Guys, when you sign up for the Peace Corps they tell you that it will be challenging. No air conditioning, driving cars, drinking Starbucks, using smart phones or any other of those first world conveniences. They tell you about the impending loneliness, rural monotony and never ending frustrations during your service. At the time, none of that phased me because lets face it, I'm awesome. (hence the eating a live cockroach story but we'll get to that later).
“#$%^&^ Paraguayans!”I should explain. So its not like Paraguayans are bad people, unintelligent or anything. In fact, when you get to the heart of it they are some of the nicest, most open and caring people I have ever met.
If I were to walk up to a Paraguayan home at lunch time, I would be invited in with huge smiles, offered food that was meant for a family member and given the best chair to sit in.
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| Please come in and have lunch with us! |
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| Nice puppy....... |
But this particular summer day I had had enough.
It had been a year since I began Peace Corps and a lot had happened. I had completely settled into site, promised to learn and then given up on the local language, Guarani, had several solid projects underway, and several not so solid projects less underway. I had gone through a chaotic Peace Corps relationship and finally given in and bought internet. Just as the Peace Corps said, I had faced homesickness, loneliness, monotony and frustrations but nothing was worse than the frustrations. Which brings me back to the night I snapped.
The majority of nights a group of youths come and hang out at my house, inside (if I feel like hanging out with them) or outside (if I am less inclined). They use it as a kinda hang out place away from their homes, which I can totally understand. It doesn't matter to them if I'm doing something because its customary to kinda sit around and do nothing or drink Terrere for hours on end, even if you are not talking. (sometimes one guy will just stand around while I clean my house or cook for 30 minutes at a time) Most of the time it's all cool. I chill out, talk about whats going on in life and if I am busy they go about chillin and I stay inside. This particular night was no different except when half way through I realize that someone had taken about 8 bananas from the on top of my fridge.
Now you might be thinking, “Really, you snapped over 8 bananas? Are you crazy?” but I'm not done.
You see letting the local youth use my house as their hangout gets annoying after awhile. They dirty my house, eat my food and I turn my music to Spanish music instead of my preferred music when they are around. In addition, I have been trying to work with the youth in a youth business group to help them earn some money since none of them ever seem to have any. That is on top of the English and Dance classes I offer. Furthermore, I like bananas and I can't get them that easy in site and this night was the first time I had bananas in months.
So, when I realized some of the youths had come into my house and eaten all but one of my bananas without even asking or anything, I couldn't take it anymore. After all the things I do for them the least they could do was ask for a frickin banana. Anyway so I got all serious and asked them all into my house and to just tell me who took the bananas. All I wanted was the truth and no one would give anyone up. So, I kicked all of them out of my house and told them they were never allowed back. Finally 20 minutes later 3 of them came back and said it was one of the other kids. I felt better until 2 days later that other kid came and told me it wasn't him. So everyone is still lying. Sigh.
So the above story is a typical frustrating thing that happens in my life. In fact yesterday I had a pack of gun out on my table and now all the gum is gone, there are wrappers scattered on my floor and there is a piece of gun stuck to the bottom of one of my tables.
It seems like here, any food or edible out on the table is fair game and the floor is always a suitable trash can.
Sigh.. such is life.
