I just finished up a 3 day environmental summer camp swing through my site and the sites of he two closet volunteers to me. What a great experience! This has been my first real good old fashioned American job title related work since arriving in site about 2 months ago. You may be thinking "Austin really sounds like a bum, what's he been doing for the past 2 months?" Well basically learning two languages and a new culture, meeting new people, exploring, and relaxing! The Paraguayan life is best described as "tranquilo" and although they absolutely know how to work, they are also experts at chillin' out on the porch 'cause it's fricking hot!
My camp was scheduled for Sunday, but because of rain we decided to flip the order and have it on Wednesday. Since the buses weren't running on Sunday, I had to either leave super early Monday morning to make it to Sam's site on the first bus, OR bike it. After consulting with my PC neighbors Sam and Niko (who both strongly advised me not to do it because of the horrible sticky red devil mud) I strapped on my backpack and rolled off down the road. The ride really wasn't that bad. 23 kilometers on rolling hills like mini Ozark Mountains.
To make a long story short, and to skip to the part that applies to me, both Sam and Niko's camps went very very well. I learned a lot and got to warm up for my own camp.
I expected maybe 20 kids for my camp. Being new in my community and because many people aren't familiar with Peace Corps, I didn't expect much. I was way off. It was hard to get an exact number, but we counted between 40 and 50 kids between ages 8 and 15. They were all excited, and participated with enthusiasm. We played games, sang songs, ate snacks, had a water balloon fight. Great fun had by all and a great introduction to the community.
Time to go, more to come!
- Austin
Friday, February 15, 2008
Some Pictures For You
Today I have 4 pictures, 2 from Carnival and 2 from hanging out at my friend Sam's site. Hopefully I will get some pictures later of my summer camp.
1) Beautiful Peacock lady of Carnival
2)Another buddy and a lady that looks like a witch, covered in spray foam which is a big reason why Carnival is so fun here.
3)Hanging out with Sam's environmental youth group
4) Playing music and visiting with a family. The instrument on the left is my charango.
1) Beautiful Peacock lady of Carnival
2)Another buddy and a lady that looks like a witch, covered in spray foam which is a big reason why Carnival is so fun here.
3)Hanging out with Sam's environmental youth group
4) Playing music and visiting with a family. The instrument on the left is my charango.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Carnival, Superbowl, and thoughts
Well, it looks like my updates are going to slow down to once a month with a possible bonus update every now and then. I just can´t get in to town more than that because of money, and because I want to spend all of my time in my community! Coming off the computer after an hour or two is like walking out of a cave after being inside for hours, or like waking up from a dream.
A group of volunteers and a couple from Canada/northern US joined us to watch the SuperBowl last night. Rob and Chris are traveling the world teaching english and exploring. It´s always exciting to find an english speaker down here, they are sure to have an interesting story to tell because as I have said before Paraguay is not a tourist destination. We went to a pizza place that kindly agreed to show the game for us on their projection screen outside. No sound, but the announcers were speaking spanish anyway. I must say that I never expected to be able to watch the game like that and am very thankful. There were a bunch of Paraguayans out there too but none seemed very interested in the game. We weren´t either to be honest. What a slow game! Except for the final 5 minutes or so this was a SuperBowl to forget unless your from New York.
Saturday we went to Carnival. It was basically a stretch of road that had been closed off and painted, and lined with bleachers. You buy a ticket from a scalper on the street (they try to get a 100% gringo markup if you don´t bargain) as well as cans of foam. The foam is essential. We entered the crowd and were instantly assaulted with foam. In general the girls shoot the guys and the guys shoot the girls. I also tried to get the elderly and children because hey - everybody should take part! Floats came down the street, elaborately designed and decorated and covered with beautiful dancing women. There were also beautiful women walking down the street dressed in gigantic outfits made out of feathers and sequins. They looked like peacocks. Unfortunately in addition to the many beautiful dancing women, there were also little girls dressed up too, this added a weird and kind of disturbing air to the event. The party in the stands was what really made it fun. Foam flying and people yelling and chanting and dancing for hours. We were there for about 4 hours, maybe more, but it seemed like 1 or 2. I made friends with the guys around me because it was too crowded for us Americans to stick together too close. I couldn´t speak Guarani to them, they only spoke Spanish, but also a little English (about equal to my spanish skills so far). So we had a weird and interesting, often interupted, conversation for a while. One guy told me he was an illegal mexican immigrant living in paraguay, which I found interesting. We stayed until the party was over and ended the night by walking down the parade street in reverse to head back to the hotel. I slept until 12:30 the in the afternoon.
