A fine how do you do from a beautiful sunny morning in the freedom of the south! It’s done, I’m out of here tomorrow (assuming rain won’t prevent the truck from getting out here to haul my stuff off to the big city of Asunción where I’ll start my new volunteer role as a volunteer coordinator and also with A Todo Pulmon – Paraguay Respira.

Where to begin? I just published a blog I wrote last week that was pretty heavy on the work talk from my two years and so I’ll try to avoid that on this one. But really, that’s been the majority of my experience. When I was a volunteer in Nepal I felt like I didn’t really do much to ‘leave my mark’ largely for lack of opportunity. Here I’ve found the opposite: I found more things to do that I had the time, energy, or patience for. When it rains it pours I suppose.

Yesterday I wrapped up my last presentation to the community about the findings so far from my research and it went really well. 25 people showed and sat through my hour+ powerpoint presentation (does that surprise you? Powerpoint out here based on the descriptions I’ve given you all of my community? it was the first time many had seen it) but it went well thanks to PRO COSARA for their presence and loan of their projector! I was glad I got the opportunity to show them what I’ve been working on the last few weeks as I was running around counting/measuring trees and then locking myself in my house for a day or two – they all thought I was just being lazy but in reality I was staring at lines of data on countless spreadsheets trying to get it all together before I left. That type of work is pretty foreign here; there are only 2 people I know of who have a computer here (and those are only within the last year) and both of them primarily use them to store music and pictures they take with their cell phones.

So, my last day. I woke up before dawn again and enjoyed a sunrise run. Got chased by a few dogs as usual. Gave and received the standard “Adios” and a thumbs up greeting to all the neighbors I passed along the way as they sat in their front yards drinking their morning mate. I kick up the red dust as the smell of wood smoke gets stronger in the air from all the fires on the floors of the kitchens I pass that are undoubtedly cooking ravido and heating more water for the next round of mate. I made my left turn away from the community leading between the large expanses of soy and smell the slight hint of recently sprayed pesticides mixed with morning dew. I turn back at the top of the hill and look back on the community and mainly feel excited for all the things coming up – a move to a different city, job, lifestyle, and a vacation for a month or so in Peru and Chile with an old friend from what I consider  home. I’ve enjoyed my time out here for the most part and it’s been a great experience, but I can confidently say it’s time to move on to the next adventure.

I could relate an endless stream of problems, frustrations, and things that scared me or just really made me angry that have occurred out here. Sadly, these are the things that come to mind first when I think back on the last two years. But I’m hoping that with time that will change. I’ve largely avoided relating these tales to avoid worries or concerns from friends and family, as well as for my own benefit to not dwell on those things that can’t be changed. I feel I’m leaving this community having planted a lot of seeds of ideas that may or may not take – for sure i can count a lot of new practices quite a few people are doing. But as I ran through the community one last time I still see more basic needs and issues – primarily that lack of unity. Of course couple that with standard issues of poverty, food insecurity, ‘unbalanced’ diets, and preferences for motorcycles, TV’s, cell phones over things like shoes for kids. Maybe I sound a bit judgmental in this; I try not to be but it’s hard sometimes.

I take with me a greater sense of a part of the world/life I’d previously not encountered. In Nepal and other travels I’ve seen similar issues, but largely different senses of community culture. I mean to offer no judgment or place a greater value on any culture or anything, but rather prefer to say that it’s an amazing world filled with all sorts of things that’ll either make you smile or cry, laugh or pull your hair out, spread your arms wide in appreciation for life or make you want to curl up in a ball and hide away. No matter where you are in the world you never know which way you’ll be feeling by the end of a given day – but that’s all part of the adventure!

Sometimes you wake up and find a dead rat on your floor. You can choose to be frustrated that there are rats in your house, let alone on your floor like this. Or you can be happy that it died in the middle of your floor instead of in your dresser where you wouldn’t find it for a few days. Is your glass half full or half empty? ha. I just liked the picture and wanted to share.

For now I’ve got to go, the kid showed to go help me fix the shading at the school garden. HOpe you’re all having a good day and thanks for reading!

 

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