Pre-Service Training

Hello again. It's hard to believe I've been in Paraguay for 24 days already. The time really is just flying by, and we are kept busy with our training activities Monday-Saturday. Last week I got a chance to head out to the campo for a site visit with a current volunteer. It was a really positive experience and let me know what things I want to talk about in my placement interview. The site I visited was a rural, quiet town not too far from the main ruta. We did a radio show with another volunteer, helped unload the materials for a fagone (brick oven) project, went on a walk with some community members, and made a ton of good food. School is about to start back up for public school kids so most volunteers will start back there once a week or so as well.

Next week will be week 4 of my 10 weeks of training before I head to site! After having a taste of freedom staying focused in class is going to be challenging. Living with a host family is great but I'm looking forward to being able to cook my own food again.

Pictures next time.

PS- For some reason this song is immensely popular in Paraguay, my host family plays it in the car, my neighbors blast it all day long...who knows.

Alive and well!

I’m writing this first post in the shade of a covered front porch just after seven in the evening, wearing as little clothing is as socially acceptable in Paraguay, and praying for rain.  My trainee group, G44, arrived in Asunción at 8am on January 31^st and this heat (over 100, reaching 108) has persisted without a break.  Welcome to Paraguay!

In the past 11 days I have been placed in a host family, completed a week of our 10 week training, and had something like 100 liters of tereré, a ubiquitous iced yerba mate drink.  We have also been so busy with training that it feels as if I’ve been here a month at least.  Our classes are held either in the small town of Guarambaré or in one of two satellite s communities where the host families live.  Training covers language, our technical area-health, culture, security, and the “intangible elements” that a volunteer needs to be successful.  So far, everything is been pretty basic aside from my new language of study, Guaraní.  Guaraní and Spanish coexist pretty much equally in Paraguay, with a preference for Guarani to tell jokes, fight, and express emotion more generally.  It’s difficult, but I’m enjoying the classes and my host family loves to help me practice.

This week we are going to Asunción in pairs to talk to NGOs or other government organizations to familiarize ourselves with some options for partners as well as the city itself.  I’m excited not to be stuck in the classroom for 8 hours and for a chance to check out the capital city. We also are going on site visits next week so I’ll finally get to see the campo we've been talking so much about.

Limited internet and time but I’ll try and update again soon!!