What am I doing here?

So, I've had several people (including myself) wondering what the heck I'm doing here. You see pictures of fiestas, dinners, birthdays, fútbol tournaments and really not much else. So you might be thinking: she left for 2 years to eat and watch soccer with a bunch of strangers?!

I just arrived in my site last week. Nobody here knows me and there are still many people here who don't know what Peace Corps is and who have only seen one or two other people from the United States before. Right now I am here to build relationships and to build trust. I still don't know the language here very well. Many people here only speak Guarani or choose not to speak Spanish. So in order to get to know people I hang out, drink tereré, go to social events. That's the only way you learn.

Peace Corps teaches sustainable development. We don't just show up for a month or two, build some wells, then leave. We teach people things that will change they way that they live for the better so that when we leave they can continue what we have taught them. That doesn't happen overnight. I can't just show up in a school, tell kids to brush their teeth and wear their shoes and then hope everyone does it. I have to get to know families, get the know the kids, talk about parasites and teeth brushing multiple times.

So what am I doing here? I'm hanging out, drinking tereré. I'm building relationships. It may not seem like “work” by what we as Americans are used to but it's necessary to make a difference over the next 2 years.