Currently sitting in the Cooperative of my future site pondering the next few years and all the ideas, hopes, and challenges that await me. The last few weeks have been a changing of the guard. So much has gone down and my thoughts are in a million places but I will try to recap. After coming back from long field practice in a barrio of Asunción, I had the week off spending time with my host family and community members for Semana Santa, the week leading up to easter.It was a pretty tranquilo week. I saw my family members make the infamous chipa which is a type of special Paraguayan bread that is made every year at this time. We had asado aka bbq and got a lot of quality time in. I also got the chance to play quite a bit of basketball. In the center of our town a bunch of guys from the area come and play and it´s surprisingly decent competition. It´s pretty hilarious playing ball with these guys and talking trash in spanish with lines like en tu cara, basura, and yo tengo vos en mi bolsillo.It was a much needed rest from the rigors of training. I got to study a lot of guarani and continue to get better.
The following week was one of much anticipation. We were finally going to get our future sites. I was pretty calm about it up until the day where we actually found out. It was nuts to think that the place I´m gonna call home for two years was a decision out of hands more or less although they take into account our preferences and ideal projects. I received my site on Wed April 7, my sister Sam´s 21st bday. I was handed a folder that said Encarnación, Barrio Ita Paso....
My initial reaction was shock. A bunch of my friends were really happy with their placement laughing and getting alittle rowdy. I on the either hand was quiet and trying to let it register. Somehow I had it in my head I would be in Asunción the capital or somewhere near because of the rough neighborhoods they have and what my experience has been. i knew nothing about Encarnación except that it was far away and on the border of Argentina. It was pretty apparent to everyone I was a little thrown off because I am known in the group for my positivity and constant smile. The director of placement came over and talked to me and asked me if I was disappointed.I told her that I was a little surprised and didn´t know anything about the site. She proceeded to explain to me the history of Barrio ita paso. It´s a poor neighborhood that was displaced form its original location due to the flooding of the river about 13 years ago. It´s an often forgotten part of Encarnacion because it is on the outskirts and has a lot of needs. She told me for the last 5 years she had been pondering in putting someone there but didn´t think she had found the right match. She told me it is a pretty daunting task with a lot to do and that she picked me because she felt I had the drive, charisma, skills, and work ethic to impact people. Anyone who knows me knows what a sucker I am for a motivational speech haha. Needless to say it helped put me in good spirits about where I was going and being far away from my host family in Villeta.
After finding out about our sites on Wed, we travled to a retreat the following day to get to know our community contacts. We stayed at a beautiful religious retreat center. All of us in Urban youth dressed for the occassion, busting out ties, sports coats, and dressing to impress. A shor ttime after we arrived, the contacts began to pour in and greet us. One by one hands were shaked, people kissed on both cheeks as Paraguayans do and the ice was broken. There was one problem... my contact was nowhere to be found! I spent the whole day hanging out with my friend and her contact who I had met on long field practice in Asunción and is a good friend. It was cool but a disappointment that my contact wasn´t there to hear about the process of Peace Corps and all the expectations in our partnership. I was under the impression that he would arrive the next day in the morning but he couldnt make it. I traveled to my site in car with some other volunteers that will be working near by. Luckily I have a bunch of volunteers in my region. A good 3 or 4 are within 15 min to an hour of me working in various projects.
I arrived to my site and met some of my contacts. One named Jorge and another Herbierto. Jorge is 30 yrs old and head of he nieghborhood commission, he is very politically connected and ambitious. Herbierto is a pastor at a local church that I did not have the chance to spend much time with. I also spent a lot of time with a man named Elvio who is 33 and heads the community Cooperative, a place that handles a variety of community needs like microfinance, help with economic development and seeking to expand to educate the community on various issues. Jorge and Elvio are both guys that have good hearts and really want to see a change in their community. It has been impressive to see how hard they work and how they defy a lot of the stereotypes about laziness or watercooler talk here. They expect A LOT out of me. At times I have had to be clear about how the Peace Corps works. Because of where and what I studied along with the Peace Corps name and our contacts they have lofty ambitions of community change. I think they are head on in a lot of ways but we have to be careful about how we go about talking to people and not making false promises. We have started a plan of needs assesment for the community where we are hoping to identify major issues placing the community in various sectors. There are the obvious problems of education, environment, too much free time for youth and so on. From there we are trying to look into all the resources and human capital the community has to offer. Right now we are planning on starting English and computer classes after my first month here. We also are working on reforming a youth commission that once had great ambitions in the community. I have had meetings with principals, youth leaders, and various community members about ideas and projects we hope to start. Today I got to meet the intendente of all of Encarnacion which is the equivalent to the mayor in the states. He has a lot of power and can make things happen. I have been working pretty hard already, trying to reach out to NGOS about potential partnerships to do vocational training in the community along with health, environment and many other workshops. I´ve been looking into grant writing processes and the requirements to receive funding for sustainable projects. I hope to reach out to current and former volunteers who helped establish community centers and recreation areas. We will be starting our classes sometime in mid June with a few computers in a small space. We will also be hosting meeitngs of various youth groups, neighborhood ocmmissions to be on the same page about planning. The first month and a half from may to mid june will be a time for us to organize our thougths, create curriculum for training, and organize potential contacts in the community, paraguay as a whole, peace corps, and internationally. I want to compile a solid list of people to reach out to for different things and take advantage of all available opportunities and information.
