Somewhere between waking up at midnight puking in a discarded paint bucket in the dirt floor,wooden shed that served as the all purpose room/kitchen/ my bedroom with a sheet door, with stomach acid and mbeju (a kind of PY mix between a pancake and cornbread) coming out my nose or between running to the very Slumdog Millionaire-esque outhouse with my headlamp on, barely making it in time with Chivivi (Guarani for Diarrhea) I decided that until Samantha Brown did a Passport to Paraguay, I no longer valued her opinion on la-de-da travel.
Peace Corps, facilitating people´s ability to talk about mortifying bodily functions (or sometimes the equally discerning lack there of) in public since 1961. (Seriously this is a top ten most touched on topic among volunteers.) Not complaining though. I actually felt triumphant at the end (and took a picture of myself with a thumbs up at 4 am) like I was getting the writ of passage for volunteers over and done with. Puking in foreign countries is a character building experience and quite frankly a reality, no mas.
My trip definitely was a learning experience in "campo" and "campo-campo." They all slept in one bedroom, putting a bed and sheet door in a part of their dirt floor multipurpose area ( I´d say kitchen, except for her wood burning stove was in another building attached by a doorway) both buildings being made out of wood slats, one with corrugated metal roof, the other with thatched palm frans. I got a crash course in bucket bathing (technically halved tired bathing.) Little House on the Prairie ain´t got nothing on me. The latrine really was bad though. We´ve learned the necessary items to make one sanitary and it lacked them all. I tried to hold it and use the neighbors or the one at the volunteer´s house unless it was an emergency, especially after the night my flashlight reflected on a throbbing trail of worm larvae filling by the doorway....
Barnyard animals roamed the yard and house freely: ducklings, piglets, chicks, kittens, you name it. I can´t follow how supposedly female volunteers gain weight because I definitely ate entire meals of crushed peanuts or lima beans.
Despite being sick and the lack of comfort that I´d grown accustomed to in Guasu Cora, I didn´t let it sour my longfield practice. I stayed with an amazing family, a young couple in their mid 30´s with 2 daughters, age 1 and 7, and was quite afected by their laughter, their constant jubilant spirits, and the tenderness between them. I followed Zuni, the mom, around like a lost puppy while she cooked and told me all sorts of stories about being the oldest of 7, moving to Buenos Aires at 16 to send home money, and how she became entertwined in the life of a senora for whom she cared for for 5 years. Watching Eli, the dad, dance and play with his daughters in the kitchen after dinner, making faces and clowing around with Baby Alicia, and how tenderly he wet and combed her baby curls and put them in a little clump on the top of her head. How Zuni woke up when she heard me at 2 am to make me a remedio (medicinal herbs) tea for my stomach, for which she had to start a fire to boil water on the wood burning stove. That despite having next to nothing, they gave me the largest portions, perhaps one of their beds, maybe even first dibs on bathing water (I know mine was clean, I just obviously never figured out if they changed it, though they did have a running water spigot in the yard, but as people reuse cooking and cleaning water from preparing meals more than once sometimes, who knows. Doctor Oz would have a field day in Paraguay, Mom.) How patient they were with my Guarani, eager to teach me more and for me to reciprocate with English (some of the neighbor girls came over and we ate tangerines off the trees and took turns pointing at things and saying them in Guarani, Spanish, and English.) If this is what I´ve learned and it hasn´t even been 2 months, I can´t begin to fathom how different I´ll be today from who I´ll be in April 2012. I will also often wonder how my little family is San Miguel is making it.
We went as a group from Monday to Friday to see PCV Amy, who is a year into her service. With it raining all the first day and me recovering from being sick all night the last day, I didn´t do much that week besides give a charla in the school to 8th-9th graders on gender stereotypes and plant a couple of trees, but that won´t even be the part I remember as fondly as I will the time I spent with the Bridas-Rojas family.
People are slowly wrapping up what they came to do in the internet cafe and with it getting dark, I don´t want to get left behind. Hope everyone is well and I have 2.5 days off the upcoming week for Semana Santa. Hopefully I´ll get another chance like this to come into town without coming for school and really get to write what I want to say in my blog for a change (the driver dropped a few of us off on the way home from the trip.)
Adio America.
-Steph
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Week 5 of Training: The G-bay Chronicles
I´m pretty sure this internet cafe has a virus because the spot to type my password is showing the letters, not turning them into stars, awesome....
Anyways, halfway point in training. Have yet to talk to anyone on Skype, including my own family. :(I will be on every Wednesday at this time until training is over or we have a special activity that day. Things are fine. Learning lots of new info, new skills (like brick laying) new language. Went on tech excursion last week to stay with a volunteer at a different site (who is extending third year to ecotourism in Jamaica), so we could meet new families and see what some different communities are. We put in a fogon (brick oven) and pileta (brick structure to support concrete sink) at their local school. The site´s lack of water, or ¨clean water,¨ as they had an uncovered well at the school with ferns growing down the side of the walls and a dirty chipped plastic bucket (don´t worry I didn´t drink this, though the clean water the volunteer brought us smelled wretched) and my inability to speak with the Senora whom I stayed with (or maybe her hesitancy to talk to a Norte,) was kind of disheartening. I got a pretty high mark on my Guarani Mid term Interview (everyone has kept using my self given joking title of Guarani Rainman) so I think it had more to do with the later.
