While much of training is spent in the Centro-i drilling lessons into our heads, there are plenty of training sessions out and about in the Paraguayan cities and countryside. This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit a volunteer in a small central town of about 5000 inhabitants. During my stay, I learned all about volunteer life, cooperatives, and ao po'i.
The volunteer I visited has a pretty chuchi lifestyle in her small artisan town. She has her own house attached to a host family's home, running water, electricity, and even internet just as in my current training city. No supermercado in town, but she does have a really nice dispensa. The town has a centrally located church and plaza with her cooperative right across the street. Because the town is rather rural, I got to practice my Guarani plenty too! (I´ll do an extensive post on Guarani in the near future. It´s tough, but a really awesome language.) All in all, the town is really a cute place to live. The cooperative the volunteer worked in is comprised of a group of community members (mostly women) that work together to make and sell embroidered clothing called ao poí. Over the weekend, I was able to learn all about the tela (cloth) used, as well as a very basic floral pattern. A good USA comparison is cross stitching, same basic idea really. Given my past history with cross stitch, I was able to pick it up quite quick. I even finished a napkin over the weekend with blue tela and white stitching.
The biggest lessons from the stay, however, were: 1) I love this town size- small and manageable with a fairly close knit community, and 2) I need to learn Guarani much more during training as it´s very necessary for life outside of the capital area. Practical training is truly invaluable, I certainly learned more this weekend about Paraguay and my new job than I had in the couple of weeks prior.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Un Dia del Vida- Aspirante
A day in the life of a Peace Corps Trainee in Paraguay is (so I hear) one of the most intense periods of one's volunteer service. Challenging and jammed packed of new information, I can't disagree! Here's a taster to outline it a bit for ya:
My stopwatch goes off, it's 6:30am- time to wakeup. I reluctantly roll out of my twin bed and into the cool, musty air that lingers in my bedroom on this cold winter morning. I step into my flip-flops, the house shoes/slippers of all Paraguayan homes, and head over to my rompero to pick out my clothes for the day. Having decided on jeans and a nice top, I grab my bag of toiletries to take a shower. It's a bit icy out this morning and the bathroom lined with cool white tile is no comfort against the chill. Luckily after utilizing the toilet (don't throw paper in there it'll clog up the whole system!), I have the privilege of jumping into a warm, electric shower (yes- wires and all... no- it's really not as dangerous as one might think). The lights dim a bit as the voltage to run this thing is a bit of a drain on our power supply, the weaker the water pressure the warmer the water. It trickles, but I want it hot. When I'm done I squeegy the floor, just like when I'd clean my car's windshield. Attempting to keep the tile clean and free of the red dirt that is omnipresent in my life, I manage to pull on my clothes. Returning my shower bag to my room, I then head to the living room/dining room for breakfast with my little "sister" and host "mom." We sit down to a lovely meal of coqidos (small crunchy bread sticks)/bread and butter with cocido or cafe. We have our leisurely morning conversation: Amaniciste bien? Si, amanici bien. I'm in a rush (as usual) to get out the door, and I fumble with my keys in the process of locking up. Classes start today at 7:45am.
The Peace Corps Centro-i is just around the block, and I arrive to find half of my training group already comfortable on the steps of our training center. Playing soccer or marbles with the neighborhood boys, spirits are high as we break out the morning mate. We pass the matero around and compare yuyos. Soon after we are ushered into our classrooms for language training. The class starts off with a conversation in Spanish to get us thinking and talking of our lives in Paraguay. We joke about our weekend adventures, last nights dinner, or some really embarrassing cultural misunderstanding we managed that morning. Soon enough, we begin our Guarani lessons. Today Mba'eichapa, tomorrow Che cherera (insert your name here). The linguistics are riveting- verb conjugations are prefixes, question marks are suffixes, and that's only the beginning. What I would give to have known this stuff when I was studying language back in university! By 11:30am, I am exhausted. My mind hurts, all the words swimming around up there are starting to collide.
