Below, a few pictures to catch up on the past 6 months.

To all who donated to my Peace Corps Partnership project, a public and sincere THANK YOU. I will be writing you personal thank yous as soon as I get the donation list. You keep me going..

Miss you all,

Lauren

So I'm back! Back in Paraguay. I was fortunate enough to be afforded a trip to the states over the holidays. My sector (environment) had a one year service training, which mostly included health check ups, a few language classes, and work conversations with the big boss lady. That lasted 2 days, and a couple of days later, on the 18 of December, I flew to Georgia. After 15 months of living in Paraguay. The question I was most often asked: "Is it weird to be back?" only elicited a response of, "Why, no, actually, it is really nice." Yes, upon first entering my house, I walked into the food pantry and kept staring at all of the stored food. We store so much food! We have so much available food! And the laundry machines! Laundry machines are amazing. Laundry is fun in Carrollton, Georgia. I also must add how much I enjoyed showering. So nice, I can adjust it to the temperature I desire, there are no frogs, bugs, moth eggs. Did I mention there are no frogs? These things were noted, appreciated. But was it culturally shocking? Did I feel like a stranger in my own homeland? Did the big tall buildings make me quiver in a corner and the traffic cause a near heart attack? Quite the opposite. I felt myself slip right back into old habits, tendencies, feelings. I was so comfortable. Comfortable in a way that I have been lacking for 15 months. To be in my own home, with my family, on my couch... not worrying about being culturally appropriate, or mentally translating simple conversations, to open my fridge and drink a tall glass of orange juice, to drink a (good) beer with a movie in English, to feel truly loved and welcome, to not worry 'how will this look,' or to just not really give a damn about the opinions of strangers, to have a break from this 24/7 job, hell no that wasn't weird. There was no shock. I was at home again.

So what did I do at home? Much of what I just mentioned. I drank coffee with my friends, ate so much Korean food with my mom, watched inappropriate and just plain bad reality TV with Katherine. I played fetch with my dogs, I read in my bed late into the night, ate at Chick-fil-a an excessive number of times. I ran through town with my former running partner.

But, in spite of all of this, I also thought about Paraguay at least once a day. I wondered what my family here was doing, I called them on Christmas, I missed the friendships I have formed. I thought about Luna. I missed Hugo and co.

And acknowledged that I really appreciated the every day things I was doing at home because of my time away. The things that are in excess in my life in Paraguay, along with the things that are lacking, have been a positive for me in what I value, and what I don't. To be home, wherever you call it, is a gift.

As seen in my previous post, my first week back kinda threw me for a loop. My beloved dog, Luna, had to be put down for health reasons. This week has been: denial, guilt, anger, grief. And now, I just miss her, but feel at peace to know she isn't suffering. She was a good dog and will always be a positive memory intertwined with this experience.

Although I still have a little less than a year to go, everything seems a lot more finite now. I want to be here this year, in this moment, and enjoy all the great things Paraguay has to offer. It seems unfair that sometimes we only realize what we have learned or gained in retrospect, that in the moment we are so blind. So, in the spirit of that, I want to continue staying positive, as hard as it gets sometimes, and put my best foot forward, to remind myself that it is a privilege to be here, I am luckier than I could have ever hoped for, and that I will soon enough be back home.

Coming back from the states happened a lot differently than anticipated.

While in Georgia on my 3 week visit home, I went to my first blues bar. And loved it. The foreshadowing was a little perverse...

Stevie Ray Vaughan puts it way better than I could.

"Oo oo now baby....Tell me how have you been

We all have missed you....And the way you grin

The day is necessary....Every now and then

For souls to move on....Givin' life back again, and again

Fly on fly on....Fly on my friend

Go on....Live again....Love again

Day after day....Night after night

Sittin' here singin' every minute....As the years go passing by....by, by, by

Long look in the mirror....We've come face to face

Wishin' all the love we took for granted....Love we have today

Life without you....All the love you passed my way

The angels have waited for so long....Now they have their way

Take your place...."

RIP Luna

I miss you

I think we get so caught up in what we get. We must remember the things we give, put forth, try, are the important things. Our ego wants to know, “what was the result of that? What did I gain?” Well let’s step back and look at what we gave, where our heart was and where it wanted to go. Development work is hard because we have this thought process: “I am a valid, intelligent individual. I even have a degree! These people need progress, it can’t be MY fault they aren’t listening to me, it’s not MY fault they don’t want to live better.” So we place the blame on anything but ourselves, not even realizing how ignorant that is. The fact of the matter is, we’ll never really understand what it’s like to live in an oppressive culture, under a dictatorship for many, many years, what it feels like to struggle financially (we make MORE than enough money). Let’s just stop blaming and start opening our eyes! This is directed mainly at myself, as I remember to humble my ego, and remember I am here to give, and learn, and share, not to receive, not to “prove myself,” not to take myself so seriously.

Mbaeichapa reiko? Or, How are you living? This is a common greeting in Guarani that is usually answered with aiko pora (I am living well). The ultimate insult would be to say someone is oiko vai, literally translated to living ugly, or more figuratively, living poorly. From what I have observed, living well includes having plenty to eat, living with family, not having debilitating health problems. Living “ugly” could include being very sick, not having much food, living alone.

A couple of weeks ago Fundacion Vision, an organization focused on improving ocular health in Paraguay, came to my site to do eye consultations at a very minimized price. The local health center did a great job in promoting the event across the community and let their personnel use the building for the morning. For many, this was their first eye exam they had ever received. Think about that! Its easy for us as volunteers to get frustrated with the fatalistic attitudes we face on a regular basis, but can we blame them? Fatalism has been one of the biggest obstacles in terms of work here: “Nothing can be done. That’s how its always been. That’s how it will always be.” You are born poor, you don’t become poor. I recently read a saying in Guarani: “Iricora, iricopama; isantora, isantopama” or “He who is going to be rich already is rich; he who is going to be holy already is holy. ” If you are born with poor vision, that’s what you get. Astigmatism, glaucoma, cataracts, even simple near-sightedness: these are words that don’t mean anything unless you have the access, financial means, medical support to address them. I try to remember that when I feel suffocated by the Paraguayans’ doubt, hopelessness; I’ve never had to experience limited opportunity; time to take a step back.