We also have interviews this week with our RHS director in aiding him pick a site for us. I´m going to tell him that I´m more interested in working with youth in schools, summer camps, Ahecha Project (photography youth group) PC Mag, radio shows and partnering with hospitals and NGO´s. All this info are things that i´ve heard other volunteers working on and will hopefully get me in a decent sized community with running water....
Oh yesterday was interesting and different from our normal pace. We had a cooking session and group up with different moms. I got to go to my "aunt´s " house and I learned how to make soy empanadas, soy milk, and soy hamburgers, which they try to teach a lot of in conjunction with our nutrition charlas with all the hipertension and high blood pressure in Paraguay as it´s much cheaper and packed with protein it is per kilo compared to meat. I imagine once I´m cooking for myself I´ll be eating a lot of it since I don´t know how much I´ll want to bother with buying, carrying home, and preparing meat the way they sell it here.
Next week we´re gone in groups all week for ¨practica larga¨or long field practice. We go with 4 other aspirantes and stay at a volunteer site and just practice what we´d do in site: construction, charlas, censuses, meeting nurses who work at health posts, etc. Oh and something else exciting, our resettling allowance got increased with the bigger PC budget this year, so I get an extra 2 grand or so more when I come home, woot.
I´m saving up my guarani´s since I don´t really have any expenses, so with that and the money Dad gave me before I left, I figure I can probably buy a tiny netbook at a mall in Asuncion when I swear in so I can talk and post up my 400 or more pictures when I get to my site. If not, I can price them and budget out a portion from each paycheck until I do.
That´s about all I got for now. Oh and apparently it´s St. Patty´s Day, so someone drink a "carbomb" for me. I´ll go have a delicious Brahama at "Papu´s: Un Lugar Diferente" after school.
Jajotopata Folks.
Anyways, halfway point in training. Have yet to talk to anyone on Skype, including my own family. :(I will be on every Wednesday at this time until training is over or we have a special activity that day. Things are fine. Learning lots of new info, new skills (like brick laying) new language. Went on tech excursion last week to stay with a volunteer at a different site (who is extending third year to ecotourism in Jamaica), so we could meet new families and see what some different communities are. We put in a fogon (brick oven) and pileta (brick structure to support concrete sink) at their local school. The site´s lack of water, or ¨clean water,¨ as they had an uncovered well at the school with ferns growing down the side of the walls and a dirty chipped plastic bucket (don´t worry I didn´t drink this, though the clean water the volunteer brought us smelled wretched) and my inability to speak with the Senora whom I stayed with (or maybe her hesitancy to talk to a Norte,) was kind of disheartening. I got a pretty high mark on my Guarani Mid term Interview (everyone has kept using my self given joking title of Guarani Rainman) so I think it had more to do with the later.
We also have interviews this week with our RHS director in aiding him pick a site for us. I´m going to tell him that I´m more interested in working with youth in schools, summer camps, Ahecha Project (photography youth group) PC Mag, radio shows and partnering with hospitals and NGO´s. All this info are things that i´ve heard other volunteers working on and will hopefully get me in a decent sized community with running water....
Oh yesterday was interesting and different from our normal pace. We had a cooking session and group up with different moms. I got to go to my "aunt´s " house and I learned how to make soy empanadas, soy milk, and soy hamburgers, which they try to teach a lot of in conjunction with our nutrition charlas with all the hipertension and high blood pressure in Paraguay as it´s much cheaper and packed with protein it is per kilo compared to meat. I imagine once I´m cooking for myself I´ll be eating a lot of it since I don´t know how much I´ll want to bother with buying, carrying home, and preparing meat the way they sell it here.
Next week we´re gone in groups all week for ¨practica larga¨or long field practice. We go with 4 other aspirantes and stay at a volunteer site and just practice what we´d do in site: construction, charlas, censuses, meeting nurses who work at health posts, etc. Oh and something else exciting, our resettling allowance got increased with the bigger PC budget this year, so I get an extra 2 grand or so more when I come home, woot.
I´m saving up my guarani´s since I don´t really have any expenses, so with that and the money Dad gave me before I left, I figure I can probably buy a tiny netbook at a mall in Asuncion when I swear in so I can talk and post up my 400 or more pictures when I get to my site. If not, I can price them and budget out a portion from each paycheck until I do.
That´s about all I got for now. Oh and apparently it´s St. Patty´s Day, so someone drink a "carbomb" for me. I´ll go have a delicious Brahama at "Papu´s: Un Lugar Diferente" after school.
Jajotopata Folks.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sum all this up? Where to begin...
Hey Everyone! Trying to get out a quick blog post during my lunch break in Gbe. Bah! Sitting down and trying to sum up everything that I´ve seen and done in the past month seems so dauting and trying to pick out words to properly convey the experiences in 25 minutes almost seems hopeless.
