Core Expectation #3

“Serve where the Peace Corps asks you to go, under conditions of hardship, if necessary, and with the flexibility needed for effective service”

This was one of the core expectations I thought most about after accepting my position here in Paraguay. I would fall asleep at night to thoughts of mud houses, bucket bathing, pooping in a latrine for two years… fully confident that I could excel at whatever hardship the Peace Corps threw at me.

Then the other day, as I was sitting in my hammock drinking tereré, I literally laughed out loud. Hardship? I have a modern bathroom. I have a hot shower. I have a kitchen sink. I have a brick house with tile floors. I have a community that speaks Spanish in addition to Guarani…. The only real “hardships” I have here is that I live 7km from the ruta (with a bus out only 3 days a week) and limited cell phone service. I got to comparing my life to those volunteers I know in Africa or in poorer regions of Latin America and began to question whether or not I am a “legit” volunteer. Then it dawned on me - Is pooping in a hole in the ground for 2 years what makes you a great volunteer? Nahaniri! (No!) While those friends will most likely have some pretty hilarious and ridiculous stories to share that I won’t be able to relate to, it doesn’t make my purpose of being here any less important.

That same day as I was working in the library, I heard a third grader reading out loud a book. She was struggling with the words, but made her way through it. And it’s moments like those that remind me why I am here. To meet people. To share culture. And to hopefully slightly improve the lives of a few. So – time to stop comparing myself to those people with their crazy roughing it stories! I still have my fair share, and in the end it isn’t really what matters. Myself in Paraguay and the people I know in Africa didn’t join the Peace Corps to bucket bathe; we did it for an adventure and attempt to make a tiny difference in the world!

Pues, jajotopata de mi chuchi casa!
(So, see you later from my fancy house!)