Empower The Next Generation of Paraguayan Entrepreneurs

Hello Blogosphere! I have an important Project and I need your help!

Now owns his own photography and design business. 

For the past year I have worked as the project manager of a youth business development initiative called, Jovenes Empresarios del Paraguay (JEP), or Young Entrepreneurs of Paraguay. And we need some funds to make our work happen.

In three weeks time we will be launching another cycle of this initiative with a three day workshop in the capital with youth invited to participate from all over the country, called The Apprentice Challenge. As the name suggests this camp is modeled after the TV show the Apprentice, but without the Donald sending kids home in tears. Teams will compete in dynamic challenges that are not only fun, but teach basic business skills, team building and leadership.

Streamlining wool production.
The major industry in his town. 

We have developed this program with a local networking organization that is looking to give back and start developing future members, called the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Paraguay (AJE). (Even our names are similar! It was an obvious partner.)

AJE and us are working very hard to make this camp a reality but we need your help. So I ask that you may contribute a small amount to this cause http://www.indiegogo.com/JEP  Eighty dollars funds the full cost of one participant.

Last year she received $1000 to start her lettuce farm, and is looking forward to a strong harvest. 

I have written about this project in the past, telling of how we were able to give $1000 to a young woman to start her lettuce farm. I am glad to report, she is still operational and hopes for a successful first harvest.

Building Paraguay
Opening a brick factory for affordable construction

If you are unable to give monetarily, then please share this campaign with your network of family, friends, colleagues and anyone who may be interested in supporting this cause.

I want to thank you all so much for your support.

I was born this way: Lady Gaga comes to Paraguay.

Things I didn't think would happen during Peace Corps:

This.

Paws up bitches. Lady Gaga came to town, and shit got crazy. 

Giving thanks: A Thanksgiving dinner in Paraguay

Last week we all learned where Turkeys come from. (Not the freezer section of a grocery store.) Now it's time to talk about their proper final resting place.

In my belly.

Death in the Afternoon: The making of a turkey dinner

Disclaimer: This post involves blood and guts and death. I think this is totally natural and even a little awesome, but I know others might not.  Read at your own risk. 

“About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.”  - Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon 

 In America, every fall we come together for a mass genocide. Millions die while we enjoy the crisp autumn air, the changing of the leaves, and take in a football game. We celebrate this time of death, and even cherish it. It is a beloved tradition to be shared with family. We call it Thanksgiving.

Why is it called a slumber party when there is no slumber?

I'm confused. Disoriented. I find myself in a whirling dervish of giggles and excited shrieks. The smell of nail polish is in the air, and hair scrunchies are flying. The scene feels oddly familiar, like that of a distant memory I've tried to block out, but also very very different.

I'm at a slumber party. 

In Paraguay. 

Rock Climbing in Paraguay: a long over due post.

The first thing I did when I found I was going to Paraguay, was google "Rock Climbing in Paraguay." Exactly one reference to one route came up in an online user-maintained climbing directory. I figured that meant there had to be some. As my friend Matt said, "There had to be a rock, somewhere." So a couple pair of undies and maybe a pair of pants got taken out of my backpack to make room for my climbing shoes and harness. It was a wise choice.

FRANKEN STORM!!!!: 5 Peace Corps tips for when the power goes out

In Peace Corps we like to call days with power outages, Tuesday.

Living without power ain't so bad. It's the cruel irony of the water going out every time it rains, that really kills. But for all of you in America who are freaking out about Frankenstorm and potentially being without power or roads for a few days here's a few tips from a pro:

1) It's not that bad.
       You complain about going to work all the time. Take the time, enjoy your day off. I highly recommend you don't VPN into your work email. You are conserving the battery life on lap top for more important things.

2) Stock up on candles but be careful, they will set your clothes on fire that are hanging from the same bed post you just placed that candle. (True story.) No candle stick? Just melt a few drops on to the surface you want the candle to stick and then place candle on top of wet wax.

3) If the power goes out and the fridge doesn't work, no worries. Eggs don't need to be refrigerated anyways. Promise.

4) If you can't drive on the roads and are stuck inside your house do your best to not go stir crazy. I like to do chores super inefficiently walking from one room to another. It makes time go faster and I feel like I went somewhere.

5) Do not write snarky blog posts about how living with out power is no big deal. Karma is swift and just, and your power will also go out in the middle of writing tip number four. I can't make this shit up!

Zumba is Friggin' Hard: My exercise class

So a couple weeks ago a talk about what's wrong with health and fitness, here is where I talk about what's right.

