Agripina was sitting on her mat
in the courtyard strapped in to her weaving, working on her guipil. Mother
Milca, Grandmother Agripina and I exchanged pleasantries and chatted about our
days for a few minutes, then I retired to my room to begin the daunting task of
packing all my things to get ready to leave.
The moment I arrived in my new host home, the first thing my host
family did was help me put up my mosquito net. I know, muy pilas. The family
offered pieces of their hilo (thread) to suspend the net from the ceiling. This
night, however, I was charged with untying the knots that were carefully
crafted that first day. While I was meticulously untying the knots, Grandmother
Agripina began to sing as she wove. Without even realizing it, I started to
sing along with her. After a subconscious chorus, my own voice startled me. I
was surprised I knew the song and it was so ingrained that I had joined in. It
then dawned on me that I knew the song from my own childhood. It was a
religious refrain titled, “Sunshine in my Soul,” in English, that is, and my
own grandmother used to sing when we were working in her garden.
In that moment, all my feelings for my host family that have
accumulated over the last two months of training washed over me. I felt immense
significance in the hilo I was holding in my hand. The hilo was a tangible representation
of my host family’s culture, and with it, the knots were bringing our two
worlds together. With Grandmother Agripina’s gentle voice singing in the adjacent
room, and the hilo laying softly in my hands, I started to cry thinking about
the common threads of humanity we already shared with Guatemalans before coming
here – things like hard work, joy, and family, the different pieces of our
cultures we have begun to tie together, and the amazing art we as volunteers
can potentially weave with each new colorful piece of hilo and connections we
collect throughout our time here.
It’s been over 400 days since I first submitted my application to
become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
We’ve had 337 hours of training we’ve had since we started this
program.
A year ago it was nearly impossible to imagine actually arriving in
this beautiful country, and two months ago it was difficult to anticipate
seeing swear-in day. Still now it feels surreal to be packing up to leave the
people and places I’ve come to love to move on to our permanent sites.
And speaking of people and places near to our hearts, we must recognize
the village who have built the bridge for us to cross the chasm from the brand
new doe-eyes Peace Corps Trainees of two months ago to the semi-new doe-eyed
Peace Corps Volunteers sitting here today.
To the staff here in the office, who always provide friendly
smiles, words of encouragement, and assistance with the details of life without
which we couldn’t survive, we could never repay you. Seriously though, we’re
just volunteers, after all.
To our Language and Cultural Facilitators, who have been with us
day in and day out through the frustration to the breakthroughs, and have
helped us understand and laugh at our numerous faux pas. We recognize and
appreciate the vast dedication it takes to be here and help us progress. Muchas
gracias, adios.
To our project team, Carlos and Maria Cristina, for empowering us
to project our passions in more effective directions, and continually offering unconditional
support and guidance, thank you for teaching us how to keep calm and ERCA on.
To Carolyn, from day one at the airport and every day since (well,
with the exception of one lavish vacation to Panama), watching over us like a
mother goose over her goslings, lighting the path one step at a time, and
gently helping us improve our weak spots while highlighting our strengths. We
also mustn’t leave out the ultimate support - refueling us with wonderful
chocolates and homemade baked goods when we needed it most.
Finally, to all my fellow trainees, ahem, Volunteers, this
experience wouldn’t be the same without you. Everyone sitting in front of me
has continuously inspired, educated, and supported me. Each of you has a unique
and amazing background and all of you are making sacrifices to be here. Some of
us are missing things like weddings of close friends, births of new babies,
loss of loved ones, or other significant life events. While each of us has our
individual reasons for putting our lives on hold and prioritizing service to
Guatemalans, the common thread we all share is a passion for helping others and
the purpose of trying to make the world a better place. Your sacrifices,
experiences, and attitudes have shaped our training, and I have no doubt that
moving forward they will continue to shape those individuals and circumstances
fortunate enough to be affected by your presence.
Over the course of the last two months, we have learned many
things:
Not only how to speak Spanish and deliver babies – only joking,
Carlos, we know that’s not in our project objectives – but also many practical
things such as:
-
How to forge
surprise rainy season rivers,
-
how not
to invite professionals to take a short break during a workshop,
-
and how to
navigate rough cobblestones, climb mini mountains, and jump off moving
camionetas, all while sporting our finest business casual.
Joking aside, our training has been full of impactful experiences.
We had the privilege of participating in a Mayan Ceremony, sharing some of the
sacred traditions that have existed here on this land for years before we arrived,
teaching us to honor and respect the beautiful things that have come before us,
and inspiring us to move forward with our work in ways that incorporate that
integrity.
We trekked up the side of Volcan Pacaya, where we saw sights that
were otherworldly. We learned about some of the significance of volcanoes here
in Guatemala, about the abundance of energy that comes from within, and how the
symbol of the triangle can be a great source of inspiration for strength
through challenges.
We have planted new gardens for a few families, which was a
wonderful opportunity to get our hands dirty and work side by side with
nationals, learning that many times, they know much more than we do.
Through these activities we have begun to skim the surface of the
vast expanse that is Guatemalan culture. Our host families who have so
graciously, and may I say courageously, opened their homes and hearts to us,
have given us a window into their culture with a beautiful view, and I think I
speak for all of us when I say I can’t wait to get outside to learn more.
While there may be things we don’t understand during our
interactions with nationals here in Guatemala, for example someone transporting
a full toilet with their family on the back of a single motorcycle, we should
take a step back before reacting or judging, and always keep in mind that
situations will never mean more than relationships.
I am so honored to have been given the opportunity to serve as a
representative of the United States and am grateful for the immense opportunity
for cultural exchange, progress, and development that lies before us.
Although we are able quantify days of waiting and hours of
training, innumerable are the lives we will touch, the things we will learn,
and the changes we will witness, both here in Guatemala, and also within
ourselves.
Thank you.
This is me on my first official day as a Volunteer:
They hired a mariachi band for the "after party."
I couldn't have done it without my wonderful Language and Cultural Facilitators, Sandra (left) and Angela (right).
Our whole Bak'tun with Carolyn, our training manager (left) and George, country director (right).