Some ideas that have been runnning through my head and normal urban youth programs are, charlas in schools, youth group meetings and fundraising, parenting workshops and meetings, english, computer training, community partnerships with other ogranizations like red cross and ngos with clout, and support from the local and national govt to assist us in implementation of projects.
Lofty goals I know and I dont want to get too far ahead of myself but they are all things worth thinking about. 2 years isnt that long and I really want to make sure projects are successful in the long run. The idea is to help people in the community learn things so that they can transfer those skills to the community at large.
Thankfully my contacts Elvio and Jorge are very trusted and liked in the community. The political thing worries me a little but I am coming to see that on some level it is necessary to get things done here. So much here is about who you know. I know we have a lot of that in the states, but it is paramount here. I am heading back to training tomorrow for another 2 weeks and I swear in as a volunteer in the US embassy April 30. I will have a few days to hang out and soak it all in in the capital b4 i head to my site. I hope to reach out to a few contacts in the capital while I´m there as well. I feel a lot of pressure to get things done and on some level it´s refreshing to have such a challenge in front of me. Since I graduated I have kind of been out of the game and I´m glad to be back on the grind with a job that I love doing. In bed at night I think about it, when I wake up I´m running possibilities through my head. Passion is a funny thing.
On a lighter note I played a pretty hilarious game of 2 on 2 volleyball the other day. I was a lot more athletic than some of the players but they were fundamentally sound and I got my butt kicked. I told them give me 2 weeks I´ll be the best in Paraguay. It has been fun meeting so many new people and learning about their lives. In my community we only have running water a few hours a day and the style of life is so different. People are friendly and eager to chat. This will be a wild ride and I´m looking forward to it.
Till next time...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
A beautiful day
Sorry for the drop in posts, I´ve been extremely busy as of late. I have another post on my computer that I will post at a later date from when I visited another volunteer out in the field. This week I am out on long field practice. We stay in a volunteer´s community for a week and shadow there life while doing charlas in a variety of places. I have also been working with a fellow trainee and a group of high school students. We had the director of environmental action in the local govt come and talk to the kids about recycling global warming and a bunch of Paraguay related issues to the environment. We are also organizing a scholarship packet of all the scholarships in Paraguay that high school students can receive as well as those offered to study in other countries often times through special programs from embassies. It is astonishing at times at how often all available information is not presented to promising youth. I know in the states, parents and children dont know about the college process, and often miss out on great opportunities. Similar issues exist here only at an extremeley higher level. There are a lot less class based initiatives here as to be expected but surprisingly the kids here who often have the grades to go to college and would get full rides simply dont know that such scholarships exist. As volunteers one thing we can do is make sure people are as educated as possible. By doing this Paraguayans can then teach other Paraguayans, making for a sustainable project. The idea with the high school students I am working with during training is to get them up to speed and then have them teach their fellow classmates and other high school students throughout their community.The epitome of paying it forward perhaps.
I am on my first day of long field practice in the neighborhood of Puerto Botanico a neighborhood in the capital of Asuncion. Currently chilling at the community center. This week me and fellow volunteers have to teach about Parasite prevention, dental health, nutrition, geography, and global warming. we will be in schools the community center and comedors which feed very poor families. I am taking the lead on geography and global warming. For geography, I´ll be trying to get kids to have a basic knowledge of the continents and certain countries by using current teams entered in this summers world cup. for global warming myself and a fellow trainee are hoping to show an inconvenient truth followed by a discussion. It´s excellent getting to meet people in communities and see how promising things are. Right now I´m, sitting next to a 17 yr old who got a scholarship from the US embassy to study english and wants to do so many big things. The family Im staying with has a son who is a great leader, wants to go into public service and has been trained a lot by peace corps staff. His family lives very modestly and yet his passion and hope is so apparent. It is truly motivating.
On another note being able to keep up with health care the little i have is amazing. I love being young and having the optimism that it brings. I hope to never lose that.I was just explaining to my language teacher the magnitude of the bill. i talked to her about where i came from what i aspire to be and how thankful i am to be here. I had the ability to follow my dreams and there are so many who cant.I hope on some level for that to be my lifes work. For all the ills of politics I am truly amazed with our President and all the unsung heroes of this era. There is no time for apathy we can each do our part and stretch ourselves, challenge our assumptions, and never stop learning or being curious. Striving towards greatness and a greater compassion daily. We can make it better we really can.
