Wednesday, March 14 was a momentous occasion in the lives of fifty-five people, the day when we took our oath to protect the constitution of the United States and made that leap of faith to serve two years in a needy community. The ceremony took place in the Canal Museum in Casco Viejo of Panama City, the fancy historic district I visited a while ago on a day trip. The venue was classy but subtle, not too many attendees aside from Peace Corps staff, a representative from the U.S. Embassy, and a member of Panama's Department of Education.
A lot of people came up and spoke and it felt like a standard ceremony, but three moments stood out in my mind.
1) The playing of the National Anthems. When The Star-Spangled Banner came on, I felt a deep pride for my country. Every American sang along, and I thought back to every time I sang it with Glee Club or the Dicks and Janes or choirs. I got very emotional, swelling with patriotism and nostalgia.
2) The oath itself. We raised our right hands and repeated after the Embassy representative. It made our time here seem real, our service to come seem relevant. Not everyone in the world becomes a Peace Corps volunteer. So, despite all the struggles we will inevitably face, people have requested our help and will appreciate our accomplishments, no matter how insignificant they seem to us.
3) My turn to speak. I gave my speech, which was an overwhelming success. The complements were incredible: the best speech at any ceremony anyone had ever attended, delivered with confidence with some kick-ass Spanish.
I was proud of how the day turned out. We made it!
A friend was kind enough to record the speech, so I would love to share with you one of the best moments of my life. Below the video of the speech is a transcript.
English translation:
Good afternoon everyone. Thank you very much for joining us in this great moment: the end of our training and the beginning of our service as Peace Corps volunteers. We have not arrived here by ourselves, but rather with the support of many. So on behalf of all the trainees, I would like to thank the people who have helped and supported us during our training.
Thanks so much to the Peace Corps staff, especially (names) and our Spanish teachers. We are also greatly indebted to our host families and to the entire community of Santa Rita for hosting us.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping us to reach this dream, answering the call made 51 years ago by President John F. Kennedy, this dream to serve the world that has called us to help.
We have come here of our own will, leaving behind our homes and coming a country that was, at first, completely foreign to us. We have left behind our families, our friends, our homes, and our jobs. Before this, we were students, teachers, coaches, businessmen and –women, journalists, social workers, singers, dancers, friends, parents, and children. We continue to fill these roles, but from now on we take on another: volunteers with Peace Corps Panama.
We are volunteers, very excited to keep our promise to assist in English classes. We know that our impact will come slowly, but shall be truly meaningful, both in- and outside the classroom. We have come not only to help teach English, but also to share our cultures, customs, and talents, and learn about those of our Panamanian counterparts.
We have come to learn about all the richness of Panamanian culture and their immense kindness, with which we are already quite familiar. Thanks to all of you, we have come to understand the importance of personal relationships and the responsibility of each and every one of us to care for our neighbor, treating them like family. The Panamanian family is all-inclusive, and we are very grateful to be a part of it. And feeling like a member of that family, we are very excited to participate in cultural exchange, to contribute to the development of the educational system, and to share all our experiences.
We have come to learn and share, but even more important than that, we come to show the Panamanian people something universal: the importance of having dreams. For human beings, the tendency is to cling to that which comfortable when faced with obstacles. But we are in our sites so that its inhabitants dare to take risks, so that they realize the resources they already have, and so that they may take advantage of them and become great citizens of their country.
We plan to strengthen the work of our counterparts, the English teachers of Panama. Through collaboration, we strive for improvement. We are working to ensure that these teachers can become the heroes of tomorrow. We are here to support them and improve their language and teaching skills. We plan to lay the foundations so that they can meet the demands of the 21st century.
And to the students we plan to light their fire within and get them excited, not just about English, but about education in general. We come from far away and serve as the good example, the result of having educated oneself. Our students have no reason to believe that their lives are confined to the borders of their country. The world is theirs too, and we plan to show them with all the splendor with which it deserves to be shown. I hope our presence encourages them to dream, because ingenuity is borne of dreams.
To this country, to its inhabitants, to the teachers, and to the students we plan to bring all the enthusiasm and motivation we can into the classroom. We bring all the ingredients for success in our communities, but we ask of them one simple thing: the desire for more, the desire to dream, and the willingness to work for it. Together we will put forth a great effort and reach these goals.
Thank you.
Unfortunately, the video will not load. I will keep trying. In the meantime, enjoy the transcript.
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