A Year In Review
As of today, I've officially been in Paraguay for one entire year. A year you say? What in the world has Dani been doing in America del Sur for a WHOLE YEAR. While sometimes I ask myself the same question, looking back it seems I have accomplished a thing or two.
Highlights Include:
I made friends: As you can imagine, making/having friends is one of the most important influences on contentment with day to day life in the Peace Corps. Finding people who are willing to look past all the quirky habits that we bring with us as volunteers can be challenging. Kids are great and love you pretty much no matter what, and I've managed to find my core people who help bring me up.
I have projects: Health education with 1st through 12th grade, an English Club, a Zumba Class, and a Maternal Health project in development. I'm not as busy as I am in the states, but I'm working as best I can while working with my Paraguayan contacts.
I speak Spanish: Now, instead of automatically knowing that I'm from the US, most people assume I'm Brazilian. Still foreign, but closer! I like to think this means I'm losing my accent but it may also just be that I'm tan right now.
I can (sorta) play the guitar: Made it past the basics.
I read (many) books:
The Mermaid Chair- Kidd, Sue Monk
World Without End (The Pillars of the Earth, #2)- Follett, Ken
Bloodroot- Greene, Amy
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)- Riordan, Rick
The Princess Bride- Goldman, William
Harry Potter y el Prisionero de Azkaban- Rowling, J.K.
The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World- Novogratz, Jacqueline
The Scarlet Letter- Hawthorne, Nathaniel
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks- Skloot, Rebecca
Two Ears of Corn: A Guide to People-Centered Agricultural Improvement- Bunch, Roland
The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good- Easterly, William
This Is How You Lose Her- Díaz, Junot
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly- Bourdain, Anthony
The Angel's Game (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2)- Zafón, Carlos Ruiz
Shantaram- Roberts, Gregory David
Harry Potter y el Cáliz de Fuego- Rowling, J.K.
Heart of Darkness- Conrad, Joseph
The Time Machine- Wells, H.G.
Little Bee- Cleave, Chris
The Prisoner of Heaven (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #3)- Zafón, Carlos Ruiz
One Hundred Years of Solitude- Márquez, Gabriel García
Breakfast of Champions- Vonnegut, Kurt
The Goldfinch- Tartt, Donna
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)- Riordan, Rick
Never Let Me Go- Ishiguro, Kazuo
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)- Riordan, Rick
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)- Riordan, Rick
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)- Riordan, Rick
The Glass Castle- Walls, Jeannette
The Rose of Fire (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2.5)- Zafón, Carlos Ruiz
The Interestings- Wolitzer, Meg
The Magician's Land (The Magicians, #3)- Grossman, Lev
The Ocean at the End of the Lane- Gaiman, Neil
The Best American Short Stories 2010 (The Best American Series)- Russo, Richard
A Visit from the Goon Squad-Egan, Jennifer
I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago- Kerkeling, Hape
Black Swan Green- Mitchell, David
East of Eden- Steinbeck, John
Harry Potter y la Orden del Fénix- Rowling, J.K.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom- Ruiz, Miguel
Lolita- Nabokov, Vladimir
The Blind Assassin- Atwood, Margaret
The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories- Keegan, Marina
The Joy Luck Club- Tan, Amy
American Gods (American Gods, #1)- Gaiman, Neil
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand- Simonson, Helen
Gathering Blue (The Giver, #2)- Lowry, Lois
Messenger (The Giver, #3)- Lowry, Lois
Son (The Giver, #4)- Lowry, Lois
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America- Larson, Erik
Lady Oracle- Atwood, Margaret
The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost: A Memoir of Three Continents, Two Friends, and One Unexpected Adventure- Friedman, Rachel
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Freakonomics, #1)- Levitt, Steven D.
Into the Wild- Krakauer, Jon
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls- DiSclafani, Anton
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid- Hofstadter, Douglas R.
Memoirs of a Geisha- Golden, Arthur
Orphan Train- Kline, Christina Baker
Making Toast- Rosenblatt, Roger
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)- Riggs, Ransom
Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World- Williams, Mark
The Night Circus- Morgenstern, Erin
The Cider House Rules- Irving, John
Animal Farm- Orwell, George
The Graveyard Book- Gaiman, Neil
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell- Clarke, Susanna
The Remains of the Day- Ishiguro, Kazuo
And I got a cat:
As of today, I've officially been in Paraguay for one entire year. A year you say? What in the world has Dani been doing in America del Sur for a WHOLE YEAR. While sometimes I ask myself the same question, looking back it seems I have accomplished a thing or two.
