Victims of Comfort
October 28, 2001
Dear Friends and Family,
One of the hardest things for Shawn and I after the attacks of
September 11th, is the feeling of being so far away. We hear
stories from people back in the United States talking about the
renewed patriotism, flags waving proudly and stores hanging signs
that remind us "In God We Trust." I wonder if we are
missing a part of history that really would be touching to
experience. It is not the war we are missing, but the spirit. We
watched a news update on CNN with President Bush indicating that
Americans are coming back to the church, recommitting themselves
to their marriages or loved ones and placing new values on family
structure. Only God could bring something good from something so
bad.
On October 19, 2001 we were sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers
during an official ceremony at the home of US Ambassador to
Honduras, Frank Almaguer. I know that with the recent events in
the United States, our ceremony had even more meaning to the 59
trainees who made a two year commitment to serve. This was our
moment, as a group, to be part of the American spirit.
Personally, I have never felt more pride in my country than
during that moment. Our program began with silence and reflection
for all the victims of the terrorist attacks and for their
families. The silence spoke loudly to our hearts as we prayed for
comfort, understanding and justice. With great dignity, we broke
the silence singing the National Anthems of Honduras and the
United States of America.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Almaguer addressed our group
about the honor in the oath we were about to take as Peace Corps
Volunteers. The Ambassador had also served as a Peace Corps
Volunteer with his wife in Belize over 25 years ago. He informed
us that the oath for our service was nearly identical to the oath
he took when he accepted office as the US Ambassador to Honduras.
With right hands raised, we made the following pledge:
I, Shawn/Jennifer Silvera, do solemnly swear that I will support
and defend the constitution of the United States against all
enemies, foreign and domestic, and that I bear true faith all
allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely,
without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I
will well and faithfully discharge my duties in the Peace Corps.
So help me God.
Our director of Peace Corps Honduras, Mr. Steve Miller, shared a
few thoughts with the audience to conclude the ceremony. I would
like to summarize the highlights of his speech:
This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Peace Corps. Worldwide,
more than 162,000 volunteers have served in a total of 134
countries. Currently, there are 7,000 volunteers serving in 75
countries. Honduras has been a volunteer site for 39 of the 40
years, with more than 5,000 men and women serving in the country.
Currently, in Honduras our group totals 260 people. Our director
encouraged us that the path we start today is well worn, but it
is not a rut. Some days it may feel like we are in a rut...but we
are not.
Mr. Miller served as a Peace Corps volunteer with his wife, Tina,
in Guatemala during 1976-1978. He claims that the experience
helped them to become better human beings. Referencing a song
"Victims of Comfort", Mr. Miller discussed the idea of
complacency within our American society. We all fall victim
sometimes to the comforts of our daily lives. We may even wish
for a change somehow, in even small areas of our lives, but we
tend to be just a little too busy...so things stay the same. Our
director congratulated us during the ceremony for deciding not to
be too busy and for making a choice to make a change. Not that he
was trying to place us on a guilt trip if we felt like victims of
comfort. He guaranteed that if we were feeling like victims of
comfort, we had a wonderful opportunity here to get over it.
His speech concluded with the idea that the Peace Corps
experience is not really about "me". Actually, our work
over the next two years is about our friends in Honduras; helping
them realize their capabilities, helping them set priorities, and
helping them to become motivated in their own development. We are
not here to make changes just for the sake of change itself, but
rather as a benefit for the communities we live in, to bring them
out of the devastating poverty we will witness first hand. In the
end, we will change and grow together.
I was inspired, during this time of war in our own homeland, to
make this small commitment towards peace. It was the first time
since the attacks that I can truly say I was connected to our
country in deep gratitude to live in a land of such vast freedom.
Many people have asked us how they can help us or what they can
send. If you see something that touches you, and if it is not too
inconvenient, maybe take a picture for us. We would love to hear
from you and share in what you are experiencing. We would love to
see what you see. NOTE our permanent address change for all types
of mail is:
Shawn Miguel y Jennifer Silvera
Voluntarios del Cuerpo de Paz
Barrio el Centro
Concepción de Maria, Choluteca
HONDURAS
We move into our new site on Tuesday, October 30, 2001. We were
delayed due to Shawn's recovery from mono...but don't feel too
sorry for us, we have been having a lovely week. Talk about
"Victims of Comfort"! You will see what I mean as Shawn
closes our letter:
Greetings From Miguel!
After my stay in the hospital, two weeks of recovery time at my
host home (more on that in a moment), and our graduation
ceremony; Jennifer and I are staying in a very nice bed and
breakfast in the capital.
The story with our host family...when I got out of the hospital
from having mono I was placed on strict bed rest. Jennifer
continued to go to training, but I was instructed to rest in
order to not have a relapse. We only had 2 weeks left of
training, so Jennifer took good notes. However, our host mom
started making daily trips to Tegucigalpa (the capital) and left
me alone with the 2, 6, and 8 year old (I think she liked the
free baby sitting). It was frustrating, because although I loved
to play with the kids and they loved my attention, I was not
getting much rest as their only adult supervision.
When I mentioned the troubles with our host family, the Peace
Corps Medical Office decided we would be more comfortable in a
Bed and Breakfast. They have taken very good care of us. It has
actually been a nice mini-vacation to be in a quiet room, have
access to free internet and watch American cable TV! We have been
catching up on the news through CNN. To top it all off, Jennifer
was elated to have a food allowance and the opportunity to order
McDonalds! Combo #6 is her new favorite and she is wondering why
she never discovered it in the states.
As always, we are glad to keep in touch. Thank you for your
responses, they are the "comfort of home" for us. We
have heard from many friends that they forward our mail to other
friends. We are flattered and wish to send our greetings to our
"new readers" as well. Have a great week.
United We Stand and in God we trust (that's how we ended up in
Honduras),
Shawn and Jennifer