I’ve had a lot of problems getting to internet, so this blog is a little dicey. Directly below are my most recent comments, and further down is a blog I wrote on June 1.
So, most of my blogs are pretty upbeat and positive… which accurately describes my basic outlook on life. Even when I’ve had a bad day, I usually get over it quickly because few things last forever. There is no point in always being the Debbie Downer of every situation, although it is fun to throw in a few snarky comments every once in awhile! But basically, I want to let it be known that life down here isn’t always rainbows and unicorns.
One of the things Peace Corps stresses a lot during training is the emotional rollercoaster often experienced during service. I had my doubt during training, but now with over 10 months in my assigned community I can definitely attest to this claim. It’s not a day of happiness then a day of sadness, it’s much more sporadic. We’re talking for 10 minutes all you want to do is yell out your frustrations and then your only care in the world is how delicious that pineapple in your fridge will be. One of the most difficult things as well is that Paraguayans don’t understand and don’t use the word frustrated. They’ll say angry or nervous, but frustrado never comes out. Therefore, it’s hard to describe to someone else the feeling of not being understood, not understanding, not caring, caring too much, and everything else all thrown into a big pot of the word frustrated.
Volunteers talk a lot about why Peace Corps has been in Paraguay for a strong 40 years. Are we not doing our job correctly? Should we be doing more? Should we do less? And really, there are so many things out of our hands. I, as most of you know, am very direct. If I have something to say, I will say it and to your face. There is no point in holding things in for a days or even years when it can be talked about and dealt with within minutes. Paraguayans however loathe direct communication. When my host dad wants Juan to do something, he tells his wife to tell Juan. When there is a meeting regarding the coop, does the president or treasurer pass on the word? Nope, they usually let it slip by and then ask why I wasn’t there when I had no idea at all. When someone has an idea in my women’s committee, do they tell me or the president? Nope, they wait until they tell 10 of their friends who then relay it to us. You get the point. Clear and continuous communication is so vital and necessary for growth, and we really take for granted what we’ve been taught.
So here’s what is actually going on now…
WOMEN’S COMMITTEE:
Slowly but surely we’re getting all of our local and national recognition papers together. Who knew so much red tape could exist! I’ve brought in a lot of people to speak to them and motivate. Most have never been involved in a committee of any kind, so there is a lot to learn. I have a lot of problems with the ladies because they love a good cat fight. They’d never admit that but nothing makes them happier than talking about the other ladies, then some get mad and want to quit and it’s all games. I didn’t like junior high, but apparently I’m back in it for a few more years. The good thing is that we’re slowly making some progress. I think we’re going to move to doing 2 or 3 projects and not just chicken coops. They coops aren’t realistic in the long run, but in typical Paraguayan fashion whomever speaks the loudest decides the actions of the group. Basically every Friday at 4pm (about when our meetings end) I’d like a pedicure and a margarita and a pizza from Uno’s just to distress.
COOP:
Computer classes are going well. It just gets a little sticky when it rains because we can’t have class and I don’t want them to get behind. In total I have 14 students which will only increase with time.
KYLE:
We had SO much fun! He’s writing an entry for my blog about his adventure here, so I’ll be sure to post that as soon as I can! I miss him already but he was a huge hit. Lying is always fun too and I really do think we could pass for distance cousins like I claimed!
SCHOOL:
The principal here is absolutely worthless. She sells off materials given to the students just to make a profit for her pocket. The parent org that she supervises hasn’t paid the electric bill in MONTHS so the kids can’t turn on the lights in the school. And she loves to piss off the parents any way possible. She did the same to me this week as well but it is just what I’ve come to expect. My PC neighbor and I did manage to forget about her and do a day-long dental health presentation last Thursday. I’m here to teach and I’m not going to be deterred by some worthless principal. The kids loved dental health and we got some great pictures. In addition to the free toothbrushes, we also gave out handmade school bags filled with supplies for the kids. Being in the school for an entire day made me have new respect for all teachers. I mean, what great birth control! My PC neighbor, Gariety, and I had to come home and toss back a few beers just to calm down again! Thank you again to First Lutherean Church in Parkersburg, WV and my mom and Irene for being big helpers too!
Next week I kick off a school garden project in conjunction with Plan International. Plan Int’l is an org dedicated to helping poor children all over the world with most donations coming from the US, Europe and Australia. It’s a big project so it will be fun and definitely a little trying I’m sure. While the veggies are growing I’ll have plenty of time to do presentations on nutrition and then cooking classes too.
