2011 began with some much needed vacation. I thoroughly enjoyed my sojourn to Chile, including the 30+-hour bus trip from Asuncion to Santiago, complete with two border crossings (Paraguay-Argentina, then Argentina-Chile) and the snail of curved passes through the Andes. This was my first time to Chile, but hopefully not my last while serving in this part of the world. This visit was limited to the capital of Santiago and a day trip to the port city--and UNESCO World Heritage Site--of Valparaiso, a place I’m totally enchanted with and heartily recommend. Some good American friends are living in Santiago for a few years, so that’s an extra good reason to get back before I live up north again.
Once back in ol’ Paraguay it was birthday time. Dear little Nico made the change from three to four, and I gave him a birthday book I’d found in Chile. It was specifically for 4-yr olds, and included props, pop-ups, room to write guests’ names, a photo, and other information about your special day. It was a big hit, and he asked where I found it. I explained I found it in a bookstore in Santiago, where they only had such books for years three and four. When he learned that he asked why I didn’t bring the one for three-year olds too! (Note: When I returned from Chile, his greeting included the question, “Did you see any of the miners?” Yes, a special kid!!)
The month has also been a turning point in my service. As every Returned Peace Corps Volunteer knows, the Peace Corps experience includes a Close-of-Service conference, held approximately three months before the end of our two years of service. (Close of Service, aka “COS” in Peace Corpsese.) Well, by the end of January it was our training group’s turn for our COS conference since our COS date is April 20, 2011. We were put up in a nice hotel for two days and two nights to attend sessions on assessment, reviewing our PC experience, readjustment, options for life post-Peace Corps. We were given our COS “kits,” essentially the check list of the approximately 30 administrative tasks we need to “check off” in order to officially finish our service in Paraguay, and the accompanying forms and documents to help us complete the list. They really do us a favor in holding this conference three months before our two years are up since there is indeed so much involved in wrapping up an experience like this…you don’t want to leave it all for the last minute! In Peace Corps Paraguay they do a nice job of holding this conference in an appealing venue where we can rest and relax between sessions with folks from our training group, some of whom we haven’t seen much since training in 2009. By the end of the couple days of immersion with fellow Americans about to finish this chapter of life, you really did feel like you had reached a turning point…..and yet in my case, the turning point has a broader curve…I have submitted a proposal to extend for one more year, and should know the decision within a couple of weeks, ideally by the next time I post to the blog. So, for now, I only have to start doing a portion of the items on the check list, and hopefully the rest will get checked off around this time next year. (Medical tests are pending, since you can’t receive an extension without medical clearance.)
It´s really hard to believe that two years ago I was muy busy with another to-do list, all the things to take care of before departing the States for this adventure...yep, it's nearly two years to the day, Dios mio. If my extension is approved, I will be a volunteer here in Paraguay until May of 2012.
Now for the final portion of this post, the part that corresponds to "request" in the entry´s title. As many of you know, I´m very involved with library work here, and it culminates with a library "mini-conference" we´re staging next month, March 11-12 to be exact. We plan to give all the Paraguayans conference bags, full of practical goodies to take back to their libraries. If anyone would like to send me *anything* for these bags, I would be so very grateful! (Think anything "booky" for instance, including stickers, posters, book marks, small bone folders--for book repair, book-themed wrapping paper...things easy to mail, of course.) Someone once gave me stickers of just little books, and they're great, but I've never seem them for sale myself. Here is the mailing address for the Peace Corps office in Asuncion:
Denise Davis
Cuerpo de Paz
162 Chaco Boreal, casi Mcal. Lopez
1580 Asuncion
Paraguay, South America
Best option is to just use padded manila envelopes... they seem to get here more quickly. Plus, the majority of items I've suggested can fit readily into the envelopes (posters folded flat, obviously!) I would suggest mailing anything by FEBRUARY 15 to assure we have your things in time to use for the March 11-12 workshop.
MUCHISMIAS GRACIAS a todos! I hope your 2011 has gotten off to an excellent start!
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