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

Training, Site Visit, and DENGUE!!!

Hey what’s up y’all! It has been over a month since I created a new blog post so I figured I would update on how everything is going in Paraguay. Everything has been great so far!

Training: Training keeps us very busy in which we are now easily putting in 10-12 hours a day five days a week plus a half-day on Saturdays. Not a lot of free time so I am looking forward to that whenever we move to site in just over a month from now. We train in a lot of different areas. More or less we have language-training everyday in Guarani. We recently had a proficiency interview to determine whether or not we need to study more to pass the final language exam at the beginning of December. Most of us placed in the Intermediate Low range, including me. We need to advance to the Intermediate Mid range in order to pass the language component to become a Peace Corps Volunteer. Other areas of training include our sector work in agriculture. We have learned about agroforestry, small animal husbandry, extension principles, green manure and cover cropping, gardening, and working with schools. Other areas of our training have consisted of health, safety and security, Peace Corps approach to development, and cultural interactions.

Site Visit: In the middle of October all the trainees had the opportunity to spend three days visiting a current PCV in their respective sector. I headed three hours south to San Juan Misiones, a department that is very close to the Argentina border. I stayed with a female volunteer so I had to sleep at a different family’s house. The PCV that I visited is a first time volunteer, meaning that no volunteers have ever worked in the community that she is working. She is almost a year into her site and is trying to get her work sorted out for the community. During the visit we had the opportunity to attend a high school class in which an agriculture teacher spoke about the importance of fencing animals to keep them out of gardens and into pastures to graze. Overall, the site visit was a really good learning experience for me as to what things I desire or do not want with my site and future work.

Dengue: The last day of site visit I woke up and was extremely sick. I had aches through my entire body and I was extremely dehydrated. I didn’t eat much and had no desire to eat or drink anything. The next four days were probably the worst I have experienced in this country so far; I barely ate anything and still had no desire to drink. I had two different fevers, extremely painful headaches behind the eyes, and painful stomach aches. I was first taken to Asuncion on a Friday but was brought home because I was feeling better. The next morning the doctor called me and said that I tested positive for dengue fever; the South American version of West Nile virus. I slept all weekend long and did not improve my situation. I was taken back to Asuncion on a Monday and was placed in the hospital until Wednesday. I had never been hospitalized in my life until I came to Paraguay! I was placed on an IV to replenish fluids and had multiple tests which showed that some of my organs had leaked fluid into my stomach cavity. They kept me in the hospital until this cleared up. I was finally cleared to leave the hospital and was just told it would take another week to recuperate my energy to feel better again. Now I can say I am all better and experiencing none of the symptoms of dengue. It was a pretty crappy week or so but hopefully I won’t have to experience this again!!!

In sum, I just want to say that I am enjoying Paraguay a lot and am pleased with how training is going. I am looking forward to these final few weeks of training in which we will learn where we will be living for the next two years. Thanks for all your support and I will try and mail some messages soon! Chau! 

Blog 1: Paraguay

Mba’eichapa? (Ba-ey-sha-pa) How are you?

What’s up followers! I’m here safe and sound in the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay. We landed safely Friday morning in the capital city and took an hour bus ride to our training site in Guarambare. This is the place where 45 Peace Corps Trainees (not volunteers yet!) and I meet to learn about the specific jobs we will have for the next two years. There are two groups here; Agriculture and Environment. Within these two sectors, we are split in half again into color groups. There are nine of us total in the Blue Ag group, also known as “The Winners.” Each group lives in a smaller community outside of Guarambare at a host family’s house. The Blue Ag lives in a small town called Las Piedras, about 8km from the training site. Alternating days are spent between Guarambare and host-town education centers. In Guarambare, all the Ag trainees will meet to discuss current issues, technical training, and whatever else may occur. In Las Piedras, the nine of us will take language and cultural classes. My Blue Ag group is split into even smaller classes for language training. This morning we had an interview in Spanish to determine our placement within language class. Those who are proficient in Spanish are placed into the Guarani section. Guarani is the second official language of Paraguay, and is indigenous to the country. Guarani is nothing at all like Spanish. Luckily, I placed into the Guarani section, which means I will begin to learn a new language Tuesday! My host family has already been teaching me bits of Guarani, and it is quite tough. I told them today about my troubles pronouncing some of the letters and words. They told me that learning Guarani is difficult, but not impossible! Keep your hopes up for me being able to learn the language. I am super eager to learn and my host family is great with sharing as much knowledge as they possibly can before my brain goes into overload.

Host family: We had interviews with a Peace Corps staff member about living conditions in Las Piedras. I wasn’t asked anything in particular except: “Do you like to walk?” Haha! After we arrived in Las Piedras, I was introduced to my host family. There are only two members, Mr. Miguel and Mrs. Tomasa. They are in their late 50’s and do not speak a word of English. Miguel is a lettuce farmer and Tomasa keeps the house and cooks the food. I was a bit nervous at first moving in, but the transition has been super easy after getting a good night’s sleep and having good prospects about my language class. In addition, the nieces and nephew live next door and are over at my house all the time. The kids are teenagers and love to chat. This has been a major help with the transition of speaking solely Spanish. I have my own room and bathroom in my house. My room is quite large and has a bed, a few armchairs, a desk, a dresser, a ceiling fan and a few end tables. I will be sure to post some pictures when I get the chance. The walls are oddly decorated with hats (witch, Dr. Seuss, bonnet, etc.), a Santa Claus figurine, and a painting of horses! I think it adds a lot of character to the room. It’s way better than nothing at all, right!? Most activity is performed outside because of the climate. We have two dogs, a cow, a lot of chickens, and a volleyball net. All the random townboys stop by to play when they have free time.