Highlights Include:
I made friends: As you can imagine, making/having friends is one of the most important influences on contentment with day to day life in the Peace Corps. Finding people who are willing to look past all the quirky habits that we bring with us as volunteers can be challenging. Kids are great and love you pretty much no matter what, and I've managed to find my core people who help bring me up.
I have projects: Health education with 1st through 12th grade, an English Club, a Zumba Class, and a Maternal Health project in development. I'm not as busy as I am in the states, but I'm working as best I can while working with my Paraguayan contacts.
I speak Spanish: Now, instead of automatically knowing that I'm from the US, most people assume I'm Brazilian. Still foreign, but closer! I like to think this means I'm losing my accent but it may also just be that I'm tan right now.
I can (sorta) play the guitar: Made it past the basics.
I read (many) books:
The Mermaid Chair- Kidd, Sue Monk
World Without End (The Pillars of the Earth, #2)- Follett, Ken
Bloodroot- Greene, Amy
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)- Riordan, Rick
The Princess Bride- Goldman, William
Harry Potter y el Prisionero de Azkaban- Rowling, J.K.
The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World- Novogratz, Jacqueline
The Scarlet Letter- Hawthorne, Nathaniel
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks- Skloot, Rebecca
Two Ears of Corn: A Guide to People-Centered Agricultural Improvement- Bunch, Roland
The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good- Easterly, William
This Is How You Lose Her- Díaz, Junot
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly- Bourdain, Anthony
The Angel's Game (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2)- Zafón, Carlos Ruiz
Shantaram- Roberts, Gregory David
Harry Potter y el Cáliz de Fuego- Rowling, J.K.
Heart of Darkness- Conrad, Joseph
The Time Machine- Wells, H.G.
Little Bee- Cleave, Chris
The Prisoner of Heaven (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #3)- Zafón, Carlos Ruiz
One Hundred Years of Solitude- Márquez, Gabriel García
Breakfast of Champions- Vonnegut, Kurt
The Goldfinch- Tartt, Donna
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)- Riordan, Rick
Never Let Me Go- Ishiguro, Kazuo
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2)- Riordan, Rick
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3)- Riordan, Rick
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5)- Riordan, Rick
The Glass Castle- Walls, Jeannette
The Rose of Fire (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2.5)- Zafón, Carlos Ruiz
The Interestings- Wolitzer, Meg
The Magician's Land (The Magicians, #3)- Grossman, Lev
The Ocean at the End of the Lane- Gaiman, Neil
The Best American Short Stories 2010 (The Best American Series)- Russo, Richard
A Visit from the Goon Squad-Egan, Jennifer
I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago- Kerkeling, Hape
Black Swan Green- Mitchell, David
East of Eden- Steinbeck, John
Harry Potter y la Orden del Fénix- Rowling, J.K.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom- Ruiz, Miguel
Lolita- Nabokov, Vladimir
The Blind Assassin- Atwood, Margaret
The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories- Keegan, Marina
The Joy Luck Club- Tan, Amy
American Gods (American Gods, #1)- Gaiman, Neil
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand- Simonson, Helen
Gathering Blue (The Giver, #2)- Lowry, Lois
Messenger (The Giver, #3)- Lowry, Lois
Son (The Giver, #4)- Lowry, Lois
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America- Larson, Erik
Lady Oracle- Atwood, Margaret
The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost: A Memoir of Three Continents, Two Friends, and One Unexpected Adventure- Friedman, Rachel
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Freakonomics, #1)- Levitt, Steven D.
Into the Wild- Krakauer, Jon
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls- DiSclafani, Anton
Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid- Hofstadter, Douglas R.
Memoirs of a Geisha- Golden, Arthur
Orphan Train- Kline, Christina Baker
Making Toast- Rosenblatt, Roger
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)- Riggs, Ransom
Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World- Williams, Mark
The Night Circus- Morgenstern, Erin
The Cider House Rules- Irving, John
Animal Farm- Orwell, George
The Graveyard Book- Gaiman, Neil
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell- Clarke, Susanna
The Remains of the Day- Ishiguro, Kazuo
And I got a cat:
Photo along with filters and blur compliments of my Paraguayan friends. ha.
All in all, I feel lucky to spend my time in a country and open and friendly as Paraguay, and I'm excited for the upcoming year. Bring on 2015!
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