Angela's last entry from Paraguay
Trip Start
Sep 25, 2006
1
43
Trip End
Dec 25, 2008
Asuncion, Paraguay
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The last 6 weeks have been like the happiest dream you could imagine for Peace Corps volunteers who hope one day their projects will be sustainable and successful. The field trip to San Rafael Reserve with a group of high school kids finally came to fruition and was even better than hoped. Even when rain started falling during the middle of the trip, trapping most of us there for an extra day, the excitement of the kids at their first chance to explore the famous San Rafael never waned. While I fretted that we wouldn't have enough food for the prolonged stay, that the kids would get bored, that we would never get out, they enthusiastically participated in their first experiences bird watching, identifying aquatic insects with a dichotomous key, conversing candidly about illegal logging (which for many is a way to earn their daily bread) and tent camping. They said, "Angela, don't worry so much. Why worry about the rain when you can't control it? We're having fun anyway!" I've been hearing that from Paraguayans for 2 years, but in that instance it was like a switch flipped in me, and I actually felt better. And obviously we did eventually get home, nobody starved, and the kids had one of the most unique experiences of their lives. There really was nothing to worry about.
Adam meanwhile handed the reins of the computer lab over completely to the three instructors he trained, and watched them flourish in their new leadership roll. The most recent round of community computer classes is being managed solely by them. They recently provided their first computer repair services to a private party, in addition to replacing a power supply in one of the computers in the lab (which Adam blew up accidentally!). As a parting gift they graphically designed and manufactured 3 beautiful certificates acknowledging our work in the community - so meaningful when you consider that these 3 individuals couldn't even turn a computer on 8 months ago.
Our to-do list was all checked off by the first week of December, leaving us with ample time to spend with our favorite families. Among the most prominent of our conversation topics was the lengthening drought - 5 weeks of no rain in Paraguay and days and days of 100 degree temperatures were taking their toll on the peanuts, beans, and mandioca - the crops our community depends on not for spending money, but for food. The farmgirl's instinctive anxiety over too-dry weather welled up in me, and for the first time in Paraguay I prayed for rain that would mess up our well laid plans - Thanksgiving, goodbye parties, departure of our flight. In spite of the heat and worries about crops withering in the fields our community feted us three times: first in "Frog Villa" (our little neighborhood), then a short camp with all the kids from town (we had a big water fight), and finally a big barbeque and dance for the whole town. In preparation for the barbeque we spent the whole day butchering, processing, and consuming pig products. For breakfast there was tripe, followed by pork rinds (the residue from boiling fat to produce lard) for snack, then blood sausage and boiled pig head for lunch. I'm not lying when I say my mouth watered for each course. The barbeque that night was among the best I've ever had in Paraguay (which is saying a lot, since they do barbeque pretty well here). Speeches were made and tears fell (mostly mine) but the night ended raucously with dancing to Kachaka music.
Our last day in site we cleaned our house from top to bottom, preparing it for our awesome and competent follow-up volunteer, Nikita. The water pump broke that day and so we were back to washing sheets in the creek and hauling water from the neighbors' house - a fitting way to reminisce about our first months in Caazapa'mi. When I came back from the creek in mid-morning, Albino had come to say goodbye. We sat chatting for hours, not wanting the inevitable moment to come. I had planned all I wanted to say, grand things about our projects together and my hope that Albino would continue, but all I ended up saying through my tears was, "thank you for giving me the confidence to work here, because without your faith in my skills I would have accomplished little."
Which pretty much sums up my Peace Corps service - that whatever I have given to Paraguayans has been far overshadowed by the experience they have given me - lessons in simplicity and tranquility, my first real exposure to my dream career of forestry extension, and a second home that part of me will always occupy and none of me will ever forget. I said as much in my parting words to Caazapa'mi, "Aikotajepi corazo divido, parte oimeta Paraguaype, ha otra parte Estado Unidope. Che pohayhu pendeve ha ndacheresarairi penderehe."
As a final blessing, and bittersweet goodbye, the day we left Caazapa'mi it started to rain.
P.S. Our camera broke right before the San Rafael trip. Therefore the photos from this entry are borrowed from others.
Comments
I was born and raised in Paraguay and now live in Sacramento, CA. I recently visited my ailing mother in Asuncion and I was uploading the picture I took to Facebook. I needed some information about the country to add my comments when I came across Adam and Angelas blog about their services as PC volunteers in Paraguay. i was very happy to visit Paraguay again after six years, but I must say that reading about your experiences in Paraguay filled me with even more happiness. Thank you, thank you!