While it is called a secondary project because it doesn't relate directly to my sector of work, one of the biggest and most important projects I've done is Paraguay is lead a group of women in a 30 min to an hour long work out class twice a week.

I was handed this class by the volunteer who came before me. She started this class, and asked for the next volunteer to continue. While never explicitly admitted I'm pretty certain that's a huge reason I was placed in this site. I'm sure glad they did.

Those who know me, know just how lacking I am when it comes to grace, and rhythm  I am super amped that I live in a time when jumping up and down fist pumping on a dance floor now counts as dancing. Anything else is pretty much over my head. But here I am teaching Zumba, and loving every minute of it.

Not since my debut in the Sunshine Dancing Kids in 2nd grade have I enjoyed choreographed dance so much. My group and I laugh and sweat our way through jumps, salsa steps and booty shakes. Most of the women there do have weight loss goals, and I imagine that some of them are at risk for obesity related diseases, but the goal of the group is not weight loss. The goal of the group is have fun, push our limits, and make fun of me in Guarani.

Laid back sippin on Terrere: tutorial number 2

Last summer I wrote, produced and starred in my own video about Terrere. That video, if I must say, was a gem. While I am still waiting to hear back from the Travel Channel about a possible pilot, it makes me glad to know that you all have been educated about Terrere. However, I think my solo video lacked a little of the essence of Terrere that is hard to communicate through words alone. So in order to fill that gap I give you Mike Nixon, fellow PCV and full time gangster.

This is what happens when...

This is what happens when you run for a long time on a red dirt road.

Did my own pedicure. 

That's not a tan line. Just straight up tierra colorada. 

Home sweet home. I pray to god this is the last one.

Generally in PC, people have health problems or they have housing problems. Those are the two of the biggest annoyances that plague volunteers, and it's impossible to go two years without one of these two becoming an issue. Be it guardia that just won't quit, or a land lord that scams the electric company and tries to peg you for the bill when they get caught. (That's for you, Rick.) This is the reality. I however, have been served up a double dose of reality this past year. Not only have I had any number of health ailments that I don't like to describe to my doctor let alone on this blog, but I have had a hell of time finding stable housing.

First one on the right

More from Business Camp

Last week I wrote about the business camp I helped put on. Even a whole two weeks later it's still my favorite project to date.  The winner has officially incorporated, and many others are getting to work. SUPER AWESOME!

Julie, a volunteer friend of mine, was kind enough to put together a short promotional video for the event. I think it captures the feeling of the event well, mixing both business and fun.


Jóvenes Empresarios de Paraguay! from Julia Pretzlaff on Vimeo.

Giancarlo sums up my thoughts about this initiative pretty well. It's in Spanish so you have no idea what those thoughts are, so I'll paraphrase.

"I can see the potential of each youth in presenting their projects. And with these youth we are going to change the country and make each day better."

HALF TIME: One year in Paraguay

Sometimes it's hard to consider what I do work. If I  made one friend here in Paraguay, and kept up with this blog, I would accomplish two thirds of the tasks I am asked to do as a Peace Corps Volunteer. But I'm kinda shitty at making friends so I end up doing work.

Paraguay's Donald Trump is some where in this pic.

For the past year I have dabbled in a variety of projects. From exercise to kindergarten, I've done my best to keep busy. Some projects succeeded; most failed. This is my life.

Teaching kids to glue pasta to a piece of paper is not a wasted project, but you gotta define "impact" and "developement" broader than Texas' interpretation of the second amendment to think that's why I came here. However, this past weekend the reasons as to why I picked up my life and moved to this tiny country in the heart of South America were abundantly clear.

Paraguay's biggest tourist attraction, in Argentina

"Hi Taylor!"

"Hey mom, hows it going?"

Muffeled person in the background

"I'm here with Jackie. She wants to know if you've gone to that place yet? She says you have to go to that place with the water falls. "

"What's it called...What?... Igwagoo? " - to Jackie

"Well, anyway you just have to go. Have you gone yet?"

I have had this exact conversation more than once, and I am glad to finally say, Yes Jackie, I've gone to Iguazu Falls, and you're right, it was incredible

A good meal, A good day.