I am on my first day of long field practice in the neighborhood of Puerto Botanico a neighborhood in the capital of Asuncion. Currently chilling at the community center. This week me and fellow volunteers have to teach about Parasite prevention, dental health, nutrition, geography, and global warming. we will be in schools the community center and comedors which feed very poor families. I am taking the lead on geography and global warming. For geography, I´ll be trying to get kids to have a basic knowledge of the continents and certain countries by using current teams entered in this summers world cup. for global warming myself and a fellow trainee are hoping to show an inconvenient truth followed by a discussion. It´s excellent getting to meet people in communities and see how promising things are. Right now I´m, sitting next to a 17 yr old who got a scholarship from the US embassy to study english and wants to do so many big things. The family Im staying with has a son who is a great leader, wants to go into public service and has been trained a lot by peace corps staff. His family lives very modestly and yet his passion and hope is so apparent. It is truly motivating.
On another note being able to keep up with health care the little i have is amazing. I love being young and having the optimism that it brings. I hope to never lose that.I was just explaining to my language teacher the magnitude of the bill. i talked to her about where i came from what i aspire to be and how thankful i am to be here. I had the ability to follow my dreams and there are so many who cant.I hope on some level for that to be my lifes work. For all the ills of politics I am truly amazed with our President and all the unsung heroes of this era. There is no time for apathy we can each do our part and stretch ourselves, challenge our assumptions, and never stop learning or being curious. Striving towards greatness and a greater compassion daily. We can make it better we really can.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Arriba... abajo
3/5
The Good
Last weekend I went on a site visit to spend time with another urban youth volunteer who is currently in the field. She lives in a town called Quiindy. It was pretty similar to where I live now but a little smaller. It was a three day weekend so we had a lot of time to talk and chill. It was a much needed break from the rigors of training. I got to ask a bunch of questions about what my process will be going forward and what life is like as a volunteer. She is currently working with a youth group as a facilitator, providing them with leadership training and various workshops on things like sex-ed HIV/AIDS etc. The group is fairly new and has very energetic and ambitious young people. They want to do a lot in their community and just need the guidance and training to be effective. The volunteer’s other project is working in the local library. She is helping do inventory and soliciting the US embassy for computers and other resources to have at the library. They hope to start having computer classes and various sorts of e-learning with the help of donors. One thing that volunteers have to constantly keep in ind is making our Projects SUSTAINABLE. It’s been drilled into our head day in and day out. In essence we have to establish projects that will be functioning long after we are gone. Because of this, in some ways it is a bit detrimental at times to establish projects that constantly rely on outside funds and do not incentivize sustainable innovation within our communities.
It was cool hearing from some of my other trainees about how their visits went. One volunteer works at a juvenile hall with a broad spectrum of kids. Some sold drugs and grew marijuana, others committed homicide. In another project a trainee got to watch a youth group do a charla on diversity and went to visit a comedor. Comedors are more or less the equivalent of a soup kitchen in the US. Poor families send their kids to eat there several times a week and they are funded for the most part by the church or other private goups. Other trainees co-taught in a school and worked with teachers. What I’ve come to learn is that as an urban volunteer you can do so many different things. You can be as busy as you want to be (or as free). It was also very interesting meeting a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (She did environmental ed) who was a volunteer in the town of Quiindy in the late 80s. She married a Paraguayan and lives there to this day. She goes to the USA for periods of time but for the most part has lived in Paraguay. She saw the country go from dictatorship to democracy and had a lot of insight about how things were here. One other cool rural volunteer I met is finishing her service here in the next 2 weeks. She is then extending for a third year to Jamaica. It is becoming more and more common for volunteers to extend their service a to a 3rd year. Most stay within their country in which they have been serving but some go on to another country to do a similar project.
The Reckless
This past Sunday was a huge day in Paraguay. The national religion here is futbol (soccer). The two most famous club teams Olympia and Cero were playing each other. Towns and cities pretty much shut down minus a few bars and restaurants that stay open for people to come watch the game. I rolled with my host to the town of Carapegua to catch the game. We met up with a couple rural volunteers and one a municipal volunteer. It was cool hearing about their experiences one year in. My host dad and brothers are all Olympia fans and naturally so am I. Most Paraguayans are actually Cero fans. The experience at the bar was unforgettable. People crowded around small TVs in complete silence. There were gasps or cheers depending on a play or event that took place. Feelings of anguish, joy, fear, and hope were being projected from so many faces. Olympia ended winning the game in a thriller. Immediately after, all the Cero fans walked home silently. About 5 minutes later, a good 50 people rolled through the center of town on motos screaming shouting and dancing. People rolled through with cars blasting music from the speakers in their trucks. It was truly una locura. We hung out with the locals cheering and enjoying ourselves. Me my host and 2 other volunteers ended up staying out all night and didn’t leave the town until 5am. When we were on the bus back home, my host accidentally had us get off at the wrong stop. Consequently, we walked through the campo aka country side for 2.5 hours! It was definitely a battle haha. At first it was cool just being there with the crickets in cow country gazing at the stars. After the first hour of walking it started getting a litte tedious. My feet were hurting from dancing all night. By the time we arrived home I had never been more thankful for a bed and a good night (morning’s) sleep.
On Thursday night we went to a celebration of Villeta’s 296th birthday. (Villeta is the city I live in) We got to see/hear a bunch of Paraguayan music and dancing. It was a good time and everyone was out with their families enjoying themselves. Most of us volunteers crashed early as we had class today while our families ended up staying out till 3.