Tomorrow is Miguel’s birthday. We are having a big party and have invited all his family to attend. In addition, Tomasa told me that I am allowed to invite the rest of my Blue Ag group as well. Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring! Right now the temperature hangs in the lower to mid 60’s at night and in the upper 70’s to mid 80’s during the day. This afternoon it got pretty humid and we started sweating just walking around the town. At 5:30 this morning it poured for about five minutes and stopped. We have a metal roof, so a downpour can pretty much wake anyone up.

I’ll say by far the internet access is going to be intermittent at best. And to be honest, I am quite fine with that. We have internet at Guarambare but only lets 15 people or so on at a given time. So we need to create a system where people can get on without the server crashing. That will come in time. Feel free to send me a message via electronico but please expect a delayed return. Also, here is my snail mail address. I would love it if you send me letters! I promise to write back. Mail takes 2-3 weeks. Please no packages right now. It is too slow and costly and often gets held in customs with an import fee.

Orry Pratt, PCT

Cuerpo de Paz/CECP

162 Chaco Boreal c/Mcal. Lopez

Asuncion 1580, Paraguay (South America)

Official Invitation to Paraguay!

Wow, I can't believe how fast the past six months have gone by. In the time span of 173 days, I submitted my application, interviewed, gained pre-medical and legal clearance, and received an invitation. This is one of the fastest application processes I have ever heard of with the Peace Corps. Other Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV's) have told me it took them over a year just to find out where they were going! I will admit PC has totally revamped the application process and moved to an online system, so maybe the length of my application process is the new norm.

It was Friday afternoon at 4:15 when I checked my email for the 200th time that day, and noticed one titled "Invitation to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer." Deep breath. As I opened the email my eyes instantly scanned the opening lines until the bolded Paraguay appeared. Paraguay? Paraguay... Paraguay! PARAGUAY! I'm going to Paraguay! Within two minutes of skimming through the initial email I texted my best friend to share the news. My mind was racing at 90 mph thinking about all the different things associated with my service. Deep breath. Time to get focused and read the actual details of my service without racing through it. Deep breath. Side note: Leading up to my invitation I really did think I was likely going to receive an invitation in Africa, as most of the PC Agriculture programs are located on that continent, and I have experience from my volunteer work in Kenya last summer. I wasn't "disappointed" about my invitation, I was more or less surprised that it was somewhere other than Africa.

One of the pdf's attached to the invitation email was the Description of Service, a thirty pager with the main objectives of my service. During my 27 months of service, I will hold the title "Agriculture Extensionist," and I will depart for Asuncíon, Paraguay on September 25. My service detail is particularly broad compared to other PC programs. The main objectives are capacity building among smallholder farmers to increase standards of living and food security within the region that I will be working (my "site" is yet to be determined. I won't know that information until at least December 2013). I will also assist farmers in understanding and implementing comprehensive sustainable food production systems for increased production and income generation. In order to meet these main "objectives" of my service, I will be tasked with training these farmers in cover cropping (green manure), crop rotation, no-till farming, contour plowing, soil diversification, improved nutrition, sustainable permaculture, beekeeping, and animal husbandry. Wow. Broad spectrum of agriculture? I would say so! 

As I finished reading the Description of Service, I couldn't help but notice the smile that was left on my face. This is exactly what I want to do for a career. When people ask about what I want to do, I usually reply back with the title "International Agriculture Extension Agent." I think it's pretty freakin' awesome that my PC service is a introductory phase to what should make for a continued path toward my dream job. So, looking back now, I am certainly not disappointed that I didn't get Africa as my continent of invitation. I think PC really examined the skills I have to offer and placed me in a program that I think will be exponentially rewarding.

Now I can't just create this post and think that I am going to live in a country with golden roads, butterflies, and puppies. It is the Peace Corps. I have signed up to volunteer two years of my life living in a developing country. Paraguay is one of the poorest countries in South America. As a country that is about the size of California, it has a total population (6 million) that is considerably less than the Los Angeles metropolitan population (12 million). So I think it is easy to say that I'm going to be living in a very rural country. With this being said, I think volunteers in Paraguay often have feelings of isolation because of the scarce population in the regions they serve. Another problem that I expect to encounter is language incompatibility. Even though I am pretty versed in Spanish, many of the rural inhabitants only speak Guaraní, so the initial three months of in-country training will help me with these skills. 

Overall, I am ecstatic to end the waiting game and to be placed in such a rewarding program. My friends (both PC and non-PC) have told me they are jealous to hear about the details of my program. I look forward to see what the next 32 months have to bring! Hasta luego!