As I hung around the health post that morning and watched some of the exams I found myself so drawn to the immediate, tangible results: “You are near-sighted, here are some glasses.” Problem identified, problem solved. In a work experience where everything overlaps, is intertwined, bleeds over, where there are no clear solutions, nor always clear problems, I almost envied these doctors and nurses. Although, not everyone received a solution that day. An older woman was told that she needed immediate consultation in the main office in Asuncion as she had an impending condition that could lead to blindness. I did not know this until she showed up at my house on a Friday afternoon asking if I could go to Asuncion with her, as she does not speak much Spanish, nor feels comfortable traveling alone. Most Paraguayans living in rural parts hardly ever leave their house for more than a couple hours, let alone travel. It is intimidating and daunting for them to think about heading into a large, unknown city, leaving your home where everything is beyond familiar, into a location where all is strange. Today as we traveled to the main clinic in Asuncion, I realized how I have become very comfortable with not knowing where I am, or necessarily where I am going, that feeling lost can sometimes just be a state of mind. The older woman was very anxious while we were on the buses in Asuncion, and as I comforted and reminded her that we would find the clinic, it felt nice not to share that panic. I thought how this comfort paralleled my experience here. Especially in the beginning, but even still, we live in atmospheres or situations of uncertainty. Be it with language, the culture, new locations. Nothing is familiar, or reminiscent of home. We are constantly unsure, each day going out facing something new or unprecedented, only hoping for the best results. We are forced to find the comfort in the uncomfortable, sink or swim almost. Or rather, we must create our own comfort.

In my previous post I mentioned that I have been working on a bird festival with my closest volunteer neighbor. What is a bird festival? Seemingly self-explanatory, I was pleased to see how much more a bird festival could offer. Two other volunteers and I worked with four schools in total (three in the city and one out in my site). At each school, we made bird masks with the kids, taught environmental awareness (biodiversity, bird migration, conservation, extinction), and put on a festival consisting of relevant games, plays, a bird walk with binoculars and basic bird species introductions. Preparation, traveling between my site and the city, teaching the lessons, and the actual bird festivals took up the better part of the past couple of months, but I am very satisfied and content with the experience. If the kids left with just a tad extra amount of awareness, or learned a new word or two, that is a success.

Words running dry; I hope you are living well.

http://www.fundacion-vision.org/en

A few nights ago I had a birthday dinner at my neighbor/host family’s house. In terms of planning, it was very impromptu, thrown together at the list minute. I have been traveling a good bit back and forth between my community and the city 12K away due to a bird festival I am working on with a couple other volunteers (explain more later) so I wasn’t here in Ndavaru on my actual birthday. No big deal for me, but not for Na Bruni: “Lauren! We have to do something! When you get back and are settled we are going to eat well!” Of course when she said this I only thought of the pain of lugging back food on the bus from the city, of having to go invite people to celebrate something that I didn’t put much worth on myself, of the extra work Na Bruni will have to do cooking… But I did. I bought a few chickens, cake ingredients, some garlic, potatoes, and invited a few families that I am the closest with, even a few people I am not very close with but ran into them in passing and invited them anyway. And I kind of begrudged it. My birthday had already passed, why do they care? Do they think I expect this?

Monday I arrived back into Ndavaru in the early afternoon with the couple of other volunteers for the bird festival we did at a school here. That night we headed over to Na Bruni’s for my ‘birthday dinner.’ Except for one, every person I invited came. Even Na Andresa, who on a number of occasions told me she only eats at her own house. I found out Na Grasiela gave milk and eggs and Kai Remigio gave cheese for the sopa. Na Bruni killed a male duck. I was humbled. I was secretly ashamed at the inner resistance I had to this, at my own doubts. Na Bruni and her mom proudly prepared baked chicken, their famous sopa, beet stained potatoes and rice, and a cake. We passed around wine and coke. And I thought about these relationships I have formed here. And how each one touches me in a different way, teaches me a different thing, or tests me on a different level. I thought about how the most worthwhile thing I have done here in Paraguay has been forming relationships. I thought about how much I struggled in the beginning, how I still struggle, how many of these Paraguayans were the cause, yet at the same time are the solace to these struggles. I thought about how all of those terere sessions, and awkward lunches, and times I resented visiting a family in the beginning, how all of that came together Monday night. It was worth it.

When trying to reflect on my first year here, and how I wanted to write about it, the only thing that kept surfacing was the relationships. When I get home and am asked what did I do? I think my answer will consist more of a response to “who did I know?” That is the only way to describe it.

Here are a handful:

Na Bruni:

Always makes sure I am eating well, living well. Has helped me integrate the most in the community by taking me to prayers, meetings, visits. She has a gift with people, instantly makes anyone feel comfortable, has a sense of humor that lightens any heaviness, and her sincerity draws you in. I know my time in Ndavaru would be incomparably different if I did not know her.

Hugo:

Na Bruni’s 11 year old son. If he is not at his own house, he is at mine. Can hear him walking up from meters away, “Loooooren.” He is curious, smart, annoying; and while living with him my fist month, I did not know how I would manage this ADD-inclined child, clinging to my side, but now I could not fairly articulate the depth for how much I care about him. I often wonder how I will be able to leave him…

Na Andresa:

She is my favorite person in site. I have learned the most Guarani from her, through her stories, and patience. There is something so strong about her, it seeps out from the inside. She is not optimistic, but she is fair and trustworthy. Na Andresa trusts me. And on my bad days I go straight to her, not to give her my problems, but to just be with her. We take long walks together and she tells me about how she misses Concepcion, another part of Paraguay where she grew up. She misses her land and her horses and feeling free. She didn’t have parents and has raised 9 amazing children. She once told me that as a child she would tell people how she wanted to know the world, she wanted to be untied. But later in life she realized she was wrong, that this life wasn’t for that. And I hope through me I can bring her some of the small part of the world that I know. I can give her what I have seen. Even though I already know it will be much less than what she has given me here.

Karai Arsenio:

Soft-spoken and caring. Genuinely cares about his community, family, Paraguay. Goes to every community meeting, school meeting, and is a great role model for his children and others in Ndavaru. He wants to learn and he wants to teach. Guitar in hand, he is ready to sing at any function. The cliché fits perfectly: he has a lot of heart. If there were a few more Arsenios in this world it would definitely be a better place.

Volunteers:

The other Peace Corps volunteers I have met here are very much included in these relationships I am writing about. I have met some amazing people I know will always be a part of my life. I could not have asked for a better group of people in Agroforestry, along with the other friendships in other sectors. Before coming down to Paraguay I thought I would be very isolated in terms of communication from other Americans here, but with cell phones and accessible transportation that is not the case, and I take full advantage of that. I didn’t come here to escape Americans, and the friendships I have formed here are just as important as the Paraguayan ones. I have learned a lot about myself, and even the United States through these friendships and like a dear friend said to me recently, feel lucky to have gotten to know them.

So a year and two birthdays have passed and I want to dedicate it to the people who I have met, along with the great support system from home. My family and friends who call and write have meant so much to me; I have saved all of the letters and messages. I think about you everyday.

I am not sure what I have done, or what I have taught, or where this next year will take me. But I know who I have met, and how they have affected me in so many different ways. And maybe that is what this life is about anyway.

My first year in Paraguay has lacked a lot of structure, and plans, and even expectations. Call this good or bad but it has taught me about troubleshooting, about working with what you got, but more generally it has taught me that this moment right now is so much more important than the one behind us or in front of us.