Hard Times
Today some of our group went to visit a comedor (soup kitchen) which serves food to very poor youth in a given neighborhood. We talked briefly with some of the staff and got to talk to some of the youth. It is tough at times to see families living in precarious situations. A million thoughts start running through my head about the problems of arriving from a lack of equity in society, poor education and parenting, the dark side of capitalism, the corruption of government and the apathy of humanity. Why was I so lucky to be born in the US? Then again, even having some of these thoughts is a Western luxury. No time for intellect when dinner tonight isn’t guaranteed. The anger and sadness I feel does nothing for those I see and a sense of hopelessness arises, if only for a moment. Then I tell myself keep pushing, keep trying don’t dwell on the bad, just work towards the good I want to see. These kids don’t need my tears or anyone else’s, they need to be empowered, they need to believe in themselves.
What leaves a strong impression is that despite a lot of these adverse circumstances, there is a joy more prevalent among the people here. They are aware of how tough things are but take more stock in the simple things. It makes one wonder how much more beautiful life could be if we didn’t spend the majority of it concerned about acquiring resources and achieving a certain level of economic achievement and defining it as a life well lived. Obviously we all want to live comfortably, but I can’t help but think about how much energy the masses spend towards trying to eat well and then renting a house and then owning a car and then owning a nicer car and so on. I wonder when we become content… perhaps some of it is (as we learned in Psych) relative to how we feel compared to those around us (social comparison). Is the idea of rags to riches somewhat damaging in itself? A perpetual cycle of wanting more? I will say that I’m just glad to be able to help the best I can and be a part of something I believe in. Some days are full of inspiration and some are full of desperation. Such is life I guess.
The Good
Last weekend I went on a site visit to spend time with another urban youth volunteer who is currently in the field. She lives in a town called Quiindy. It was pretty similar to where I live now but a little smaller. It was a three day weekend so we had a lot of time to talk and chill. It was a much needed break from the rigors of training. I got to ask a bunch of questions about what my process will be going forward and what life is like as a volunteer. She is currently working with a youth group as a facilitator, providing them with leadership training and various workshops on things like sex-ed HIV/AIDS etc. The group is fairly new and has very energetic and ambitious young people. They want to do a lot in their community and just need the guidance and training to be effective. The volunteer’s other project is working in the local library. She is helping do inventory and soliciting the US embassy for computers and other resources to have at the library. They hope to start having computer classes and various sorts of e-learning with the help of donors. One thing that volunteers have to constantly keep in ind is making our Projects SUSTAINABLE. It’s been drilled into our head day in and day out. In essence we have to establish projects that will be functioning long after we are gone. Because of this, in some ways it is a bit detrimental at times to establish projects that constantly rely on outside funds and do not incentivize sustainable innovation within our communities.
It was cool hearing from some of my other trainees about how their visits went. One volunteer works at a juvenile hall with a broad spectrum of kids. Some sold drugs and grew marijuana, others committed homicide. In another project a trainee got to watch a youth group do a charla on diversity and went to visit a comedor. Comedors are more or less the equivalent of a soup kitchen in the US. Poor families send their kids to eat there several times a week and they are funded for the most part by the church or other private goups. Other trainees co-taught in a school and worked with teachers. What I’ve come to learn is that as an urban volunteer you can do so many different things. You can be as busy as you want to be (or as free). It was also very interesting meeting a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (She did environmental ed) who was a volunteer in the town of Quiindy in the late 80s. She married a Paraguayan and lives there to this day. She goes to the USA for periods of time but for the most part has lived in Paraguay. She saw the country go from dictatorship to democracy and had a lot of insight about how things were here. One other cool rural volunteer I met is finishing her service here in the next 2 weeks. She is then extending for a third year to Jamaica. It is becoming more and more common for volunteers to extend their service a to a 3rd year. Most stay within their country in which they have been serving but some go on to another country to do a similar project.
The Reckless
This past Sunday was a huge day in Paraguay. The national religion here is futbol (soccer). The two most famous club teams Olympia and Cero were playing each other. Towns and cities pretty much shut down minus a few bars and restaurants that stay open for people to come watch the game. I rolled with my host to the town of Carapegua to catch the game. We met up with a couple rural volunteers and one a municipal volunteer. It was cool hearing about their experiences one year in. My host dad and brothers are all Olympia fans and naturally so am I. Most Paraguayans are actually Cero fans. The experience at the bar was unforgettable. People crowded around small TVs in complete silence. There were gasps or cheers depending on a play or event that took place. Feelings of anguish, joy, fear, and hope were being projected from so many faces. Olympia ended winning the game in a thriller. Immediately after, all the Cero fans walked home silently. About 5 minutes later, a good 50 people rolled through the center of town on motos screaming shouting and dancing. People rolled through with cars blasting music from the speakers in their trucks. It was truly una locura. We hung out with the locals cheering and enjoying ourselves. Me my host and 2 other volunteers ended up staying out all night and didn’t leave the town until 5am. When we were on the bus back home, my host accidentally had us get off at the wrong stop. Consequently, we walked through the campo aka country side for 2.5 hours! It was definitely a battle haha. At first it was cool just being there with the crickets in cow country gazing at the stars. After the first hour of walking it started getting a litte tedious. My feet were hurting from dancing all night. By the time we arrived home I had never been more thankful for a bed and a good night (morning’s) sleep.
