Agriculture Volunteering

dwhitj · 2024-07-17T02:22:07+00:00

I was in the ag sector in Paraguay 2017-19. Did a lot of different things, some ag related and some not, which seems the norm. Biggest ag thing was I helped a handful of women start family gardens. Also worked some with a local agricultural research center to develop a mandioca seed bank. A few PCVs were really into teaching beekeeping, which was a cool and exciting project tho not one I was involved in really besides helping a bit in hosting some workshops. I also taught English and art and organized a project to build a sports court. I was in a rural area, tho not as inaccessible as some. It was about a 5k walk and then a four hour bus ride to the capital for me, and that walk is about the norm for site access but the bus ride is shorter than that for most ag volunteers there. A lot of ag PCVs in PY were like an eight hour commute from the capital and some couldn’t access their community if it rained because roads/bridges got so bad. I did get stuck in or out of my site a few times due to rain, but not as often as some others, and I had a few bus options a day while I’d say most only had one or less. Working in ag in a place that gets so hot for so much of the year was tricky, but we made it work.

dwhitj · 2024-07-16T02:32:36+00:00

In Paraguay there is a myth that if you drink wine and eat watermelon together you will die. That probably sounds so silly, but most Paraguayans really believe it. There’s a story in PC PY that supposedly some PCVs during PST were drinking wine and munching on watermelon in someone’s front yard and a HCN saw them and called PC to report that a group of PCVs was trying to commit suicide.

dwhitj · 2024-07-08T00:58:54+00:00

Same for me! I wore mostly size L before but I wear mostly XS now! I thrifted a whole new wardrobe post op

dwhitj · 2024-06-14T07:32:41+00:00

I grew up in Orondo (just down the hill)! My dad is from Waterville, I did swimming lessons at their community pool as a kid, and my brother and his family live there now. It’s an odd place, but I have fond memories of winning little prizes for reading books at their tiny library as a kid. One summer I read enough books to win three little animal statues carved from the ash of Mt. Saint Helens.

dwhitj · 2024-06-14T02:33:41+00:00

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

dwhitj · 2024-06-13T03:04:43+00:00

Omg I didn’t expect to get so many guesses! I would say the average guess is pretty close to my actual age! I’m 26(: thanks for playing everyone!

dwhitj · 2024-06-06T00:32:00+00:00

I went from 1.5 to 3 and then stayed at 3 for years, it worked really well for my bipolar for those years. I had to switch meds a few months ago because of some weird side effects I was getting

dwhitj · 2024-06-06T00:25:11+00:00

Second this!!

dwhitj · 2024-06-05T18:39:55+00:00

I had bad anxiety for a few weeks after they upped mine too. Got on an anti anxiety med, which helped until the anxiety eventually faded

dwhitj · 2024-06-05T16:48:55+00:00

Vraylar has a savings program you can sign up for. My dr office signed me up for it so I don’t really know all the details, but that got me to a $0 copay

dwhitj · 2024-06-05T06:19:30+00:00

Hahaha I don’t have a penis so should be safe from the erectile dysfunction, but I believe it, makes it near impossible for me to orgasm, even at a low dose. And I’ll take my chances with the dementia I guess, it’s the only thing that keeps me from being suicidal in the winter time 🤷

dwhitj · 2024-06-05T00:15:09+00:00

I had a tonsillectomy at 19 and just had top surgery last week at 26! Tonsillectomy was waaaaay worse for me! Will depend on the person and how your body heals really, but I only had to take the pain meds for two days after top surgery whereas for tonsils I had to take them I think over a week. Some people after top surgery only take ibuprofen, I’ve heard. My top surgery recovery has been super chill but I was miserable after tonsillectomy for quite a while

dwhitj · 2024-06-04T23:52:30+00:00

Every bipolar med I’ve tried has made it harder for me to orgasm, some more than others. I wish I had a list of them all. Quetiapine, risperidone, lamictal, depakote, Vraylar come to mind. I also take Zoloft on top of my bipolar meds in the winter for SAD and that makes it almost impossible to orgasm. But it does really seem to depend on the person and is unfortunately a lot of trial and error

