Swear-In Speech

I'm not sure if I can handle the luxury of two days in a row with internet access, but I feel the need to take advantage before I head off to village for three months (we're required to stay in our region for our first three months to ensure that we integrate as much as possible). I just finished editing my French speech for swear-in with the help of one of our language instructors, so I thought I'd go ahead and share the English version. Mind you, I'll be giving my speech to the Ambassador and a host of U.S. and Burkinabe dignitaries, as well as Peace Corps staff and my fellow trainees/volunteers so I'm definitely a wee bit nervous! Anyhow, here it goes...

Swear-In Speech

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, friends and honored guests. Thank you for joining us on this momentous and memorable occassion. It is out pleasure to share this special evening with you.

We arrived eleven weeks ago, stepping of the plane wide-eyed and a bit naive, unprepared for what awaited us. Most of us came to Burkina Faso with only rudimentary knowledge of the country, prepared for a great adventure but little knowing what to expect. Our first few days constituted a barrage of sights, sounds, experiences, and a rapid and intense introduction to Burkina Faso.

During our stage, we learned and accomplished a multitude of things. We became members of families and communities and were embraced with generosity and kindness by people whom we can never forget. Our days were spend studying language and culture and acquiring the skills necessary for our future work. Though sometimes difficult and frustrating, we gained an incredible volume of skills and knowledge from the Peace Corps staff, our host families and communities. Little by little, Burkina Faso began to reveal itself to us as we opened our hearts and minds to our new home. As we gained knowledge and experience, we evolved from strangers and observers into participants and community members.

We now have the opportunity to take what we have learned over the past eleven weeks and apply it on our own. For many of us, the next two years will constitute one of the greatest challenges of our lives thus far. We will develop friendships, apply and acquire new skills, and integrate into our communities as we continue to learn each day.

Tonight signifies the end of our journey as stagiares and the beginning of our two years as volunteers. We will take on the new roles of friends, educators, and community members. I would like to thank everyone who has supported us in our endeavors and who have helped us to reach this point as well as those who will aid us throughout the next two years. We would not be here without the support of the governments of the United States and Burkina Faso, the Peace Corps staff in Washington and Burkina, our host families and their communities, our homologues, and our future communities. We have been received with warmth and enthusiasm and equipped to thrive and succeed over the next two years. My sincere hope is that, while we will undoubtedly take so much with us at the conclusion of out time in Burkina, that we will also leave a part of us behind, in this country whose people and spirit have already begun to touch us.