On Thursday night we went to a celebration of Villeta’s 296th birthday. (Villeta is the city I live in) We got to see/hear a bunch of Paraguayan music and dancing. It was a good time and everyone was out with their families enjoying themselves. Most of us volunteers crashed early as we had class today while our families ended up staying out till 3.
Hard Times
Today some of our group went to visit a comedor (soup kitchen) which serves food to very poor youth in a given neighborhood. We talked briefly with some of the staff and got to talk to some of the youth. It is tough at times to see families living in precarious situations. A million thoughts start running through my head about the problems of arriving from a lack of equity in society, poor education and parenting, the dark side of capitalism, the corruption of government and the apathy of humanity. Why was I so lucky to be born in the US? Then again, even having some of these thoughts is a Western luxury. No time for intellect when dinner tonight isn’t guaranteed. The anger and sadness I feel does nothing for those I see and a sense of hopelessness arises, if only for a moment. Then I tell myself keep pushing, keep trying don’t dwell on the bad, just work towards the good I want to see. These kids don’t need my tears or anyone else’s, they need to be empowered, they need to believe in themselves.
What leaves a strong impression is that despite a lot of these adverse circumstances, there is a joy more prevalent among the people here. They are aware of how tough things are but take more stock in the simple things. It makes one wonder how much more beautiful life could be if we didn’t spend the majority of it concerned about acquiring resources and achieving a certain level of economic achievement and defining it as a life well lived. Obviously we all want to live comfortably, but I can’t help but think about how much energy the masses spend towards trying to eat well and then renting a house and then owning a car and then owning a nicer car and so on. I wonder when we become content… perhaps some of it is (as we learned in Psych) relative to how we feel compared to those around us (social comparison). Is the idea of rags to riches somewhat damaging in itself? A perpetual cycle of wanting more? I will say that I’m just glad to be able to help the best I can and be a part of something I believe in. Some days are full of inspiration and some are full of desperation. Such is life I guess.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Believe
2/23/10
I hope everyone is well out there. Life has been pretty wild as usual. There was Carnaval on Sat night where there was a parade in the heart of Villeta. Everyone came from all over to see it and it was pretty cool. People had foam spray cans to squirt each other with and it was a much needed descansa (rest) for us volunteers. I don’t have many hours to myself, pretty much only right before I am about to go to sleep. Today I made a presentation to my fellow volunteers and one of the program directors about Paraguay’s education system. I had to do some research, talk to community members and educators. I had a principal and fellow volunteer’s host mom (who is a teacher) come in to talk about their perspective. We also did 2 truths and a lie about random educational facts and realities in Paraguay. The volunteer after me made a sick presentation on self-esteem building with youth. There are many parallels between the struggles of the Paraguayan educational system and poor performing schools in the states, only imagine Paraguayan schools being a lot worse most of the time. The way of teaching here is pretty different. Students can be seen in class just copying what the teacher writes and not doing anything engaging or dynamic. Kids here only go to school for four hours a day as well and some of that time and wasted as well (although the ministry of education is trying to reform the system to 8hr days…).
This past Saturday I also went to a shelter for abandoned children and got to do a bunch of mini sports game with kids. We did dodgeball and some other juegos which were really fun. It was crazy hearing about how kids get found in the streets all alone. One kid got dropped off in a cardboard box as a baby. Something that was really wild to hear was how a bunch of families wanted to adopt this one girl but decided not to because she had a brother who was darker skinned. Race has been something that has come out frequently here. I feel like I am under the microscope at times because every move I make represents how people view a black male from the US. (Let’s not forget about my Dominican half as well!) For better or for worse my being here has had and will have an affect on what people think about darker skinned peoples and it is something I am constantly keeping in mind as I go about things. I have had some conversations with Paraguayans about how ridiculous it is to attribute characteristics to someone based on their race. One volunteer told me her grandmother said that she was so happy to have a nice pretty white girl staying with her and not a black one. These things are pretty disheartening to hear at times, but my optimism in people’s ability to change keeps me going. Everyday I am meeting people and having good conversations and EXPOSURE is the key for a lot of them. In the states, people keep a lot of their racial opinions within family or to themselves. It’s cool to be able to engage people on some level about their beliefs. I try to be careful about how I talk about myself here as well. I talk about Harvard and certain achievements but do not want to be tokenized. Race, class, gender, sexual orientation… name the topic it has us all tripping. I figure if so many of those before could put their anger to the backburner and keeping working towards progress, so can I.
