It is hard for me to believe that I have been in Paraguay
for 10 months. In a few weeks G-39
will swear in, and after that G-40 (my sister G) will arrive. I think this is a milestone for most
volunteers. The reason is that we
along with our ‘older’ sister G, G-34, help train G-40.
–Side Note: We are G’s because we are trained in Guarambare,
so my group was the 37th group of trainees to go through Guarambare. Every third G will be the same sector
because it rotates, Rural Health and Sanitation swear-in in April, Community
Economic Development swears- in in August and Agricultural Extension and
Environmental Education swear-in in December. This concept was confusing for me when I first arrived in
Paraguay and it took a while for me to realize my sister-G wasn’t the G
directly before and after me.
After 10 months in Paraguay and 7 ½ in site, I wish that I
could tell you that my Guarani was improving; it isn’t. I started studying more and I have
posters around my room with verbs and sentence structure but it’s not coming
together. My main issue is that I
can already speak Spanish. I had thought this would be awesome because I could
just focus on Guarani and not worry about Spanish; unfortunately, when I don’t
understand what people say in Guarani they just switch to Spanish and encourage
me to do the same. They later ask
why I don’t speak more Guarani. I found out that other Ag volunteers lied about
their Spanish abilities in site so they would be forced to learn Guarani. I wish I had found this out before I
got to site, not 4 months in when everyone knew my Spanish abilities.
Besides constantly struggling with language I have also been
doing more work in my garden. Unfortunately it appears that my tomatoes have
caught a virus, for which there is no cure, and will all be dead within the
week. I think that is what I get
for being so proud of the absurd amount of tomatoes I had. Next summer my plan is to watch them
more closely, kill any that seem to be a little sick, and not brag about my
massive amount of tomatoes. I am
doing my best to eat my humble pie but it isn’t going down easy.
Luckily, I still have my garlic, spinach, lettuce, green
beans, and carrots. For my first
ever garden I am going to (humbly) say it’s a success! My demo plot with my contact is also
germinating and I think that I might try to plant crops in order to make a
homemade chicken feed this spring (fall for you northern hemisphere
folks). I also am planning on
buying 3 egg-laying hens in early August (Sorry Ma, I know you wanted to get
them first but you were just too slow).
I am still teaching English in the school and in the church,
although the attendance in church is dwindling. In addition I am working with a commission in the community
to try and get funding for pipes, a tank, and a motor in order to give 10
families access to running water.
What this means is that I am in charge of filling out the USAID forms;
it’s as fun as it sounds. My main
frustration with this project is that I am not being invited to the meetings
surrounding the project. Some of
the people think that I just have to call Peace Corps, tell them I need
12.000.000Gs and BOOM I get it. No
strings attached. Actually I need
to write essays, fill out forms, make spreadsheets, and explain where every last
Guarani will be spent. All this being said, I really hope that this project can
happen. I think I am getting nervous about how I can positively affect the
community and helping to fund the running water project would definitely be a
step in the right direction.
All
in all Copper and I are doing well in Paraguay. She is getting neutered in September and doesn’t chase the
chickens as often as she used to.
She also hates the town drunk, which I am insanely proud of. She is only
5 months old but she growls at him with the ferocity of a 3 year old German
shepherd. I firmly believe she is
one of the best decisions I have made so far in Paraguay. She barks a lot and chases children but
I sleep better knowing I have a furry little friend watching over me.
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