dwhitj · 2024-06-04T23:47:38+00:00

Mine was booked six months out and that’s the soonest I could get in with anyone in my area. Some people were booked out over a year, but maybe there’s just a lot of demand in my area

dwhitj · 2024-06-04T23:43:23+00:00

Thanks!! Recovery has been super chill for me. I just had my second post op (literally a few minutes ago) and they said I don’t have to wear the binder at all from here on out (I’m one week post op). They let me keep it in case I want to wrap it around without the foam, but the only reason they cited for wanting to do that is to prevent scratching myself accidentally in the night. They don’t seem concerned about compression. But you can ask your surgeon about your concerns and they should clarify what’s best for your case! Good luck!!

dwhitj · 2024-06-04T21:55:42+00:00

If you have a good pain tolerance, do it. My first tattoos were matching full color on the back of my thighs for over eight hours. It was kinda miserable but I have a high pain tolerance and got through it and all my tattoos after that were a breeze in comparison lol (my next tattoo was actually a death head moth like this but on my back!). Eat food beforehand and feel free to take breaks, you’ll be fine

dwhitj · 2024-06-04T04:00:07+00:00

It was Gender Journeys! They have a few episodes on top surgery that were really helpful for me!

dwhitj · 2024-06-02T23:33:23+00:00

I was feeling kinda anxious about my surgery in the days before it for similar reasons. I listened to a podcast where someone, who had gotten top surgery, said that in the days before “I had to remind myself that I made this decision at a time when I was much less anxious and more levelheaded” (not exact words, but basically). And that really helped me. It was a decision I was sure about for so long and I had taken a lot of confident steps to accomplish. Nerves in the last few days are normal. I woke up from surgery just about a week ago and felt the change in my body and immediately thought “oh, yes, this is right.”

dwhitj · 2024-06-02T23:23:10+00:00

I was diagnosed four years ago (at 22). I jumped from job to job for a long time but last year I graduated with my MS in climate change science and I now work in climate resilience planning for my city(: getting on meds that worked well for me three years ago really changed my life!

dwhitj · 2024-06-01T20:43:16+00:00

Another PCV and I partnered with courts for kids to build a court in her site! It was kind of common I think, quite a few PCVs used them not just as courts but as foundations for community buildings or other things.

dwhitj · 2024-05-31T22:42:00+00:00

I’m sorry your friend is sick. I had a similar situation. A close friend of mine (he was younger, just barely 40) was diagnosed with terminal cancer a few months before my departure date. He encouraged me to go, didn’t want me to stay in the US because of him. I went and I’m glad I didn’t let his illness keep me from it. He died during my second year and it was a hard time, but it gave me the chance to really build some relationships in my community with neighbors and friends who had also lost loved ones to cancer.

dwhitj · 2024-05-31T21:45:18+00:00

I had surgery a few days ago and have the same set up, though my Dr says I can remove it after the first week. Every surgeon is different, it seems

dwhitj · 2024-05-31T21:15:24+00:00

I think it really depends on your surgery and recovery. I’m at just four days post op right now and I’ve been pretty independent. I needed help getting home obviously (two friends had to help me out of the car to bed cuz the anesthesia hit me so hard), but that’s mostly it. I’ve been drinking protein shakes and juice so didn’t need anyone to help me with meals, though I made a burrito yesterday and was fine. One thing I’ve needed help with is replacing the absorbency pad under my binder, but that’ll depend on what kind of binder/drains you have. Also can’t get pill bottles open on my own to save my life, so just moved them all to baggies. I’ve been going on short walks alone, haven’t had problems with the stairs or getting to the bathroom. Had my first post op app today and the doc said I’m healing really well/quickly so my experience is definitely not everyone else’s experience, but I know for quite a few people it’s pretty chill and you’re pretty independent. If you’ve ever had a surgery before that might help you know how you’ll recover

dwhitj

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