These Hands, This World: Day One

After two months of long days of training, we finally swore in on Friday, June 3, which marked the official beginning of our two years of service here in Guatemala. The ceremony was short and sweet, with a few words from a representative of the US Embassy Guatemala, the Country Director, our Training Manager, and.....moi! I was nominated and chosen by my peers to represent us as a training group during this ceremony, which was a surprise and an honor, and I tried to do my best to deliver.

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: