Blog Three Paraguay: A Scramble of Thoughts

It’s been a decent amount of time since my last blog post, and a lot of things have transpired since then.

First, I’m officially a Peace Corps Volunteer. Long time for that to finally happen! I’m at site now and will be here for the next 24 months. Three down, 24 to go.  Hopefully I can keep pace to have 27 blog posts by the time everything is said and done. It’ll be interesting to look back at how my life changes over this period of time. My advisor at Texas A&M, Gary Wingenbach, advised me that I take a photo of myself every month at the same time and place to see how I change over the years. It sounds like a crazy idea, and well, he is a bit crazy himself but he does have a valid point. I shared the idea with my other training mates and they seem pretty keen to it.

I’m at site now. My community is called Capitán Leguizámon in the district of San Pedro del Paraná, department Itapuá. You won’t be able to find my site on Google Maps, but the closest you’ll find is San Pedro del Paraná and that’ll give you a good idea of where I live. I’m about 10km from San Pedro, and I live way out in the sticks. It’s actually pretty nice and relaxing, except for the persistent blazing heat everyday. The hottest I’ve seen so far is 112, just a few days ago. It’s crazy how you perceive heat; when it gets down in the 80’s at night it feels a bit “cool” out. No paved roads here, no cell service, no running water. In fact, it’s not even dirt roads here, just sand. The “soil” quality is incredibly poor here and that is going to be one of my main missions for my Peace Corps work. Imagine trying to plant a field of corn or beans on a beach; that’s pretty much what it’s like here. My work is to teach farmers the benefits of using “abonos verdes,” green manures and cover crops to help recuperate the soil. Green manures are planted amongst other crops to provide nitrogen to the soil and to help break the hardpan that may exist further down the soil profile. Cover crops perform exactly how they sound; they provide cover to prevent soil erosion and organic matter to decompose when the field is not in production. I also have an agricultural high school at site, which is a rarity among the agriculture volunteers in Paraguay. They have a bunch of different projects going on so it will be interesting to see how that work pans out over two years. I’m so new and fresh here that it is really hard to speculate how my work will transpire. Flexibility is one of the main values of all Peace Corps Volunteers around the world; I gotta keep that in perspective.

We haven’t had rain in about a month. It’s getting dry and I’m looking forward for the rains to come. I planted a few crops right away when I got to site but hadn’t expected for such dry conditions. Only half of it came up and it’s looking pretty dismal. I have a ton of different seeds but don’t want to take any more chances on planting until I know there will be adequate water for the plants to grow. The weather is pretty wild here. Everyday in the afternoons the clouds get really dark and you can hear thunder but it always passes over. But it does provide for some amazing sunsets at night. I’m looking forward to receiving my camera from long-term storage so that I can capture some of these amazing moments. My iPhone just can’t do it justice, and I’m not even sure if a DSLR camera can do the trick either.

A list of happenings so far.

Best food: So’o apu’a (meat/corn balls in a creamy sauce)

Not-so best food: Kidney soup

Funny moment: Joking with my host mom that she might have worms because she was going for fourths on her favorite meal.

Strange moment: “This is my granddaughter, and this one is my daughter” (said X woman introducing me to two little girls of the same age. Not a lie.)

Sad moment: Attending the ninth and final day of mourning for the loss of a community member

Humbling moment: Shaking the hand of a 103-year old grandfather of a community contact. Imagine the things he has seen in his lifetime…

Kinda scary moment: A dog trying to attack me while riding my bike.  A German shepherd-mix with some big teeth. I carry rocks in my backpack now.

Not-so scary moment: Waking up and seeing a softball-sized spider/tarantula in my room and not freaking out.

Sweaty moment: Everyday. Story of my life.

Surprising moment: Watching a hedgehog climb up our gate and onto the roof. I didn’t know they exist in Paraguay!?

Uncertainties: I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. Am I “working” enough? Am I gaining the respect of my community? Am I advancing my language skills?

Accomplishment(s): I started a compost pile with my family. I got a bike. I went to town in the blazing sun and purchased my family a Christmas gift. And they appreciated it. And I cooked a “heterei” pasta dish for family. They loved it.

Learn some Guaraní:

Heterei – very delicious

Haku – hot (temperature)(said every five minutes in this country, no joke)

Ndaipori oky/y – there’s no rain/water

So’o – meat

Ryguasu – chicken

My address has changed (not that I’ve received anything except cards and packages from my parents! *Insert sarcasm here*)

Orry Pratt

Correo Central Encarnación 6000

Tel: 0984656118

Paraguay

South America