My lack of updates has had me asking myself lately if I should even continue this, if it is too late to even try to catch up, but I guess that reasoning is the cause of death of most blogs. Here is my attempt at blog re-birth!

To be honest, I have written at least three entries since the last one, but after writing each one I decided not to post them. I was a little startled at the negativity that I couldn’t avoid writing about; I wanted to censor myself, my experience. So I deleted the entries. I’d rather have had nothing.

But that’s not an accurate portrayal of my life here, and not true to the whole point of having a blog. The point (at least my point) is to keep those I care about in the loop, to do my own public self-reflection, to talk about my realities in Paraguay (not necessarily THE reality in Paraguay), and maybe even provide some insight for future volunteers.

So let me be honest. July sucked. It was my hardest month in this country thus far. There was no school due to winter break and also a teacher’s strike for an additional two weeks. It was uncomfortably cold for me and there was a lot of rain. The slow pace got slower. Families spent the day inside watching tv, drinking mate, which I can handle, but only for so long. I remember during one rainy stretch I spent three days in my house and have never before felt so off. I didn’t even have the motivation to leave. My house is colder on the inside than on the outside, which is great in the summer, but not so great on a winter night. I was just really unprepared mentally and it hit me harder than I could have ever guessed. Being uncomfortably cold, with no heat, without sufficient relief, was draining for me, much more so than for many of my peers. Maybe I just don’t do well in the cold? Maybe I was on an emotional low point and that coupled with the physical discomfort was overwhelming? I think I’ll buy a space heater for next year.

It was easy to say farewell to July. I greeted August with much more cheer because my dear friend Eli and sister Katherine came to visit! We got to spend a couple of nights in my site which had my community very excited. A favorite moment that sticks out in my mind is the ride home from a birthday party we had walked to on the last night by flashlight. The three of us and a few other Paraguayans were all crammed in the back of a pick-up truck, it was freezing cold, the stars were distractingly bright. My host dad was spouting off random English phrases (not uncommon of him), we were all laughing at the forced microphone speech I had to give at the birthday party, I could hear the driver singing in Guarani. This was the kind of moment that all of us have as volunteers, it even falls under the 'normal life moments in Paraguay' category but I think it is safe to assume that sometimes, for at least a split second in a moment, we think about the people we love, or used to love, and wonder what it would be like to share that moment with them. And I got to do that. I got to share a moment of my crazy, unpredictable, ever-changing, never-changing life here in Paraguay with them. And that moment is worth a thousand emails of trying to explain this whole thing. And that was the rope that pulled me out of the cold.

After my site we went to Iguazu Falls in Argentina followed by a couple of days in Asuncion. I hope they know how much I enjoyed the week and how much I appreciated their patience with the buses, delays, lost luggage, cold weather, a forced Brazil sneak-through. I’m glad you didn’t throw up on that bus…

This Wednesday I am going to a workshop called Project Design Management with a Paraguayan woman in my site until Friday afternoon. We will learn about project implementation, how to identify community needs, how to allocate responsibilities in a group, etc. I am hoping this will kick-start the currently dormant women’s committee I formed earlier in my service.

I will be in touch to tell you how it goes. And although I’ve had a few rough spots recently, I still have hope and optimism in my time here; I still believe that sometimes you just gotta get through the cold so you can appreciate the warmth.

the filler of my life as of recent

reading: The Botany of Desire

overplayed song on my itunes: se fue el amor by don omar

fruit: grapefruit and mandarin

night radio: luna snoring

breakfast: instant coffee and crunchy bread balls

physical challenge: flat bike tires on sand and/or hills

thoughts: i feel lucky to be here

May 7, 2010

Today, after cooking a big lunch at my neighbor’s house with the vegetables I brought over, while watching Hugo finish his homework, stopping only to hand me another mandarin, with the rain dripping over the side of the roof, and Luna laying at my feet, Na Bruni turns to me and says, “We must share what we have. We live better when we share. Life is short so what is mine is yours.”

you can text me on my cell phone for FREE!

http://tigo.com.py/seccion/mundo-tigo

in the box that says 'envio de mensajes' click on the box that says PARA and select my area code: 0983 then type in the rest of my phone number: 316429

texto: type in your message

leave the 'pin' box blank

firma: put your name

codigo: type in the code on the left, don't think it is case sensitive

click 'enviar' to send

so shoot me a text and i'll do my best to get one back to you

te espero...

EDIT: scroll down for some pics! finally!

April 23, 2010

An update is overdue again...Assuming of course there are any readers left!

Turns out the day after I wrote my last blog post, a house opened up. It is right between the two families I spend the most time with so the location is perfect. It is the same house that the volunteer before me lived in. I have taken a lot of pictures, but it seems my memory card has some kind of virus (I'm assuming from the computer cafe I go to in the city) and it does not want to transfer any pictures. As soon as I can get it fixed, I really promise to get pictures up. The house is really nice and it's the perfect size for me. It used to be a mini store, so I live in a garage type room where they stored the goods, but there is also a kitchen and modern bathroom. I did end up buying a fridge since I'm not going to be living with a family anymore. Everything else was furnished. The owners of the house are working in Argentina so all of their stuff is still here which is nice because I didn't have to buy much. Living by myself has been a very felt and noticed adjustment. I had been living with a host family for the past six months, depending on them for food, company, advice, help. In the beginning I didn't know what to do with myself with my OWN space and OWN time. But I am starting to get a routine down; in fact, I still spend most of my time at either of the two host families I lived with in the first and third months. I still eat a lot of my meals there, too, but hope to start cooking for myself more. Also, I'm not that alone because I have a dog now! She was the volunteer's before me and her name is Luna (means moon in spanish). She was staying at the neighbor's, but now has been following me around town and staying at my house. You forget how good of a companion a dog is until you really need one. So when it's just Luna and me flying solo at my house, I do a lot of reading, some language studying, and house work. Here in Paraguay, no one uses a lawn mower. Instead, they use machetes! I have a pretty big backyard and the weeds were growing out of control so everyday for the past week or so I have been matchete-ing the heck out of my backyard and it is almost done. Probably only have a couple days of work left. When I'm done I'm gonna start my garden, but first need to make a fence because there are constantly chickens running around eating everything in sight. Also, yesterday morning someone put their cows in my backyard to graze on my grass. No idea how they got in considering my yard is enclosed by barbed wire. Anyway, definitely need a fence. They make them out of bamboo here so it will be an interesting experience trying to get that together.

One thing about the house I am not too fond of is the infestation of ants and TREE FROGS! Tree frogs are not cute! They are slimy and wet and attack you while you're in the bathroom. Every night I have about 10-12 tree frog visitors in my bathroom. Everytime I flush my toilet at least two jump out from under the seat. Another scary wildlife story: I have already seen three tarantulas here. One while talking on the phone to my sister Katherine (I think she was more mortified than me), and the other two at my neighbor's house. I screamed while my host mom non chalantly walks over and smashes it with her foot. Guess I'm a wuss...

