The Gift of Friendship

2/16 Pardon the misspelling and lack of paragraphs... so much to do so little time...

Figured it was about time for another update. Learning Guaraní is has been a rollercoaster. It truly is a unique situation to be learning a language from scratch while currently living in the place where it is spoken. All of the people in our town are excited to see us learning it but expect sooo much of us so fast. At times it’s tough to not just say STOP! I need you to pump the brakes so I can learn the basics first. My mind is seriously constantly being stretched. Between English, Spanish, some Portuguese and Guaraní, it is truly una locura. On a lighter note, my fame has grown a bit as a result of my constant desire to do some sort of sports in the afternoon to evening after class. It’s gotten to the point where I go to other people’s houses to pick up their kids to come with me to play basketball, soccer or volei (similar to volleyball). Me and a few of the other volunteers are regulars on the court or field. The other day I squared off against a Paraguayan who came out rocking a LeBron James jersey. I was actually about to leave the court but couldn’t resist the temptation to show him it was America’s time! Needless to say Team USA got the job done. I got to go out this past Saturday with some of the volunteers and their siblings for a much needed night on the town. It was cool to relax. Saturday night is the only night we really have to ourselves. Another quick story… So one of the volunteers invited me to her crib at the request of her family because a few of her sisters seem to like me. It was a pretty hilarious time and I guess as my boy Lou says “it feels good to be liked” haha. Today I actually encountered my first sort of racial remark as I was walking with one of the volunteers and some of their siblings to the center of town. A young dude drove bye with some peeps in a truck and as they rode by, he yelled something negative about my skin color which I didn’t catch. One of the teens I play sports told me he said something negative about me being black and it was a little disheartening but I got over it pretty quickly. I know a lot of what people believe is based on what they were brought up in. Our arbitrary upbringings have strong implications for what we’ll become and how we will think. (Not to mention poor education) For now I just try to kill em with kindness. I think just by being a constant presence here people’s views will naturally shift. It’s not often that a black male from the US is seen. I know that all the families I have gotten to know have really taken a liking to me and I’d like to think my witty one liners have something to do with it (haha a little self-indulging I know). All in all the experience has been greatness so far. I have to make a presentation next week on the structure of the Paraguayan school system, teaching methodologies, etc. I am pumped for that as I have to do a bunch of research and invite people from my community to come and watch. I will also have several young people I hang out with helping me co-facilitate the charla. I have been thoroughly impressed by the resources Peace Corps has at its disposal. Today we had three current urban youth volunteers come and talk about their experiences thus far. They have been all working for a year so far. It was sooo tight hearing about their ups and downs, norms, hard times, inspiring times etc. I’m so glad to be blessed with the opportunity to be here and be doing something I love. I couldn’t imagine life any other way. I’m just thankful my parents instilled in me to follow my passions and I hope to do the same with youth here. I will say that it hasn’t been too bad for me adjusting here. It’s all come so natural. I just spent two hours talking with my host sister about life in Paraguay, joking, laughing, and just appreciating how amazing it is that we have had such different lives that have now converged to provide another unique and special experience. Ok too much romanticism I know. I’ll leave you with what Paraguay has been so far… Todo Tranquilo. There is a calm I have never known. A peace in the simple things. Ambition has always been a strong and important part of my life but perhaps it has led me astray from some of the other essentials. The city of Villeta in Barrio San Martin is giving me some much needed reminders of all that is right in the world. For that I am truly grateful.