Well, I am finally a volunteer now. Its been quite a ride but training is finally over. No that it was really that hard or I was having a bad time, but I have been really excited to get started. The last week was pretty emotional though. On wednesday we had a goodbye party with all of our families. There was a lot of emotions expressed and tears shed.
On friday we all went to the US embassey for our swear in. There was a speech by the director of peace corps paraguay, and the Ambassador, but Rob was selected to be the guest volunteer speaker and just put the other two to shame with his speach it was so good. After that it was a bit of a party weekend. We were all given till tuesday to get to our respective sites, so everyone in our group stayed in the same hotel for the weekend. You can probably imagine what kinds of things insued when you put 5+ americans in the same hotel in a forein city. But besides that the weekend was really cool too. There are also volunteers from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan here, and there was a big sportsday mixer in the main park in Asunsion. We played ultimate frisbee and basketball with them. Then later that night there was a benifit concert put on by Peacecorps volunteers along with volunteers from Japan, and korea in nice little open air bar.
On monday I had to go get the rest of my bags from my host family in my previous house. I also took a telescope that my mom sent down here to give to me sister. You should have seen the look on their faces when I pulled it out of my bag. My host sister has been wanting a telescope for years, and wants to study astronomy in school. It was such a good present, THANKS MOM!. On the way back to my new site, I got on a bus alone with all my things, and right when I got on two guys in the back of the bus started yelling at me to come sit by them. I thought I might know them from playing basketball or something so I went back to sit by them. When I realized that I didnt know them and that they were just two drunk guys it was too late. They were rediculous and were screaming and shouting at me. Saying I am marine Paraguayo, I am you protector. And they were screaming estados unidos. They made me sit between them and one of the guys grabbed my back to hold it for me. It made me a bit nervous but I ignored it for the moment. When they both got up to pee out of the back door of the moving bus, I grabbed my back and moved forward a seat. They were trying to offer me prostitutes and what not and being complet jerks to everyone on the bus. They kept taking my hat and giving me theirs. The entire bus was staring and laughing at me, but it was a really uncomfortable situation. Then all the sudden they pulled out a knife, and asked me if it made me nervous. I dont know why, or what possesed me but I just took it out of the guys hand, because I figured he was joking around, but now that I think about it he could have been serious. I told him that I wasnt scared and pulled my machete out of my bag that my professor had given me. That made the two drunk guys laugh a ton, so luckily nothing bad happend.
The next day I went to the foundation where Im going to work at, just to tell them that I was there and that I would start to work this week. When I go there I saw that they were having a huge 25th aniversary party. I was joking with them saying that they shouldnt have gone to so much trouble for my welcome party. there were like a hundred people there that all work for the foundation in one way or another. For some reason all the women there wanted to take pictures with me. They told me I looked like a movie star, but by the end of the day I was blinded by all the flashes. It got the the point that the person running the meeting on the microphone started joking around saying that if they wanted a picture with me they had to get in line and pay 5mil guarani first. It was really funny.
That was yesterday, and for the rest of the day I was organizing my things in my new room, and I built a makeshift cloths rack. I was pretty proud of what I built with just my letherman tool.
That pretty much brings us up the the present.
Write me sometime will you, Id love to hear from you all.