I head back home for lunch, a guiso with chicken, rice, and an almost spaghetti sauce. Oh yes, some mandi'o too, that good old yucca root and a Paraguayan staple, on the side. We chat, drink terere, and generally veg for an hour. Sometimes I even play hide and seek with little "brother" and "sister." At 1:00pm, it's time to head back for afternoon classes.
Afternoons are reserved for technical sessions, typically led by our fearless trainers from the USA. Our whole group is around for the session and we start off with a game to burn some calories from our solid lunch. Today is a bit special as we have a trainee guided session on the Paraguayan school system and a visit to a local elementary. We've had trainings on making our own huerta (garden), developing charlas (community talks/workshops), and even the standard health & safety. We play some form of word game to learn the escuela vocabulary, and then we are off to investigate the hierarchy and core aims of the country's system. Some lasting points: teachers are all required to go through the same university program for licensing- there is currently a surplus of teachers, school days last 5 hours, grades 1-9 are compulsory and funded by the government, subjects focused upon heavily include math and communication. By the end of the charla it is clear that there is a gap between objectives and outcome. Our school visits confirm this perception, yet surprise with the simultaneous implementation of strict discipline and lax pedagogy. I jump to contrast the system with that of the States, but I know I have a lot more to learn from Paraguay before I can even begin to pass judgment. I've only been in the classroom an hour, I cannot be too quick to develop conclusions.
It's 5pm and we are finishing up training for the day. I grab my backpack and head home, back around the block just before the sun goes down. The sunset is and outstanding mix of orange and purple. I unlock my door, put down my books and sit with my host family to watch TV and play cards. I've taught my "sister" Go Fish and it's our new favorite game. I'm surprised she was able to pick it up, as my ability to explain the purpose and rules was quite limited that first week in country. Tonight we chat about upcoming events on my schedule, such as dance class on Fridays at the local dance school- I'm learning folklorico and the traditional bottle dance. I have a trip this weekend, class in an neighboring city tomorrow, and my own charla to plan on educacion civica for next week. I read, and my family helps me with my Spanish/Guarani homework. We have a dinner of fideos (pasta) and meat. More bread and then freshly squeezed grapefruit juice for dessert. My host "mom" breaks out the radio and we start a small dance party, a sampling of regaton and the inspector gadget theme song (no clue why, but the kids are loving it here). Then it's off to bed; I curl into my sheets and sleeping bag to write my nightly journal entry. I'm so tired I am having a hard time getting my thoughts on paper. I think to myself, "I should have done more today, what happened to all that time? Boy am I ever tired."
I shuffle across the room to turn out the light, and I drift to sleep. My alarm is set to wake me for yet another day.
My stopwatch goes off, it's 6:30am- time to wakeup. I reluctantly roll out of my twin bed and into the cool, musty air that lingers in my bedroom on this cold winter morning. I step into my flip-flops, the house shoes/slippers of all Paraguayan homes, and head over to my rompero to pick out my clothes for the day. Having decided on jeans and a nice top, I grab my bag of toiletries to take a shower. It's a bit icy out this morning and the bathroom lined with cool white tile is no comfort against the chill. Luckily after utilizing the toilet (don't throw paper in there it'll clog up the whole system!), I have the privilege of jumping into a warm, electric shower (yes- wires and all... no- it's really not as dangerous as one might think). The lights dim a bit as the voltage to run this thing is a bit of a drain on our power supply, the weaker the water pressure the warmer the water. It trickles, but I want it hot. When I'm done I squeegy the floor, just like when I'd clean my car's windshield. Attempting to keep the tile clean and free of the red dirt that is omnipresent in my life, I manage to pull on my clothes. Returning my shower bag to my room, I then head to the living room/dining room for breakfast with my little "sister" and host "mom." We sit down to a lovely meal of coqidos (small crunchy bread sticks)/bread and butter with cocido or cafe. We have our leisurely morning conversation: Amaniciste bien? Si, amanici bien. I'm in a rush (as usual) to get out the door, and I fumble with my keys in the process of locking up. Classes start today at 7:45am.
