One Week Left...

Hey all! I figured it has been almost another month since my last post, so I'm long overdue for another update!

Time has been flying yet again! After our longfield practice, we were forced to go stircrazy for a little less than a week before we got to find out the information we've all been waiting for....OUR FUTURE SITES! On the day of July 28th, we were also forced to wait the entire day until the last hour of class. Finally, when it was time to know, they sat us down in a large room and read off our future sites one by one. Needless to say it was incredibly nerve racking!

For those of you who haven't yet found out, my future site is:
Eusebio Ayala, Department of Cordillera

The next day after finding out our sites, we were driven to a conference center to stay overnight and meet our community contacts. The event at the conference center was a bit boring, but it ended up being a good opportunity to interact and get to know our contacts a little better. Then on Friday, the 31st, my contact Julia and I traveled together to Eusebio Ayala for a 6 day stay in order to better know the community I will be living in.

Upon arrival I was introduced to Señora Irma Amarilla, who I will be renting a room from for the first three months (after that I am free to look for my own apartment or house, depending on how things go; I also have the option of staying there for longer..). She is an incredibly sweet lady, and we live in a larger complex with her son and dauter, and three of her grandchildren. One of her sons also lives in New York, and she has traveled to visit him there. My "host siblings" are her grandchildren, and they are Manuelito, 7; Alejandro, 11; and Sara, 17. My host siblings have been an incredible opportunity to practice my language skills and also to learn a bit more about the town from a local's perspective. Besides that, they're a ton of fun! We played soccer and tag, and even got to celebrate Manuelito's birthday when I was there! Aside from this, Sara and I talked about music interests and listened to some American punk rock together, which made me feel like I was on another planet lol.

Other than the living situation, I also was in Eusebio Ayala to gain a better understanding of the work I will be doing. My contact, Julia, works with the Comittee of Education in the local Cooperative. I got to meet all her co-workers, and they welcomed me like I was a new employee. It was really weird, and kinda like I had just gotten a new desk job in the US. The cooperative operates like a credit union, and they have over 7,000 members. I will be working with the members initially to increase awareness of rules and responsibilities, as well as credit and financing opportunities that the cooperative has to offer them. This is, of course, only my first and primary project. Because Julia works with the Comittee of Education (and she also knows everyone in town) I will be working with local schools to try and develop curriculum based around Personal Business, Entrepreneurship, and Family Finance. These are things that I hope to target to teenagers just starting out in the job world, and also young couples trying to get on their feet and manage their finances. However I am open to virtually any projects and will seek to meet any needs of any age groups. For example I have been approached several times about starting English Language or Information Technology courses for younger students. I have received secondary project information should I like to start these programs.

After returning from the site visit, the rest of training has felt a bit pointless. I understand it is important to continuously learn language and ensure that we have all the technical tools necessary to operate in site, but at times it seems repetitive or that they are giving us information that we will never use. We also have been around each other consistently and long enough that what once was new and interesting about each other, has become frustrating at times. It is even harder because we are all friends, and know that we aren't really frustrated with each other, but with the other factors in our lives. Its just that our patience has been worn so thin that things that would have never bothered us in the states begin to fester and create divisions. I'm sure things will improve once we are in our sites, and that we will begin to miss each other immensely. I'm also very glad that I have several friends in towns that are close by (and I'm also only an hour and a half from Asunción!) which will make it easier to transition and ensure I don't go too crazy on my own.

Aside from all these factors, training has begun to wind down. Tomorrow we are giving our last charlas, we only have three more days of language class, and we have begun to pack our bags for the move. The hotel and dinner reservations are made, and we are about to transition from trainees, to Peace Corps Volunteers. Its about time! Updates on the swear-in ceremony and ensuing celebrations sure to follow! :-)