Things are really going well for me right now. Not always easy, but who wants that? I heard two good phrases recently that I want to save: ¨Bad weeds never die,¨and "If there are ripples on the water, it´s because there are rocks underneath." I spend my day reading and practicing my Charango when i´m not practicing Guaranì or working on a small project. In a couple of weeks I will be running a summer camp for the kids in my town with two volunteers near me. I am very excited about this because it will be my first visible contribution to the community and a great way to show them an example of what I can do. It is also a great excuse to get out and meet people.
Another exciting thing that happened recently was my lunch with the US Ambassidor. A few of us met him and we had pizza and talked about Paraguay. He is a very busy man, clearly politically oriented, but also very socially conscious and devoted to projects that will help Paraguay. He told us about several interesting programs that we can get involved in. One in particular that caught my attention was a Debt for Nature swap that the US has pledged and will fund almost anything that will help protect the remaining forest. He also gave us a ton of anti-parasite pills to share with our communities. Parasites are a huge problem here and something like 95% of children have them. They are being donated by a company in the US and he says we can have as many as we can hand out. I can´t wait to get back out and start spreading the word.
No pictures today, but I promise to post some next time I update!
Live long and prosper!
Austin
p.s. Check out this video that describes very well my Sustainable Living program at Maharishi University of Management. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PcSImxHbSM
A group of volunteers and a couple from Canada/northern US joined us to watch the SuperBowl last night. Rob and Chris are traveling the world teaching english and exploring. It´s always exciting to find an english speaker down here, they are sure to have an interesting story to tell because as I have said before Paraguay is not a tourist destination. We went to a pizza place that kindly agreed to show the game for us on their projection screen outside. No sound, but the announcers were speaking spanish anyway. I must say that I never expected to be able to watch the game like that and am very thankful. There were a bunch of Paraguayans out there too but none seemed very interested in the game. We weren´t either to be honest. What a slow game! Except for the final 5 minutes or so this was a SuperBowl to forget unless your from New York.
Saturday we went to Carnival. It was basically a stretch of road that had been closed off and painted, and lined with bleachers. You buy a ticket from a scalper on the street (they try to get a 100% gringo markup if you don´t bargain) as well as cans of foam. The foam is essential. We entered the crowd and were instantly assaulted with foam. In general the girls shoot the guys and the guys shoot the girls. I also tried to get the elderly and children because hey - everybody should take part! Floats came down the street, elaborately designed and decorated and covered with beautiful dancing women. There were also beautiful women walking down the street dressed in gigantic outfits made out of feathers and sequins. They looked like peacocks. Unfortunately in addition to the many beautiful dancing women, there were also little girls dressed up too, this added a weird and kind of disturbing air to the event. The party in the stands was what really made it fun. Foam flying and people yelling and chanting and dancing for hours. We were there for about 4 hours, maybe more, but it seemed like 1 or 2. I made friends with the guys around me because it was too crowded for us Americans to stick together too close. I couldn´t speak Guarani to them, they only spoke Spanish, but also a little English (about equal to my spanish skills so far). So we had a weird and interesting, often interupted, conversation for a while. One guy told me he was an illegal mexican immigrant living in paraguay, which I found interesting. We stayed until the party was over and ended the night by walking down the parade street in reverse to head back to the hotel. I slept until 12:30 the in the afternoon.
Things are really going well for me right now. Not always easy, but who wants that? I heard two good phrases recently that I want to save: ¨Bad weeds never die,¨and "If there are ripples on the water, it´s because there are rocks underneath." I spend my day reading and practicing my Charango when i´m not practicing Guaranì or working on a small project. In a couple of weeks I will be running a summer camp for the kids in my town with two volunteers near me. I am very excited about this because it will be my first visible contribution to the community and a great way to show them an example of what I can do. It is also a great excuse to get out and meet people.
Another exciting thing that happened recently was my lunch with the US Ambassidor. A few of us met him and we had pizza and talked about Paraguay. He is a very busy man, clearly politically oriented, but also very socially conscious and devoted to projects that will help Paraguay. He told us about several interesting programs that we can get involved in. One in particular that caught my attention was a Debt for Nature swap that the US has pledged and will fund almost anything that will help protect the remaining forest. He also gave us a ton of anti-parasite pills to share with our communities. Parasites are a huge problem here and something like 95% of children have them. They are being donated by a company in the US and he says we can have as many as we can hand out. I can´t wait to get back out and start spreading the word.
No pictures today, but I promise to post some next time I update!
Live long and prosper!
