Hunger Strike-Another BREAK in the Wall

October 22nd, 2009

“We don’t need no education. We don’t need no false control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teacher leave them kids alone. HEY TEACHER LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE!!! All in all it’s just another brick in the wall. All in all you’re just another brick in the wall!”

(Kids in a mixed southern redneck/British accent):

“We don’t need no education. We don’t need no false control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teachers leave those kids alone. HEY TECHERS LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE. All in all you’re just another brick in the wall. All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.”

Apparently the educators in San Juan have been listening to classic Pink Floyd as of late and heeding the song's advice both literally and figuratively. As if skipping class every time it drizzles weren't enough, classes have been canceled indefinitely and 4 of the dedicated are protesting with a hunger strike outside the town cathedral. A few brave souls are trying to tear down the wall that is being constructed around them.



So here is a rundown of the situation, as I understand it:

Disclaimer: The following is a summary of the views and opinions of a few Colorado supporters in the town of San Juan Bautista. By no means is it fair and balanced, as I have not received the opposite perspective on the issue. I am simply relating what has been told to me, and am in no way supporting one side over the other. Please do not read this as pure fact and understand that if I talked to members from the other side, I would likely receive a very different story. If this were American television, this would be like the Fox News segment, except at least I’m telling you up front that it’s not “fair and balanced.” Unfortunately my cable doesn’t include CNN or CNBC, so I can’t provide you with the other perspective. I’m relating the events from the perspective of a few people I had conversations with, and am not making any political statements whatsoever. By reading this you agree to not republish this in any way and also understand that I cannot be punished or held responsible for anything stated in the following paragraphs.

When the government changed parties last year for the first time in 60 years, they started yanking people from their positions, replacing them with inexperienced Liberal party members. This has resulted in some chaos and frustration. What complicates the situation is that for no reason other than party affiliation, many leadership positions were changed yet the employees underneath them stayed the same. These employees are often very loyal Colorados and are left to follow someone with different political ideals and whom they deem as very inexperienced, often incompetent.

Paraguay has a history and culture of being VERY CORRUPT. The Colorados have had their 60-year reign of control and now it’s the Liberales turn to claim power, stuff their pockets with dirty money, and doll out jobs to family members and friends.

So a particular Education Coordinator was instated. The teachers, historically mostly Colorado, have major issues with this new coordinator, who they claim is incompetent and illogical. She has been making some illogical changes they don’t like, firing people, replacing them with family and friends, and even creating positions for family members, in which they do nothing apart from collect a check.

A few Colorados even related to me that the coordinator is a Chavista(supporter of Chavez) and is pushing a socialist agenda.

They want this Coordinator fired and replaced. 4 dedicated women have gone on hunger strike to elevate the issue, and all teachers are on strike. During nights there are gatherings in front of the cathedral, where outspoken citizens yell over the sound system announcing their grievances and calling for immediate action.



I’m just glad to see community action to change something they’re not happy with. Paraguay isn’t too far from the days where it was illegal to meet in groups, and people who expressed dissatisfaction with the government had a decent chance of mysteriously disappearing. Though they still have a long way to go, a lot of progress has been made towards creating a more democratic and transparent political process in Paraguay.

Update: After about 8 days, the strike has ended, kids are back in class, and the women are once again stuffing their stomachs with greasy, salty and fried Paraguayan food. Apparently, someone from the government called and told them they were going to comply with their wishes and to call off the strike. They are in negotiations now.

Hanging out with Peke’s Family

October 4th, 2009

The last few days I have been hanging out with Peke’s family. Peke has 2 sisters and also a cousin who lives with them. One sister is about 5 years old, the other is 12, and the cousin is 16. They are really fun, smart, sweet and very well mannered. I brought my computer over Saturday night, and they got a kick out of looking at my pictures, typing stuff in Word, and trying Rosetta Stone Spanish.