On another note, it seems that a recurring theme in this blog will be how thankful I am for what I had/have. My host sister Alba is a superstar. She works 16 hour days when university is out and when it’s in session she gets up at 5, works till like 3, comes home, takes a shower, and then goes to university in the capital 45 min away and gets back home around 10 11ish. She is the first one in her family to go to college and she is so passionate about school. Everything here has made me think of how relative things can be. Relative happiness, contentment, economic stuggle, etc. It’s just crazy to think about how everyone has so many daunting problems and issues in their lives. It is truly a blessing to be equipped to deal with them and come out better. Tomorrow I get to make a presentation about my life to the volunteers for ten minutes. It will be hard for me to talk about myself for that long… Not! Haha. All my RYI peeps know we had plenty of that this summer. BTW it’s amazing how much working in Roxbury doing SUP was a great platform for doing this. What will be hard is trying to help people get a grasp of who I am and how I’ve come to believe what I do. It’s pretty wild trying to reflect on how to explain to people the essentials of my life so far. Getting to know fellow volunteers has been so amazing. From families to funny stories, and overall life experience, everyone is so unique. Hearing about the different adversity in everyone’s lives and what inspired them to do Peace Corps helps sustain us all from time to time. It is a wonderful feeling to wake up everyday and feel connected to this cause, as if I was meant to be here at this point in my life (hope that didn’t sound too fatalist!). Thursday I am headed to Asunción, (the capital) to do a mission with a friend from my group. We have to find several landmarks, which include a government department that works with youth, a FIFA soccer museum, and a supermarket. It should be fun trying to navigate the city and ask for directions (although google maps makes everything mad easy). Guaraní is kicking my butt as usual. My host sister helped me make flashcards. It’s crazy learning Guaraní through Spanish when the languages are nothing alike except for mixed words which are spoken when people combine Guaraní and Spanish in what is called jopara. This Saturday I leave to another city to stay with a volunteer in the field for four days. It should be exciting to see a volunteer’s day to day to process and see what real life will possibly look like for me. So far we have had current volunteers in the field come in to do activities with us and share their experiences. I’m a little nervous but I know that’s a good thing. I’m off to work on my life presentation w/some good ol Norah Jones. Shout out to my brother Paul who turned 11 today. He’s NFL bound!
I hope everyone is well out there. Life has been pretty wild as usual. There was Carnaval on Sat night where there was a parade in the heart of Villeta. Everyone came from all over to see it and it was pretty cool. People had foam spray cans to squirt each other with and it was a much needed descansa (rest) for us volunteers. I don’t have many hours to myself, pretty much only right before I am about to go to sleep. Today I made a presentation to my fellow volunteers and one of the program directors about Paraguay’s education system. I had to do some research, talk to community members and educators. I had a principal and fellow volunteer’s host mom (who is a teacher) come in to talk about their perspective. We also did 2 truths and a lie about random educational facts and realities in Paraguay. The volunteer after me made a sick presentation on self-esteem building with youth. There are many parallels between the struggles of the Paraguayan educational system and poor performing schools in the states, only imagine Paraguayan schools being a lot worse most of the time. The way of teaching here is pretty different. Students can be seen in class just copying what the teacher writes and not doing anything engaging or dynamic. Kids here only go to school for four hours a day as well and some of that time and wasted as well (although the ministry of education is trying to reform the system to 8hr days…).
This past Saturday I also went to a shelter for abandoned children and got to do a bunch of mini sports game with kids. We did dodgeball and some other juegos which were really fun. It was crazy hearing about how kids get found in the streets all alone. One kid got dropped off in a cardboard box as a baby. Something that was really wild to hear was how a bunch of families wanted to adopt this one girl but decided not to because she had a brother who was darker skinned. Race has been something that has come out frequently here. I feel like I am under the microscope at times because every move I make represents how people view a black male from the US. (Let’s not forget about my Dominican half as well!) For better or for worse my being here has had and will have an affect on what people think about darker skinned peoples and it is something I am constantly keeping in mind as I go about things. I have had some conversations with Paraguayans about how ridiculous it is to attribute characteristics to someone based on their race. One volunteer told me her grandmother said that she was so happy to have a nice pretty white girl staying with her and not a black one. These things are pretty disheartening to hear at times, but my optimism in people’s ability to change keeps me going. Everyday I am meeting people and having good conversations and EXPOSURE is the key for a lot of them. In the states, people keep a lot of their racial opinions within family or to themselves. It’s cool to be able to engage people on some level about their beliefs. I try to be careful about how I talk about myself here as well. I talk about Harvard and certain achievements but do not want to be tokenized. Race, class, gender, sexual orientation… name the topic it has us all tripping. I figure if so many of those before could put their anger to the backburner and keeping working towards progress, so can I.
