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Saturday, May 24, 2008

One Month In

So they say that once you stop counting down the months to your close of service and start to just live your life in Paraguay that the time flies by, even faster then you might want it to... I am still waiting for the day when that becomes my reality. Here I am just under one month into service and hoping that I will reach that point of comfort. I know that I am still in the integration process, still trying to get to know my site and not actually expected to do any work yet, but if you know me then you know that I am a busybody and I like to have something planned for just about every hour of my day. So that is what I do. I plan and I plan and I plan. But in Paraguay it is hard to live by my plans because a meeting that is supposed to start at 9 am probably won't actually start until 11 and the one that I walk forty minutes to get to will likely be cancelled. But I am getting used to it.

The work that I have started has been equally frustrating and rewarding. I have found here that like in many of the poorer education systems in the States, there are many children that will be passed from grade to grade without actually ever learning anything. There are kids in fourth and fifth grade who haven't learned their ABCs. They don't know how to add or subtract. But they keep passing the grade. Is it because they somehow manage to pass the tests? Or is it more likely that their teacher doesn't want to have them as a bother in her class again the next year? I don't know. I just know that due to a lack of support both within the school and the home the children suffer. So that is where I have started. Teaching the ABCs. Teaching basic addition. Not sure if that's what I thought I would be doing in Peace Corps, but here I am with something to do. And on the days when I have something else to do and cannot teach it makes me happy just to hear that the kids were asking what happened to Profe Melissa. It means that I have on at least some level made a difference in someone's life. I have accomplished what it was that I set out to do... and now I have 23 months left to do it over and over and over again!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Top 10s

The top ten things I am glad I brought to Paraguay:
10. Pens and Markers... they give you tons of papers and manuals in the Peace Corps, but nothing to write with!
9. A towel... Paraguayan towels are thin and rough.
8. Sleeping bag... really useful for cold winter nights.
7. Hiking shoes... even though I am in the city it feels like the Campo with red dirt roads.
6. My recipe book... I am actually Vegetarian food for myself!
5. Lots of underwear... hand washing and air drying does a number on all your clothes... especially underwear.
4. A jump rope... good for exercising inside or in the yard where there aren´t a million Paraguayans looking at you like you are crazy!
3. My Camera... I already of tons of great pics!
2. A pillow... Paraguayan pillow are hard pieces of foam, my travel pillow rocks! Thanks to Tasha and Jessica!!
1. My Laptop... it´s really useful for writing emails and blog posts, listening to music and watching DVDs. Eventually I actually plan on using it for work.

The top ten things I wish I would have brought to Paraguay:
8. A hand or face towel... it takes awhile for mine to dry.
7. DVDs... I kinda forgot to pack them... but thanks to Danica I already have some to watch!
6. An extra supply of contact solution.
5. Girl Scout books... they have lots of good ideas for working with youth.
4. Coffee... Paraguayans usually drink Nescafe, luckily Mom put some in the mail... hopefully I get it one day!
3. A converter from 220 volt to 110 volt... some things I can plug and some things I can´t.
2. Cute shoes... even though its PC we do get to go out once in awhile!
1. MORE clothes... the ones that I´ve got are started to get old and boring already.
So I could only think of 8... I guess that´s a good thing!

I have been in site for about two weeks now. Things are equally frustrating and exciting. I haven´t really done too much ¨work¨ yet. But I am making lots of contacts and doing some observing. I need to improve my Spanish a lot more before I´ll feel totally comfortable giving charlas. The first few months in site are supposed to be more observation and integration than anything else. So that´s what I am doing... although it tends to get boring. Hopefully I will be doing more ¨work¨ soon.