As far as any kind of projects I'm working on, things are still rolling along pretty slowly. I'm still going to the school everyday. Currently planning an english class for the school with the director. The world map project is kind of on hold until we find some paint. I have had a couple of meetings for a women's committee and realized how difficult it is going to be. The positions (president, vice president, treasurer, secretary) have been elected, but that's the easy part. Finding direction, sustainability, leadership...that's the hard part. Yesterday 6 of my women neighbors came over and we made dish soap with the ingredients coming from Asuncion (the capital). They were really excited about it and although much of the time consisted of them talking about the community gossip, it was refreshing to do something tangible, to make something they need and use, to hear them say many times ipora la detergente, oikota pora (the soap is really nice, it's gonna work well). I also planted an abono verde (green fertilizer; plants used to improve soil fertility, increase organic matter and nutrients) called Nabo forrajero (think it is forage radish is English) with a Senora but there hasn't been rain in a long time so not sure if it will sprout. Nabo forrajero is useful because it has a deep taproot for recyling nutrients and breaking up hardpan soils.

I realize that I have been writing very generally, and often skip over the details that are probably much more interesting and fun to read. Although it is a little harder for me to remember how different some things are because I am getting more and more used to them, let me try to count and recount some descriptions/revelations/realizations about tranquilo Paraguay and my time thus far:

• I was a vegetarian for my entire life until high school and didn't really like meat until college. After having to eat it almost every day here, and eating strange parts of cows, pigs, and goats (liver, meat soaked in blood, kidney, stomach lining, fat), I can say now that I really appreciate meat. My mouth waters when I hear we are eating kure ro'o (pig meat). I'd go so far as to say I crave it.

• Buses are privately owned, so although there is a ''schedule,'' one is always at the mercy of the driver/owner. Sometimes they come, sometimes they don't. I have a volunteer friend here who was trying to catch a bus back to her site for several days. One response she received when asking someone why the bus wasn't coming that day was, "Oh, the bus driver is sleeping today."

• Novelas (soaps on tv) are very popular here. Everyone, mostly the ladies, knows the soap drama: who died, who got cheated on, who is sleeping together. Maybe that isn't too different from the states now that I think about it.

• Most social gatherings consist of sitting in circles, loud reggaeton or traditional paraguayan polka music playing, passing around a cup of boxed wine mixed with a soda (flavors such as pineapple, orange, strawberry), or a cup of beer mixed with soda, and lots of staring. In the states, the word awkward would immediately be applied, but I'm realizing that that isn't a concept or word here.

• Most people in the country side of Paraguay hand wash their clothes, including me. During training we were given a few pointers on effective ways to hand wash clothes. These tips included to not hang your clothes on barbed wire lines (holes), avoid using wooden clothes pins to dry (will stain wet clothes), to not scrub with a hard bristle brush (wear down the material), and to not wring the clothing (will stretch them out). Also, a popular brand of soap is widely used, but we were warned not to use it because of its strength. Over time this specific soap brand will bleach your clothes. While living with my first home family, I was ready to adhere to all of the suggestions from training, until I had a driveby clothes-washing attack. I sat down to wash a pretty big amount of dirty clothes, put in my gentle soap, and started to wash. The grandmother I was living with then walks over, dumps in a huge amount of the specific soap we were told to avoid, saying my clothes wouldn´t be clean without it, then proceeds to take over using a hard bristle brush, wringing the clothes as hard as she could, then uses wooden clothes pins to hang them on the barbed wire...

That´s all I got for now. Hope this finds everyone well. Miss you.

Love you,

Lauren

couldn´t figure out captions underneath the photo

1.looking at my house from the end of my backyard

2.Luna protecting my front door

3.kitchen: notice the new fridge, bug spray, oven that doesn´t work

4.the garage door in my house. i´m assuming where they loaded in the goods.

5.where i sleep, my shelves, ´´study´´ area

6.back of my house, where i wash my dishes and clothes

7.chipa, traditional paraguayan food, made all of this for the week of Easter with my host family

8.my bike under the huge map of paraguay the volunteer before me left

9.a look at my machete skills. view of my backyard from my back door.

My procrastination is ending here...and it´s time to update! I don´t even know where to begin so here is my attempt at an organized format, for my own sake.

HOUSING: Right now I´m living with my 3rd family. I share a room with two boys, aged 10 and 13. I also have two sisters aged 16 and 18, and then there is the mom. Her husband works in the capital and comes home every weekend. Out of the three families I have stayed with so far, this one is by far my favorite. My host mom is genuninely interested in my work and in learning new things and wants to improve the life of her family. She has given me invaluable insight into the community- how things work, how things don´t work, suggestions, etc. These are the type of people you seek and seek and seek and when you find one you do not let go! You want to develop a strong, close relationship with him/her. You then can use the success and positivity of this relationship to teach, encourage, and motivate your work with others that may not be as interested, or who need more time, or proof, or trust. My host mom now is that someone! And whether she knows it or not, finding her has given me a much needed push, a renewed enthusiasm, an unexpected optimism. Maybe those are strong words, but why shouldn´t they be..

So in ten days I will be moving out because I committed to living with each family for a month. Where, you ask? Good question! After three months, volunteers are ´´allowed´´ to live by themselves and although many choose to live solo before this time allotment, I have been able to stick out the time (by choice or force, another good question). The house hunt has been nothing short of frustrating. There are several vacant houses in my community, but the owners are usually working in Argentina so communication with them is very difficult, if not impossible, or they ´´might´´ be coming back within the next two years. Some don´t want to rent their house because it´s too ´´dangerous´´ for me and a ´´young, single woman shouldn´t be living alone.´´ Although the next day I will hear from the exact person how tranquilo and safe my community is...Ok, semi-rant, over.

Positives and/or other options. The school director said I could live in the school which has many pros and cons, still figuring out which it has more of. Also, a 65 year old woman lives alone in the house next door to the family I am staying with now (she is the sister-in-law of the mom). She has offered to rent me a room indefinitely. There is also a very nice house ready for me to move in with a modern bathroom, regridgerador, kitchen, furniture...but it is expensive (in the context of my community), and somewhat isolated and also located a few kilometers from the area where I have been staying. The money really isn´t the issue. The issue is the image of the ´´rich norte americana´´ and if I can avoid adding to that at all, I want to.

Also, I have been trying to rethink what I really need here (tangible-wise). If I live next to the family I am with now, I will definitely have much more time with them and be able to work with them more closely. Yes, I can still maintain a relationship with them if I live in another part of town, but more presence equals more opportunities.

Is a modern bathroom, a sink, or a refridgerator worth a few more opportunities with a family that could ultimately define this experience? Do I really need a kitchen with a dining room table? The house next door only has a latrine and no shower (I would walk over and use this family´s shower).