I´ve officially been here a month today. Two more months of training. Training is really fun, yet grueling. 8 hour days, with 4 hours of Guarani 6 times a week (even Saturdays) in the mornings, then technical training every afternoon, with Wednesdays having all 4 different training communities coming into the shared Gbe center for common areas on cultural, safety, etc. It´s a lot like a summer camp\study abroad\Paraguyan culture bootcamp. We´ve all gotten really close (the 12 of us who are RHS, or Rural Health and Sanitation,who live in Guasu Cora.) I feel pretty lucky to have such a great group, as well as an awesome host family. I really want to post pictures, but with the slow internet in cafes, it´ll have to be on a weekend, not to mention I´m afraid of getting a virus on my memory cards. Forgive me if I´m repeating myself or if this is all jumbled, I don´t know what I´ve posted from emails before. I acutally think that when I swear in I´ll have internet through a Tigo plug in modem, like the ATT 3G cards we have in the states, I´ll just have to buy a computer or bring one back at Xmas (thanks to the misinformed Packing list.) Right now with the jam packed days, after class on Wednesdays there are about 50 Americans and Paraguayan High Schoolers vying to use the 25 computers spread out across Gbe´s 4 internet cafes, so I´d rather walk around and eat an ice cream and go on a scouting mission of the city rather than sit in line to use a computer, sorry. Weekends I try to integrate into the community by going to the Saturday soccer match, and sometimes we even play a US vs PY girls game (and I have to do a week´s worth of laundry when it´s sunny!) rather than walk 45 minutes to a main road, catch a bus when or if if feels like coming, hope an internet cafe (or anything really) will even be open on a weekend. I promise though that I´ve been writing almost daily in my spiral notebook and taking notes on the days that I haven´t to share more indepth what I´ve learned and what crazy adventures I´ve been on when training ends and life takes on the more tranquilo pace of an actual volunteer (I hear training and volunteer lifestyles are like night and day.)
Mad Props to A. Glenn!! I´ve received mail from you and then my PBC county elections absentee ballot, woot!
I´ve only been to Asuncion once for a day, aside from when we flew in. I hear that after the swearing in ceremonry all the trainees take a 4 day vacation with the hotel discounts we receive through PC and lay by the pool, go see movies, shopping, etc, so that and Blas and Melo´s wedding are the two things keeping me going when it´s 93 degrees and no buildings have AC, I have no idea what my teacher just said to me in Guarani, I have to kill a giant spider in my room, I have to hold on for dear life in a crowded city bus, etc..
Anyways, I have to go back to school in 10 minutes. I miss everyone and hope everything is falling into place for everyone as is my tranquilopa life.
-Steph
I´ve officially been here a month today. Two more months of training. Training is really fun, yet grueling. 8 hour days, with 4 hours of Guarani 6 times a week (even Saturdays) in the mornings, then technical training every afternoon, with Wednesdays having all 4 different training communities coming into the shared Gbe center for common areas on cultural, safety, etc. It´s a lot like a summer camp\study abroad\Paraguyan culture bootcamp. We´ve all gotten really close (the 12 of us who are RHS, or Rural Health and Sanitation,who live in Guasu Cora.) I feel pretty lucky to have such a great group, as well as an awesome host family. I really want to post pictures, but with the slow internet in cafes, it´ll have to be on a weekend, not to mention I´m afraid of getting a virus on my memory cards. Forgive me if I´m repeating myself or if this is all jumbled, I don´t know what I´ve posted from emails before. I acutally think that when I swear in I´ll have internet through a Tigo plug in modem, like the ATT 3G cards we have in the states, I´ll just have to buy a computer or bring one back at Xmas (thanks to the misinformed Packing list.) Right now with the jam packed days, after class on Wednesdays there are about 50 Americans and Paraguayan High Schoolers vying to use the 25 computers spread out across Gbe´s 4 internet cafes, so I´d rather walk around and eat an ice cream and go on a scouting mission of the city rather than sit in line to use a computer, sorry. Weekends I try to integrate into the community by going to the Saturday soccer match, and sometimes we even play a US vs PY girls game (and I have to do a week´s worth of laundry when it´s sunny!) rather than walk 45 minutes to a main road, catch a bus when or if if feels like coming, hope an internet cafe (or anything really) will even be open on a weekend. I promise though that I´ve been writing almost daily in my spiral notebook and taking notes on the days that I haven´t to share more indepth what I´ve learned and what crazy adventures I´ve been on when training ends and life takes on the more tranquilo pace of an actual volunteer (I hear training and volunteer lifestyles are like night and day.)
Mad Props to A. Glenn!! I´ve received mail from you and then my PBC county elections absentee ballot, woot!
I´ve only been to Asuncion once for a day, aside from when we flew in. I hear that after the swearing in ceremonry all the trainees take a 4 day vacation with the hotel discounts we receive through PC and lay by the pool, go see movies, shopping, etc, so that and Blas and Melo´s wedding are the two things keeping me going when it´s 93 degrees and no buildings have AC, I have no idea what my teacher just said to me in Guarani, I have to kill a giant spider in my room, I have to hold on for dear life in a crowded city bus, etc..
Anyways, I have to go back to school in 10 minutes. I miss everyone and hope everything is falling into place for everyone as is my tranquilopa life.
