In this interview, we hear from Benjamin Dant. Benjamin is working as a Peace Corps Community Economic Development (CED) volunteer in Paraguay. What Benjamin shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Benjamin talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Benjamin’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Tell us more about serving as a CED volunteer in Paraguay.
Serving as a CED volunteer in Paraguay has been an interesting placement, one that really offers chances to make the position a lot of different things depending on your interests and those of the community. We focus on 3 goals: to train interested individuals in basic business skills, help build a culture of saving, and guide individuals (especially women and youth) in income-generating activities.
As the Peace Corps post in Paraguay began ramping up for the return of volunteers after the COVID pandemic evacuation, the CED programming staff and the Paraguayan government signed a new agreement to begin a new entrepreneurship course at the colegio (high school) level in what is called “technical” programs. This means business administration programs, accounting, technology, etc., that are all taught in high schools here; it’s almost like how we pick majors in universities in the States.
As a CED volunteer, I spend a lot of time in my assigned colegio teaching this new program to the students there. In combination with the course, many of us, myself included, have combined the idea of creating savings groups with the classes to help encourage the culture and habit of saving. However, if the opportunity presents itself, working with local community members on income-generating activities—small/micro businesses—is another way I’ve spent time working on projects.
I’ve been really happy with the results and the willingness of my counterparts to work on projects in the school so much so that I feel bad sometimes about not being able to spend more time working with community member and their budding businesses due to commitments at the school.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Paraguay?
I have a great uncle who has been influential in my journey to joining the Peace Corps. He served in Cote d’Ivoire in the 70s and it launched him into a career of working in international development and education. I’ve always looked up to him and was certainly the catalyst for my decision to pursue serving in the Peace Corps. It is also true that I’ve always had a passion and interest in the myriad of cultures around the world and experiencing new ones.
I originally attempted to join the Peace Corps before the COVID pandemic and was set to leave to serve in April 2020…and we all know what happened the month before that. Some events occurred in the years after that delayed me further, but I was lucky enough to be able to apply and be accepted to the CED sector in Paraguay, beginning service in May 2023.
When I was assigned Paraguay in the application process, I’ll admit I didn’t know much about it. I had applied to serve where I was most needed. Once I started to learn more about it, Paraguay seemed increasingly more interesting. It turned out to be a great decision and I’ve loved my time here so far!
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation
I have my own house that I’m renting at my site. CED volunteers in Paraguay generally serve in comparatively large towns along the main highways and usually are closer to the capital than other sectors due to the centralized nature of Paraguay. I got lucky with my house, very much in debt to my Paraguayan friends at site. It pays to have friends.
It’s pretty large and I have a big yard with several different fruit-bearing trees: avocado, mango, lime, orange, and native Paraguayan fruits. Power does go out often with the weather especially, but always comes back quickly, there’s good running water and an emergency tank for the burning summer days when that sometimes goes out too. It’s also right in the middle of town, mere blocks from the school where I do most of my work.
Living alone means I’m mostly responsible for my own food. Located along one of the main highways and fairly near to the capital means that I don’t have a hard time finding the vast majority of the essentials. Buying foods that are in season is key, however, due to price and quality.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had?
It’s hard to pick one or two out of the crowd, to be honest. So much has happened throughout service that has been memorable! One of my first experiences at site was going to one of the local soccer league matches, equipped with my thermos of water and cup of yerba mate tea for tereré. To my shock, it wasn’t hard at all to strike up a conversation over some of the tereré and begin getting to know people.
I continue to be blown away by the kindness and welcoming attitude that Paraguayans have for others. I’ve been invited to weddings, birthdays, graduation ceremonies and parties, swearing-in ceremonies for the volunteer firefighters, and the good-old-fashioned backyard barbecue. It’s humbling to feel so accepted so rapidly in my site.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about challenges in Paraguay?
Communication has sometimes been a struggle here in work settings. I don’t just mean in the sense of language differences, but in the manner that things are communicated. I can feel like I’m on top of my schedule and have the culture well figured out, but I continue to be surprised by new events or a sudden change in plans. It was also particularly difficult to learn how to decipher when someone is trying to say they don’t want to do something. We Americans can be very direct in how we communicate things, and the culture in Paraguay has some discomfort indirectly saying “no” in many contexts.
On a CED-project front, I’ve been surprised by how willing counterparts have been to implement projects. After conquering the language difference, many of my counterparts showed themselves to be enthusiastic about adopting savings groups and applying topics learned in class to real projects. The demand for these projects surpassed what I imagined I would find at site.
6. What challenges did you face while working on CED projects?
The biggest challenge to implementing CED projects in the school system has been finding the time in class to be able to be able to finish everything that I’d like to. Most students are only in school half-days, and obviously, those hours are already filled with classes. It isn’t as though there are just some open hours waiting for us to come in. This means that I’ve had to spend a lot of time coordinating with counterpart teachers at the school, putting in the leg work so that they understand the projects and want to work to implement them in their class times. It means I’ve had to spend a lot of time with my main teaching counterparts as something more than just work colleagues.
The mix of the social and professional is profound, and it’s required a buy-in on my end that I’ve never really experienced before service. This goes for projects with community members as well, which makes sense if you think about it from their perspective. Why should they go ahead and trust the inner workings of their business or finances with a foreigner they’ve just met who is interested in their business? Spending the time to get to know people on a personal level to be able to work with them well on a professional level takes a lot of time and commitment to achieve.
7. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?
There’s been a huge demand amongst community members for English classes. I’ve of course obliged and had plenty of fun doing it along the way. I made a commitment to not making my English classes like the classes you take in school, and I think the participants—almost entirely kids/teenagers—have appreciated that and (I hope) learned more because of it. Lots of games and learning through activities.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as a CED volunteer in Paraguay?
Some advice I’d offer is that being as open as possible with the people who you are or potentially working with will be your best skill as a CED volunteer in Paraguay. That means being unafraid to share things about your personal life, involve others in your activities, and attend any and all invites sent your way; generally, do your best to be as social as possible. It makes people feel more comfortable around you as a person and feel like they really know who you are. It makes everything downstream of that, especially your project goals, immensely easier to achieve.
Paraguayans often come off shy or closed off at the first meeting, but if you make the effort to break the ice, they are usually beyond willing to meet you halfway. This will also open other doors as you get to know people and discover the needs they really feel, and you are then able to design projects around that.
9. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
I’d say it’s important to be as present as possible throughout PST. The days in PST can be long and stressful, and they really try and squeeze in as much as they can in those 3 months, but so much of that information is helpful later on. Obviously, language being probably one of the most important parts of training is especially important. Yes, there’s the Spanish, but getting a hold on Guaraní is so helpful to integrating with the community.
Technical training also shows you how the school system of Paraguay works, techniques to use in classes and the terminology you will need on the job. There are also the modules on Paraguayan culture and history that also prove very useful to know later on to inform things that may (or may not) be happening in your time at site.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Paraguay volunteers?
I’m so happy that I brought my Kindle e-reader. The Peace Corps office here does have a fair-sized library of books that people have brought, left, and exchanged over the years. However, when the power goes out—and it will—it can be a bit difficult to read in the dark.
I’ve also brought along a frisbee, a personal favorite pastime of mine, that is something novel here with many. It can be pretty fun to feel like the coolest kid at the park with your frisbee.
I didn’t really believe it when I first read it either, but winter in Paraguay can feel surprisingly cold. Temperature-wise, no, it doesn’t get that cold. However, no house has heat or insulation. When it’s 50° for a couple of days in a row, everywhere you go is 50°. There is no hiding. Be sure to bring some warm clothes; hoodies, maybe long underwear, and a jacket would all be appropriate. Just don’t go overboard, it doesn’t stay so cold for long.
As far as things I didn’t bring, I know many can be picky about pillows. If you are one of those people and don’t feel like spending the time and money to find one that fits your taste in Asunción, it may be a good idea to bring your own.
11. How has learning the language been?
Paraguayans speak both Spanish and Guaraní, sometimes mixed together in what they call Jopara. Spanish is kind of the language of business and education, while Guaraní is the language of “hearth and home”. It’s what everyone’s grandma speaks, and if you really want to swear at someone, it just hits more for Paraguayans.
Before coming to Paraguay, I had relatively beginner’s Spanish. I could read and write, but understanding and speaking were real struggles. Now I’m at an advanced level and there isn’t really a situation I don’t think I could handle in Spanish. The Peace Corps language teachers here are fantastic, and the methods they used really clicked for me. I made huge leaps and bounds during training. It also really helps when you’re completely immersed at home with the host family and really have no choice but to figure out how to express your wants and needs.
Guaraní however continues to be a bit of a struggle. Guaraní is important and helpful in an integration sense, as it’s something so unique to the culture of Paraguay. Some Spanish words have been completely replaced by Guaraní ones in the Paraguayan vocabulary (ex: it’s not perezoso lazy, it’s kaigue). It’s very helpful to show that you’re at least making an effort and have some basic phrases that you are able to use in conversation with Paraguayans.
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
12. How do you think your blog contributes to your overall mission as a Peace Corps volunteer?
I’ve really enjoyed doing my personal blog throughout service! I know my family and friends back home get a kick out of reading it as well. I also hope that some prospective volunteers have found it along the way and learned some more through it. I’m not really a “film everything” kind of guy, so this is my way of showing everyone back home who is interested in what my experiences have been like. For most people reading it, it’s probably as close as they will get to seeing or understanding what life is like in the part of Paraguay where I live.
I’m also a person who gets a kind of mental release from writing. In a sense, writing this blog is as much a mental release as much as it’s a project to share Paraguayan culture with Americans. That isn’t to say I really bare it all on the blog, but it’s been really helpful to get some things that have been on my mind throughout service.
An Altitude Adjustment
A Coloradan’s Journey from Mile-High to Guarani Grounds
Read Benjamin’s Peace Corps Volunteer’s Blog in Paraguay HERE!
13. Any last comments you’d like to pass on to future Paraguay volunteers?
Do your best to get out there as much as you can! Before arriving for service in Paraguay, I wouldn’t have necessarily called myself an extrovert. It still doesn’t feel natural to me. However, my experiences here have shown me time and again that closing yourself off is the worst thing you can do. I say this from both a project success and mental health standpoint. I’m not sure there’s something worse you could do for either besides closing yourself up and not getting out into the community and sharing with others.
I also say this as a general principle for life. There’s so much to see in the world, and Peace Corps experiences make us empathetic, understanding, and open-minded people. It’s been impactful on me and on those around me for the better.
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Benjamin’s, apply to the Peace Corps today. Expand your horizons, push your limits, and create positive impact as a volunteer. You never know how serving as a Peace Corps volunteer could change your life.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Paraguay Government.