Also, can I really live without my own space, without my own total independence? My space is my space...right? All during training and even these past few months I have leaned on the idea of living by myself to get me through the hard times. ´´Oh, things will be easier when I live alone.´´ Or ´´I´m just annoyed because I have to always be around Paraguayans. I can´t be myself because I have to live with this family!¨ I´m finally realizing these tribulations were me against myself. I didn´t come here to live an American lifestyle in Paraguay. And yes, I can be myself. Paraguayans appreciate that more than I do. This is not to say anything negative towards those who need that space. God knows I need it. But maybe I can live without it... At least for a while. And maybe I´ll never find out unless I try. Maybe I´ll lose all privacy, a little sanity, some peace of mind...but I want to know what´s on the other side.

WORK: School started a couple of weeks ago and I have been trying to have a somewhat consistent presence. The director and professors of the school have been really helpful in suggestions with work and even with the house hunt. A professor told me I should really use my role in the school as an ´´in´´ with the community. My work there will be noticed instantly and save a lot of time in validating what I can do. From there, and through the children, I can gain a lot of trust and acceptance with the families, at least a lot quicker than if I were to not work in the school at all. Last Thursday was the first parent´s meeting of the year and I had a chance to introduce myself and explain a little about what I hope to do. It was also a good chance to invite everyone to my site presentation on March 11. My site presentation is when the coordinator of my sector in Peace Corps comes out to my site and introduces myself to the community. During the parent´s meeting I mentioned my interest in forming a women´s group and plan to talk more specifically about it on the 11th. This is something I have been hoping to do since training so I am a little nervous, but excited that things are rolling, kind of. I am kind of concerned I am jumping into it too early, especially since my language is lacking, but I think waiting is worse.

Short term work wise, the teachers and I are planning on painting a world map on the one of sides of the school and in a couple of weeks I am going to start a series of lessons on trees and gardens. Hopefully this will ultimately end in the creation of a vivero (basically a garden with only trees) in the school and also in a revamping of the garden. Send me some good luck vibes!

THOUGHTS: I am finally starting to feel that ´´settled in´´ feeling. That feeling where you stop crossing off the days on the calendar, and when a new month begins, you wonder where the time is going. My language is improving, a little more slowly than surely, but improving. I can sense this because my sarcasm is finally poking through! ha.

I can sit for hours and talk to my host sisters, or my host mom, or watch cartoons with my brothers, and not get bored or restless. I actually made banana bread and bread with my host family this past week and I´m sure those of you that know me will think that is as strange as I do. There are still hard moments and lately I have been really missing my friends and family (yall!) and even though communication is scarce, and even though you don´t know, I am using all of the great things and support you all have given me over the years.

Wow I have typed a lot, not sure if I´ve said much, but it is time to go again.

This month marks 6 months in Paraguay and I can barely believe it. Again, thank you for the messages, the wall posts, the prayers. All well received and not forgotten. Like I always say, still think about you all every day.

Love,

Lauren

ps

forgive the sentence fragments...

Weather Update: Still hot. Chances of same hot weather tomorrow: 75% with a 25% chance of it being even hotter

(so clever, i know)

So hey yall! Don´t really have any substantial updates as of now. Still ´´integrating,´´ although at this point I am really starting to resent that word. Just ready to be ´´integrated,´´ although I am starting to acknowledge that I never really will be. I´ll always be the extranjero, or foreigner, or that strange girl from Norte America...Wait, why is she here? Why isn´t she married yet? She´s going to live alone? ALONE?!

The days can pass very quickly or sometimes can feel like time is standing still. Right now i think my biggest challenge is fighting that urge to ´´feel productive.´´ When productivity isn´t quantifiable, your ego starts to mess with your head, and I feel like I´m constantly reminding myself, if not convincing myself, that the qualitative goals can´t be seen, or measured. I brought down my United States mentality of ´´ok, need to have stats of things i´ve done...today i visited 2.34 houses....tomorrow i´m going to plant 4 species of trees....´´ etc.

The guarani word for ´´to live´´ in the 3rd person is oiko. To negate that changes it to doikoi (it doesn´t live). Paraguayans use oiko also to express when something works. For instance, if someone started a fire, I could say, ´´oiko!¨ As in, the fire lives! The fire works!

So, in reference to my US mentality and trying to apply it here...doikoi.

It doesn´t work.

I can´t validate my days with numbers, or resume fillers. In fact, the search for validation is a dangerous one.

The depth of a relationship between one human and another, trust, laughter, patience, forgiveness.

Oiko.

Everything else will fall into place.

Finally!

Apologies for the lack of updates. Let me give you a brief bullet overview of some of the (more interesting) things I have been up to:

December 7-8: walked (yes, walked!) 11 hours, around 60 k (35 ish miles), to the capital of the department of Cordillera, Caacupé, in spirit of the Virgin of Caacupé. A few hundred thousand make this pilgramage each year. http://www.guidetoparaguay.com/2009/12/pilgrimage-to-caacupe-el-peregrinaje.html And yes, it was really hard.

December 11: graduated from training! This took place at the US Embassy in Asunción. It was short and sweet, and the ambassador even came to say a few words.December 11-15: stayed in Asunción (the capital of Paraguay) with the other volunteers where we relaxed, hung out, and enjoyed ourselves and the city.December 15: Arrived in site!Now, a harder question for me to answer is, what have I been doing in site? And even harder than explaining that answer, is actually living it...

It was quite daunting riding the bus, with my huge touristy camping bookbag and oversized suitcase, heading further and further out into the campo, knowing I was about to start the next two years of my life. I knew wherever that bus was taking me was where I had to make a life for myself.

So I arrived at my site and was pleasantly surprised to see Hugo, my new 11 year old brother for the next month, awaiting my arrival. It had been about a month since my visit, and he remembered that I would be coming that day. He didn´t know what time I was coming so it was uplifting to see that he had been waiting. Since then I have been staying at his house with his mom, grandmother, and dad. I decided during training that I would change families every month so I could get to know the community a little more quickly. So next week I will be moving in with another family.

During training we often heard that the first few months are usually the toughest, and now I can definitely see where this warning comes from. Training was very structured and very busy, and in the campo there is no structure, and how I fill each day is up to me, and only me.