-Steph
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 2 Paraguay
I´m being lazy and trying to make the bus home (with no definite bus schedule), so in an effort to keep everyone updated, I´m quickly copying some emails that I sent home.
Day 2 Paraguay:
I am alive and well in Guarambare. Just left school for the day. A nice guy agreed to wait with me at the nearest internet cafe and ride the bus with me back to our satellite communities. I live with a GREAT family. I am their seven PC person. I have my own room with a bed and fan, a cupboard with a key and a door with a lock. They also have electricity, a shower, toilet, fridge, etc. My host dad is Gregorio and he works at a chemical plant. My host dad is Graciela and my host siblings are Noelia, 21 year old university student (she lives in the dorm, but came to meet me last night) 12 year old Javier and 4 year old Dina. Last night we had homemade pizza (we later learned at school most of the moms made that for their American kids) ham and cheese and they made an entire plate of tomato and cucumber salad, which I later figured out was just for me. They also have a dog named Wendy. We have mangos, guavas, tangerines, limes and star fruit trees in our yard. Gregorio´s aunts and uncles live next door and a girl named Nicole actually lives with them so we can walk to school together. Also Josh, lives down the street with Gregorio´s brother.
The training center people are all very nice and friendly. I had a language interview today and I think I will be put straight in Guarani. M´baechapa? Ipora nde? (Hey, how are you? I´m good and you?) Che chevera Stephanie. (My name is Stephanie.) I try not to think about the usefulness of the language after PC and just have fun learning it for the moment. The rest of the staff, both American and Paraguayan, are very warm and friendly.
That´s all I can really think of right now and I don´t want to keep him waiting. Oh! This internet cafe has skype and there are four cafes here total in town, so log on Skype from time to time and I can bring my headphones or use some here. I dont get a phone until I´m sworn in, but I´ll buy a phone card the next time we go to Asuncion. (They ushered us straight to Guarambare from the airport and I don´t believe we can get one here and I´m in a tiny town with dirt roads, so I´ll get one soon.) Anyways, throughout my three months of training the days we come into Guarambare for All PC trainings (most of our training occurs in one of the four satellite towns, depending on our assignment, mine being rural health) Internet is only 5 Mil for an hora, so like 9 cents. Avy´a Paraguaipe (I´m happy to be in Paraguay) so no worries about me! If someone could send me one of those little boxes that you put on a toothbrush head, as I already knocked one of my toothbrushes on the bathroom floor while washing my face, that would be wonderful.
More indepth explanations and travel plan details when I´m not rushed by training, irregular bus schedules, and kind people waiting on me to travel home in the buddy system.
Miss everyone!
Day 2 Paraguay:
I am alive and well in Guarambare. Just left school for the day. A nice guy agreed to wait with me at the nearest internet cafe and ride the bus with me back to our satellite communities. I live with a GREAT family. I am their seven PC person. I have my own room with a bed and fan, a cupboard with a key and a door with a lock. They also have electricity, a shower, toilet, fridge, etc. My host dad is Gregorio and he works at a chemical plant. My host dad is Graciela and my host siblings are Noelia, 21 year old university student (she lives in the dorm, but came to meet me last night) 12 year old Javier and 4 year old Dina. Last night we had homemade pizza (we later learned at school most of the moms made that for their American kids) ham and cheese and they made an entire plate of tomato and cucumber salad, which I later figured out was just for me. They also have a dog named Wendy. We have mangos, guavas, tangerines, limes and star fruit trees in our yard. Gregorio´s aunts and uncles live next door and a girl named Nicole actually lives with them so we can walk to school together. Also Josh, lives down the street with Gregorio´s brother.
The training center people are all very nice and friendly. I had a language interview today and I think I will be put straight in Guarani. M´baechapa? Ipora nde? (Hey, how are you? I´m good and you?) Che chevera Stephanie. (My name is Stephanie.) I try not to think about the usefulness of the language after PC and just have fun learning it for the moment. The rest of the staff, both American and Paraguayan, are very warm and friendly.
That´s all I can really think of right now and I don´t want to keep him waiting. Oh! This internet cafe has skype and there are four cafes here total in town, so log on Skype from time to time and I can bring my headphones or use some here. I dont get a phone until I´m sworn in, but I´ll buy a phone card the next time we go to Asuncion. (They ushered us straight to Guarambare from the airport and I don´t believe we can get one here and I´m in a tiny town with dirt roads, so I´ll get one soon.) Anyways, throughout my three months of training the days we come into Guarambare for All PC trainings (most of our training occurs in one of the four satellite towns, depending on our assignment, mine being rural health) Internet is only 5 Mil for an hora, so like 9 cents. Avy´a Paraguaipe (I´m happy to be in Paraguay) so no worries about me! If someone could send me one of those little boxes that you put on a toothbrush head, as I already knocked one of my toothbrushes on the bathroom floor while washing my face, that would be wonderful.
More indepth explanations and travel plan details when I´m not rushed by training, irregular bus schedules, and kind people waiting on me to travel home in the buddy system.
Miss everyone!