The Peace Corps Centro-i is just around the block, and I arrive to find half of my training group already comfortable on the steps of our training center. Playing soccer or marbles with the neighborhood boys, spirits are high as we break out the morning mate. We pass the matero around and compare yuyos. Soon after we are ushered into our classrooms for language training. The class starts off with a conversation in Spanish to get us thinking and talking of our lives in Paraguay. We joke about our weekend adventures, last nights dinner, or some really embarrassing cultural misunderstanding we managed that morning. Soon enough, we begin our Guarani lessons. Today Mba'eichapa, tomorrow Che cherera (insert your name here). The linguistics are riveting- verb conjugations are prefixes, question marks are suffixes, and that's only the beginning. What I would give to have known this stuff when I was studying language back in university! By 11:30am, I am exhausted. My mind hurts, all the words swimming around up there are starting to collide.
I head back home for lunch, a guiso with chicken, rice, and an almost spaghetti sauce. Oh yes, some mandi'o too, that good old yucca root and a Paraguayan staple, on the side. We chat, drink terere, and generally veg for an hour. Sometimes I even play hide and seek with little "brother" and "sister." At 1:00pm, it's time to head back for afternoon classes.
Afternoons are reserved for technical sessions, typically led by our fearless trainers from the USA. Our whole group is around for the session and we start off with a game to burn some calories from our solid lunch. Today is a bit special as we have a trainee guided session on the Paraguayan school system and a visit to a local elementary. We've had trainings on making our own huerta (garden), developing charlas (community talks/workshops), and even the standard health & safety. We play some form of word game to learn the escuela vocabulary, and then we are off to investigate the hierarchy and core aims of the country's system. Some lasting points: teachers are all required to go through the same university program for licensing- there is currently a surplus of teachers, school days last 5 hours, grades 1-9 are compulsory and funded by the government, subjects focused upon heavily include math and communication. By the end of the charla it is clear that there is a gap between objectives and outcome. Our school visits confirm this perception, yet surprise with the simultaneous implementation of strict discipline and lax pedagogy. I jump to contrast the system with that of the States, but I know I have a lot more to learn from Paraguay before I can even begin to pass judgment. I've only been in the classroom an hour, I cannot be too quick to develop conclusions.
It's 5pm and we are finishing up training for the day. I grab my backpack and head home, back around the block just before the sun goes down. The sunset is and outstanding mix of orange and purple. I unlock my door, put down my books and sit with my host family to watch TV and play cards. I've taught my "sister" Go Fish and it's our new favorite game. I'm surprised she was able to pick it up, as my ability to explain the purpose and rules was quite limited that first week in country. Tonight we chat about upcoming events on my schedule, such as dance class on Fridays at the local dance school- I'm learning folklorico and the traditional bottle dance. I have a trip this weekend, class in an neighboring city tomorrow, and my own charla to plan on educacion civica for next week. I read, and my family helps me with my Spanish/Guarani homework. We have a dinner of fideos (pasta) and meat. More bread and then freshly squeezed grapefruit juice for dessert. My host "mom" breaks out the radio and we start a small dance party, a sampling of regaton and the inspector gadget theme song (no clue why, but the kids are loving it here). Then it's off to bed; I curl into my sheets and sleeping bag to write my nightly journal entry. I'm so tired I am having a hard time getting my thoughts on paper. I think to myself, "I should have done more today, what happened to all that time? Boy am I ever tired."
I shuffle across the room to turn out the light, and I drift to sleep. My alarm is set to wake me for yet another day.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Mate y Tereré
I’m going to try and keep my blogs as educational as possible throughout this experience to meet the second and third goals of the Peace Corps in culture sharing and to keep things interesting! Today, I’d like to cover a topic very integral to Paraguayan culture: Mate and Tereré.