For the first several months I´m really only going to focus on learning Guarani and getting to know the community. I´ve been trying to do this by visiting at least a family a day. I´m really good at forgetting names. Walking up to a family of Paraguayans sitting in their yard can be pretty intimidating, but most everyone I have met has been extremely welcoming. I´ve also had about a million awkward moments; I swear nothing is going to be weird to me when I get back to the states. Anyway, so a new meeting usually goes something like this: I´ll walk to a house I have seen in passing, or just walk up to a house that has a few people sitting out front, and introduce myself, explain why I´m here, and then at that point I always get invited to sit and drink terere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terere), and from there talk in my broken Guarani and answer many questions about my family, the United States, if I have a boyfriend and if I like Paraguayans, how old I am, if I´m happy, what kind of Paraguayan food I like, and if I knew Michael Jackson. Not always in that order. Every now and then I´ll try to slip in some agroforestry talk, but I´m not trying to push that until later. Relationships and language first. Then I promise to visit again, and start all over with another family. When I´m not meeting a new family, I´m hanging out with host family now, especially Hugo who seriously has more energy than anyone I have ever met. I´m really good at UNO...

I do admit that meeting new people and really struggling in a language every day has been tough. Not being able to sufficiently verbalize thoughts and emotions takes its toll on you. I miss having a tangible support system. Picking yourself up day in and out is draining. But, I know to keep these first months in perspective. I knew that it would be hard in the beginning and I know that its only a matter of time before I get a routine. I have met a lot of amazing people in my community and am excited about working with them, and even more excited about forming friendships with them. Nothing worth having comes easy.

To those that have been sending me messages and emails, thank you, and I´m sorry I haven´t written you back yet, but am going to one by one, slowly but surely. Know that they are read, and that all of your words have kept me going.

Oh, have I mentioned how beautiful my site is? It is out of a magazine. And there are so many fruit trees. At my house alone there is an avocado, mandarine, mango, lemon, orange, and pomegranate tree. And the sunset; ah I really hate to sound so cheesy, but it´s the most beautiful thing I have seen in my short life. Worth the plane ticket if you want to come visit. I promise.

Anyway, there is no internet at my site, so will try to come to town to use it twice a month.

Miss you all and still think about yall everyday.

November 29, 2009 Sunday

I think Sundays are my favorite days in Paraguay. Things get even more tranquilo. I'm not quite sure how that is possible, but they do. Most of my morning was spent hanging out with my cousin and neighbor, Sofia and Raquel. Both are around my age and have lived and worked in Argentina. Many Paraguayans go to Argentina or Spain for work and send or bring their money home. I love love love talking to Sofia because she speaks so clearly so it is easy for me to understand her. Now if she understands me, well, that might be a different story, ha. It is really nice though to converse and spend time with some Paraguayan women my age. We get to skip the conversations about the rotting milk, or dirty laundry, or the weather. Another universal: girl talk.

After lunch, I went to an arroyo (stream) in the community with two other volunteers, Heather and Julia, and splashed/sat in the water with the 8 or 9 other children there, including my little brother and Heather's sisters. To be more accurate, Heather, Julia, and I sat in the water while the children splashed us, and each other. The water was less than a foot deep, but the kids were having an absolute blast. They were laughing and giggling and jumping in from the banks...creating games and pretending to be crocodiles. They weren't concerned about yesterday, or tomorrow; they weren't prideful or judgemental or impatient; they weren't stressed or burdened or burnt out. I don't know anyone that is like that now. People write books and spend money and get jobs and leave their jobs looking for what these children had today. It's an unfair irony that we realize these things much later in life.

Ok, I'm going off on strange tangents and it's late. Hasta luego.

November 27, 2009 Friday

It’s only been ten days since I last wrote, but I feel like so much has happened. Last Wednesday we all finally received our site assignments. There was so much unnecessary, yet although necessary, emotional buildup for the moment that we finally found out. At least on my part. I was a nervous wreck all day waiting to hear where I would be living for the next two years. And to top it off, we had to wait all day for the announcement. And by announcement, I mean my name on a post-it note stuck onto a huge map of Paraguay.

I’m going to be living in the department of Paraguari in a small community in the district of Carapegua. Look it up! I visited the site from last Friday through this past Wednesday and am really excited about it. I got to meet Anthony, the volunteer that has been there for the past two years and is leaving in a few days. His success was evident just through the short conversations I had with a few members in the community; they all loved him. He also speaks amazing Guarani which is very inspiring since I suck at it right now. He told me a lot about the community and about his work there. Although he is in a different sector than me (Environmental Education), he created a lot of great opportunities for me. The main economy of the community is hammock and blanket making. The women make the hammocks and the men take them to surrounding areas to sell. Because the women have such a direct role in the monetary income, they have a lot more power here as opposed to other areas in Paraguay. I really hope to take advantage of this by strengthening an already existing force among the women. Anthony said there was great potential for a women’s comite (committee) which is great because that’s exactly what I am interested in. I also got to visit the school and meet the school director and professors. The school has 6 hectares of land that is currently not in use which screams agroforestry potential! The ball is in my court. The community also has a deteriorating vivero (tree nursery) so I hope to get that back up to speed, as well.

So now I can add to the list of animal deaths that I have witnessed a pig killing…and then yes, ate it. Anthony’s going away party was on Saturday so all of Friday was in preparation. Within an hour of stepping off the bus into my new community and meeting my new host family, I was welcomed by the really loud and high pitched squeal of a 32 kg pig bleeding to his death. Sorry, I know that’s a little descriptive. That night I ended up eating pig cheek and kidney. Never again. Maybe.

I then spent the next couple of days with the family I will be living with for the next month. It is a Peace Corps rule that we all live with a family for the first three months in site before living by ourselves. I think I’m going to move to a different family every month so I can get to know more people. Meanwhile, I’ll be searching out a place to live by myself after the three months are over.

Wednesday I hopped back on a bus to Senda (total travel time around three hours) and yesterday the Agroforestry and Crop Extension group had a potluck Thanksgiving in Guarambare. It was a lot of fun and there was so much good food, but it honestly did not feel like Thanksgiving at all. I feel so out of context in time and space here. In the states, you get this anticipation for the holidays, then you experience the holidays, then you are satisfied and look forward to the next calendar holiday. Here, I don’t have that anticipation at all. I mean, I know why I am feeling this way (different weather, culture, people), but it’s weird/different to actually recognize it. I didn’t feel Thanksgiving. I don’t feel Christmas coming. That’s strange to me. And a little hard, too.

There are only two more weeks left in training. It’s about that time.

Still think about yall everyday.

Love,

Lauren

November 17, 2009 Tuesday

So I just finished my fifth and final “Dia de Practica” which is a little sad because it signifies that my departure from Senda is close. This morning Jacob and I demonstrated mango and citrus grafting to Jacob’s host parents. They were a good audience considering Jacob’s dad already knew how to graft. Afterwards, we went to the tereno (piece of land) we’ve been working on and talked about the different ways to plant trees and their benefits. We then planted around ten trees of maybe five different species. This land is probably where Gerardo is going to live when he moves out of his parent’s house and although he won’t get to see all of these trees grow into full adulthood, these trees (hopefully) will get to see his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren (and so on) grow.

