Swearing In

We swore in as Peace Corps Volunteers on Wednesday, as Lisa mentioned in the last post. Her post was before the ceremony so I´ll take a moment to describe it.

Busy morning of last minute sessions. A couple of hours of free time and a quick meal to the last minute trainees. Finally free of sessions. People are giddy, laughing at silly stuff. People are busy with nothing. A little time in front of CNN World Report.

The little yellow buses arrive, mere mini-vans in the U.S. A quick drive through the hot city. A heartbeat and we leave ratty shacks and old business for lavish front lawns and amazing high security fences. Fences make good neighbors. We wait at the gate of the compound.

We wait. We wait for awhile more, and then we are told that the security was told we would arrive 45 minutes later. They want to impress their new boss, our new ambassador. They want to run things right. We were supposed to arrive later.

After a time, the staffers convince them to let us leave the air conditioned vans. We get to stand in the sun. We have various pictures taken, by the buses, in front of the tennis court, there´s the pool. We have a big group one on the front steps. Now just the girls. Now just the Bocas group. Comarca group, where are you? Oh hey, did we do the boys photo yet?

The inside is fabulous. The air conditioning is perfect. So much space and elegance. If you didn´t feel a little excited before, if it didn´t feel real yet, being here on U.S. soil again in full Western beauty and landscaping will get you going. The water is fresher here, the air sweeter, the hor dóeuvres were scrumptious.

The ceremony starts. First an official from Panama welcomes us and speaks of the table of important people. He talks of working together. He says very nice things. He mentions the vice minister. She stands and talks to the table. There´s been a signing of documents, a renewing of trust between partners, they are related to the work of the Corps. We are all feeling pleased with our understanding of Spanish. The Country Director talks to us. He seems to think our group´s most uninvolved member, our hermit, or pariah, or self-outcast, is our leader, but his dignified words are a complement to us all. He has good jokes, too.

We get a story from our second in command. This is his last group of newbies. He´ll be with us for a few more months only, a victim of an excellent idea: Peace Corps staff should be Returned Volunteers who served the Corps within the last five years. His fifth year is up next Spring. He will be missed.

We take the oath. We will uphold the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. It is solemn and heartfelt. The paper was already signed yesterday. We only lost one trainee along the way, and gained three from another program that fell. In that, we came out ahead of where we started.

Our group wrangled one of our best trainees, now volunteer, to give the speech. She is masterful. She impresses us CED trainees. She impresses the EH trainees. She impresses the new volunteers from the other country that fell. She had worked hard on this, got the editted words other trainees and the perfect translation from our teachers. I´m sure she was no slouch herself on the original. She must have practiced out loud because her prounciation is spot on. The Panamanian staffers all smile and nod along with her. We understand the Spanish better for her enunciation. The most visibly impressed are the table of important people.

The EH speaker is also impressive. He´s known around these parts as a poet, and he is going to impress as well. Although is Spanish is a little rockier, he still has a poem that works only in Spanish and it beautifully describes our current feels as we get ready to head into the field. He has a second one that works only in English, but we are there to appreciate it as well, though not many Panamanians can be on board. We clap hard for both of our speakers. They have made us proud. We are volunteers!