Swearing in Ceremony

Monday the 4th of April 2011 was the date my training class of St. Vincent ( EC 83) took our oath to become official Peace Corps Volunteers.  Special day!  I was selected by our class to  deliver the response on behalf of our group.

Response Speech:

"As you can see, we are quite a diverse group of Americans. I would like to take a moment to share parts of us that may not be apparent to the eye.  What are their motives? Did they choose SVG? Who are these people and where did they come from? And most importantly, why are you here?



Our interest, motivations, aspirations and dreams are far to big to capture in this short speech, but I will utilize one of our favorite PACA skills of summarising. From ensuring that Women’s rights organizations still have a voice, to exploring the possibility of enhancing Animal Welfare to increasing visibility of composting. Utilizing 20+ years of work experience on the GM assembly line to bring the highly valued skill of welding back to the technical college , to engaging youth in musical expression such as drumming. Many of us joined Peace Corps out of a desire to share parts of ourselves such as life experiences that assist in he development of life skills , technical skills, emotional wellness practices and aspects of global citizenship. The call for social responsibility has been answered. With this hope comes the desire to challenge ourselves to give the best to you, dedication to being life long learners and lastly the desire to build life long relationships and friendships with those people we meet while serving in SVG.


The common denominator that blends this group together is very similar to the 3 main goals of PC developed from JFKS declaration October 14, 1960. As we continue to participate in activities leading up to the 50th Anniversary Celebration, now more than ever we are called to remember the very reason we are here. The call to help develop while sharing parts of us but most importantly learning about the people of SVG is that thread that connects past, present and future PCVS with the wonderful people of this island. We share Mentality that we are not here to change the world, but rather we desire to make a positive and lasting impact on our communities while serving.


An artist by the name of Ani Difranco expressed : I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap. There are many differences that exist between nations, religions, genders. the list goes on. The one thing that I am comfortable saying about this specific group of volunteers is that we truly acknowledge and appreciate the differences that lay between us. Just from the 8 weeks we have been in SVG we have experienced life, Vincy Style. The people of SVG seem to love their culture from the food, to the local dialect, the Vans, pride and historical markings of each village, oh and how can we leave out Vincy Mas. These special aspects of Vincentian culture are just the start of what we wish to embrace as PCVS.


The 50th Anniversary is especially meaningful to those of us serving in the EC because of the long lasting history built between PC and the Caribbean Islands. The last few classes of trainees have set the bar particularly high. We are grateful for the time and energy current PCVS have invested in helping us adjust to our new lives in SVG. From tips on where the most affordable places to shop are to the names of Vans to helps us travel from Windward to Leeward before we even knew what Windward and Leeward actually meant. We also thank you for helping us jump in and get involved with projects that were already in progress .


The friendliness and kindness of the people of SVG are especially prevalent in a small group of individuals who we have grown to know more intimately over the past few weeks. I want to give a sincere and heartfelt thanks to all of the host families that have opened there homes to complete strangers. It takes an equal amount of compassion and desire to give back to support such a cause as being a host family. You have helped us become functional adults, crash course in survival in just a span of weeks. A special thanks to my own host mother Ms. Lucy Rogers for always making sure my hair was dry and belly full before laying down to sleep each night and always being pleasant when I brought home my PACA assignments at the dinner table.


Thank you to our counter parts, IPPS for taking us under your wings and allowing us to probe your vast amount of knowledge weekly in order to better assess our own skill set in relation to working with your school or agency. Patience, and commitment are two words that come to mind when I think of an IPP. The commitment to the process of working with a volunteer is unique and challenging. It can often start of slow but the overall investment in hopes of developing a lasting enhancement is well worth the bumps one may encounter along the way.Ms. Rhonda Burke and Ms. Stephens have truly shown me the spirit of dedicated teachers at our school and I hope to be able to contribute just a fraction of what they have in years of work at Cane end.


To our trainers that have been with us for the past 8 weeks of PST: Junior Bachus, Haydn Marshall , Theresa Daniels and Debbie Darymple. With out you, there would be no us today. Thank you for dedicating your time, resources and vast amount of knowledge about your specific areas of expertise as well as the cultural and history of SVG. We truly appreciate your efforts and hope to continue to develop on going relationships.






Evenly and Jeffery, you two are the eyes and ears of SVG. You are the bridge from St. Lucia, to Cool to us. You effect the quality of our day in many ways, from questions about transportation, to ensuring we have water, your genuine and sincerity shine through with each interaction we have with you. Thank you for being the back bone of our headquarter.


 Mr. Cutbhert James, or better known as Mr. Cool. The legend of Mr. Cool reached us long before we met you. As we anxiously awaited our 1st face to face encounter with THE Mr. Cool upon arrival in SVG, we conjured up all kind of stories of what you would be like. I think its safe to say , the only way to truly understand you, is actually be present with you. Your hard work and dedication as a person is apparent in your professional life as well. Your values of hard work, integrity and punctuality ( we won’t start on that debate) have allowed us to enter SVG with a sense of what it means to be a successfully PCV. You practice what you preach and mean what you say. You have given us a balance of appreciation for the theoretical concepts of community development, capacity building and sustainability but more importantly you have emphasized the practical aspects of these words. Therefore, as your newest group of volunteers we are prepared to turn this words into actions. Thank you for challenging us to bring out best to not only you as our APCD, to our worksites, current PCVS, ourselves and the people of SVG who have welcomed us to their home.


Finally, to my extended family. EC 83


This is OUR PC experience, it is exactly what we make of it. When times get tough or cloudy, take a moment to reflect on the amount of time and energy invested pre-service. Or better yet, take a stroll down memory lane during your application process. Think about those long hours spent on gathering documentation, forms and completion of questionnaires, nominations, invitations, and finally your acceptance response to serve in the EC departing January 27th. When you are unsure if you made the right move, reach out one another. My hopes are that we continue to be that support system while here, utilize one another as resources for project expansion and development. I am pretty sure we have all realized at this point that the saying is actually true. This is not a job, but an experience. Cultivate and create the experience you desire along with the people that have been placed in your life. We each have separate paths carved out, from Union Island to Owia. Stop, take a moment, breathe it all in. We are 9 weeks into our PC experience, Congratulations. I am honored to cross over from PCT to PCV with such a talented, compassionate ambitious group of people. In my heart, I believe the possibilities for us are vast and infinite. The structure is being removed.


From here I extend this challenge to you: "not to turn everything into us. In truth, the deepest function of humility is that it helps us take experience in on its own terms, not violating its own nature. All in an effort to be nourished by life that is different from us. Through this effort, we find the corresponding seeds of such life in us. They are the common seeds of grace that can sustain us. "- Mark Nepo


I look forward to serving the next 2 years of my life with you, ( god willing as many Vincentians will say) or unless Cool has already persuaded you to extend to that 3rd year. I am overcome with joy to embrace this next step of our journey with each and everyone of you, Congratulations, EC 83"