Swearing-in Speech

I was asked to give the speech for the swearing-in using KSL – three of us were chosen, one to do it in KSL, one in English, and one in Kiswahili. We wrote the speech together, and the text of the speech is below – and italics in brackets is my explanation of a situation / term). When I ever get around to uploading pictures (hush, Ben), there are a few of me giving the speech and a couple of short clips of me.

Thank you all for coming. It is a privilege and honor to be in front of you today as representatives of our Peace Corps training group from America. We want to welcome and recognize the following people; [Names Omitted to Protect the Innocent].

We especially want to thank each one of our dedicated instructors, advisors, and administrative personnel. We thank [Names Omitted to Protect the Innocent].

The group of volunteers to be sworn in here today is a diverse collection of 35 deaf educators, businesspeople, and math and science teachers. Many of us are recent college graduates, and others include experienced teachers, a lifelong lawyer and a former top banking executive who has climbed Kilimanjaro. We represent almost all age groups.

The reasons we joined the Peace Corps are as varied as we are. Some of us wanted to fulfill an idealistic dream, pursue adventure, or give back to the deaf community. But what is common to all our motivations is the idea of service – Peace Corps brought us together from all walks of life so that we may better the world we live in as well as ourselves.

Our homestay experiences were diverse, as well. Some trainees stayed in families without running water or electricity, while others had satellite TV and Internet access. Regardless, every family overwhelmed us with their hospitality (indeed, one trainee was welcomed by an entire church congregation whose members carried luggage on their heads) and their willingness to help us make our transition from over-comforted American homes to a simpler, calmer, more family-oriented environment.

During the training process, we have grown to love Kenya, its vibrant culture, and its natural beauty. Kenyan culture is rich in tradition, and while it is very different from our own, we have to come its communal nature and aspects such as the bucket bath, the choo [usually a hole in the floor – you’re lucky if you have a baby swallower, and the extremely lucky ones had western style toilets], the Kenyan sense of time, getting around on foot, and – everyone’s favorite – washing clothes by hand. We have learned to meet the challenges of cooking with wood, charcoal, and paraffin jikos [a type of stove which usually uses charcoal on a layer of thick clay – we cook on top of the charcoal]. Of course, we have also had to learn to dodge pickies-pickies [motorcycle taxis which nearly killed me several times – no worries, mom, not as many of ‘em around here in Kilifi as there were out in Loitokitok] and stand and deliver at the choo. The intellectual skills we have learned include teaching methods, strategies for integration into the community, and the Kiswahili and KSL languages. We have already learned much from Kenya and this is just the beginning of a learning process that will last for two years.

We trainees have grown closer over the past eight weeks in Mombasa and Loitokitok through our numerous KSL and Kiswahili practice sessions, fueled with innumerable cups of chai and meals of beans and chapati. We have also had our mishaps. A few trainees have experienced losing an entire, precious roll of toilet paper in the choo. A trainee drank for two weeks what she thought was chai was only drink with no chai in it, because she did not realize “bila” means “without.” A deaf-ed trainee confused the sign for “buttocks” with the sign for “television” during the mock Language Proficiency Interview [this trainee was saying, “my family watches a lot of television, they always leave the television on really loud and it really annoys me.” You can imagine how funny it was when he realized that he actually signed butt instead of television]. Another trainee wanted to make an innocent statement in Kiswahili about playing a game during a cultural session, but ended up saying “kucheza ngongo” – to play sex. Our malaria medications also have played games with our heads, and on one of our first nights a trainee woke up to the alarming fact that there was a moose in his room [just so you know, moose does not live in Kenya, and there was no moose in his room].

But, missteps and mishaps aside, we embark tonight on two years of service in the country that has welcomed us so warmly. We are very pleased, and very proud, to represent America in Kenya. We look forward to helping promote peace and understanding among all peoples, and to inspire and motivate people to improve their own lives via the implementation of sustainable projects. In all we do, the promotion of HIV/AIDS awareness will play a major role. Kenya is a young country and in it we see opportunities for business development and education that may not be possible elsewhere.

This is an auspicious time for the Peace Corps in Kenya. This is the first group of Peace Corps Volunteers to be sworn in after the post-election violence earlier this year. The Peace Corps has had a program in Kenya for almost the entire duration of Kenya’s existence as an independent country, and it is back to renew its mission. Also, within a few days, a new president will be inaugurated in Washington. President-Elect Obama has expressed particular support for Peace Corps service, and as all of you know, the President-Elect’s paternal origins carry particular significance for Kenyans.

Let us go, then, to serve and to learn. Let us educate others and educate ourselves, on a common mission to service that transcends our backgrounds as Americans, that has now been renewed. We thank the American Peace Corps and the Republic of Kenya for choosing us to serve. We are very proud and poised to do our best.