One month down, twenty-three to go! My first month living in Caballero has flown by. Now, I can safely say that I expect to be happy and content living and working here. Sometimes it is definitely hard being the outsider, but everyone in my community has been very welcoming and seems to be looking out for me.
I finally have a semi regular routine worked out. I spend my mornings working in the health center. Sometimes I take vitals, sometimes I accompany the vaccination team on their outings, and if it is a slow morning, I just chat in a Spanish/Guarani mix with the doctors, nurses, and various other support staff. This has been a really good way to get to know my community and make some contacts for future projects. I head home for lunch with my new host family, stopping and talking with whomever I meet along the way. It takes me a long time to get anywhere because 1) I walk everywhere and 2) I'm still new and interesting so people want to talk to me. Especially kids. I've never been so popular in my life.
After lunch is siesta time. I don't like to sleep in the middle of the day or I can't fall asleep at 9/10 when my family goes to sleep so I generally read Harry Potter (in Spanish), or study language for an hour or so before heading out again to work on my health census/visit the schools. I am interviewing as many families as possible to get a better idea of the needs and desires of the community. It's also been a great excuse to introduce myself to people that I haven't met. Visiting the schools is fun because the kids are super excited about working with me, and thankfully all 3 of the principles are also excited that I am here.
I head home around 5ish for "snacktime" with my family. The eating schedule in Paraguay is a bit strange, with a super light breakfast (coffee, bread), huge lunch (today I had 3 different types of carbs), a snack around the US dinnertime, and a light dinner around 8. I'm trying to fit in some exercise everyday as well. I've been running a decent amount, and people love to tell me that they saw me pass by.
The work right now is slow and I spend a lot of afternoons just sitting around chatting, but I really do think that this will serve me well in the long run as I strive to make Caballero really feel like home.
PS- NEW ADDRESS CONFIRMED. Snail mail welcome. :)
I finally have a semi regular routine worked out. I spend my mornings working in the health center. Sometimes I take vitals, sometimes I accompany the vaccination team on their outings, and if it is a slow morning, I just chat in a Spanish/Guarani mix with the doctors, nurses, and various other support staff. This has been a really good way to get to know my community and make some contacts for future projects. I head home for lunch with my new host family, stopping and talking with whomever I meet along the way. It takes me a long time to get anywhere because 1) I walk everywhere and 2) I'm still new and interesting so people want to talk to me. Especially kids. I've never been so popular in my life.
After lunch is siesta time. I don't like to sleep in the middle of the day or I can't fall asleep at 9/10 when my family goes to sleep so I generally read Harry Potter (in Spanish), or study language for an hour or so before heading out again to work on my health census/visit the schools. I am interviewing as many families as possible to get a better idea of the needs and desires of the community. It's also been a great excuse to introduce myself to people that I haven't met. Visiting the schools is fun because the kids are super excited about working with me, and thankfully all 3 of the principles are also excited that I am here.
I head home around 5ish for "snacktime" with my family. The eating schedule in Paraguay is a bit strange, with a super light breakfast (coffee, bread), huge lunch (today I had 3 different types of carbs), a snack around the US dinnertime, and a light dinner around 8. I'm trying to fit in some exercise everyday as well. I've been running a decent amount, and people love to tell me that they saw me pass by.
The work right now is slow and I spend a lot of afternoons just sitting around chatting, but I really do think that this will serve me well in the long run as I strive to make Caballero really feel like home.
PS- NEW ADDRESS CONFIRMED. Snail mail welcome. :)
Haha, I get the same reaction about running. "TEACHER!! yo la vi corriendo!!"
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