Swearing In

By Jim Wheatley

There are 40 new Peace Corps volunteers in the Dominican Republic.

 When you are accepted in the Peace Corps, you have only been accepted to go through training. Training is hard, very hard; ten weeks of working as hard as you have ever worked, to learn a culture, a language and whatever specialty the Peace Corps has decided fits you and the needs of the host country. There are tests, lots of tests. You have to score at least an 80 on everything and your language level, on some international scale they use, has to be at least a 5 out of 10. Luckily I came here 6.

So, after 10 weeks of boot camp, if they keep you and if you decide to stay, there is a swearing in ceremony. Ours was May 9^th 2012. It  was kind of a big deal. The US ambassador and several other dignitaries spoke. About  150 people were there. Other than the 40 new volunteers most of the rest of the attendees were Dominican. It was really quite a shindig. Taking the Peace Corps oath in two languages and singing both countries national anthems was kind of emotional.

And, there was this other thing: I was voted by the class of new volunteers to speak on our behalf. Did I mention that the whole event was in Spanish? Well, it was and so were my remarks. I was very honored to have been chosen. I had a little help from some of my Dominican friends and I think it came off OK. At least the Peace Corp Country Director and the US Ambassador were smiling at the end.

Here’s my speech in two languages:

Honorable Embajador de Estados Unidos, Raul Ysaguirre,

Estemado Ernesto Reuna, Ministro de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales,

Estemado Arthur Flanagan, Director de Cuerpo de Paz,

Estemado Miguel León, Gerente de Programas, Cuerpo de Paz,

Estemada Rosanna Hidalgo, Representante de las Families

¡Bienvenidos!

Y, Bienvenidos a todos los profesores de español, todos los entrenadores de Cuerpo de Paz, todos voluntarios,  los familias que nos ayuden,  me esposa, Vickie. Y, bienvenidos a Esperanza y Pedro, nuestra familia y nuestros amigos.

Cuando llegamos a la Republica Dominica, los primeros días, nos sentimos como una pelota perdido en hierbas altas.

Pero, después de diez semanas con los mejores profesores de español en el mundo, después de diez semanas con los entrenadores técnicos fantásticos, ahora no estamos en hierbas altas. Ahora, nos sentimos como una pelota perdido en cañaveral.

Es difícil.

De hecho, ha sido doloroso.

Hemos tenido denge.

Hemos tenido una rodilla rota.

Hemos tenido una pierna quemada.

Hemos caído en un hoyo de la calle.

Ya, hemos tenido problemas de la piel y más.

Y, nos hemos sentido solos y tristes.

Pero, después de diez semanas estamos aquí! Todos, los cuarenta voluntarios nuevos. Pero, ¿Por qué? Solo son tres horas por avión parra llegar a Miami. ¿Por qué nos hemos quedado?

Nos hemos quedado porque en El Seibo hemos tocado bachata con quitaras con Domingo debajo de la luna llena.

Nos hemos quedado porque conocimos a Ariel su primera día en su trabajo nuevo como un traductor de ingles. Y Descubrimos que él había aprendido hablar ingles por un voluntario de Cuerpo de Paz que vivió en su pueblo.

Nos hemos quedado por la cara de orgullo que vimos en Manuela cuando trajó su madre, su abuela, dos tías y dos hermanos al ayuntamento para la presentación  público del documental que su grupo de jóvenes hizo con la ayuda de unos aspirantes de Cuerpo de Paz.

Y, yo me he quedado porque cuando conocí a los otros aspirantes y voluntarios de Cuerpo de Paz, me di cuenta que nunca he sido parte de un grupo como este. Un grupo tan inteligente, tan creativo, tan serio y tan dedicado. Deseo seguir siendo parte de este grupo.

Yo no se si es posible hacer una diferencia aquí pero, creo que debemos tratar.

Como decía la Madre Teresa,

“Si no puedes alimentar a cien personas, alimente sólo uno.”

Translation;

When we arrived in the Dominican Republic, those first days we felt like a lost ball in high weeds. But, after 10 weeks with the best Spanish teachers in the world, after 10 weeks with fantastic trainers, now we are not in high weeds. Now, we feel like a lost ball in a huge field of sugar cane.

It is difficult.

In fact it has been painful!

We’ve had denge.

We broke our knee.

We burned our leg.

We fell in a hole in the street.

We’ve had skin problems and more.

And, we’ve been lonely.

But after 10 weeks we are still here!

All of us, 40 new volunteers.

But, why? It is only three hours by plane to Miami. Why have we stayed?

We have stayed because in El Seibo we played bachata on guitar with Domingo under a full moon.

We’ve stayed because we met Ariel his first day on his new job as an English translator. And, we discovered that he learned English from a Peace Corps volunteer who used to live in his pueblo.

We stayed because of the look of pride on Manuela’s face when she brought her mother, grandmother, two aunts and brother and sister to the Mayor’s office to see the public presentation of the documentary her youth group made with the help of Peace Corps trainees.

And, I’ve stayed because when I met the other trainees and volunteers of the Peace Corps I realized that I had never been part of group like this. A group so intelligent, so creative, so serious and so dedicated. I want to remain part of this group.

I don’t know if we can make a difference here but, I think we should try.

In the words of Mother Theresa, “If you can’t feed one hundred people, feed just one.”