Week One Report
I have now officially been in Paraguay for a week and I´m enjoying it a lot. I like my family, the staff and fellow aspirantes de PC and what we´re studying. We spent most of our classes in our little town. The school is nothing more than a small house with some empty rooms, kitchen, and bathroom. I got put in the straight to Guarani classes, as I´m so awesome in Spanish :) Cows can be seen from our windows and the occasional wooden ox pulled cart passes the school on the red dirt road. We eat food depending on the season and wash clothes depending on the rain. Chickens and roosters roam the town freely. People sell different wares from their houses, either hand sewn clothes, food, and basic supplies like you could pick up in a convenience store. When I have to catch the bus into Guarambare, we as a town (the 12 of us) wake up at 5:30 to leave by 6:15 and make the 30 minute walk to the main road together (about 45 minutes in total from my house.) When we have class in town, I get to sleep in an hour later and the 5 of us who live off my road walk together, which is about 15 minutes. We come home (or our sent with it to Guarambare, from now on GB) at 11:30 for lunch and our back to school by 1. We only have morning language classes on Saturdays. Our first weekend, we watched and spectated some different sports, with the occasional ice cream man bicycling by. I played a little volleyball, but only watched soccer as they have a tournament against 4 or more teams, like pickups games, taking it pretty seriously, with the losing teams buying the winners´beer. Sunday morning we helped clean up the school grounds, raking dried leaves and garbage, a little bit as the local kids start school at the end of the month.
Monday we had some techincal hands on training and I got to slice bamboo with a machete to make a fence for a garbage pit (hardcore!) and learn some other construction skills, like building the reinforcement for pouring a cement floor in a latrine, which I wasn´t expecting to but really liked the building and using tools overall. I signed myself up for the demonstration on integrating into the schools though, to gear myself more toward teaching (which I think they´d do based on my language skills and experience with kids anyways) and to force myself into some more leardership roles. Oh! the 3rd year PCVolunteer who is staying on in the health office in Asuncion is a Gator.
Still really like my family. Our main form of entertainment is talking, so we spend a lot of time practicing languages and just asking each other questions, for instance I taught them about Manaties and how we categorize hurricanes in Florida. Also, everyone is related to everyone it seems, so we spend time at each other´s houses and at town birthday parties like last night. My great aunt´next door is measuring me when I get home today to make me a skirt. I think I actually like being in the campo better as the crime rate is way lower and once you intergrate into a community they kind of take you on as their own and protect you.
Anyways, that´s about it. My days consist of Guarani classes, which I really like because I like looking at the word structure as puzzles, tech and common areas classes in the afternoon, studying, writing in my notebook, and visiting with my family.
Jajotopata.
Monday we had some techincal hands on training and I got to slice bamboo with a machete to make a fence for a garbage pit (hardcore!) and learn some other construction skills, like building the reinforcement for pouring a cement floor in a latrine, which I wasn´t expecting to but really liked the building and using tools overall. I signed myself up for the demonstration on integrating into the schools though, to gear myself more toward teaching (which I think they´d do based on my language skills and experience with kids anyways) and to force myself into some more leardership roles. Oh! the 3rd year PCVolunteer who is staying on in the health office in Asuncion is a Gator.
Still really like my family. Our main form of entertainment is talking, so we spend a lot of time practicing languages and just asking each other questions, for instance I taught them about Manaties and how we categorize hurricanes in Florida. Also, everyone is related to everyone it seems, so we spend time at each other´s houses and at town birthday parties like last night. My great aunt´next door is measuring me when I get home today to make me a skirt. I think I actually like being in the campo better as the crime rate is way lower and once you intergrate into a community they kind of take you on as their own and protect you.
Anyways, that´s about it. My days consist of Guarani classes, which I really like because I like looking at the word structure as puzzles, tech and common areas classes in the afternoon, studying, writing in my notebook, and visiting with my family.
Jajotopata.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Final Preparations and Farewell Tour: 2 Days Until Departure
Eight AM on Tuesday morning is rapidly approaching. What have I done to prepare? Somewhere in between a whole lot and not too much. I have already been lacking in diligence to updating this blog and I haven't even left yet. In an effort to get comfortable with being alone with my thoughts for the next two years (what some say is the most challenging part of Peace Corps and definitely what I'm looking forward to and dreading simultaneously) I'm going to quickly lump together the past month or so since accepting my invitation as an exercise in organizing my thoughts for "publication" again / act of good faith to my readers that I won't leave you hanging after hitting the tarmac. Besides, if I try to go to sleep now, I'll just think of how I need to clean my car out or update my iPod or something seemingly monumental to me right now ("you're leaving for two years and you haven't cleaned your car out?!?!") which is really only tedious and silly at this point.
I stayed in Nashville for about two weeks after accepting my invitation. More necessary paperwork to be completed in getting a visa, government passport, as well as writing some essays and updating my resume to send to the director in Paraguay since that was the first information they would be receiving to learn about who would be arriving in February. Also I recently sent out some information about a press release (at Peace Corps' urging. I'm really not narcissistic enough to think, "Hmmm, the press should be alerted to this!)so if you read The Palm Beach Post, The Alligator, The Tennessean, or the UF Alumni Magazine, be on the lookout for an article about yours truly and save one to send to my parents if you can.
