Breaking the Ice, Street Gangs of Animals and Doctor’s Offices

Training continues to go relatively well. Spanish classes are progressing well, but we all seem to be struggling to understand Guarani. It is difficult to describe to someone who has never heard it before, but it sounds a bit like Jabba the Hut, only faster. Cultural classes have been enlightening, and field trips to visit current volunteers have given us an idea of the typical volunteer’s experience in Urban Youth Development. My UYD group has been doing some “get to know you” type team building / ice breaker type games, most of which have gone pretty well – The one exception being the fact that we dropped someone during a game which involved getting teammates over a rope. Beyond the classroom, I have been picking up Spanish pretty well, but committing faux pas here and there, (such as learning the different meanings for common hand gestures). Luckily, my family has been very patient with both my verbal and cultural mistakes.

The food here has been surprisingly good, though a bit monotonous. Luckily, I enjoy eating meat, (they serve it daily). Vegetarians definitely struggle in this country, especially when they are guests in a Paraguayan house, as I am. Breakfasts are usually just a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. Lunch, which is the main meal of the day, is a feast at my house. It consists of a large pasta or soup, with salad and fruit. I have actually not encountered a meal that I have not liked. Dinner is not a family meal, and everyone typically just eats around the backyard. It usually is served around nine, and is just a sandwich or a piece of fruit. The fruit here is incredible, especially the pears. Volunteers living in the countryside have told me that their meals are sometimes far more unconventional, and often make me thankful to be living in the city. Let’s just say that there are certain parts of an animal that I had previously only heard of being consumed on Fear Factor. The staple is a veggie called Manioca, which is sort of like a potato. There is a bread called Chipa, which resembles cornbread but tastes much different. There are a lot of corn-based dishes, rice, and chicken. My family keeps chickens, and my brother is very proud of the fact that they do not use steroids or chemicals for their animals.

The weather is incredibly strange, but I am getting used to it. One day it will be 100 degrees and humid, and you sweat through all of your clothes just sitting in the shade. The next day it will rain and flood the streets. My waterproof hiking boots have been the best thing I brought so far, as they make walking to school in muddy, flooded streets that have no sidewalks a breeze. However, water isn’t the only thing that makes walking to school a problem. There is a group of geese (a gaggle? or a flock? I don’t remember the correct term) that often hangs out of the street that I use to get to school. Unlike all other animals, like dogs, cats, horses, cows and chickens, all of which run away when I walk near them, the geese approach me. Honestly, you would think I was from a rival gang, because sometimes they are interested in starting a fight. They all run up and screech, and sometimes follow me down the road. I am starting to feel like a kid who has a bully living on his street that always robs him of his lunch money. I think I may have to devise a similar bribe for them, because one of these days that biggest one is going to bite me, and probably take my wallet. Unlike the birds, the people of the neighborhood are all very nice, and are often interested in talking to you about why you are in the country.

We received our medical kits recently, which are full of all sorts of good stuff. We hope we never have to use some of the items in there, like medication for parasites. I also received my much needed mosquitero (mosquito net), which I installed last night. All of us look like we have chicken pox at this point from all of the bug bites, which locals say is normal for outsiders. Apparently the local bugs just love foreign blood. Thankfully, we have been getting a slew of shots from PC doctors for a bunch of different diseases. Our medical officers are really nice, and the PC jokes about how the healthcare that we get for the next two years will be the best we ever receive, since they respond to you, no matter where you are in the world.

I recently came down with a horrendous case of some sort of flu. I thought I was just feeling the effects of the heat, but after stopping by the medical office in Asuncion, I was informed that I had a fever and viral infection. Volunteers who have been here for a couple years all tell me that this is just the first of a few bad sicknesses that I will come down with. Apparently it is good to get the first one out of the way though, as the first is usually the worst. I spent most of the sick days reading, staring at the ceiling fan, and sleeping. My family had a hard time believing that I was not hungry, even though I had not eaten in days. The one upside to my sickness was getting to visit the Peace Corps medical office, which is air conditioned – We joke that being in a country like this suddenly makes you appreciate things like AC.

Last weekend, my family and I went to a nearby town for a Paraguayan-style “rodeo” (for lack of a better word). Groups of riders from around the country come to these events where they ride around and show of their abilities on horseback. There is no roping of cows or anything, just a bunch of riding around. They began the ceremonies with a pig chase, which was pretty strange. They got kids from the crowd in chase after a baby pig, and whoever tackled it got to keep it. Then the same group of kids rode sheep, and whoever stayed on it the longest won some money. The general atmosphere was eerily similar to an American rodeo. The official (read: only) beer was Bud, and there were lots of drunk people wearing cowboy hats. My host brother had a hard time believing me when I told him that Bud is actually not really popular with many Americans. He just assumed every American drank it like water.

This week, my UYD group will begin to transition into more specific technical training about youth in the country and what their primary needs are. From what we have learned so far, the education system has a lot of room for improvement. Additionally, social norms about gender roles, sex and relationships, and awareness of different career choices are all areas that current volunteers have explained are in need of attention. I have spoken with an Associate Director about my work history with AmeriCorps, and it seems that my experience will be put to use in a similar capacity.

Tagged as: AmeriCorps, Chipa, Dengue, Fever, Flu, Food, Geese, Guarani, Icebreakers, Manioca, Medical Kits, Peace Corps Office, Rodeo, Teambuilding, Terere, Training