Computers fascinate kids, and they pick them up almost instinctively after having experience with them, which is why access to computers is more of a problem than knowledge of how to use them. That’s why I love the program, 1 laptop per child. I hope their organization continues with the success it has had in bringing laptops to third world children. With computers and Internet, I believe kids could narrow the gap much more quickly because of the wealth of information available online. We are in a knowledge economy, and in that economy, he has the most information and knows how to use it, wins. The Internet, and its vast sources of information levels the playing field a bit. If we could get a laptop in the hands of every child and then extend affordable Internet to those areas, I really believe countries would close the gap between the 1st and 3rd worlds significantly more quickly than the current pace, which is abysmal in some areas.

I brought my marbles over Sunday and taught these city kids how the campo kids get down. It was a disaster...nothing like playing marbles in the campo with lots of space, good dirt, and dedicated kids who are enthralled by and skilled in the game. However, it occupied our time for a little bit, and then we sat under some shade trees and drank T-ray for a while, an activity they are really good at, as are most Paraguayans.

For lunch, Gabbi, the cousin, displayed her chef-like abilities by cooking the best salad and asado up to this point. The bar just gets getting raised...but you have to realize that it started REALLY, REALLY LOW. Haha.

As you can probably tell, there isn’t a lot of diversity in the food around here, but there are variances in quality of preparation.

Overall, I had a great time hanging out with the girls next door and plan on spending more time over there because, frankly, it’s more fun than my house, the children are cooler, it’s more neat and clean, and the food is better.

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. ~Theodor Seuss Geisel

Monday, August 17th, 2009

The next day was really relaxing. I spent most of the day just hanging out around the house. Most of the family was gone for most of the day. I hung with my Sister while she washed clothes and rearranged her house. Then around 4:00, I went with her to pick the kids up from school.
I’ve had been to their school once before, and Mary has been asking me when I was going to come back to take pictures for a while now. This was my first real chance to do so, and it was a good feeling to pick them up for their school on my last full day in Paso de Oro.

I’ve already mentioned the education system in Paraguay in one of my earlier blogs so I’ll just make one comment about it now. You know that feeling in the atmosphere after a summer afternoon shower? The air is kind of moist and the ground is just a bit damp, but everything is starting to dry up? That is what the weather was like that day. Only 5 kids showed up out of Fabiola’s class of 14. The situation was even worse in Mary’s class. It wasn’t even raining, but because it wasn’t 100% ideal conditions outside, kids just didn’t come to school that day. That just shows the overall commitment to education in Paraguay. Not only do they only attend school for about 4 hours a day, but they also don’t show up at the slightest indication of bad weather. So even if the teachers were on point and the facilities sufficient, which they’re not, they would still be at a huge disadvantage.





Anyway, all of the kids in my family went, so I was super proud of that.

Fabiola was so excited to see me, and she got out of class a little early. She showed me around her school a bit and we played chase. She showed me where Mary’s class was, and when we walked up Mary was looking out the window at us. Shortly, Mary got out of class, and we headed for home.





On the way back from their school we stopped by a little store that is half internet café, half small clothes store to buy a few things for Mary and Fabiola, who are in desperate need of clothes. You should see how excited and grateful they were to receive a pair of jeans and some sandals. The sad thing is that my Sister didn’t even pay outright for those. She has a credit account with the owner of the store. She pays in small payments over a long period of time. That’s why she shops there instead of lots of other places. If that lady wouldn’t extend her credit, the kids would simply go without decent clothes. If Mary gets straight A’s on her report card, she’s going to get some boots. She’s working really hard to earn those boots. She’s waited a while for these jeans and she says once she has the boots, she’ll have a complete outfit. When she got home, she did exactly what most kids, around the world, do after buying new clothes...tried them on and showed them off. She was so proud of her new jeans and it made her day. It made me think of when Churches, non-profits, and other groups send packages filled with basic items and maybe a few toys overseas to those who won’t receive anything else for Christmas. When we were filling the boxes, I used to think how the kids were probably upset to find toiletries, underwear, etc... in their boxes. Now, I don’t think that at all. I bet those kids light up.

How spoiled we are in the States right? I used to get money and clothes were a given...a necessity. In my opinion something that I needed anyway didn’t count as a special prize for making good grades...the ways my perspective is changing... Here parents have to use things that they know they have to buy anyway as incentives, because there isn’t enough money for luxuries.

