Training!!!

Okay, so I’ve got some catching up to do. I’m sorry that it’s been FOrEVEr since I’ve updated this blog. i promise I have not forgotten about it!! But I’ve been busy - and I’m not saying that in an “I’m too cool for school” way, but in a I can’t believe how busy Peace Corps training is!. Every week there is an activity, or should I say many activities. We have tech training and language training on top of “integrating” into the community (ie. spending time with our host families). I can’t believe we’ve been here for about a month now....In some ways it seems as though we’ve been here way longer; in others, it seems like it was just the other day that we stepped off that plane all wild-eyed and sleep-deprived, not knowing what to expect. And I gotta admit, it took some of us longer to adjust than others. I think for a full 2 weeks, i was just numb. I mean, I used to say (and still do sometimes) that I don’t live day-by-day, instead I live activity-by-activity. With each new day, I didn’t know what they may throw at us. And although w have a syllabus, when you’re new and experiencing everything for the first (or even second time), then you can still feel like you’re caught unawares. So I think that maybe that numb feeling was by defense mechanism to help myself handle the stress and anxiety of everything. It also took a while for me to open up more to the other trainees

Now, I feel like that numb feeling dissipating and I have a little routine now. I’m finally at that point where I’m almost able to wrap my head around the fact that this country is going to be my home for 2 years. I wonder if any of the other trainees are trying to hold to their American products they brought from home for as long as possible. As if by holding to those products will keep us from looking down that tunnel and seeing those 2 years ahead; as if as long as we have our American products we can keep thinking of ourselves as visitors and not residents. I’m on my last bar of soap, and I know that pretty soon I’ll have to buy the brands that the locals use. I wonder how will that feel. Will that be the moment it FULLY hits me that this will be my home for the next 2 years?

Well, I know ya’ll are dying to know what I’ve been up to for the past few weeks. I give you the edited version and fill you in on the big stuff:

June 13-16, 2009

Everyone went to visit a Volunteer at their sites. Now, these are the real Volunteers; they’re already living in their sites and doing Volunteer-y things. Each trainee was assigned a volunteer to visit with instructions on how to get to the sites and which buses to take. We found out which Volunteer we were to visit 2 days before we were to leave which was kinda irritating at first, but in hindsight, maybe it was for the best; so that we were only anxious for 2 days and not 5 or 6. I had to travel for 5 hours to reach my Volunteer, which wasn’t too bad since I had gotten some motion-sickness pills from our Doc. So, I had to go to take a bus to the main bus terminal in Asunsion, the capital city of Paraguay. The terminal is where long distance buses arrive/depart from and local buses also. Picture a Greyhound bus station mixed with a city bus terminal; and now picture it in a developing country. But it wasn’t bad and this nice man showed me where to purchase my bus ticket. The whole get-up wasn’t that surprising to me. But what WAS surprising (and it shouldn’t have been) was the fact that you have to pay to use the bathrooms, no such thing as a public bathroom here. so you stand in line, give the woman sitting the door one mil (it’s like their dollar but not worth as much), then she gives you a roll of toilet paper. No, not a whole roll of paper but portioned off to what they think you should need-and yes, even if you bring your own toilet paper, you still gotta pay. (note to self: always travel with toilet paper) So I had to use it (thankfully only #1!) and I paid up. So while I was at the sink washing my hands, the strangest thing happened. So I’m just washing up, then suddenly I noticed that it was dead quiet in the bathroom. So I looked up, and everyone (I mean EVERYONE) in the bathroom had stopped what they were doing and were just watching me. WEIRD!!! So I just kinda raised my eyebrows a little (don’t know why I did this move) and walked out. Talk about strange!!

So my Volunteer visit went really well. We got along great and she introduced me to all of her friends in the community. One night we had dinner with this older married couple and they started teaching me some bad phrases in Guarani, then laughed when I tried to say them; so I kept trying and started laughing with them. I feel like I passed some unspoken test because when we were walking home, the Volunteer was like Paraguayans like to crack jokes and they like when you can laugh at yourself.

So I got back home on the following Tuesday. I came within a mile of my community, then got lost. Yep! Leave it to me to get lost when I’m ALMOST home. But the bus that I took turned right before I got to my community and I thought that it was just a little detour; so being the calm, collected person I am, I did not panic. Although after 20 min. of riding on dirt roads I FINALLY began to wonder when we were going to get back on the main route (ruta) so I can go home. Well, we never got back out on the main ruta; we came out like 2 towns over! But still, Did I panic? NOPE!!! Not even when I was the last person on the bus!! So I asked the driver if this bus goes through my community, he was like, “Nope, you gotta get off this bus and wait for another bus.” Okay, still not panicky (it was daytime). So I did was he said and when another bus pulled up I was asked the driver if this bus goes through my community. He said, “Nope, stand on the OTHER side of the road.” Okaaaaaaaaay...still not panicky. So then I got on another bus assuming incorrectly that it was the one I needed because it had a familiar name on it. WRONG!!!! This bus did not go all the way to my community so I got off to wait for another bus. But I was in a familiar community so I knew which bus to take then. THe buses can be tricky sometimes because different buses may have the same name or destination on them but they all don’t all take the same routes. And so you have to know what to look for when you get on the buses. But it was all good...through it all, I did not panic and was soooo tranquilo it was sick!! Tranquilo is the mantra here in Paraguay. Tranquilo is being laid back and just like “Whatever”. Everyone I meet describe me as tranquilo and I think this maybe due to my small-town, southern, super country upbringing. I knew it would come in handy one day!!!

June 17-present

We’ve been getting medical, security, and cultural training every week. In medical, we’ve been getting shots like rabies (yikes!), flu, and yellow fever. We also get trained in such fun and fascinating topics like intestinal parasites, tapeworms, and diarrhea. In security, we learned some strategies to avoid being pickpocketed and other safety techniques. In cultural, we learned that there things called mistress days and main-squeeze days. So if you ask someone to meet on certain days, then they may think that you want them to be the OTHER woman/man. And on other days are for the main squeeze. WOW!!

We’ve also started our Dias de Practica. For a Dia de Practica we have to go out into our community and find a project that can be completed in a relatively short amount of time (we only have 5 Dias de Practica). But the goal is to simulate what we’ll really have to do once we’re Volunteers. Most times, we’ll have to go out and find projects to work on because usually they’re not going to just fall in our laps. So this can be and is very awkward. I mean, you have to basically cold-call in person and come up with a doable project.

This past weekend, we went as a group on an overnight trip to a Volunteer’s site. It was gorgeous! It had some of the most beautiful vistas that I’ve seen since I’ve been here. She is also near a huge lake. We ran into some North Americans from California who own a hotel near her site. They were really friendly and it was nice to meet someone else who speaks English.

Speaking of language, my Spanish is improving. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like it and I get so impatient with myself, but it’s coming. I think that once I get to my site away from the others English-speakers, and surrounded by people who speak nothing but Spanish, then it’ll really improve. We had our LPI’s (Language Proficiency Interviews) on Monday, 06/29/09 and I did pretty good. I can now officially began studying Guarani, though I seriously don’t feel like I’m ready for that yet. But, we’ll see. I really want to learn Guarani because it’s so important to the people of Paraguay. Spanish is something that a lot of other countries speak, but Guarani is something that only Paraguayans speak, so for a foreigner to take the time to learn their language goes a long way with Paraguayans.

Well, that’s all I have for now. Thanks for tuning in. Until next time.......