On more of an inside note, I do want to add that there should be three very important requirements in a Dia de Practica partner: 1. Can make you laugh 2. Can make Paraguayans laugh 3. Can eat hamburgers at 9 AM….and mandi’o….and tortillas. All three, check. These will make the infinite number of awkward situations somehow bearable. (Shout out to Luisa)

November 14, 2009 Saturday

Let me go ahead and get this out of the way: IT IS HOT. Really, really hot.

So I got back from “long field” yesterday afternoon and overall it was a really good week. We were split into two different groups of four each. Both groups went to the department of Caazapa, but visited different volunteers in the department so I didn’t get to see the other four trainees all week. Departments are basically the equivalent of a state in the US. So we took the 4-5 hour car ride to Caazapa on Monday with our technical trainer and two other language teachers. We each stayed with a different family for the week so Monday evening I met my host parents. They didn’t have any kids so it was just them and me which was great because the entire week was really laid back, or as they call it here “tranquilo.” My host mom introduced me to my new obsession: manduvi ku’i kembyre. It consists of a cup of milk, crushed peanuts, and sugar. I ate it for breakfast and dinner a few times and I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is so good! Maybe I’m going crazy, or maybe I’ve been eating Paraguayan food for a little too long, but seriously I love it….

It rained a lot on Tuesday and Wednesday and when it rains here, everything stops. Kids don’t even go to school when it rains. At first this sounded weird to me, too, but since a majority of the roads in the campo (country) are dirt, they are nearly impossible to drive on, even walk on, when it rains. Thus, the teachers and students that drive a moto (motorcycle) or take a bus to school can’t make it so no one goes. So on Tuesday and Wednesday we didn’t do much of anything. I basically hung out at my host family’s house, practiced Guarani, read, and even watched the animals. Yes, you read that correctly. With no electricity and really bad language skills, you get pretty desperate for entertainment. For instance, it was on either Tuesday or Wednesday night, I stared at this huge toad for about 40 minutes straight as it hid from cats and ate a lot of bugs. Then my host dad went over and kicked it really hard and it ran away. And with that, my Planet Earth: Paraguay episode was over.

Oh! We did make detergent during one of the rainy days which will last my host mom six months and save her a lot of money. Ok, so where am I? Thursday. On Thursday, the four of us went to the only school in the community and did a presentation (in Spanish with some Guarani) about grafting citrus trees. I thought it was going to be really intimidating, but the kids were just excited that we were there. They are a lot more forgiving with language errors than we are on ourselves. After the presentation, we checked out a forest reserve called Tapyta (look it up) and then yesterday we drove back to Senda.

This Wednesday we get our site assignments meaning I will finally find out exactly where I will be living for the next couple of years. I think we are all a little nervous about it. Although, I can say that after this week in Caazapa, I’m the readiest I’ve been since I’ve gotten here.

Hola! Things are still rolling along smoothly. Monday we have ¨long field,¨ which is a weeklong trip to another site to get some more practice, exposure, experience before we are shipped out in December. I will write a detailed account of the week when I return to make up for this short, vague post.

In the meantime, check out the ¨my blog list¨ on the right hand side of my page. Both blogs are from other volunteers in my Agroforestry group and although I haven´t had a chance to read them, I am positive they are writing more detailed and eloquent posts. This offers another perspective and also fill in any gaps that I failed to explain. OK! Still working on the pics. Miss you all.

Lauren

I love you, Mom. I am safe. Do not worry about me! You are in my heart and I will be home very soon.

October 31, 2009 Saturday

By far it’s been the hottest Halloween I’ve ever had. It’s been in the 90s for the past few days and I know Georgia gets that hot, but there is no escaping the heat here. There are no air conditioned rooms, cars, or stores. At least not where I’m at. Fortunately, I have a ceiling fan and that has been a life saver. We were all sitting in language class yesterday morning just drenched in sweat. What’s up, subtropics.

Anyway! It’s been another packed week. I learned how to graft citrus and mango trees which more or less means taking one part of a tree and sticking it onto another tree. For example, when you are grafting citrus, you take the root of a lemon tree (because it is really strong and resistant to disease), and attach a branch from an orange tree to it. This makes the oranges grow faster and healthier. Most, if not all, of the citrus we eat in the states is grown on grafted trees.

Thursday we had another Dia de Practica and Jacob and I hoed the same field I mentioned earlier for a couple hours and then weeded my neighbor’s pasture field. During the weeding, I worked and talked with the mom of the house, Rosaria. She pretty much did all of the talking and I think it was a good venting time for her because she went on and on about her daughter in Argentina and how her husband won’t let their child speak Guarani and how he hates Paraguay. I didn’t mind though because it’s always good language practice and it was also entertaining. Later that day, I hung out with my host mom and some other Senoras and watched them roll cigars to sell in town. Many told me how their moms had taught them how to do it and that they’ve been doing it for decades. I tried and it looks a lot easier than it is.

I ended up doing fine on my Spanish test and started my Guarani class yesterday. It’s a really fun language to speak, but mannn, it’s gonna be a tough road. Here are a few words so you get can get an idea:

Mba’eichapa = How is it going?

Ipora = Good

Che avy’a Paraguaipe = I’m happy in Paraguay

Enough said…. But I’m staying positive!

A few realizations/thoughts thus far:

Ÿ Wow, I’m in Paraguay…..How did that happen?

Ÿ The love between a parent and child is universal. No translation necessary. The way a mother holds a baby or the way a brother looks after his siblings is the same here as in any other place.

Ÿ Laughter and a sense of humor can transcend ANY language barrier

Miss you all.

Lauren

PS

Keep the messages coming! And don’t think any detail or story is too boring/trivial/irrelevant; I’m not exaggerating when I say I soak up every word. I don’t have any form of communication with yall so every word is important and cherished.

PSS

Happy Birthday Daddy!!! (yesterday)

October 18, 2009

Ok. So far my biggest regret in Paraguay is not starting this sooner. But, time has been hard to come by…

So I am definitely not a blog person. Not in the least. But I really want to share my experiences/thoughts/life with the people I care about and this is the most efficient way to do so. I want you guys to stay in the loop, and I hope to continue to receive updates on your life. I will mostly use this blog objectively without a significant amount of opinion (re peace corps, politics, etc). I’ll save all that for personal emails, letters, messages. Don’t hesitate to ask me anything and I will either write it here or via email. This blog does represent a government organization so I’m just trying to prevent any issues that could arise.

Ok now that that is out of the way… Let me give yall the rundown. I am currently in my fourth week in Paraguay with the Peace Corps under the title of an Agroforesty volunteer. If that sounds vague, well, it is. I am still learning everyday the specifics of the job title. Basically, I am learning a lot about Paraguayan trees and how that fits into the environmental and agricultural context of Paraguay. I am hoping to use this knowledge to help the farmers of Paraguay acknowledge, integrate, and utilize more trees into their agriculture systems. Of course, there is breathing room in this assignment. We are taught other agricultural skills besides solely trees. That is a good thing.

