October update

So here we are back again at another blog. I’d like to do this more than once a month, but lack of internet has kept me from being an outstanding blogger.

Moving on…

Things are up and down as always. Juan and his family are doing fine, and thank you for everyone’s support and kind words. Hopefully I don’t have to go through all of that again anytime soon. Another 9 days of praying and 1 unnaturally early morning of chipa making is right around the corner though. The two-year anniversary of their sister’s death starts the 21st, but I’ll probably be less involved. Maybe I’ll partake in the chipa production because it’s a great forearm workout, but that’s about it.

The women’s committee is moving along. I completed my project promises, so I’m hoping the rumor spreading ladies will lay low for a while. The project is a 10-page work of art that our local Ministry of Ag director said was more than impressive. Thanks! I also hooked the ladies up with our Governor and they presented it without flaw. He said that he’d give them everything they wanted and more, they just have to wait until January comes and the new fiscal year begins. All good news! I’m sure they’ll find more rumors to spread, but for the time being its ok.

My embroidery ladies are learning a lot and I just secured more class time for free. There is a government sponsored (I think) organization that is required to teach technical courses, but they don’t like to leave Asunción. I made my way to their central office twice and we requested 2 weeks of class. When the callback was made to see what they thought, we were totally denied. But within minutes a branch office called our teacher and said there was money available if we worked quickly. So we’re not up for 2 weeks of class, we’re up for 2 MONTHS and the ladies are happy. I also worked it out with the coop that the ladies can join which, if they deicide to become members, will be a win-win situation. The coop is looking for more ladies (they currently only have 3 out of 100 members) and I’ve taken it upon myself to expand their services to include things that would interest women. This embroidery/making clothes thing fits right into the coops goals, so it’s a great match. The women will also have more progression opportunities because their backbone will be a well-known, well-established cooperative. The ladies wanted to take the week to think about it, and I’m a little nervous because the families are so political here. (i.e. there is a guy in our community that I seriously loathe. He causes problems in the coop, school, and even within my women’s committee. But some husbands are buddies with him, and I fear they won’t let their wives enter the coop because he’s currently making waves. Silly because it will lessen the likelihood of my ladies actually making money from these lovely tops/blouses/shirts, but such is life when you live in the Paraguayan campo.)

So the embroidery group has a name. Chachí! (pronounced sha-shI.) It’s the name of our street, a flower that looks more like a small palm tree, and my new homework. As suggested by my dad, I’m going to design a pamphlet of sorts to distribute in the states. Dad suggested trying to sell in Rehobeth Beach, DE so we’ll start there. Also, his secretary mentioned 10,000 Villages which is a non-profit business that sells handicrafts from all over the world with all proceeds going directly back to the producers. There is a store in Columbia and I shopped there a few times. I’ve been in touch with Mrs. USC Mary-David Fox about getting into the international department or, more specifically, the South American Studies department, to see if any avenues are open. They can also sell for individual order and my bff (a.k.a. best friend FOREVER) Cathy is coming in December and can bring said individual orders back with her right in time for Christmas. I’m currently compiling pictures and below is the link to what I have so far. I haven´t finished Dad´s and Carolyns, but that will be added in the next month or so. (Prices vary by style but range anywhere from $25 - $80)



Handmade Clothing

So its time to make my more than one year evaluation so here it goes…

COOP: My coop was kind of a conundrum since day one, and things haven’t become clearer but I guess they are getting better. I’ve designed my own work and purpose, with still very little guidance from the dudes that run it, but they aren’t bad people. If I can get more ladies to join, I will consider it two years of success!

LIFE: I have a great little house and have great neighbors that take care of me. I sometimes wonder if they’ve let me become too involved in their lives, but its better than being lonely I guess. There are many volunteers that don’t have patience for the little Paraguayan quirks, but I’ve learned to brush most of them off. I have Juan too, which has been a MAJOR help with my language skills. In our time together he’s matured a lot and will start studying law in the next couple of months, which will vastly improve his future here.

SCHOOL: Its not a requirement to work in the school, but mine is such a mess that I try to do a little here and there. I’ve done dental health presentations, anti-parasite presentations, and will start painting a giant world map coupled with mini-cultural lessons at the end of the school year (think end of November) so I’m really looking forward to that. I helped them construct and paint a kitchen for the school and also brought in a school garden project from Plan International. Cooking and nutrition classes are on the radar too but will probably have to wait until the school year starts again in February.

OTHER: I started the women’s committee last Feb. and its been more of a headache than anything else, but there is potential still. They’ve managed to present the $60,000 chicken coop project that I wrote, which is what they wanted since our first meeting. We’ll see if they stay together through the long haul though. The embroidery group is great too because in most homes the males make 100% of the income, so this gives the females a chance to make a little cash flow too. I’m helping a fellow volunteer teach her youth group basic accounting and hope to start working one afternoon a week with another women’s committee a few streets down that is growing too quickly to keep track of the business aspects of their organization.

NEW: In an hour or so I have a meeting with fellow volunteers to expand an idea that a Paraguayan gave me and asked me to run with. In general, his idea is that in 2020 Paraguay has a troop of volunteers. To sum it up, Paraguayans don’t do anything without getting paid, ever. In the US we are raised to believe that sometimes knowledge learned is more than money earned (kind of poetic, right? Did I make that up? Somehow I don’t think so.) So to start out, we’re going to try to form an internship program. Young people ages 16-22 are the target market. We’d have to start out with goal/career development because most young people have no idea where to begin, but its as simple as determining likes and dislikes. From there we talk about what it means to be a volunteer and then each Peace Corps volunteer will work out possible internships in our communities or nearby. It will be a 6 months to a year program. We’ll see how the meeting goes, but brainstorming is how everything starts!

SANITY: I’m generally happy, although I feel bi-polar 90% of the time due to extreme good and bad within my community, but this is all totally normal. I’m still considering a 3rd year of work, but only because it won’t be in my community. Staying here for a 3rd year may make me go mad, but in the city I can learn and do a lot more. Peace Corps gives us great support from all sides, although the boss of my sector just left us for another job. If you recall, my boss when I got here was abruptly fired after 20+ years of work. The guy that just left us, Fernando, was with us since January and was fantastic but is friends with people of the political party that just got elected after 60+ years of trying to be elected so he’ll be helping the country in other ways now. So yet again, we are without leadership in my sector but Peace Corps does a really good job of not letting us feel abandoned. So we move on...

BOOKS READ: 20ish

TARANTUALS KILLED: 5

SCORPIONS DISCOVERED IN BATHROOM: 3 (but all the size of my finger nail)

So that is the update. If you guys have any more questions for me, just let me know! Thank you all for your continued support and I hope to be getting lots of requests for new handmade shirts!