tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89136759437999550322024-02-06T18:46:23.842-08:00Gateway to ParaguayWelcome to my blog! My name is Erin Hogeboom and this blog is dedicated to my experience as a Crop Extension Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay. I hope you find the postings useful in learning more about me, the Paraguayan culture and what a Peace Corps Volunteer experience can be like. I'm obligated to say that everything posted here is my own opinion and does not necessarily reflect the official policy of Peace Corps. With that said, please feel free to leave comments and... enjoy!E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-19902847778245559092009-02-03T04:45:00.000-08:002009-02-03T05:11:37.205-08:00Starch and Sustainability: A Reflection on the Global Food Crisis in Rural ParaguayPeace Corps and National Geographic Glimpse were having a short story contest on the global food crisis. The idea is for Peace Corps Volunteers to write a first person narative that reflects the consequences of the global food crisis their communities. Here's what I got:Starch and Sustainability: A Reflection on the Global Food Crisis in Rural ParaguayThe door closes itself in the wind. Whooosh, E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com119tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-52259623350182716742008-12-13T06:30:00.000-08:002008-12-13T06:33:22.627-08:00Wow, it's been a long time! Happy Holidays!Why Hello Everyone!Greetings from Paraguay! And a particularly merry greeting for the holiday season! I thought it was about time to take a breather and tell you all about what has been happening down here with me in Paraguay! Land of the tranquilo!We, too, are getting all geared up for the upcoming yule season, only it's a little different here... Mainly that temperatures are once again startingE Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-3465178385490089352008-01-10T04:05:00.000-08:002008-01-10T04:49:04.883-08:00Mbaeichapa Family & Friends!I´m finally getting a chance to answer some of your questions and sum up some of my experiences here! So the big news today... a chicken fell in the well! Welcome to my world!I´m staying with my third family here in Pindoty and things are "tranquilo" as usual. It´s a little hard because I can´t understand a word the grandmother is speaking to me, I just nod and reply "si, si," which is kind of a E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-38151485678530642372007-12-26T10:25:00.000-08:002007-12-26T10:35:38.196-08:00Food for Thought"Some people seem to think that compassion is just a passive emotional response instead of rational stimulus to action. To experience genuine compassion is to develop a feeling of closeness to others combined with a sense of responsibility for their welfare."-Dalai LamaE Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-62276643276884661082007-12-17T13:23:00.000-08:002007-12-17T13:24:47.217-08:00I´m OFFICIAL!Well, it's done, I am now OFFICIALLY a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay! After 3 months of intensive training in everything from crop rotation and organic fertilizers to building latrines (and nearly 10 years of anticipation), I've finally taken the oath to commit to two years of service. It all went down Friday morning at the U.S. Embassy, where me and 40 of newest friends repeated the oath E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-64953824947448711732007-11-18T08:43:00.000-08:002007-11-18T09:01:00.400-08:00An exciting time...I got back from my Long Field Practice on Friday and am finally getting a chance to write about it! It was AWESOME! I stayed with an aguelo and aguela (grandma and grandpa) and just had the best time with them! They were so sweet and the Blanca (the grandma) even cried when we left- and I cried too! It was adorable and I definitely plan on going back to visit!! I got to help with the cows, E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-52093203292650001432007-11-10T12:46:00.000-08:002007-11-10T13:35:17.622-08:00I love my life...Yesterday morning I was awoken by what sounded like the sky being ripped open. The rain was coming down and I could hear a cool wind whipping around outside. Because I had left my window open, there was a cat just sitting there on the inside window sill! It looked at me and then did that slow blink kind of thing and then we just watched the weather together, it was nice. We´ve been having some E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-3142640037088191582007-10-28T06:01:00.000-07:002007-10-28T07:22:55.889-07:00Small UpdateToday is a good day! I´ve come into Ita, the small town close to home, to buy some oranges and check email. I absolutely love getting your emails and messages so keep them coming (if you have the time). Now that I am understanding the training schedule, it is a bit easier to check email and blog on a regular basis. This is nice because I feel like even just a little contact with home helps me E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-33122913038173951982007-10-28T05:28:00.000-07:002007-10-31T13:20:22.705-07:00MY BiopoemErin Michelle HogeboomImaginative, Empathetic, QuirkyDaughter of Kurt Hogeboom and Carol Bouchard, two amazing human beingsSister to a beautiful extended familyFriend to courageous, selfless individualsWho likes symphonies, sitting alone on the beach and mint fro-yo with heathWho needs both reason and unabashful emotionWho sees how short life can beWho listens insatiablyWho loves good company, E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-43481713946530097502007-10-24T03:31:00.000-07:002007-10-24T03:35:29.551-07:00BiopoemSo, we are doing these poems in training and I thought it was pretty cool. If you´d like to take the time to fill it out in a response that would be great, I´d love to read them!! I´ll make sure to post mine as soon as it is perfected! It may be harder than you think!Name3 adjectives that describe youSon/Daughter ofBrother/Sister ofFriend of/toWho likesWho needsWho seesWho listensWho lovesWho E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-24095993324033807882007-10-21T07:32:00.000-07:002007-10-21T08:21:58.680-07:00Mbaeichapa!Mbaeichapa! Greetings from Paraguay everyone! My apologies for taking so long to update this but it´s very difficult to find the words to describe the experience I am having. And what an experience it is! A lot has happened in the past three weeks! Let´s see, thinking back...I arrived in Paraguay the 27th of Septmeber after a 10 hour layover in Buenos Aires. This may seem like a long time but in E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-69699261237191750532007-09-26T11:54:00.000-07:002007-09-26T11:58:14.344-07:00Leaving todayHello everyone,Just wanted to let you know that today is the day. I will be flying from Miami to Buenos Aires, Argentina at 8:30pm tonight, arriving at Asuncion, Paraguay at approximately 5:00pm tomorrow (September 27th). I'm scared, excited, overwhelmed and about 20 other feelings right now, but the group I'm with is AMAZING and I think we're all going to be able to really pull each other E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-88384723215168816002007-09-17T14:04:00.000-07:002007-09-17T14:16:16.918-07:00Mental PreparationIt’s 12:30am. I’m sitting in a dark room lit only by the familiar glow of the computer. My travel itinerary lies partially distinguishable in front of me. It has finally hit me that I am leaving in less than a week. (This would be the time to put… “for the journey of a lifetime,” but I just can’t bring myself to write that.) Right now more than anything, I need to say just how dreadfully scared IE Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8913675943799955032.post-22922220628430745522007-09-17T13:38:00.001-07:002007-09-17T13:54:17.375-07:00About Paraguay (Interesting fact: Paraguay is one of the only states to have a double-sided flag, the emblem differing from the front to back!)Facts about Republic of Paraguay(information obtained from the CIA World Factbook and Lonely Planet. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pa.html http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/south-america/paraguay)Paraguay is South E Hogeboomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07544793223025526920noreply@blogger.com0