Austin
p.s. Check out this video that describes very well my Sustainable Living program at Maharishi University of Management. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PcSImxHbSM
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
News and Words!
(Welcome, 2008)Messages have trickled down through the jungle that people want me to update my blog! Well, here is your update and an explanation for my long absence.
(Even in Asuncion, the capital, is is common to see horse-drawn carts on the roads)Early December we swore in as full fledged U.S. Peace Corps volunteers serving in Paraguay. It was an important day for me because for a long time, before leaving the states and during training, I wasn't fully convinced that I was here. Well, I believe it now! I have been spending my days living with my incredible community contact and her family in my site, a couple hours north of Encarnacion. She is the vice principal of the elementary school next door, and her husband is the principal of a school down the road. As an environmental education volunteer this is perfect for me and I should have no shortage of work once school starts back up. Live is tranquilo and I am slowely but surely learning to speak the language. If anybody is reading this and considering PC or just learning a new language - take it from me, if I can do it anybody can.
(A playground near Asuncion)Christmas in Paraguay didn't feel like Christmas due to temperatures in the mid 90's and, well, a very different culture. Christmas here is much much less of a commercial buying bonanza like it is in the state. The night before Christmas, the family I am staying with made clarico which is like fruit salad with soda and wine. Pretty tasty. It is their tradition to wait to eat dinner until midnight which was hard on me, I am used to going to bed by 10 at the latest! Let me tell you... learning a new language really messes with your brain. Sleep is essential. Christmas day there was a big party in the field across the road. Kids from my town and from the towns nearby came and they had a big Christmas celebration. Fruit cake (incredibly popular) was passed out to all the kids as well as soda. There were clowns telling jokes I didn't understand and people all around watching me covertly or overtly. Being the first volunteer in my town, many people still don't know why I am there. Some people think i'm a spy although there's not much for me to spy on.
(Not an uncommon site where Volunteers work. This was outside my training village near Guarambare)New Years was very subdued for me. My host family left town to visit relatives and I was left to house sit. I took some much needed time to relax and spent the final minutes of 2007 sitting outside watching the stars as fireworks boomed in the distance.
At the moment I am in the capital, Asuncion, getting some work done in the PC Office. Hopefully I will be able to wrestle a bicycle back across the country and I will have transportation to get to an internet cafe so I can talk to all of you more often! As always please feel free to send messages to let me know how things are going in your part of the world.
Peace,
Austin
(G25 Environmental Education group at the Ambassidor's mansion after swearing in)
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Pictures!
Hey everybody, I finally got some pictures loaded. Just a handfull to give you a little drop in the bucket of what its like here. I will post more this week or next.
I found this snail walking from my training village to the next town over. You think that´s big? you should see the spiders here.
This is a general view down a general road around here. More or less. I took this outside my training village walking to the larger village of Guarambarè to use the internet.
Here are my two hoste sisters, Ruth (in the white) is 6 and reserved and smart. Jazmin is 3 and a huge mess. She gets into everything and spends all day running around the house hollering up a storm. I have to say that they have grown on me and I will miss them when I leave for Itapùa.
Here is the only picture I took in my new site, my new home, Cruce Guayuaybi. This was from the yard of my contact´s family with whom I will live with for a couple of months. As you can see, it´s soy as far as you can see. The area is covered in soy, and some other crops. Mostly owned by Japanese people who live in another town. You thought Paraguay was in the rainforest? You´re looking at it. 35 years ago I would have been taking a picture of lush jungle. Those trees on the left in the picture, that´s an example of what remains. Not much. My site is kinda near a large forest reserve, but only a handfull of rangers are on hand to protect it from tree poachers. We only have 5% of our forest and it´s going fast.
I hope you enjoyed my pictures!
Peace!
I found this snail walking from my training village to the next town over. You think that´s big? you should see the spiders here.
This is a general view down a general road around here. More or less. I took this outside my training village walking to the larger village of Guarambarè to use the internet.
Here are my two hoste sisters, Ruth (in the white) is 6 and reserved and smart. Jazmin is 3 and a huge mess. She gets into everything and spends all day running around the house hollering up a storm. I have to say that they have grown on me and I will miss them when I leave for Itapùa.
Here is the only picture I took in my new site, my new home, Cruce Guayuaybi. This was from the yard of my contact´s family with whom I will live with for a couple of months. As you can see, it´s soy as far as you can see. The area is covered in soy, and some other crops. Mostly owned by Japanese people who live in another town. You thought Paraguay was in the rainforest? You´re looking at it. 35 years ago I would have been taking a picture of lush jungle. Those trees on the left in the picture, that´s an example of what remains. Not much. My site is kinda near a large forest reserve, but only a handfull of rangers are on hand to protect it from tree poachers. We only have 5% of our forest and it´s going fast.I hope you enjoyed my pictures!
