Paraguay Day 14 – I Can!

I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer in DC or a politician trying to help reform DC’s juvenile justice system and education system.  I’ve always thought DC just needs so much help, and I would be the one to bring about immaculate change.  However, that was before this trip or more accurately before today.  Today and yesterday were complete eye-openers for me.  I think I may have changed my career path in a matter of two days because of the neighborhood of Santa Ana in Asunción in Paraguay.  What could possibly happen in this very short amount of time to make someone who was so passionate about helping his own city completely want to trade that career for one in foreign affairs?

We met a Hotel Chaco first thing very early in the morning as usual before heading to the centro comunitario in Santa Ana.  During that 20 minute van ride it was easy to notice a massive change between the downtown of the Paraguayan capital and Santa Ana.  Large buildings with many lights soon turned into small shacks barely standing on their own.  There were no more fancy hotels, clean stores or clean streets for that matter. When we arrived you could notice that ‘I’m ready to work and make change!’ attitude on some people’s faces, but you could also see the ‘Where am I right now…?’ on other’s faces.  We then split into our usual groups where mine would go house to house to collect books from local families as donations for the new community center library.  While walking house to house for two hours I got a much stronger feel for the city.  Having to jump over disgusting green puddles or having to pass ailing dogs were just some of the things that got to me.  Never mind the fact that my group managed to get only three books for maybe 100 houses where some of the families’ reason for not having books was because no one reads or goes to school in the household.  It’s truly sad.  On the disappointing sad walk back to the community center we were all pretty quiet.  My reason for silence was because I was so deep in thought, wondering who would help this community.

By the end of the day these thoughts turned from ‘Who would help the other cities?’ to ‘Who would help the other countries?’  Then it hit me.  I can!

Martese Holmes