A Breath of Fresh Air

Amongst all the wind blowing in my face I finally got a breath of fresh air, metaphorically speaking of course. However, it's the only way I can really express the feeling I experience this past Sunday. For the last month I have struggled between two modes of interaction with my committee: over-involvement and passive oversight. On the one hand, I should take control and be a model for hard-working behavior so that one day the members will receive health and sanitation improvements to their homes. Yet, on the other, I must remember that successful work here depends on enabling the community in a self-sufficent manner. In other words they need to learn how to accomplish things on their own and understand the what it takes to do so, which means I need to stay back on the sidelines and coach (even if it would normally be done more efficient and quicker if I were to step in). That also involves watching them fail and not doing anything so that they learn from their mistakes. This is harder than it sounds. Until this Sunday, our group was lacking full attendance, participation, and punctuality. Our president was quiet and laid back; the speaker was doing the secretary's job and the men didn't think they needed to help out with the cooking for the food sales. Finally after reiterating the responsibilities of each position in the committee and importance of doing the previously mentioned, I had a full house promptly arrive at 3:00pm Sunday afternoon. Ready to get down to business! It was one of the best meetings we've ever had. We planned another event, talked about new interesting activities, and set out a date to send the recognition papers to now the state government office (since we are already recognized by the municipality). I then gave a requested presentation on treatment and prevention of the cold and flu, which they really appreciated and surprisingly learned a lot. Finally a very organized step in the right direction :) VERY PROUD. Also makes me feel like they are actually listening to me and it feels great! I even took a picture...take a look at my super guapo committee!

"Guavira Unido"

Oh Dave, you always know.

So today I was rockin' out to my Itunes while cleaning up and this little gem of a song came up. Decided it described my life perfectly right now.   

To change the world,

Start with one step.

However small,

The first step is hardest of all.

***

If you give, you, you begin to live.

If you give, you begin to live.

You begin, you get the world.

If you give, you begin to give

You get the world, you get the world.

If you give, you begin to live.

-Dave Matthews Band "You might die trying"

I think this song explains the life of a Peace Corps Paraguay volunteer almost too perfectly. One of the first things you notice about Paraguayan culture is how extremely interconnected all relationships are, whether it be business or socially related. One obvious reason being that they are possibly related within at least four degrees of separation. Additionally, it is because almost everything develops from well recognized relationships. People do not interact unless a strong friendship or association bonds trust between them. Unlike in the states, where professional reputations are always relied upon, Paraguayan culture depends on who you know well to make sure something gets done. That's where our hard work begins; creating a trustful relationship with the people in our community. Just like Dave says...the first step is hardest of all. Fortunately, I think I'm finally getting there with many of the people in my community. However, there's been a few hiccups recently. Most are directly related to the incessant gossip that partially defines their culture. Let me explain. As you may already know there was a Women's Committee previously formed to my arrival. To my knowledge these are the women who can be somewhat credited for my presence. At first, they were very helpful and had a very organized plan for my first three months here. Once I expressed that I was no longer interested in moving families every week (because for some reason they thought that I needed to live with each family in the committee before living alone and there are at least 30 of them) I asked to stay longer and the current host mother that I was staying with was not okay with that. She asked me if I could move to another house. That week I went to the meeting and asked the women who I could stay with next and not one hand went up. After being assured that they were only too nervous to host a vegetarian, I went elsewhere (to families outside of the committee) to find housing. A lovely mother warmly offered her house to me. I immediately felt at home and decided that I did not want to move until I would find permanent living after 3 months. I then learned later on that these women became jealous that I was enjoying my time with someone outside of the committee and spread gossipy lies about how "she stole me away from the house I was living in and forced me to stay in her house". Not only was this incorrect but it really hurt the feelings of my new host mother. And this is just a small blog-appropriate example of their gossip. 

Second hiccup. After a month or so in this house a senora came and offered me a house down the street for the duration of my stay. Since this house had all the furniture I needed I moved in. She seemed to be really accommodating and helpful. I got caught up in the "tranquilo" Paraguayan attitude and forgot to sign a lease with her. To my surprise her son came back and wants to move back in at the end of November. Without a signed contract I have found myself out of luck. The really awful part is that I've spent most of the settling-in money Peace Corps gave me on building a garden, a compost fence, fixing up the house and new cooking appliances. Even worse, I was told by the son that his mother told him that she was only going to rent to me for two months. Basically, she lied to me and now I'm out of enough money to buy the essentials to occupy an empty house. By the way, I found out about this through my neighbor and her other daughter, she has yet to confront me and tell me any of this information. Typical non-confrontational Paraguayan problem-solving skills. 