On another note, it seems that a recurring theme in this blog will be how thankful I am for what I had/have. My host sister Alba is a superstar. She works 16 hour days when university is out and when it’s in session she gets up at 5, works till like 3, comes home, takes a shower, and then goes to university in the capital 45 min away and gets back home around 10 11ish. She is the first one in her family to go to college and she is so passionate about school. Everything here has made me think of how relative things can be. Relative happiness, contentment, economic stuggle, etc. It’s just crazy to think about how everyone has so many daunting problems and issues in their lives. It is truly a blessing to be equipped to deal with them and come out better. Tomorrow I get to make a presentation about my life to the volunteers for ten minutes. It will be hard for me to talk about myself for that long… Not! Haha. All my RYI peeps know we had plenty of that this summer. BTW it’s amazing how much working in Roxbury doing SUP was a great platform for doing this. What will be hard is trying to help people get a grasp of who I am and how I’ve come to believe what I do. It’s pretty wild trying to reflect on how to explain to people the essentials of my life so far. Getting to know fellow volunteers has been so amazing. From families to funny stories, and overall life experience, everyone is so unique. Hearing about the different adversity in everyone’s lives and what inspired them to do Peace Corps helps sustain us all from time to time. It is a wonderful feeling to wake up everyday and feel connected to this cause, as if I was meant to be here at this point in my life (hope that didn’t sound too fatalist!). Thursday I am headed to Asunción, (the capital) to do a mission with a friend from my group. We have to find several landmarks, which include a government department that works with youth, a FIFA soccer museum, and a supermarket. It should be fun trying to navigate the city and ask for directions (although google maps makes everything mad easy). Guaraní is kicking my butt as usual. My host sister helped me make flashcards. It’s crazy learning Guaraní through Spanish when the languages are nothing alike except for mixed words which are spoken when people combine Guaraní and Spanish in what is called jopara. This Saturday I leave to another city to stay with a volunteer in the field for four days. It should be exciting to see a volunteer’s day to day to process and see what real life will possibly look like for me. So far we have had current volunteers in the field come in to do activities with us and share their experiences. I’m a little nervous but I know that’s a good thing. I’m off to work on my life presentation w/some good ol Norah Jones. Shout out to my brother Paul who turned 11 today. He’s NFL bound!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
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.
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.
Welcome to the Neighborhood
From 2/12, Sorry internet is few and far between.
Woooow. Wooooooooow. Wooooooooooooooow. I think that pretty much sums up the breathtaking experiences that have occurred so far. It’s really starting to hit home that I am actually here and going to be here for some time. Just got out of training for the day and so glad it’s Friday. Tomorrow we only have language training in the morning. I placed out of Spanish training for the most part based on an interview we had although we all will continue to practice Spanish and get better via technical training and daily living in our community. The focus has become Guaraní. A language unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Sometimes I feel like I’m in kindergarten trying to understand and repeat phrases. Mbaiechapa. Meaning how are you. Ipora. Meaning I am well. Also the pronunciation is often not how it’s spelled! So much information and customs and ideas are being thrown my way and I’m just trying my best to be as much of a sponge as possible. I will say it has truly been great being around the other volunteers. No more wow you are doing the Peace Corps or why? Just people who have similar passions as you, each bringing their unique life experiences, crossing paths and working to do something meaningful. My chances to use the internet are few and far between, although I will be trying to go to other volunteers houses who have internet. I am getting quite accustomed to cold showers. In this heat they can be my saving grace. In the morning when it is a lot more cool I simply keep whispering to myself “don’t be soft” hahaha. I’d say we take about 3 showers a day simply because of the heat and sweating. Paraguayans have an acute sense of smell, cleanliness is truly next to Godliness. I’ve gotten to know a bunch of the kids in my neighborhood. A bunch of the volunteers live in homestays with younger kids. I am headed I about a half hour to play soccer with an eleven and thirteen year old I know, we may even play basketball! Yesterday the host sister of one the volunteers took us to centro, the main part of town along with her friend who studies at the university. They were really sweet and funny. I think they were pretty entertained by my one liners in Spanish like “peligroso es mi nombre medio.” Or asking them about all the boys they were waving to and if they were amigos con beneficios. They even promised to take me and some of the other volunteers out dancing this weekend for a night on the town. The Paraguayan ladies are very attractive. I will also say they are much more mature for their age. 16 year olds come across like college kids in the states and my host sister who is 22 has a vibe like shes in her 30s. I think one of the most touching parts so far has just been the general conversation I have with my host family. Each day we sit down several times a day and drink terere which is this Paraguayan type of cold tea that is beyond ritual and pretty much a lifestyle. You pour cold water into a special cup called a guampa mixed with yerba mate and other types of leaves (yuyos) that you smash up. You then pass it around in a circle drinking it for an hour or so at a time. Some people drink it continuously all day. As volunteers we have already picked up the habit in language classes. It is stimulating w/not too much caffeine and helps you with energy and what not. One of my favorite parts of the day is after dinner when we bring chairs out onto the patio and just chill outside talking about life, telling jokes and exchanging stories. We talk with the neighbors who are outdoors as well and us volunteers go from patio to patio joking and conversing w/everyone. Community is alive and well here. Everyone knows each other and looks out for one another. Everyone comes to my spot to check out the newborn baby. It’s crazy to have a baby around all the time. A nice reminder of the beauty of life and the short time we have here. I will say in my short time here, that the lifestyle is very seductive, especially for all the romantic idealists like myself. It is a shame we don’t know this kind of peace a lot of times in the states. Currently sipping on some mango juice, bread with a guayava spread, pondering how to provide sustainable change. What could be better….Well that’s all for now gotta eat this snack and go show em my skills on the soccer field/bball court! O and btw, in case you didn’t know, I love it here.
