March Madness

This month's post comes to you a bit delayed because I had a very special visitor here the past 10 days... but more on that later. March flew by, and it's difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that I've now been in Paraguay for an entire half-year. Six whole months? Where did the time go? With how quick these months have passed, I know that my two years will feel like the blink of an eye.

I am finally living in my independent housing! My little house is about a 10-minute, half-mile walk from my host mom's house and right around the corner from Senavitad, the smaller elementary school. The neighborhood I live in (also called Senavitad) is a vivienda, which is a government initiative to provide housing for low-income families, so all the houses around me are the exact same layout as mine. But it also means that I have lots of neighbors, many of whom are the parents of my students, which is very fun and cute. Furthermore, I am very lucky that my (ex) host dad is my landlord since that makes paying rent and asking for help with any problems that arise with the house very easy.

Living alone for the first time, especially in a foreign country, feels surreal, but so far I'm enjoying it. I'm learning to cook new foods, decorating and figuring out the feng shui, and very much enjoying the freedom to come and go as I please—something I really missed, having lived with host families for the last six months. The Peace Corps provides us a decent chunk of money for house-furnishing purposes, and it has felt like these last three weeks have been an endless cycle of figuring out what I still need for the house and then how to get it. I also have constant visitors—neighborhood dogs love my large front porch to stay out of the sun, chickens, and the occasional toad.

On March 4th, I had my site presentation! This is a chance for my community to learn about the Peace Corps, what to expect from me as a volunteer, and my background. Eli, the program manager for the PC Environmental Conservation team, did a fantastic job explaining the role of the Peace Corps and what they could expect from me for the next two years. Just the directora and about 6 other profes came to my presentation (all community members were invited), but it went great and was such a fun time, even with a small group. After, the team visited my house to ensure that it met all PC security measures and my host mom's school before heading to Yataity, Ziggy's site. Ziggy and I gave our presentations on the same day, and it was lovely to have her at mine and, likewise, see hers! We spent the entire day before preparing yummy treats to share after, such as shortbread cookies, banana bread, and Brazilian brigadeiros.

Jorgelina with the Little Free Library and I held our second reading club meeting. This time we had 7 participants, and it was a blast. We read a story, then had the kids draw their favorite scene from the book. Jorgelina's sister also has a Little Free Library, and since she was visiting, she donated tons of new books, which was so helpful. We are planning to keep having these meetings about once a month and are optimistic that there will continue to be more interest and engagement.

Work has started officially, with classes now in full swing. On Mondays, at the high school, I give two charlas (talk/chat) to the 8th and 9th grades in preparation for planting the huerta escolar (school garden). On Tuesdays, I work with two different Trabajo y Tecnologia profes and the 4th-6th grades at Digna E., the large elementary school, helping with whatever activity they have planned and occasionally giving a short charla too. Tuesdays are my longest, busiest days since I work from 7:00 to 10:20, then again from 1:00 to 3:20. Most other days, I only work for 2–4 hours. On Wednesdays, I work with the 1st–3rd graders, giving quick 30-minute talks to also prepare for a huerta escolar project, although because these kids are so young, it will probably look more like small gardens for each grade instead of a giant plot like the 4th–6th graders will make. On Thursdays, I spend about 45 minutes with each grade (except preschoolers and kindergartners) at my host mom's smaller elementary school, Senavitad, discussing various environmental themes like trees and trash. We will also work in the school garden here eventually, most likely after Easter. And finally, on Thursday evenings, I am once again helping out with the English classes at UNVES, the university in Villarrica. The professor I helped over the summer has a daughter who is also a professor and teaches a journalism class in English, so I am effectively her teaching assistant, helping lead discussions and providing students a chance to talk with a native English speaker.

On Fridays, Ziggy and I take the colectivito (little van/bus) to Villarrica to discuss our weeks, drink coffee, and go food shopping for the week. Then the weekend is for catching up on sleep (Paraguayan school starts at 7 am sharp, and I am still getting used to the 6:00 am wake-ups), cleaning my house, doing laundry, and eating Sunday lunch with my host family.

Another fun update is that I have a new Paraguayan friend! Her name is Fati, and she is 25, and we met at a volleyball tournament I attended with my host cousin, Walter. She is currently studying to be an English teacher, so she loves to practice English with me. It has been fun to explore new parts of my town with her, meet her friends, and just have someone my age to hang out with at site!

Finally, I spent the second-to-last weekend in March in Asunción with my friends for a music festival called Asuncionico. We saw Addison Rae, Doechii, Lorde, and Sabrina Carpenter live on night one. Then, on night two, my boyfriend, Dastan, came for a visit from the US to see the Killers. Dastan and I spent a lovely few days exploring the city and eating great food, then took the bus to Mbocayaty to see my house, my work, and my life here in Paraguay. It was a great, lovely visit and so worth it to see him after 6 hard months of long distance.

That wraps up another full month here in the heart of South America. Sending so much love and good vibes to everyone back home. 💚💚💚