Chisme & Ms. Fix-It

Chisme

They call it “chisme” aka gossip. It is a popular joke to say that chisme is the national sport. Chisme is not always harmful, but it sure does carry fast. Let’s have some examples.

-During my recovering period (after consuming the bad sandwich), I went to the neighbor’s grocery store. Both owners asked me “Como te sentes vos?” (How do you feel?) One went as far as to add some action to his question by motioning to his stomach. I was thinking “Glad everyone knows.”

-One of the volunteer’s asked me if it was true that I eat everything that my mother gives me. I said yes. She said, “Yea, my host mom said, ‘Ellie eats everything that her mother gives her.’” I believe that this comment might have been said in slightly resentful tone, so the volunteer seemed annoyed to know that I truly do eat everything.

-I told Mami Paraguay that I would like to start running at nights. She said, “The volunteer a few house down wants to start running at nights, too.” When I approached the other volunteer about it, she said, “How did your mom know? I mentioned it to like one person.”

-Some afternoons we go to this restaurant to eat empanadas after class. One volunteer told me today that the girlfriend of someone told her host family that the volunteer was in the town center yesterday with a big group of Americans at El Paso.

Yes, these may be minor examples of chisme, but you can see how things get around very quickly in this town. This is one of the most important reasons to be on your best behavior because if you aren’t, your Mami Paraguay and all the other Mamis are going to know. And the wheels of chisme will begin to turn.

Ms. Fix-It

To be politically correct, I should write Mr./Ms. Fix-It since there are in men in the Peace Corps too, but we celebrated El Dia de Las Mujeres (The Day of the Women) today in language class, so I think it justifies my title.

As an education advisor, I will be working with teachers and principals in schools. During these sessions, I am supposed to present new ways of presenting lessons to students, help develop classroom materials, set-up new programs for those requiring extra help, etc. That sound great, doesn’t it? Right and Wrong. Right, because obviously it would be great to better the education system of another country. Wrong, because there are many people that don’t think there is a problem. Wrong, because teachers that have been teaching for 23 years, don’t want a 23 year-old to tell them a “better” method of teaching. Wrong, because most people don’t understand what we are even doing in their schools. Wrong, because most people think I am 17.

There are a lot of challenges to overcome. I am not sure what people think about the Peace Corps in the United States, but I imagine that many people think that we are playing around in another country for two years. SO, for all of those that are unsure about the Peace Corps being put into the “real job” category, let me tell you it is more than a job.

Take a moment and think about a common situation that many PC Volunteers face throughout their service:

What if your boss gave you a list of goals and objectives to accomplish in two years and then you went to work every day and your co-workers didn’t understand what you were doing there, didn’t speak the same language as you, didn’t agree with you methods and didn’t find you credible because you weren’t from their 500 people town? Do you think that work might be difficult for you?

I have discovered that the Peace Corps is not for the weak at heart. In the little time that I have been here, I have already faced challenges that do not make you feel good about yourself. Many people do not realize the following:

1. I am not 17 years-old.

2. I am a professional and have a college degree.

3. I am actually working.

4. I am not Mormon or of another religious group.

As practice for our future job assignments, we will spend 6 different days working in a local school here in our training town. I went to spend a few minutes at my assigned school the other day. I talked with the teacher – she teaches second grade - that I will be working with about the school and students. I asked her about the different levels of the students in her class, materials that they do and do not have, current school funding, parent involvement, etc. Although the PC has directly told each of the teachers what we will be doing in the schools (observing lessons, presenting alternative ways of teaching and model lessons, making suggestions for programs, etc), at the end of the conversation, the teacher still asked me if my purpose of coming was to play games with the children. Great. She thinks that she has acquired a baby-sitter instead of another co-worker.

*Keep in mind that all villages, towns, schools, health posts, organizations, groups, etc where you find a PC Volunteer working, REQUESTED help.*