Lee Ryder

A Perpetual Game of Taboo:

Lee Ryder’s Time in Itapúa, Paraguay (2025-2027)

“Tengo hombre,” Lee said, knowing he was wrong.

Kiki, Lee’s host mom, laughs jovially at his mistake. “Tengo hambre,” she corrects him.

On his first day of training, Lee couldn’t speak more than basic Spanish to Kiki. He typed into his phone translator and tried to explain that while he didn’t know much Spanish, he was excited to be there.

By his last week of training Lee sat on the porch, drinking Tereré with Kiki as they had a long conversation about her life. He was astonished by how much he had learned in just ten weeks of language training that was much easier than he had expected.

Although he is fairly fluent now, Lee is still learning new words both in Spanish and in Guaraní, the local language. His friends and neighbors help him sort through the odd words and phrases that he didn’t cover in class.

He tries to find the words to describe his “multi-use tool” that he uses to repurpose recycled wooden fruit crates into lamps.

“It’s like a perpetual game of Taboo,” Lee said.

Lee Ryder graduated from UNT in 2023 with a degree in Social Science with a Secondary Teacher Certification. He taught in Prosper ISD for two years before he and his partner Delaney took their talents to the Peace Corps.

“I always knew I wanted to not be in Texas at some point,” Lee said, laughing. “Not to escape, but to see other things, explore, and experience the world.”

Lee’s mom encouraged him to do Peace Corps from a young age, but much of Lee’s family was reluctant to see him go. Lee believes it was a fear of the unknown that comes from the negative stereotypes about South America that are not universally true.

“This is the safest place I’ve ever lived in my entire life,” Lee explained.

Lee primarily works in the Environmental Sector of the Peace Corps and focuses on the three pillars: teach, trees, and trash. He finds a lot of value in teaching younger kids about environmentally sustainable methods like recycling or composting.

He also teaches some English classes at the local Casa de Cultura. Although Lee expected his teaching experience would prepare him well, he discovered he had a lot to learn from the more laid back style of teaching in Paraguay.

He also found that community and communication was very different from the U.S.

“What will surprise you, and anybody who comes here, is how, culturally, the people here are so genuinely kind and genuinely compassionate,” Lee said.

Lee has found a new normal in meeting his neighbors and getting to know all the people around him. He often hears about the community folktales and family stories from people like 66-year-old Bartolo, his local best friend and Guaraní tutor.

In addition to education, Lee collaborates with members of the community on conservation projects. Recently, he helped organize a donation of hundreds of trees from INFONA, a national forestry institute, to help combat the loss of 80% of Paraguay’s forests in the last 50 years.

Another organization Lee worked with was a local hydroelectric dam company that is attempting to repair damage it has inflicted on the habitats in the surrounding area.

Through these projects, Lee is both applying the social sciences he studied at UNT, while learning many practical skills, along with Spanish and Guaraní.

“I don’t think there’s another service for as little [cost] that will give you as many skills this early on in your career,” Lee said.

Another talent Lee hopes to bring to his community soon, is his musical abilities.

At UNT, Lee minored in music and was a loyal member of the Green Brigade. He hopes to bring a municipal band to his city so that, just as he learned Spanish, he can broaden the language of music in his community.

Interested in learning more about Lee's story? You can contact him here.

^{Written and Edited by Eliana Fulton, B.A. Journalism Student at UNT
Interviewed by Zach Yeager, Peace Corps Prep Coordinator}