Sit Pig Sit

The following is a submission I wrote for the Volunteer run, volunteer created magazine called The Kuat. It´s a compilation of stories, essays, jokes, cartoons, and technical information that is published every 4 months. There is always a topic for the edition and this edition was "change and how peace corps has changed you". I decided to take a light hearted approach and write about my family´s pig and how i taught it to sit. The pig has become sort of a legend and whenever I meet volunteers they say "oh yeah, you´re the girl who taught a pig to sit" so i thought people would get a kick out of this article, i hope you do too!

Sit Pig, Sit.

Ever wonder why pigs have gotten such a bad rap? Pigs have held a place of high status in Chinese and Eastern Asian cultures for centuries, so why is there a certain stigma attached to them in other parts of the world? Okay, maybe it’s just me that has pondered these questions. I’ve always wondered as to why the phrases “sweat like a hog”, “stink like a pig” “dirty as a pig” and “you live in a pig sty” have become so popular. Pigs are actually incapable of sweating (that’s why they love to cool off in the mud), they have absolutely no odor, and will try to restrict their bathroom waste to one corner of their pen, so as not to pollute their territory. The only phrase that actually makes sense is “eat like a pig” because pigs do love to eat (if they are on a proper diet and have all their vacunas they gain 1 kilo for every 2 kilos of food they eat) and often chew with open mouths and smack their lips. My fascination with pigs existed before I came to Paraguay but I’ll admit that ever since being the only Urban Youth Volunteer (other than the volunteer I followed up) to live on the property where 30 pigs once roamed in and out of the enclosed urban backyard, the fascination has grown. Some may say it’s turned into a hobby or even a secondary project. Pigs that is. They may be right but it’s nothing to laugh about. I have a story of success that all started with teaching a pig to sit.

It happened on Christmas Eve 2007. I was sitting around in site with my 12 year old host brother. We were watching the movie Babe, just hours after my host mother butchered the family pig for the Christmas feast. I felt a little guilty about this but I didn’t have any other movie options appropriate for a 12 year old, other than Chicken Run and that wasn’t dubbed in Spanish. My host brother asked me if pigs were really as intelligent as Babe and I told him that pigs were indeed muy inteligente and some people even keep them as pets. I told him pigs have been ranked the fifth most intelligent animal, with man ranking first followed by monkeys, dolphins, whales, then pigs. A couple of months after this conversation a new pig came to the family. My host mother jokingly knocked on my door, pig in arms and said “te traje tu nuevo mascota”. The wheels began to turn. He was small, cute and unafraid of people. It became clear that I had my blank slate. A few days later the training began. I stole some treats from my dog and began saying “Pig, sit”. This wasn’t exactly as easy as training my dog, the pig did not respond well to me pushing on his behind and it was a little embarrassing having the squeals draw attention to me with my hand on a pig’s butt. Pigs are a little like children in that if you give them an inch they’ll take a mile. He was a lot more stubborn than I anticipated so I looked up some pig training tips online to see if this was actually possible. I followed the tips and discovered backing him into a corner in my kitchen did the job and kept the training more of a private pastime than a community event. I never gave him a treat without his rump on the ground because I learned pigs will continually test you. The pig learned the trick quickly and even started following me around and sitting in front of me, often times on my foot hoping I’d give him some doggie treats. I was surprised at how much the pig seemed to enjoy this interaction. He began spending lots of time in my kitchen with me, watching me cook and do laundry. Pigs are social animals, have advanced communication skills and are very affectionate. I wasn’t sure how my host family would respond to their Christmas 2008 dinner being treated like a pet so I kept the trick a secret for a few weeks. When I decided to show them, they were extremely amused. In the following days I caught my host mom saying “Esit, esit” to the pig followed by uncontainable laughter. The pig was soon a form of great entertainment.

In the months that followed, I began to share information with my host mother through the entertainment and conversation about the pig, about the importance of giving pigs parasite medicine, which costs 3mil and only needs to be purchased every couple months. She has done this ever since and has even bathed the pig on a regular basis to keep him free of pique and looking good. The pig now sleeps on an old mattress in the patio area and comes when called by my host mom. He shares a water dish with my dog and enjoys belly rubs from the entire family. I know all of this does not change his fate come December, and before PC that may have bothered me and my vegetarian beliefs. But pc has taught me many things, and I’ve learned many of them by teaching a pig to sit. What’s most important is not our inevitable fates but how our lives are spent during the time we have. Come December I will have to say my goodbyes to him, as I will have to say my goodbyes to everyone in this country in April but I am pleased he will live a healthier life and am amazed at the way change has taken place in this very small way. Never underestimate the ability of a pig. Change is just waiting to happen. In Paraguay, there are pigs everywhere. Go. Find one. Teach it to sit and just watch what good things come to your service and well being afterwards. If anything you’ll accumulate a lot of good karma and have a great party trick.