That night we had my despidida (going away party). Before eating, Fabiola and Mary danced traditional Paraguayan dances for me.






My family went all out for me. My brother bought a chicken, my Mom killed one, and I threw in to buy another chicken, and added in the meat I had purchased from Mary. We also had rice, salad, and of course there was mandioca. Papá even drank wine, and he hardly ever drinks.



I was kind of out of it during the dinner because I knew this was the last time we would all be together for a while. It was a lovely dinner, and afterwards people made a few toasts/chants for me.

I sat back and looked at the family, and in my mind it was like a scene from a movie or TV show. You know...the drama has built up for a while and the conflict finally solved. Everyone gets together at a Christmas or a Thanksgiving meal. Some witty comments are thrown around between family members, and then the camera starts panning out. You can hear all sorts of conversations going on, and the clanking of dishes. People are reaching across the table, and it’s such a nice, warm family scene. Music starts playing and the picture pauses in that moment and then fades away into the black screen with the rolling white credits. Happily Ever After...



Well my story didn’t exactly end that way, because I’m one of the characters. It’s the camera that stops filming, but the characters go on living.

The kids finished eating and went to the front of the hosue to play. I stayed at the table chatting with the adults a bit, and then went to join the kids. I saw Fabiola sitting along with the saddest look on her face. It broke my heart. I sat down next to her and gave her a big hug and consoled her. Later, I came back into the living room, and she had fallen asleep there. I sat down beside her, and just watched her sleep for a bit. I started having memories of us together, and thought about how much she likes me and how much I like her. It broke my heart, and I began to cry. In fact as I type this I’m overwhelmed with emotion and tears are welling up in my eyes. I love that little girl.



I walked outside to get myself together, where I was met by my good brother, Agusto. This made me break down even more. He tried to tell me that we would talk on the phone, I could come back to visit, and that I would meet new people in San Juan, and that everything was going to work out. I told him it would never be the same, which is true. It never will be the same as it was. We had a good conversation about how crazy it is that complete strangers from two different parts of the world can become so close so quickly, how happy and comfortable I was there, and how I could have not found a better family with which to live for my first 3 months in Paraguay.

After our conversation he went to bed because he had a long day of work and another long one ahead of him the next day. We were going to say our goodbyes then but I told him to wake me up in the morning before he left for work.

I talked to my niece for a while and then went inside and played Go Fish with the kids.





Before too long, people started heading to bed, and I did the same.

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

The next day I woke up and played Crazy 8s with Mary and Fabiola. I played a while with the kids and then began to pack. Fabiola was my little helper. She wanted to put things in my suitcase, so I just let her as I was arranging everything else, and then redid it later. As I was packing I gave Fabiola the Crazy 8 cards, because she still needs to learn her colors and numbers, and this would make for a fun and educational gift for her. I gave Mary and Fabiola toothbrushes, and gave them each a spiral notebook I had bought and not used. I also gave them a few pencils. These gifts basically represent what I hope for them. I hope that they maintain their hygene and health (toothbrushes), study hard so that maybe one day they can go to University (pencils and notebooks), and also that they play and enjoy each other(crazy 8 cards).

Mary, Jessica, and Jacquelin all went to school so I had to wish them goodbye. I know I’m coming back so it wasn’t so bad. Once I finished packing everything, my Dad helped me take my stuff outside to the road. Then we took some pictures and waited on the bus, which came all of a sudden and kind of rushed my goodbyes.







This whole process has been full of goodbyes. First I told my friends goodbye in Columbia, then I told my family goodbye, then more friends in Spartanburg, my parents at the airport, my Peace Corps friends after the swearing in weekend, and now my training host family. I guess I’m getting training in goodbyes for a reason. I’ve gone away before, and moved around a little, but this is on a completely different level.

I hugged my Mom and sister and told them I would see them later. I gave Fabiola a big hug and told her how much I loved her, and that I would see her later.