In general, I have discovered that I will have to somehow deal with how jealous, gossipy, timid, and non-confrontational my new friends will be. Just goes to show that being a Peace Corps Volunteer is every bit of the 24/7 responsibility required of you. 

Understanding the real process and benefits of being a Peace Corps Volunteer is again melodically revealed in the second part of my lyric. We are here to GIVE ourselves to a cause. We give our time, patience, compassion, and focus but in time we begin to live a whole other life that gives us a chance to look at the world differently or understand it in ALL of its complexities. I open up, become vulnerable, study people, wonder, and level. I hit a fews rocks and have a few hiccups but I'm beginning to learn the variability of the world. 

That's my Deep for ya.

Parties & Committees

Once again I have drifted from the consistency of a good blogger so I apologize! BUT that just means I have a bunch to tell! :) First of all I just came back from a weekend in Asuncion but before I get into that craziness I want to touch on the few days before that. Last wednesday my friend Karen came to visit me in my site before we headed out to our nearest big town. We joined about six other volunteers who were all interested in helping out another american organization called Amigos de America. It's a program that sends mostly high school students to Latin America for about six weeks so they can work in the schools and do small projects with the locals, specifically in the department that I live in. For the last couple of years the Amigos Paraguay director has teamed up with a RHS Volunteer in the area to organize their introduction on how to build a fogon. Since I had special interest in the area I decided to go and help out. On that Friday Karen and I built a fogon together with six of the 50 kids that came to Paraguay this summer. They were all really great and ready to work the whole 9 hours it took to finish it that day. Since the PCV that has organized this activity for the last two years is leaving soon, Karen and I opted to co-direct that program next winter! So were excited about that! Anyway, after an entire day of dirty work, Karen and I hopped on the three hour bus to Asuncion for the weekend. By the time we got to our hostel everyone was well-prepared for the night :) Let's just say we had a pretty great night! The next day was the 4th of July celebration at the Embassy which really was the real reason we all came. It was SO much fun and the place is huge! There could have been like twelve different desserts that were all served and voted on! So amazing! Here are a few pictures of the weekend!

Happy Birthday America!

G-38 Tug-O--War Team...failure

American Food! Veggie Burgers for me too :)

Emily, Karen and I  

Venue

*****

As fall turns to winter here in the southern hemisphere, a Peace Corps Paraguay Rural Health Volunteer must begin focusing on specific potential project ideas. Personally I have lightly dipped into a few possible themes to which I can expand on further, like my Fogon and Latrine Committee and teaching English. However, I am now beginning to realize how difficult it is going to be transitioning from the integration period to the project planning and organization phase. I have really enjoyed getting to know my community on a personal and friendly basis, yet I have been really battling with how I can approach my work efficiently and accurate to Peace Corps objectives. I say this only because recently Peace Corps Paraguay has had some recent administrative changes. For example, we have welcomed in a new Country Director and our Program Director will be retiring this coming August. With such movements, many voices specific to the Rural Health and Sanitation sector of Paraguay have declared some concerns pertinent to our project plan and how to fulfill its objectives using sustainable development. Now, for me, this aspect of Peace Corps is one of the most important; it also is a huge reason why I joined Peace Corps. Although I strongly believe that helping people in any way shape or form is what makes a good person, I whole-heartedly trust that the only way that our host country nationals can make an improvement to their own lives in the long-run is solely through the application of sustainable development. Currently, this is where I lie in the process of creating my personal objectives here in my community. According to a memorandum* brought up by a RHS Volunteer who recently COS'ed (Close of Service), many fogon projects in Paraguay (like the one I hope to one day fulfill) have been too heavily focused on the end result and have crutched the communities individuals to foreign aid. For example, some Volunteers have helped their commission/committee members by completing some of the crucial work that is needed in order to receive funding or recognition, including: written requests, trips to the municipality, meetings with other organizations, etc. This inherently excludes the main purpose of a self-sustaining committee/commission and furthermore an attempt to develop work ethic within the community. Consequently, my current problem is how to motivate my committee to one day become a self-sustaining model group. A group of people who, once I'm gone, can continue on independently and serve themselves to solve potential problems. That is the key to honest foreign aid and the path to sustainable development. My conclusion: tiny baby steps; pushing them every meeting to do things for themselves and be more participative. Let's see how it works out!

For anyone who is interested in reading the Memorandum shoot me an email listed on my contact info page!