Guarambare, Paraguay

On Thursday, all 42 Peace Corps Trainees arrived in Paraguay after two full days of traveling and attending orientation sessions. We will complete our three months of Peace Corps training in the city of Guarambre. Guarambare is located about an hour outside of the capital Asuncion. While here we all will live with a host family located just outside of the main city center. Only a few hours after arriving in Paraguay we were introduced to our host families.

My host family consists of Oscar (father), Tina (mother), Maria Jose and Maria Fatima (twin 13 year old sisters), Abraham (9 year old brother), Ana (23 years old and the niece of Tina), Ana’s two daughters (3 and 5 years old), and grandma (mother of Tina). Oscar is a farmer and a referee for club soccer games. Tina is a housewife and 8 months pregnant! She is due on the 10^th of October. That will make 11 in the house. Jose and Fatima attend school somewhat regularly. Since I arrived neither has gone to school. They say they don’t really like school, but Oscar is very determined to make sure his kids study hard and have a future outside of Guarambare. Abraham doesn’t talk to me much, but we enjoy playing Tic-Tac-Toe together. Ana helps take care of the house as well, especially since Tina is pregnant. Her two daughters are adorable! I don’t understand much of what they are saying, but they enjoy sitting next to me at meals and I usually just make faces at them. Grandma is quiet with me, but from the conversations we have had she is very wise and has a lot of stories to tell.

I live on a farm with 7 dairy cows, 6 pigs (2 of which are piglets that were born on the day I arrived), 20 or so chickens, 5 dogs, and 2 cats. Everyday I drink fresh milk from the cows and they make cheese with the milk as well. My family wakes up around 5 in the morning to begin milking the cows and they are usually in bed by 9. I can tell that they do not have much money, but Oscar works very hard on the farm and he says that the extra money from the refereeing helps.

They have never had a volunteer live with them before. The other night while talking with Oscar he explained that he used to think that the volunteers in Guarambare were no good. He didn’t want anything to do with them, but after seeing the work that they do and the way they work with the community he wanted to have one at his house. He said he especially wanted a volunteer in his house to show his kids someone who has studied hard and attended college, and that it is possible for them to do the same.

The first day I could not communicate with the family much, but I think they forgave me because I played the guitar and sang for them. They are a very relaxed family that enjoys visiting with neighbors and spending time with each other. I am very grateful to them for opening their home to me for the next few months.