THIS JUST IN:
It’s just tentative but the US Ambassador to Paraguay has requested to visit one volunteer and I was chosen! Its hard to get him, but in addition to the Ambassador they are also trying to get the future President of PY and the future governor of my “state,” both of which start in August. I REALLY hope it works out because face time with the two most important people in this country could do so much for my projects! As always, if there is rain there is no meeting at all but everyone say a little (religious or non-religious) prayer for me for Wednesday, June 25 in the morning!
As you may have noticed, I couldn’t even make a complete blog entry playing the Melancholy Meghan role (sorry Meg… you know I love my alliteration!) Damn me and my love of good news and exclamation points!!
Here is the blog I wrote a few weeks ago too…
JUNE 1 BLOG ENTRY (much more positive!)
Hello world! I just want everyone to know that I am currently typing from a brand new computer in my coop!! It´s so exciting to finally have my 3 new babies up and running. Yesterday, I also had my first informational meeting. The weather was bad, but I had 7 new students turn out and we got ourselves organized. I start class this week! More are interested, so I hope to get them signed up this week as well. And the best news ever? With just the 7 that showed up we´ll make enough monthly revenue to pay for the Internet!! That is a process that could take another 3 months to actually get out here, but I´m hopeful that it will happen eventually!
I was catching up on Zachery Scott´s blog last week and his office will also be receiving Internet. He is a dear friend and current Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique. Zachery mentioned his doubts about introducing such an advanced technology, but I never once considered the fact that having easy access to Internet would “take away from” my Peace Corps experience. The Internet is such a valuable tool and I can finally introduce my coop members to new technologies regarding pineapples and bananas, other organizations that may be able to aid us financially, and most importantly, information on new markets that may give way to higher prices for our products. Increasing the quality of the product and the price is the name of the game, and the Internet will contribute immensely!
Regarding packages, I was asked to expand on potenial food shipments. Here is a list of things that would make me happy and that I miss a lot!!
Syrup, Bisquick mix, marinades for veggies or meats, sauce packets for rice or pasta, hot chocolate (it´s winter here!!), Cinnamon Life cereal, honey mustard sauce, salsa, all international-esque foods, 100 calorie packs of anything sweet, INSTANT JELL-O PUDDING BOXES, alcoholic drink mixes (for the occasional visit from a PC volunteer) and spices. Also if someone could finance a Starbuck´s café on my street, I would be very happy!
Also, Kyle is bringing my computer so that means I can watch DVDs on these cold evenings that start getting dark at 5pm! Two of my PC neighbors and I have a collection started that is shared between the 3 of us. We are always looking for additions!! Any category will get watched... old, new, comedy, tragedy, action, love story... you get the point.
In other news, Kyle Bohman visits this week!! It´s been a little difficult preparing for a male to visit me though. I´ve had to fib just a tiny, weeny bit and say he´s my cousin. I´ll still catch some flack because Paraguayans love rumors and a few will choose not to believe my lie but whatever. I also feel really bad for Juan because he´ll catch a lot more crap than me. The employees that work next door will undoubtedly tease him about his girl having another male staying with her. Juan and I have had enough conversations to make my head explode regarding Kyle being JUST a friend and nothing more, but Paraguayans by nature are very untrusting and jealous. Two things that give me a massive headache! All in all, it should be an interesting couple of days, but ultimately I don´t care what Paraguayans say. Kyle really is like a family member to me and his friendship in my life will always mean a lot more than my temporary life here. As an added bonus for all of my blog “fans,” I will ask each visitor to write an entry in my blog from their perspective. Kyle´s up to bat first! Expect that in a week or two.
Speaking of life here, I´m starting to seriously consider staying a third year. I know I just hit my one year mark (May 31), but we all know I´m a planner! I really enjoy español and the best way to become completely fluent is to keep on speaking it! There is a 3rd year opportunity to work in the Peace Corps office and live in the capital city of Asunción. The job is considered a coordinator position and I think I´d do much better at that than what I´m doing now. It´s more leadership based because you are guiding and managing other volunteers in the field. It´s also working in a professional setting that´s a little more structured. On top of that the official language of the office is Spanish, so I´d get damn good. AND you always get to travel to visit other volunteers and all of the cars are standards so I would FINALLY learn how to drive a stick! The latter isn´t that importan, but it is something I need to learn! Again, this rambling is very pre-mature but I´m always making note of my options.
That´s my little update for now! I hope all of you are doing well, have good health, and are happy. I know I´ve got all three going on down here!
