The End

I wish I could have been better about blogging, but alas, my time here in Paraguay is up and the last time I wrote anything was halfway into my trip! So I'll try to sum up everything here, bear with me!

This trip to Paraguay has taught me many things. I have learned more about this small country which is often forgotten or pushed aside—not only did I witness what is being considered a political coup, but I heard from people about the 30 year dictatorship that ended less than 25 years ago and whose traces are still found everywhere in the culture. I have also learned what a small, isolated country it is—I am currently in the airport, where there were NO lines anywhere (I didn’t even have to take my computer out of my backpack while going through security), and everyone must go through immigration, because (I guess) there are no flights within Paraguay. Amazing. I must say, despite the tranquility, this country continues to surprise me.

But this trip was of course about data collection too, which I did plenty of! Thanks to this experience, I have certainly gotten much better at qualitative methods, aka, interviewing people and asking them questions in a way that they answer with nice, “rich”, informative answers. The best part about my work is that I was able to talk to both mothers and their children about their relationships and the way they communicate about abstinence and sexual relations. I could tell when a mom and her kid had a great relationship because they would both say practically the same thing in their separate interviews (one son said his mom always knew when he was sad, the mom said the same thing and proceeded to tell a story about how she figured out that he had gotten in a fight and convinced him to talk about it). Just talking to the parents (who all attended the organizations weekly parenting classes), it was obvious that they want the best for their children and are dedicated to making sure they guide their children to make the right decisions in a very rough environment. The sincerity and interest they showed was amazing. Of course, not all the parents are like that, but just talking to these parents I was inspired and encouraged to keep working on this topic.

I did indeed learn some Guaraní, the indigenous language spoken here which is far from any language I’ve tried to learn previously. I basically learned the words that the kids used when talking to me about relationships and sex (so I learned words like “Takula” which is when a guy or girl is horny, and “jakare” which is when someone sneaks into your bedroom through a window). I was always able to entertain my family by telling them the words I had learned that day!

My family was also one of the highlights of my trip. Maybe because this was the 5th host family I’ve lived with, or maybe because they were just so accepting, this was the first time that I felt like I was treated almost exactly like everyone else in the family. I loved listening to my host sisters (21 and 25 years old) complain about how their mom likes their brother best, loved seeing how they loved their kids, and of course enjoyed hearing about my host mom’s work as a health promoter (she has to visit 70 houses each month, visit the pregnant women in her area once a week, and deliver TB medications every day to those who need them).

But at the same time this trip also made me realize how much the Dominican Republic has stuck to me, and this made me miss it even more. I first began to discover this as I tried to speak Spanish in Paraguay. So many words I used regularly in the DR (gua gua, mascota, coger) are either not used in Paraguay, have a different meaning, or even are considered “dirty” words. I was constantly struggling to correct my Spanish before it came out of my mouth. Though I tried not to make too many comparisons, often times I found myself comparing and sometimes wishing I was back in the loud, comical, friendly culture of the DR where people were quick to laugh, tell you what you’re doing wrong, and jump in and do a dinamicarather than this quiet, mellow, though very accepting culture. I found myself feeling like a loud, rude intruder when I said things like “Dame un jugo” or didn’t say thank you, tendencies that I didn’t like in the DR but adapted anyway, and honestly now, I miss. Despite the lack of electricity, water and all those other difficulties we confronted in the DR, after being here I realize how lucky I was to live there for 3 years and work with Peace Corps. We were supported in our work by both administration and peers, had the beach at our disposal if we needed a break, and were able to become outgoing, bachata-dancing, caña-chewing dominicanos (or something like it).

Part of this homesickness and preference for the DR is simply due to the amount of time I spent there, I came to know it much better of course than I know Paraguay. Who knows how I would feel about Paraguay and Peace Corps if I had served here, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it and become more Pargauayan. Paraguay has some great traits: friendly, sincere people, (even at the airport), a great habit of drinking terere (cold tea), and inspiring people who are working really hard to improve their country. But I can say right now that though I am glad I had the chance to learn more about Paraguay, I am forever thankful I was able to serve in the Dominican Republic, and I will constantly be comparing and measuring other international trips against my time in the DR, my gold standard. That is, I suppose, the Peace Corps curse.