During this time I started ordering some camping supplies off my packing list. I'm so ready to attempt another stretch on Appalachian Trail again with all my awesome gear. Also I read some books on Paraguay from the Vanderbilt library, but everything was so outdated, I ended up relying on just Peace Corps provided material and the Internet. I found this video made by Peace Corps people about how their life is in Paraguay that you might find interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZA78xUzwTA
Also I met with a return Peace Corps volunteer, also from Nashville, who had come back from Paraguay fairly recently. He brought a package of photos to share with me and was kind enough to answer any question I could come up with for two hours at Flying Saucer. Meeting with him and seeing that he survived unscathed and had a blast really comforted me and made me excited to get over there and get started. And to start my life where I have toucans in my backyard. Don't know if they're worth living without plumbing, but in an attempt to see every dark cloud has a tropical bird lining...
One of my last nights in Nashville, my parents ended up throwing me a last minute pizza party for all my extended family to come by my brother's house and bid me adieu. My family gave me a journey blessing ring that says "life is a journey, not a destination," as well as another charm with Romans 8:28 inscribed on it: "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord." To that I added my most favorite charm, a miniature globe, that my granny gave me sometime back for Christmas. Along with my sports watch, my accessories are now set until 2012.
Two goodbyes for me were particularly hard, the first being my nephews and brother. I woke up with them on that Thursday morning early to see them off for school. A rather unassuming day really. Fixed them some toast with honey. Noah threw a fit about not wanting to put his shoes on yet. When they headed for the door I tried super hard to keep my composure not wanting to scare them with a bawling aunt on their way to school, but ultimately failing. I have a paper clipped bundle of all the artwork they made for me the past couple months to decorate my (insert type of structure here) walls.
Another goodbye that was hard was with my granny. She's 82, living with Alzheimer's and dementia. As I tucked her in after bringing her home from my party, I wondered if this would be the last time that I would see her alive. Realistically, everyone should be wondering this every time people part ways,(attempting a full life while being prepared for the sky to fall?) but with her age and failing health, I couldn't help but morosely wonder. If so, it will be a good memory. She patted my hand and said "I love you. Always have, always will."
After rolling out of Middle Tennessee, I started on my self-proclaimed "Farewell Fun Machine" tour, while my tour bus (dodge neon) made stops in Atlanta, Gainesville, Orlando and West Palm, with a jaunt down to Pompano to see Olgie with A. Glenn yesterday to wrap everything up. If my tour got canceled in your area, my apologies. :) (I decide to give myself a tour, so inevitably it went to my head.) Many thanks to the friends who housed, fed, danced, and laughed with my along the way. If I didn't see you, the Christmas reunion tour is just around the corner. Really though, goodbyes are overrated and for someone who'd much prefer to leave in the middle of the night and then update it to Facebook later, saying goodbye over and over and over really isn't my cup of tea. Just know you're missed.
A quick note, I got to suspend my phone number for the two years and will be able to use it while I'm home for Christmas and such, so don't delete me out of your contacts yet! It will be the same number when I come back.
That's about all I can think of for now. If you want to be added to a mass mailing list make sure that I have your email and home address for any postcards.
To end on a funny note, Olgie and I figured out last night that if an average season of Survivor goes through 39 days, my time in the Peace Corps is equivalent to being on about 19 consecutive seasons of Survivor. You hear that CBS? In 2012, I'm coming for your money.
I stayed in Nashville for about two weeks after accepting my invitation. More necessary paperwork to be completed in getting a visa, government passport, as well as writing some essays and updating my resume to send to the director in Paraguay since that was the first information they would be receiving to learn about who would be arriving in February. Also I recently sent out some information about a press release (at Peace Corps' urging. I'm really not narcissistic enough to think, "Hmmm, the press should be alerted to this!)so if you read The Palm Beach Post, The Alligator, The Tennessean, or the UF Alumni Magazine, be on the lookout for an article about yours truly and save one to send to my parents if you can.
During this time I started ordering some camping supplies off my packing list. I'm so ready to attempt another stretch on Appalachian Trail again with all my awesome gear. Also I read some books on Paraguay from the Vanderbilt library, but everything was so outdated, I ended up relying on just Peace Corps provided material and the Internet. I found this video made by Peace Corps people about how their life is in Paraguay that you might find interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZA78xUzwTA
Also I met with a return Peace Corps volunteer, also from Nashville, who had come back from Paraguay fairly recently. He brought a package of photos to share with me and was kind enough to answer any question I could come up with for two hours at Flying Saucer. Meeting with him and seeing that he survived unscathed and had a blast really comforted me and made me excited to get over there and get started. And to start my life where I have toucans in my backyard. Don't know if they're worth living without plumbing, but in an attempt to see every dark cloud has a tropical bird lining...
One of my last nights in Nashville, my parents ended up throwing me a last minute pizza party for all my extended family to come by my brother's house and bid me adieu. My family gave me a journey blessing ring that says "life is a journey, not a destination," as well as another charm with Romans 8:28 inscribed on it: "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord." To that I added my most favorite charm, a miniature globe, that my granny gave me sometime back for Christmas. Along with my sports watch, my accessories are now set until 2012.
