Oaths and Speeches

I am generally not one to take oaths.  I was never a Boy Scout.  I have never held public office.  The last time I recall actually taking an oath was when I was confirmed at St. Johns United Church of Christ, which was over 30 years ago.  So, it was a little strange to be swearing to uphold the United States Constitution and to protect it from all enemies foreign and domestic.  Apparently all government employees take this oath, although technically I am not a government employee, at least I think so.  This was the moment we had all been anxiously awaiting, our official swearing in as Peace Corps volunteers.   Trainees no longer, we were ready, at least in the eyes of the training staff, to head off to our respective sites and begin our work. 

At a signal, we all rose together as the US Ambassador to Thailand entered the hall.  She was followed by various Thai dignitaries and the Peace Corps country director.  There were various speeches and introductions, and then the moment came when we rose one again and took the volunteer oath.  After another speech or two, the moment I had been trying not to think about arrived when my fellow volunteer, Cailyn, and I had to get up and make some brief remarks in Thai about our experiences of the past ten weeks. 

Just to keep you in suspense, let me relate a little story leading up to our speech.  As Cailyn and I were walking into the hall, one of our teachers approached us and asked in Thai if we were excited, which is something like “deuun dten.”  I replied “no,” that I wasn’t “deuun dten” I was “deuun glua,” which means terrified, as in of a wild animal.  The teacher looked astonished and rather taken aback and asked if I knew what that meant, to which I replied, “yes, of course I know what that means.”  She looked even more taken aback, and said “deuun dtoa?” and I said, no not “deuun dtoa,” deuun glua.”  Her immediate relief was evident, and she said she would explain what “deuun dtoa” meant later.  As it turns out, “deuun dtoa” means sexually excited, thus what she thought she heard me say was that I was turned on by the prospect of giving a speech to an audience of Thai teachers, Peace Corps volunteers, and sundry Thai and US government officials.

In any event, the actual speech was fine.  I managed to keep my tones relatively under control despite my extreme nervousness, and was complimented by many Thais afterwards on how well I spoke.  They probably didn’t realize that I was just reading the translation of my speech into Thai which my teacher had done.  I could have written it in Thai, but then it would have consisted of things like: “This is delicious!” and “I’m going to take a shower,” or “Today I learned about weather.”  About the most complicated thing I can say at this point is “I became a Peace Corps volunteer because I want to help people.”  Not exactly the most profound or inspiring statement, though true enough in its way.