Mate and Tereré are both types of “tea” for the foreigner. The former is sipped while hot, the later cold. The primary ingredient is yerba mate in Spanish or ka’a in Guarani. This herb is sold loose-leaf and often mixed with a large array of remedios in Spanish or yuyos/pohã ñana in Guarani (medicinal herbs) for a variety of ailments. To prepare this tasty mixture, the yerba mate and yuyos are placed in a relatively small metal or wooden cup called a matero (for mate) or a guampa (for tereré). Cold and hot water is then prepared in a thermos (remedios may also be placed in the water) and poured over the yerba to start the infusion. A bombillo, or a metal straw with a small sift on the bottom, is then used to sip out your tea. Pretty sweet, eh?
This traditional drink is quite possibly my favorite part of Paraguayan culture thus far. In particular, I have learned much about the flora of Paraguay through the process of collecting yuyos from my yard (and our neighbors’ yards), other families in town, and the local super mercado. Some of them you all will already know and others are totally new, for example:
Menta’i- Mint
Anise- Anise Seed
Manzanilla- Camomile
Burrito- no translation, a great digestive
Kapi’I Kati- no translation, a diuretic
Amba’y- no translation, expectorant
Salvia- no translation, sweet and good for the upset stomach
Sen- no translation, laxative
Surubina- no translation, promotes good circulation
Etc… there are soooooo many more too!
Yesterday I learned all about starting my own garden in Pargauay, so I think I’m going to jump right on the yuyo cultivation boat! When I get back to the States, it may even become a favorite pastime to wander our hippie herbal shops looking for some new yuyos. :-)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
La Primera Semana
Thanks to everyone that has expressed an interest in my health and well-being during the last week- I have indeed arrived safely in Paraguay!
My service period began in Miami where I was introduced formally to the 21 volunteers participating in training and (ojala!) service in the area of Community Economic Development. During this rapid ?staging? session, we discussed our aspirations, anxieties, and Peace Corps' Core Expectations. The part of the lesson I enjoyed the most was focusing on the Peace Corps' Mission, which states, "Volunteers are making a difference in people's lives [...] through direct service as well as promoting understanding between cultures. Even the smallest difference is enough to make great impacts on people's lives."
As with everything, I decided it was time to outline some modest goals for my time in Paraguay. As such, here?s how I will define success in the next 2 years:
1) When I've been able to carry a fluent conversation with a local;
2) When I've made a close friend in my community;
3) When I've helped anyone in my community to reach a personal or local goal;
4) When I have developed long-term relationships and projects that I can follow into the future.
Mission statement and goals in mind, I boarded the plane for Argentina/Paraguay on Wednesday a bit nervous but also thrilled to be getting started!
Once I arrived, it took me a couple of days to settle into the groove of Peace Corps Orientation/Training. This was in large part due to the fact that I didn?t get much sleep on the overnight flight to Paraguay, but also a bit of "Is this real?" Am I now actually in a new country and in training to be a PC volunteer?? By Saturday, I had more or less realized that I indeed had arrived- I wasn?t just dreaming at all.
It has now been one week since the Thursday morning I arrived in Asuncion. While it's only been 7 days, it feels like I?ve been here at least a month already. I live with a very caring host family comprised of a younger mom, dad, a nine-year-old sister, and a five-year-old brother. I've got my own room in our house with a bed, a desk, and an armoire. My house is very well equipped with modern conveniences also. For example, I have both electricity and running water, an electric shower with hot water, and even a semi-automatic washing machine to make laundry easier. Additionally, the town has a good water sanitation program- so I even get to drink the water from the tap! All this chuchi (fancy) stuff has been a very pleasant surprise. I always anticipated a bit more harsh living in the Peace Corps, but as modernization has made it most places in Latin America now, it looks like it's gonna' be a pretty smooth ride.