My Dad and I loaded my stuff up on the bus and boarded. As the bus drove down the long dirt road, I stuck my head out the window and waved at the family I had grown to love in such a short time, and then I just watched Fabiola get farther and farther away from me until eventually I couldn’t see her any longer. Then I turned around in my seat and looked out towards my future while nostalgically remembering my past.

It was an hour and half to Asunción, and a few hours waiting at the bus station. My kind Dad didn’t have to but insisted on waiting with me until my bus departed. Within a few hours the bus arrived. We walked over and put my luggage on the bus. I told him how appreciative I was for having me in his house and how much I enjoyed my time there. I told him to tell me if Paso de Oro plays in the championship because I’ll come back for it. He wished me luck, we shook hands and said goodbye.

And with that I boarded the bus, which was empty, put my backpack in the overhead compartment, sat down, started a playlist on my ipod, and started the next phase of my Peace Corps Adventure.

PCV Site Visit

I just returned from a visit to a Peace Corps Volunteer’s site. The purpose of this visit was to give us an idea of what life might be like once we are out of training and actually in our site. Each person was assigned to a different volunteer. I was assigned to a volunteer who lives way out in the campo in Caaguazú. I had to wake up and leave my house by 5:00 AM on Saturday morning and take a bus to the terminal in Asunción where I met up with Her. Then we took about a 5-hour bus ride to Oleary. From there we took a taxi to the lake. You have to cross a lake via balsa (barge) to get to her site. The people that run the balsa won’t take just a few people across so we had to wait for a while for a big truck to show up so the people that run the balsa would have a big enough incentive to entice them to cross. Sure enough a big truck showed up and we crossed. We actually hitched a ride in this truck from the other side of the lake to her site.

She lives in a very humble shack of a house. She has electricity...sometimes but does not have running water and certainly not a modern bathroom. I stayed there Saturday, Sunday, and Monday night and then left out early on Tuesday morning. We didn’t have much to do when we got there on Saturday and She was tired from the trip so she went to sleep at like 6:00. People in the campo go to bed super early. I stayed up and watched V for Vendetta and Thank You For Not Smoking on her laptop in the kitchen. On Sunday we walked a decent distance to one of her friend’s house to t-ray (that’s a verb for the act of sitting around in a circle drinking tererre). We t-rayed for a while and they spoke Guarani and I just listened and daydreamed. She said if we just kind of hung out for a bit they would probably invite us to eat, so this was our strategy for lunch. Sure enough after t-raying for about an hour, the Senora of the house invited us to come eat. We ate, and shortly after left because it was getting boring, and I was antsy. We needed a change in scenery so we walked down the road looking for someone else to t-ray with. We arrived at this super lindo (really nice) place, where we sat around talking with this woman, her son, and his friend. We spoke Spanish here so I was in my element again. We played soccer, listened to old-school American hip-hop, and just sat around drinking coke and talking. It was pretty fun. Later we went back to Her house where we prepared a dinner and watched some more movies. This time it was A Beautiful Mind and some weird movie that I slept through. Later, we prepared a charla (small lesson) we were going to give at the local school the next day. The next day we walked 7 km to a school, which I don’t know what that is in miles, but I can assure you it’s a lot. This site is Paraguay’s second largest producer of bananas. Accordingly we were basically walking on a dirt road, which runs through giant banana fields. We got to the school during recess and the kids were all playing. There was this giant soccer game going on in which about 40 kids were running all over this little makeshift soccer field scrambling after the ball. Once recess ended we went into a class and delivered our lesson.

Now is a great time to comment on Paraguay’s education system, which is, as you can imagine, less than ideal. Basically the teaching method is to have kids copy straight from the board and then have them memorize the information. They are never asked to think critically or apply concepts they learn. When they do a homework assignment or a test, they basically just copy straight from their notes and/or someone else’s paper. However, this is not considered cheating here. Apart from all this is the fact that they only attend for a few hours a day, and they don’t go if it even sprinkles rain, there is any type of holiday, which they have a lot of, or if they are sick in the slightest way.