Peace!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving - and my new home
On this day of giving thanks I have trouble finding a place to start. So many things have gone right and so many people have supported me so that I can be where I am at this moment. I am thankful most of all for my friends and family back home. I hope all of you enjoy your turkey and cranberry sauce today.
Yesterday our site assignments came in. Next week I will be heading out to the deep south to visit my new village for a few days. It is located in the department of Itapùa, near the city of Itapùa Poty, my village is called -and i´m misspelling badly it here- Guayuayvi. This lovely little town is 50km away from the San Rafael forest reserve, one of the few remaining reserves of rainforest left in Paraguay. The town has electricity but no running water, and of course the roads are all dirt. My contacts are the director of the collegìo (like a high school) and the vice director of the elementary school. This is great because it gives me a foot in the door of both schools right away. Other volunteers have worked in the area, but I am the first to live in this town. That means I will be doing a lot of hanging out with the neighbors getting to know them and helping them get to know me. One of the big missions of Peace Corps is cultural exchange and I am on the front line in my new town. I am extremely excited about this site based on the little information I have, and look forward to visiting soon to get a better idea of where I will spend the next two years.
Well, I am off to help prepare for our Thanksgiving feast here in Guarambarè. Eat an extra scoop of cranberry sauce for me and I´ll eat an extra slice of mango for you!
Yesterday our site assignments came in. Next week I will be heading out to the deep south to visit my new village for a few days. It is located in the department of Itapùa, near the city of Itapùa Poty, my village is called -and i´m misspelling badly it here- Guayuayvi. This lovely little town is 50km away from the San Rafael forest reserve, one of the few remaining reserves of rainforest left in Paraguay. The town has electricity but no running water, and of course the roads are all dirt. My contacts are the director of the collegìo (like a high school) and the vice director of the elementary school. This is great because it gives me a foot in the door of both schools right away. Other volunteers have worked in the area, but I am the first to live in this town. That means I will be doing a lot of hanging out with the neighbors getting to know them and helping them get to know me. One of the big missions of Peace Corps is cultural exchange and I am on the front line in my new town. I am extremely excited about this site based on the little information I have, and look forward to visiting soon to get a better idea of where I will spend the next two years.
Well, I am off to help prepare for our Thanksgiving feast here in Guarambarè. Eat an extra scoop of cranberry sauce for me and I´ll eat an extra slice of mango for you!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
"The Girl" anti-update
I am sorry to keep all of you waiting for the conclusion of the story but things have been incredibly busy for me lately. I was out of town all last week doing "long field practice." We went in groups to different PCV sites and practiced giving presentations in schools. It was a very full week... let´s just say I learned more and became more confused about the culture all at the same time. So it was a success.
Tomorrow is future site day! We finally find out where we will be living for hte next 2 years. Cross your fingers for me, i´m hoping for a spot way out in the country. Thursday in Thanksgiving and I will try to make a quick update to let you all know where I will be going. I don´t know which I am looking forward to more, my future site assignment or Thanksgiving! I hope somebody is able to find cranberries...
Also, If you want to get a letter from me send me your address. I can´t make any promises but I will do my best. You know, a great way to let me know what your address is, is by sending me a letter! Just something to think about. Thanks to everybody who has left comments and emails. I thrive on your attention...
Well, I´m off to get some ice cream and hike through the sugar cane field.
Until next time,
- Agustìn
p.s. I will update the girl situation, but I want to do it right and there hasn´t been time. I will say that my progress in learning the language has helped incredibly in the past week.
Tomorrow is future site day! We finally find out where we will be living for hte next 2 years. Cross your fingers for me, i´m hoping for a spot way out in the country. Thursday in Thanksgiving and I will try to make a quick update to let you all know where I will be going. I don´t know which I am looking forward to more, my future site assignment or Thanksgiving! I hope somebody is able to find cranberries...
Also, If you want to get a letter from me send me your address. I can´t make any promises but I will do my best. You know, a great way to let me know what your address is, is by sending me a letter! Just something to think about. Thanks to everybody who has left comments and emails. I thrive on your attention...
Well, I´m off to get some ice cream and hike through the sugar cane field.
Until next time,
- Agustìn
p.s. I will update the girl situation, but I want to do it right and there hasn´t been time. I will say that my progress in learning the language has helped incredibly in the past week.
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