Woooow. Wooooooooow. Wooooooooooooooow. I think that pretty much sums up the breathtaking experiences that have occurred so far. It’s really starting to hit home that I am actually here and going to be here for some time. Just got out of training for the day and so glad it’s Friday. Tomorrow we only have language training in the morning. I placed out of Spanish training for the most part based on an interview we had although we all will continue to practice Spanish and get better via technical training and daily living in our community. The focus has become Guaraní. A language unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Sometimes I feel like I’m in kindergarten trying to understand and repeat phrases. Mbaiechapa. Meaning how are you. Ipora. Meaning I am well. Also the pronunciation is often not how it’s spelled! So much information and customs and ideas are being thrown my way and I’m just trying my best to be as much of a sponge as possible. I will say it has truly been great being around the other volunteers. No more wow you are doing the Peace Corps or why? Just people who have similar passions as you, each bringing their unique life experiences, crossing paths and working to do something meaningful. My chances to use the internet are few and far between, although I will be trying to go to other volunteers houses who have internet. I am getting quite accustomed to cold showers. In this heat they can be my saving grace. In the morning when it is a lot more cool I simply keep whispering to myself “don’t be soft” hahaha. I’d say we take about 3 showers a day simply because of the heat and sweating. Paraguayans have an acute sense of smell, cleanliness is truly next to Godliness. I’ve gotten to know a bunch of the kids in my neighborhood. A bunch of the volunteers live in homestays with younger kids. I am headed I about a half hour to play soccer with an eleven and thirteen year old I know, we may even play basketball! Yesterday the host sister of one the volunteers took us to centro, the main part of town along with her friend who studies at the university. They were really sweet and funny. I think they were pretty entertained by my one liners in Spanish like “peligroso es mi nombre medio.” Or asking them about all the boys they were waving to and if they were amigos con beneficios. They even promised to take me and some of the other volunteers out dancing this weekend for a night on the town. The Paraguayan ladies are very attractive. I will also say they are much more mature for their age. 16 year olds come across like college kids in the states and my host sister who is 22 has a vibe like shes in her 30s. I think one of the most touching parts so far has just been the general conversation I have with my host family. Each day we sit down several times a day and drink terere which is this Paraguayan type of cold tea that is beyond ritual and pretty much a lifestyle. You pour cold water into a special cup called a guampa mixed with yerba mate and other types of leaves (yuyos) that you smash up. You then pass it around in a circle drinking it for an hour or so at a time. Some people drink it continuously all day. As volunteers we have already picked up the habit in language classes. It is stimulating w/not too much caffeine and helps you with energy and what not. One of my favorite parts of the day is after dinner when we bring chairs out onto the patio and just chill outside talking about life, telling jokes and exchanging stories. We talk with the neighbors who are outdoors as well and us volunteers go from patio to patio joking and conversing w/everyone. Community is alive and well here. Everyone knows each other and looks out for one another. Everyone comes to my spot to check out the newborn baby. It’s crazy to have a baby around all the time. A nice reminder of the beauty of life and the short time we have here. I will say in my short time here, that the lifestyle is very seductive, especially for all the romantic idealists like myself. It is a shame we don’t know this kind of peace a lot of times in the states. Currently sipping on some mango juice, bread with a guayava spread, pondering how to provide sustainable change. What could be better….Well that’s all for now gotta eat this snack and go show em my skills on the soccer field/bball court! O and btw, in case you didn’t know, I love it here.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Genesis
Currently chilling in JFK airport with mad time to kill so I figured to put a start to the much anticipated tale that's about to unfold. It's crazy to think this is actually happening and yet somehow I'm not too phased right now. I can't really fathom being gone so long but I'm sure it'll sink in pretty soon. I'm heading to Miami in a few hours and will be there until Tuesday night when we fly from Miami to Paraguay with a lay over in São Paulo, Brazil. Perhaps I'll dip from the airport for a bit in Brazil and hit up a futsal court and joga bonito. I'm pumped to meet all the fellow volunteers I will be doing training with for the first 3 months. During that time we will all be living in a town about an hour from the capital called Guarambaré. We stay with host families and our days are dedicated to language and technical training. After those three months we are officially sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers and move to our permanent site for the remaining two years. The permanent site we get placed in has to do with what slots are open at the time and based on the Peace Corps Staff's evaluation of our abilities. As many of the peeps I've talked to know, I will not only be speaking Spanish but also an indigenous language called Guaraní. Most Paraguayans speak Guaraní as well and it will definitely be a cool challenge to try and learn it upon my arrival. I don't know how much more my brain can take. Spanish to Portuguese now to Guarani and Spanish... I wish I had the Belgian language skills! Anywayz good to get this thing started up and shout out to all my family and friends wherever you may be. Much Love and keep fighting the good fight. I'm out like all the Who dat fans on Bourbon street.
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