The training thus far has been simply spectacular. I always knew that I would learn a lot through the Peace Corps experience, but I never thought it would be so very fast and so very far-reaching. Every morning we have language classes for 4 hours in Spanish and Guarani, and in the afternoons we have technical training in the area of Community Economic Development which is comprised of 4 working areas: Civic Education,
Entrepreneurship, Family Finance, and Information Technology. Our overall aim in each of these areas is knowledge and skills transfer through facilitating activities and helping to organize groups or events. The training is both a learning and exhibition tool- so while we are learning in each session we are to also mimic the facilitation style in our own activities in the field. An intense session pushes each trainee well beyond the comfort level to learn, experience, reflect, and eventually teach our topic. Effective!
All in all: My introduction to Paraguay has been quite wonderful thus far. I can only hope that the next 10 weeks of training will be just as informative and fun.
My service period began in Miami where I was introduced formally to the 21 volunteers participating in training and (ojala!) service in the area of Community Economic Development. During this rapid ?staging? session, we discussed our aspirations, anxieties, and Peace Corps' Core Expectations. The part of the lesson I enjoyed the most was focusing on the Peace Corps' Mission, which states, "Volunteers are making a difference in people's lives [...] through direct service as well as promoting understanding between cultures. Even the smallest difference is enough to make great impacts on people's lives."
As with everything, I decided it was time to outline some modest goals for my time in Paraguay. As such, here?s how I will define success in the next 2 years:
1) When I've been able to carry a fluent conversation with a local;
2) When I've made a close friend in my community;
3) When I've helped anyone in my community to reach a personal or local goal;
4) When I have developed long-term relationships and projects that I can follow into the future.
Mission statement and goals in mind, I boarded the plane for Argentina/Paraguay on Wednesday a bit nervous but also thrilled to be getting started!
Once I arrived, it took me a couple of days to settle into the groove of Peace Corps Orientation/Training. This was in large part due to the fact that I didn?t get much sleep on the overnight flight to Paraguay, but also a bit of "Is this real?" Am I now actually in a new country and in training to be a PC volunteer?? By Saturday, I had more or less realized that I indeed had arrived- I wasn?t just dreaming at all.
It has now been one week since the Thursday morning I arrived in Asuncion. While it's only been 7 days, it feels like I?ve been here at least a month already. I live with a very caring host family comprised of a younger mom, dad, a nine-year-old sister, and a five-year-old brother. I've got my own room in our house with a bed, a desk, and an armoire. My house is very well equipped with modern conveniences also. For example, I have both electricity and running water, an electric shower with hot water, and even a semi-automatic washing machine to make laundry easier. Additionally, the town has a good water sanitation program- so I even get to drink the water from the tap! All this chuchi (fancy) stuff has been a very pleasant surprise. I always anticipated a bit more harsh living in the Peace Corps, but as modernization has made it most places in Latin America now, it looks like it's gonna' be a pretty smooth ride.
The training thus far has been simply spectacular. I always knew that I would learn a lot through the Peace Corps experience, but I never thought it would be so very fast and so very far-reaching. Every morning we have language classes for 4 hours in Spanish and Guarani, and in the afternoons we have technical training in the area of Community Economic Development which is comprised of 4 working areas: Civic Education,
Entrepreneurship, Family Finance, and Information Technology. Our overall aim in each of these areas is knowledge and skills transfer through facilitating activities and helping to organize groups or events. The training is both a learning and exhibition tool- so while we are learning in each session we are to also mimic the facilitation style in our own activities in the field. An intense session pushes each trainee well beyond the comfort level to learn, experience, reflect, and eventually teach our topic. Effective!
All in all: My introduction to Paraguay has been quite wonderful thus far. I can only hope that the next 10 weeks of training will be just as informative and fun.
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