To the First World and Back

I have travelled from the third world to the first world and then back to the third. I went from getting around by riding my bike over miles of sandy red dirt roads to driving my car at high speeds down the New York Thruway. I went from eating chicken necks and mandioca to chicken wings and sweet potato fries. I went from drinking the standard Brahma to flavorful microbrews. I went from sweating in the shade to sweater weather picking apples. And then I came back to the third world to spend a few more weeks and wrap up this adventure that has been my Peace Corps service. September was highlighted with preparations for the tail end of my time in Paraguay with a couple of weeks spent in Upstate New York as a strong reminder of what I will be going back to come December.

The start of September marked the last 3.5 months of Peace Corps service for G34 and brought on the preparations for our departure in the form of a Close of Service conference. At this conference our entire group that arrived in Paraguay in September of 2010 got together for the first time in nearly a year and we were able to catch up with each other and enjoy each other’s company. The workshop focused on our reflections about the Peace Corps as well as our service, what we need to do in preparation for our departure from Paraguay and ending our contract with the Peace Corps and what the future can hold for us. It was a very informative couple of days that also allowed for a little bit of pool time and even a dance party that featured a Winter Olympics theme. At the conference we learned about the work and educational benefits that we receive as a result of our PC service which really started to shift my focus to the real world. I have been looking at jobs opportunities for some time and now is the time when I can start applying to different opportunities that I find. I have also opened my mind to further education as I imagine that I will need a more advanced degree at some point in the future. Why not take a look at the programs that Peace Corps promote? I have found a program that offers a Master of Science in Environmental Policy which is an exciting and important area in the modern world as climate change has come to the forefront of environmental issues. By the close of the conference we were all excited about our futures and how close we were to finishing our service but also sad at the fact that we will be leaving the place that we have called home for the past two years as well as saying goodbye to the people who have welcomed us into their homes and made us a part of their families. As is every life change the ending will be bittersweet but the future is bright.

Immediately after this conference I had the opportunity to go to some Jesuit Ruins in the southern part of the country. I went to Trinidad where I visited another volunteer and saw the remains of a Jesuit ruin dating back to the 15^th century. The first tour I took was at night and the ruins were lit up with beautifully placed lighting with great background music giving the place a wonderful museum feel that was completely outdoors. The scale of the place was astounding and imagining how the old Jesuit priests organized the Guarani Indians to construct the place with their bare hands and simple tools is mind blowing. Throughout the ruins there are statues with their heads removed which were supposedly removed by looters in their search for gold. One of my favorite little details was the flower emblems found all over the place which symbolized the passion fruit flower. The history of these ruins of the Jesuit reductions dates back to the 1600’s when the Jesuit priests gathered the Guarani Indians into these compounds in order to keep them safe from the Brazilian slave traders that would constantly take the unprotected Indians captive during this time period. In the reductions the Jesuits taught the Indians about Christianity but at the same time helped to preserve the Indigenous culture by writing down the language and this is a big reason why the Guarani language is still around today and continues to be an official language of Paraguay. These reductions were also working villages where the Indigenous peoples learned modern crafts as well as received education. Eventually these missionaries were expelled in 1767 and the Missions went into disuse and disrepair and we are lucky to have what remains of them to this day.

After my little in-country excursion it was time for my big out of country excursion to the USA. I was originally going home for 10 days  but ended up staying for 6 extra days due to missing my flight and then a little bit of negotiating with the airline. So in those 16 days I did a ton of things but not too much. I went on a nice mini road trip with a group of college friends in order to see Justin, my college roommate, get married in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to his lovely bride Kayla. I went apple picking with my family. I saw the Giants win on Thursday night football. I went for a hike up an Adirondack High Peak on a very wet yet colorful day. I ate a lot of chicken wings. I visited a Grad School. And I spent a lot of great quality time with my family. After my wonderful time at home it was time to come back to Paraguay to finish my last 9 weeks.

Since being back it has been hot, really hot….as in over 100 degrees every day. That part has not been a ton of fun and it has been made worse due to buses breaking down and inconveniently travelling at the hottest parts of the day. I need to get my Paraguay smarts back and relearn that all I need to do at the hottest part of the day is sit in the shade and drink terere.