Quotation


“To be on a quest is nothing more or less than to become an asker of questions.” -Sam Keen

Thursday, March 31, 2011

And my site is...

¡San Pedro Word-I-Can't-Pronounce!

San Pedro Word-I-Can't-Pronounce is located in central Paraguay, with a population of about 35,000 people. It's the capital of its departmento (state), but the region itself is sparsely populated. While San Pedro is technically an urban center, the surrounding area is almost exclusively agricultural, with its main crop source being cotton and soy. My site is in the middle of Paraguayan cattle country, so I can expect a good steak every once in a while. As of now, there are two other volunteers in my site, but not from my sector. Basically that means that I'll be the only PCV focusing specifically on education and literacy, but I'll also be able to work collaboratively with people specializing in health and environmental ed. My community had another education volunteer before me, but about six years have past since she left. I have the option to work with 5 or 6 schools and a teachers' college, depending on my interests and contacts. From San Pedro, it's about a 5-hour bus ride to Asunción.

When I first received my placement I didn't know what to think, but now I'm starting to get excited about what's in store for me.

In San Pedro, I believe that most people speak Guaraní as their first language, but the majority are also fluent in Spanish. Since I'll be working in schools, my professional life will revolve around castellano, but I'll have to brush up on my Guaraní for cultural integration/making the locals like me.

I'm glad that I finally know where I'm going and can start planning for my future in PY. Tomorrow I'm having my first meeting with someone in my community, and on Saturday I'm going to visit San Pedro for the first time. The rest of my training is absolutely going to fly by--I swear in as a Peace Corps volunteer in only 15 days. It's crazy how slow and how fast these past couple months have been.

P.S. I may or may not have adopted a puppy.

3 comments:

  1. San Pedro de Ycuamandiyú? I googled "San Pedro Paraguay" and that last word does look rather unpronounceable.

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  3. Marisa!
    I've been enjoying reading your posts. We think about you lots.
    emy

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