Now, back to the story. The volunteer I was assigned to is a RED volunteer, but basically does nothing to do with business development. She teaches environmental and health education at this school one day a week. However, she is a super guapo (I can’t translate that) volunteer. She has a functioning garden, a compost pile, a hand dug trash pit, and she gets her water from a well, boils it, showers outside in a little shack with a yogurt cup, and uses the bathroom in an outhouse with a little hole in the floor. The day’s lesson was about the importance of water and it’s function in the body. I read descriptions from a paper, and She would explain in Guarani and give examples. Then we sang a few songs about this. The whole time we were talking the whole class was in disarray. There were little clicks all over the class. One click was talking, snickering, and passing notes...most assuredly they were making fun of us. Another click was working on a homework assignment, and moving desks around. There was this one girl, the classic overachiever, who paid attention and responded to questions. The kids cracked me up several times during the class because they would say or do funny things while She was teaching/singing. Anyway, we left the school and went to her friend’s place to wait around on a bus back. I played this sweet game I made up with this kid. We took turns throwing mandarins at this cart. The person who hit it the most times won. The bus came; we went back to Her and prepared a bean concoction and Mexican tortillas. Then we watched some more movies and ate popcorn. Later we went to bed and the next morning I left to go back.

While there, She and I had some interesting conversation about development work and different development philosophies and their effectiveness. We talked about the Grameen Bank and micro-finance in general, the effect of governmental corruption at all levels on Paraguay’s rural economies, and other similar topics. I learned that I want to have running water and electricity in my site for sure and I would rather not live in quite so small a town. I also hope I get a site that has a functional coop that wants to work with me and is motivated to try new things and is educated enough to at least work on some projects and discuss business in general.

Overall, it was a good visit.

Meet My Family

My host father’s name is Ramon. He is such a good man. I would consider him to be a community leader. He has founded several commissions and clubs. One project he has been working on for 5 years is trying to get the road that runs in front of our house paved. He is also the Vice-President of a soccer club he helped found 3 years ago. He dreamed of founding this soccer club in Paso de Oro over 20 years ago. He loves soccer and wanted to provide a positive place for young people to go. Instead of getting drunk, doing drugs, and committing crimes, they could come to the soccer field. He is in the process of developing Paso de Oro’s first soccer field. He provides for so many in and around our house. He is a very soft-spoken, open minded, and caring man. He opened up his house and heart to me. I admire him a lot.

My host mother’s name is Basilia. She is crazy! She is very light-hearted and extroverted. She is constantly joking around. She loves to laugh. She also is a great cook. Every Saturday night she cooks empanadas, which people from around the community come to buy. Everyone says she cooks the best empanadas, and I agree. They are delicious. She is also very kind, and is such a hard worker. Here in Paraguay the women do almost everything. She cooks, cleans, washes clothes, looks after the animals, buys everything needed for the house and small store they own, and manages the store. We have similar personality types, so we get along great.

My host brother’s name is Augusto. He is 31 years old and is incredibly smart. He attended University but had to drop out in order to provide for his wife and child. Now he’s divorced, well more like separated because they aren’t officially divorced, but is still a great dad to Junior, his son, my nephew. I would say he is a general technician. He knows how to install and repair heating and air systems, plumbing, electrical, among other types of systems. He can also repair appliances, televisions, computers, and other electronics. He also is good on the software side of computers. He works for a HVAC company and also is co-owner of another general repair company. Apart from being incredibly handy and a great dad, he is very kind, always willing to lend a helping hand, open minded, and knows a little about everything. Already we’ve had several deep conversations relating to politics, history, economic development, and the nature of the education, health, and cooperative system in Paraguay. He goes to great lengths to help me out and make sure I’m comfortable. I couldn’t ask for a better brother.