Two goodbyes for me were particularly hard, the first being my nephews and brother. I woke up with them on that Thursday morning early to see them off for school. A rather unassuming day really. Fixed them some toast with honey. Noah threw a fit about not wanting to put his shoes on yet. When they headed for the door I tried super hard to keep my composure not wanting to scare them with a bawling aunt on their way to school, but ultimately failing. I have a paper clipped bundle of all the artwork they made for me the past couple months to decorate my (insert type of structure here) walls.
Another goodbye that was hard was with my granny. She's 82, living with Alzheimer's and dementia. As I tucked her in after bringing her home from my party, I wondered if this would be the last time that I would see her alive. Realistically, everyone should be wondering this every time people part ways,(attempting a full life while being prepared for the sky to fall?) but with her age and failing health, I couldn't help but morosely wonder. If so, it will be a good memory. She patted my hand and said "I love you. Always have, always will."
After rolling out of Middle Tennessee, I started on my self-proclaimed "Farewell Fun Machine" tour, while my tour bus (dodge neon) made stops in Atlanta, Gainesville, Orlando and West Palm, with a jaunt down to Pompano to see Olgie with A. Glenn yesterday to wrap everything up. If my tour got canceled in your area, my apologies. :) (I decide to give myself a tour, so inevitably it went to my head.) Many thanks to the friends who housed, fed, danced, and laughed with my along the way. If I didn't see you, the Christmas reunion tour is just around the corner. Really though, goodbyes are overrated and for someone who'd much prefer to leave in the middle of the night and then update it to Facebook later, saying goodbye over and over and over really isn't my cup of tea. Just know you're missed.
A quick note, I got to suspend my phone number for the two years and will be able to use it while I'm home for Christmas and such, so don't delete me out of your contacts yet! It will be the same number when I come back.
That's about all I can think of for now. If you want to be added to a mass mailing list make sure that I have your email and home address for any postcards.
To end on a funny note, Olgie and I figured out last night that if an average season of Survivor goes through 39 days, my time in the Peace Corps is equivalent to being on about 19 consecutive seasons of Survivor. You hear that CBS? In 2012, I'm coming for your money.
Copy of my Facebook Message: "Everyone always kids that they're joining the Peace Corps, but no one ever does it!"
In case you weren't able to see my Facebook note:
Yes it's true. Despite my coworkers above reaction when I told her my upcoming plans to relocate for twenty seven months to a remote part of an obscure South American country, I remain unwavering in my desire to follow through with this upcoming adventure. Call it one of those opportunities where if I don't try to see it through I'm afraid I'll be plagued by the 'what ifs?'.
After a uncertain six months of moving from applicant, to nominee, to invitee, to now trainee, the whole invitation and acceptance to the trainee program has been so sudden that I'm afraid a lot of friends and family aren't even aware that I'm leaving the country for two years in about three weeks. I only found out late in December that I was invited and then accepted about a week ago. I will be attending orientation February 2nd-4th in Miami, also departing on the 4th. From there I will be attending training in a city called Guarambaré, about an hour by bus from the capital city of Asunción. I will be there through April 23rd, living with a host family and attending intensive daily classes in language, both in Spanish and the indigenous language of Guaraní, technical training, Peace Corps fundamentals, how to function and manage in a rural setting, and of course Paraguayan history and culture.Depending on my ability to pass exams in all five areas and be sworn in as a volunteer, I'll then relocate to my community where according to the information in the packet I'll most likely have electricity, but not running water. I'm not sure how far away access to the internet will be, but a friend has volunteered to update a blog on a monthly basis via the letters I'll mail him. I've already set up the blog, which you can find here:
http://steffeinparaguay.blogspot.com/
Be sure to book mark that as it will serve as my main form of communication with friends back in the States. Also you can mail me letters or care packages at the following address, but be advised the information states that only about 80% of mail arrives to volunteers and that expensive items can be subject to being stolen (American junk food, necessities, and magazines are what will matter to me most anyways to keep in touch with what's going on back home.) If you are interested in sending me a package, I'll post a list of what would be most useful on my blog once I get there and see what I need and miss the most from home. Here is my mailing address:
Stephanie Stinson PCT ( which stands for Peace Corps trainee, then following April 23rd it switches to PCV for volunteer)
Cuerpo de Paz
162 Chaco Boreal c/Mcal. López
Asunción 1580, Paraguay
South America
If you send anything, it says to keep in mind airmail can take up to 2-3 weeks, surface mail several months. And thank you in advance, being alone and out of touch, a letter will guaranteed be a bright spot in my day.
With regard to confusion about what exactly I'll be doing, I thought it best to just include the description they provided me of my assignment:
"The purpose of the RHS project in Paraguay is designed to augment national efforts to improve health, sanitation, and nutrition practices throughout rural Paraguay by heightening awareness of the relationship between environment and health through educational activities and the promotion of improved environmental sanitation practices. The areas on which the project focuses are: dental health education, parasite prevention, nutrition, improved cooking practices, STI's and HIV/AIDS awareness prevention education, improving waste disposal methods, and cleaning/protecting water sources. ... We would like to emphasize 70% of your time should be devoted to education and 30% to construction. This is because we believe that construction should be the result of the people understanding the education and wanting to make changes in their environment." The description goes on to talk about possibilities for taking on a secondary project that in the past have ranged from focuses such as creating public libraries, teaching English, organizing sports clinics, teaching computer skills, etc.