*NOTE: I've received negative feedback in regards to this post. I would like to clarify that this is not meant to suggest that the food culture of the US is superior other than it is the food I grew up with. Food is a matter of taste and the food here isn't necessarily to mine. I don't shy away from the words that follow, but please know that I respect that Paraguayans love their food and may dislike mine. I have posted the negative feed back and my response in the comments section. I think it best illustrates the legitimate gripes with this posts, and maybe fills in some of the gaps I left out when writing the following.*

I often complain about Paraguayan food. It's not my favorite food culture in the world. To be honest, no matter the culture, unless Jamon Serrano is a staple in the diet, it's not my favorite.

Eaten at every meal.

A weird diet, heavily centered on meat and starch, I find Paraguayan food bland and greasy.  Chipa guazu and Sopa Paraguaya are the primary traditional breads. They're the same fucking thing! And who the hell calls bread "Paraguayan soup?" They have soup here. It contains giant hunks of meat that you must gnaw at, because cutting tough meat inside a bowl of soup is really fucking difficult. Also, the pasta is gummy, and how one can love mandioca as dearly as Paraguayans do is beside me.  And then there was the whole pig nose incident, among other offenses.

Chipa Guazu, I think

Sopa Paraguaya, Maybe

 Yet we return to that recurring theme in my Peace Corps Service. Just when I think I can't take it any more, Paraguay throws me a bone.

Bien Frio: My Terere Tutorial.

Spain has Jamon serrano; Ireland has Guinness; and since everything is bigger in Texas, I'll give the lone star state the whole category of Tex-mex. Everywhere in the world has that one thing. That food or drink not only typical but rather characterizes the place and the people living there. It holds a special place in our hearts, and it can sometimes be hard to imagine that elsewhere in the world wouldn't have the same.

There are few things more Paraguayan than that.

Paraguay is no exception.

KONY2012 and TOMS Shoes - Meditations on doing good.

Teju Cole penned this article for the Atlantic this week in response to the KONY2012 movement. I recommend you read it on it's own merit, but also to increase your understanding of my post.

Not wanting "Better" to be the enemy of "Good", I acknowledge the accomplishment of  KONY2012 in raising awareness of war crimes in Africa. This thing practically hit cat video status. However, it highlights an uncomfortable trend that I couldn’t articulate properly until reading Cole's article.

National Geographic: My house

Happy Thursday!

The first thing you do in Peace Corps is what we call "staging." You and all the people with whom you'll be entering country meet up stateside to have the first introduction to what happens next, before taking that international flight.

During these two days we get some general safety and cultural guidelines, but it's also a time to share your concerns and fears. My fears included things like "This is going to be really freaking hard," "Two years is a long freaking time," and "Did you know Paraguay is a developing country?" My friends, however, had something else they all seemed to fear beyond reason.

Me thinking: Bugs, really? That's all you got?

Bugs.

Almost universally, my new friends shared their fears of creepy crawlies indigenous to Paraguay. Spiders, scorpions, and even jaguars we're brought up as potential threats. I disregarded their fears as almost childish.

Now I am ready to admit, they were right.

Erin Go Braugh Paraguaygua! - Now with more Pie.

I'm never totally sure which day is actually St. Paddy's since I usually celebrate over a two separate weekends, but Julia came over last night feeling pretty confident it was the day. So what else was there to do except dye some beer green, put on Boon Dock Saints and eat pie.

How 'bout a pint? Or a medio-litro. We're not really sure. 

It may seem odd to celebrate this tiny North Atlantic island while in a Latin American country, BUT there is at least one Paraguayan of Irish decent. His name was Juan O'Leary, (Pronounced: O-Lee-aar-ree) and he's actually pretty famous. He even has a town named after him just 20 minutes away from mine. What he did? I have no idea. But hell, that's what St. Paddy's is about, very thin or outright false claims to Irish heritage. Right? Even this guy likes to brag about his Irish-ness.



So Happy St. Paddy's from this 1/8th (I think) Irish girl. I hope you all are recovering appropriately.

By request, Pie recipe after the jump.

Añe’e michimi guaranime (I speak a little of your god damn language.)

Recently in the New York Times there was an article about Paraguay’s indigenous language Guarani.

There are many indigenous languages still spoken in the America’s but usually each language is spoken by a small portion of a country’s population.  Lots of people speak an indigenous language in Bolivia, just not all the same one. In Paraguay, Guarani is spoken by almost everyone.

I can guarantee you those guys speak Guarani

I’ve mentioned this language in passing before, but seeing as I don’t speak it, I try not to be an expert on the subject. Guarani is a topic I have very mixed feeling about. I love it. I love that Paraguay is so proud of their indigenous language, and that there are increasing efforts to keep it alive and relevant. However, I think only Guarani itself might have sufficient vulgarities for how much I hate it.