My host sister lives in a house right next to our house. Her name is Mirian. Mirian is incredibly caring and works very hard around her house and mine. She washes my clothes and cleans my room. She is basically a magician. I fell in a mud hole one night and my shoes were basically one big pile of mud, and within a few days they looked as good as the day I bought them. Mirian is married to Eladio. Together they have 2 daughters, Mary and Fabiola. Mary is 7 years old and Fabiola about 5 years old. Mary is very smart and talks like an auctioneer. I can barely understand a word that comes out of her mouth so I have to remind her often to slow down when talking to me. I taught Mary how to play Go Fish and she loves it. She is constantly asking to play “pesca,” which is Spanish for Go Fish. Fabiola is the love of my life. She is very outgoing and constantly laughing and playing. We get along so great. She is already thinking of the day when I will leave and has told her Mom that she doesn’t want me to go. Every day she waits for me to come home from class outside her house or mine. When she sees me coming she lets out a loud and strung out “BRAAAAAAAD.” I recently left for a few days and she gave me a picture to remember her by while I was gone. She also gave me this little house made of Popsicle sticks. We dance and play a lot together and whenever I hear her cry or seem upset, I’m quick to respond and be by her side to comfort her and make her feel better.

Hector is my older brother. He lives in a house a little behind our house. Hector is a hard-worker and likes to joke around. He owns a small business recycling paper behind our house. He basically buys mixed paper and cardboard by the kilo from printers and other businesses who generate a lot of this type of product, bags it up and brings it home in a truck. Then he and about 5 other jokesters stand around a table separating out the paper into different piles. Then he bags those up and sells them to a big factory for more than he purchased it. He says work is like a game for him. Plus working is fun because it’s just a bunch of guys working together. While working they joke a lot, listen to music, and take a lot of breaks to eat or drink terrere (more on terrere later). Hector is the oldest son. He drinks his fair share, and used to fight a lot. Apparently he is quite the fighter. He told me some crazy stories and this one guy he taught a lesson to makes sure to say hello and asks how he is doing every time he sees him. But Hector, like most Paraguayans, has a good heart. He gave me an agenda to use for my homework assignments, and he carried me with him to Asuncion to buy paper. I felt like a little kid again. He took care of me the whole day. I felt like a little kid again riding along with my grandpa, Papa D. He would point out houses and work places of our family and explain how we are related. He also showed me the major markets in Asuncion, the Coca Cola factory, and even took me to the Yogurt factory to try yogurt. Hector is married and has 3 children. Paulo is 18, Jessica is going on 17 soon, and Jacqueline is 12. I really like to hang out with them. They are my nephews but feel more like cousins. Paulo is really helpful, curious, and playful. He likes to run around barefooted. He lacks just a little bit to graduate High School. He dropped out, but later decided he wanted to go back but his Dad won’t let him because of financial concerns along with the fact that he quit. Jessica is in High School, and wants to either be a doctor, a model, or a veterinarian. I told her this would probably change many more times but the important thing is to go to college period. Jacqueline is very shy. She doesn’t talk much, but she is very kind-hearted. She gives me candy and is always quick to help out when she sees an opportunity to do so. I think I’m breaking through her shy exterior though because she is talking to me more and more, and we hug every time we see each other.

I have two more sisters, Miguelina and Nilda. Miguelina has a daughter named Jennifer. Jennifer lived in my room for about a year while her Mom was working in Spain. Now, her Mom is back and is teaching Spanish and Guarani in a school not too far from my house. Miguelina is the most sophisticated of the bunch. She speaks more properly, seems more educated, and dresses nicely. She is very nice. She likes to correct my Spanish. I actually love it because I learn a lot when I’m around her. Nilda has a son named Darwen. I haven’t seen much of them. They live in a town over from ours. They come over ever so often to eat lunch. I can tell Nilda is very kind-hearted and somewhat shy. Nilda’s husband, Tony is a great guy. I recently went to their house for Nilda’s birthday party. Their house is very humble, yet Darwen has a ton of great quality books and even a computer. His Dad invests in his education and makes big sacrifices in order to do so. Paraguay could use a lot more fathers like Tony. He also loves American music, primarily classic rock from the 70’s.

That’s my family. I love them. We have tons of fun together, and they are all incredibly nice. I have 5 siblings. I guess I’m making up for being an only child now. I love having a close brother and sister. It’s a unique relationship I’ve never experienced before. I don’t know how I will leave these people because I have grown to love them so much in such a short amount of time.