Also if you are a teacher interested in receiving correspondence for your classroom via the World Wise Schools programs, contact me and we can discuss options further, though I think only one teacher can be chosen, so act fast for this awesome offer, haha. If more than one teacher is interested I could probably send you correspondence myself.
That's about all the information I can think of to share right now. If you have a specific question, please feel free to respond with it and I'll address it here. Also please forward me your number and address if you are interested in hearing from me when I go into town and have use of a calling card or if you want a postcard. (I know I also said this in Spain and then was very lax with mailing things, but that was because I ended up having access to internet on a daily basis from my dorm, while here mail will serve as my main, if only form of communication. I'll do a better job this time, cross my heart.) If you don't want to post your contact information publicly, please go ahead and forward me a facebook message.
TTFN, ta ta for now.
Yes it's true. Despite my coworkers above reaction when I told her my upcoming plans to relocate for twenty seven months to a remote part of an obscure South American country, I remain unwavering in my desire to follow through with this upcoming adventure. Call it one of those opportunities where if I don't try to see it through I'm afraid I'll be plagued by the 'what ifs?'.
After a uncertain six months of moving from applicant, to nominee, to invitee, to now trainee, the whole invitation and acceptance to the trainee program has been so sudden that I'm afraid a lot of friends and family aren't even aware that I'm leaving the country for two years in about three weeks. I only found out late in December that I was invited and then accepted about a week ago. I will be attending orientation February 2nd-4th in Miami, also departing on the 4th. From there I will be attending training in a city called Guarambaré, about an hour by bus from the capital city of Asunción. I will be there through April 23rd, living with a host family and attending intensive daily classes in language, both in Spanish and the indigenous language of Guaraní, technical training, Peace Corps fundamentals, how to function and manage in a rural setting, and of course Paraguayan history and culture.Depending on my ability to pass exams in all five areas and be sworn in as a volunteer, I'll then relocate to my community where according to the information in the packet I'll most likely have electricity, but not running water. I'm not sure how far away access to the internet will be, but a friend has volunteered to update a blog on a monthly basis via the letters I'll mail him. I've already set up the blog, which you can find here:
http://steffeinparaguay.blogspot.com/
Be sure to book mark that as it will serve as my main form of communication with friends back in the States. Also you can mail me letters or care packages at the following address, but be advised the information states that only about 80% of mail arrives to volunteers and that expensive items can be subject to being stolen (American junk food, necessities, and magazines are what will matter to me most anyways to keep in touch with what's going on back home.) If you are interested in sending me a package, I'll post a list of what would be most useful on my blog once I get there and see what I need and miss the most from home. Here is my mailing address:
Stephanie Stinson PCT ( which stands for Peace Corps trainee, then following April 23rd it switches to PCV for volunteer)
Cuerpo de Paz
162 Chaco Boreal c/Mcal. López
Asunción 1580, Paraguay
South America
If you send anything, it says to keep in mind airmail can take up to 2-3 weeks, surface mail several months. And thank you in advance, being alone and out of touch, a letter will guaranteed be a bright spot in my day.
With regard to confusion about what exactly I'll be doing, I thought it best to just include the description they provided me of my assignment:
"The purpose of the RHS project in Paraguay is designed to augment national efforts to improve health, sanitation, and nutrition practices throughout rural Paraguay by heightening awareness of the relationship between environment and health through educational activities and the promotion of improved environmental sanitation practices. The areas on which the project focuses are: dental health education, parasite prevention, nutrition, improved cooking practices, STI's and HIV/AIDS awareness prevention education, improving waste disposal methods, and cleaning/protecting water sources. ... We would like to emphasize 70% of your time should be devoted to education and 30% to construction. This is because we believe that construction should be the result of the people understanding the education and wanting to make changes in their environment." The description goes on to talk about possibilities for taking on a secondary project that in the past have ranged from focuses such as creating public libraries, teaching English, organizing sports clinics, teaching computer skills, etc.
Also if you are a teacher interested in receiving correspondence for your classroom via the World Wise Schools programs, contact me and we can discuss options further, though I think only one teacher can be chosen, so act fast for this awesome offer, haha. If more than one teacher is interested I could probably send you correspondence myself.
That's about all the information I can think of to share right now. If you have a specific question, please feel free to respond with it and I'll address it here. Also please forward me your number and address if you are interested in hearing from me when I go into town and have use of a calling card or if you want a postcard. (I know I also said this in Spain and then was very lax with mailing things, but that was because I ended up having access to internet on a daily basis from my dorm, while here mail will serve as my main, if only form of communication. I'll do a better job this time, cross my heart.) If you don't want to post your contact information publicly, please go ahead and forward me a facebook message.
TTFN, ta ta for now.
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