Well followers, its been a while since I've posted on this page. After 2 years of posting on my blog "Becoming Paraguaya" and a year and a half break while I readjusted to the US and maintained a rigorous academic lifestyle, I have returned to the blogosphere of "Color Our World" to keep you posted on the comings and goings, and travels and reflections of my life.
So what have I been up to?
Upon completing my Peace Corps service I traveled the world. Literally. Over a period of two and a half months I had been on four continents and 8/9 countries (depending on how you classify Palestine). I have been very fortunate to be able to travel and those two and a half months I saw beauty and pain. Division and healing. History and change.
In February 2013 I decided to return to my birth country to transition into something new. I spent six months working in the service industry at Dunn Bros. Coffee, getting reacquainted with family and friends, training for and running 2 half marathons, volunteering in my community, visiting Peace Corps friends, and readjusting to speaking English and everything else that comes with moving back to your hometown after seven years away.
In August 2013 I started another journey. I began a graduate program in Social Work at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St Louis. Attending one of the top schools of social work in the country is a great honor and challenge. I have had the chance to learn from some of the top scholars and have access to some of the best resources, but what I think the best part of this education is bringing together my previous education, experience, and interests to discover what I am passionate about and capable of accomplishing.
I have been able to connect my interest in community development during undergrad, my experience in community organizing at the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, and my work in participatory development in the Peace Corps, with my work on an organic vegetable CSA, agriculture extension role in the Peace Corps, and growing knowledge and understanding of food deserts and the global food market to understand my role in an unjust food and agriculture system that is leaving us all poorer and sicker.
I am concentrating my studies, therefore, on social and economic development. But more specifically I am looking at Participatory methods for collective community action as it relates to food security and agriculture. Where this may take me, I am unsure. I hope that it allows me to work with farmers in developing countries whose livelihoods are unable to compete in the global market, or alongside peasants who have been displaced by unequal land distribution protesting and organizing for change, or alongside migrant farmers in the United States, or with users of SNAP benefits, or with community gardeners and dietitians.
But where is this taking me next week? That is what I hope to share with you over the next three months. I will be departing for Peru, to work with an organization called Fundación Runa. I will be completing an Participatory Community Development Planning internship, working alongside farmers and families to identify how their knowledge of local plant medicine can be cultivated and created into an income generating business. Stay tuned as I share how this internship contributes to my increased understanding of food justice, community development, and environmental sustainability.
So what have I been up to?
Upon completing my Peace Corps service I traveled the world. Literally. Over a period of two and a half months I had been on four continents and 8/9 countries (depending on how you classify Palestine). I have been very fortunate to be able to travel and those two and a half months I saw beauty and pain. Division and healing. History and change.
Final farewells in Paraguay
Wine Tasting in Mendoza, Argentina
Relaxing and exploring the colorful town of Valparaiso, Chile
Climbing historical ruins in Jordan
Walking the ancient streets of Petra, Jordan
"Best Day Ever!" Camel Trek in Wadi Rum, Jordan
Seeing the reality of injustice and the struggle for reconciliation in Bethlehem, Palestine
Discovering the streets of the Holy City of Jerusalem
Crossing the Sea of Galilee, Israel
Food, Wine, Cafés, and Eiffel Towers in Paris, France
Celebrating Carnaval in Venice, Italy
Baseball games with my other half
Readjusting to the frozen tundra
Enjoying the company of Peace Corps friends in Acworth, NH
I am concentrating my studies, therefore, on social and economic development. But more specifically I am looking at Participatory methods for collective community action as it relates to food security and agriculture. Where this may take me, I am unsure. I hope that it allows me to work with farmers in developing countries whose livelihoods are unable to compete in the global market, or alongside peasants who have been displaced by unequal land distribution protesting and organizing for change, or alongside migrant farmers in the United States, or with users of SNAP benefits, or with community gardeners and dietitians.
But where is this taking me next week? That is what I hope to share with you over the next three months. I will be departing for Peru, to work with an organization called Fundación Runa. I will be completing an Participatory Community Development Planning internship, working alongside farmers and families to identify how their knowledge of local plant medicine can be cultivated and created into an income generating business. Stay tuned as I share how this internship contributes to my increased understanding of food justice, community development, and environmental sustainability.
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