I am living with a host family that consists of the mother, father, two sons, and a grandson. The mother is named Celmira and is 58, the father is Hilario and is 65, one son is named Gerardo and is 21, and the other son is named Federico and is 10. The grandson is Adolfo and is age 5. The mother of Adolfo (daughter of my host parents) lives and works in the capital Asuncion. I have my own room and bathroom which is really nice since a lot of other volunteers have to share a bathroom with the whole family. My family seems very well off in comparison to the other families. They have their own store in the house and own a small farming field. There are A LOT of animals running around my house. The chicken coop is right outside my window and just to dispel the myth that roosters only cock-a-doodle in the morning…WRONG. They crow all night. We have a pig that apparently is getting fattened up to eat this Christmas and we also have a ton of cows. I even got to milk my first cow! On a sad note, I witnessed the murder of two chickens. Gerardo snapped their necks right in front of me…Quite traumatizing. Guess what we had for dinner…. Anyway, so the chickens run all around the house with their babies. I’ll be eating breakfast and look down to see a few chicks running around my feet.

So what do I do everyday? I wake up at either 5:30 or 6, eat breakfast usually with my brother(s), then walk to school by 7:45. I am about a fifteen minute walk from the school. Oh, just to quickly explain, there are a total of 42 people right now in my entire unit. We are G-31, which is just a code to classify our group. There are four different sectors within our unit, or “G,” with each one learning different and specific skills. They are Environmental Education, Crop Extension, Bee Keeping, and Agroforestry. Each sector lives in a different area that surrounds a city called Guarambare. Guarambare is where we all the groups meet every Wednesday. The community I live in is called Senda and is an hour’s walk away from Guarambare. I don’t really mind the walk though because it’s beautiful and also a chance to decompress. Here in Senda, all 7 of the other Agroforestry volunteers live very close to me. This is a good thing because I really like everyone in my group! The other three communities are where the other groups live. Senda is the furthest away from Guarambare, so on Wednesdays we all have to wake up extra early to walk to Guarambare by 8 AM. Each volunteer community has its own school where each sector meets everyday. Ok, so every morning I walk to the school here in Senda. I have language training in Spanish from 7:45-11:30. Then I walk home for lunch and walk back by 1. From 1-5 we have technical training with our tech trainer. Here is where we learn about agroforestry, community development, teaching techniques, and cultural awareness. After tech class, we all walk home and hang out with our families for the rest of the evening. Next week I start a new language class and will start studying Guarani. Guarani is the indigenous language of Paraguay and it is what the majority of the people speak here. Although many people here know and can speak Spanish, Guarani is in the heart of the people so it’s important that we learn it. The schools here teach the children Spanish and Guarani so many of the people are bilingual which is very cool! Guarani is hard though because it is not related to Spanish so I hope it comes with time and a lot of patience.

What am I eating? A LOT of bread… If you really like bread, you should consider moving here. Oh, and A LOT of meat. Same sentence applies. In the morning I eat bread with a spread called Dulce con Leche. It’s brown and really sweet and from Argentina. With my bread, I drink cocido con leche which is a tea made out of yerba mate (a tree native to South America). For lunch, I often eat meat with either rice or pasta…and bread. And for dinner, I eat the same. Fruit juices made from a blender are also very common and I love them. I’ve had carrot and orange (mixed together), milk and bananas, orange, pineapple, and apple juice since I’ve been here. And they make them by putting the fruits in the blender and adding sugar. Paraguayans seem to love sugar. Every morning my brother dumps two huge spoon fulls of sugar into his small coffee mug sized cup of tea. Eating so much meat all the time is hard, though. Not something I’m used to in the states.

I am in training until December 11. Then I will move to my permanent site to start my Peace Corps service. We don’t find out exactly where we will be moving in Paraguay until the last few weeks of training. Last week, we each went to visit a current volunteer to see what our life could be like for the next couple years. The volunteer I visited lives about 4 hours from Senda and I definitely got lost on the bus on the way to her site. I ended up in the middle of nowhere and had to catch a different bus. Not too surprising, though. Ha. I found her, though, and it was nice to put all of the training into some kind of context. I’m excited about my time to come.

Alright, so that covers a lot of the major who/what/when/where. Please let me know if you are wondering anything else! There is still so much to say, but it’s getting late. Keep the emails/messages coming. They mean a lot to me! Miss and love you.

Hasta luego.

Also, write me a letter! It will make my week!

Lauren Middleton, PCT

Cuerpo de Paz, CHP

162 Chaco Boreal c/Mcal. Lopez

Asuncion 1580, Paraguay (South America)

PS if anyone wants to send me the Science Times (a section in The New York Times every Tuesday), I will seriously love you forever

October 25, 2009

Greetings! It’s been a busy week. Thursday we had a “Dia de Practica,” which translates to “day of practice.” It is supposed to simulate a typical day we will have as volunteers. This means there is no class, but also no direction. We are solely given the task to integrate into the community more and try to apply some of the skills we have learned. In other words, it is a day full of awkward situations. The first half of the day went smoothly. My host family owns a piece of land that they are cultivating and it is very close to the house. My partner Jacob and I spent the morning there with my host brother, dad, and uncle and got to plant sweet potatoes which I really enjoyed. They are also growing tobacco, corn, and mandioca on the land which they will sell and also use for themselves. Last week, they let Jacob and I plant about 30-40 trees (Kumanda Yvyra’I) and they have already started to sprout. After working in the field a little, Jacob and I decided to try to meet new people in the community. We ended up meeting three different families with the last one being my favorite. Paraguayans are so kind and inviting; their hospitality continuously amazes me.

On Friday, the eight of us and our technical trainer, Leo, went on an overnight trip to another region in Paraguay to visit SEPA. SEPA (Servicios Eco-forestales para Agricultores) is a model farm for agro forestry systems. It shows farmers, or anyone, the benefits of incorporating trees into a farm, household, wherever. It also offers courses on bookkeeping, farm planning, and community planning. SEPA was started by Peace Corps volunteers a little more than ten years ago and is a great tangible example of successful project.

This morning Rosa (another ag forestry volunteer) came over to the house and milked the cow. Ha, so strange typing that. Milking a cow is a lot harder than you would think! After she left, Gerardo and I went to visit Julia (another volunteer) for a bit, then came back and I played lotteria (Bingo) with the Senoras (my host mom and some of her friends). You have to pay 500 Guarani’s per game, which is the equivalent of about 10 cents. If you win, you get all the money, but I’m pretty sure I lost more money than I won. They play with an old coke liter bottle full of numbers. Someone will hold the bottle and call out the numbers, and everyone will put a corn kernel on the number on their bingo board. They do this very fast and it was pretty hard for me to keep up because there are a ton of numbers and they are calling them out in Spanish so I know I missed a few. Although, they did let me call out the numbers for two games and didn’t laugh at me too much with my funny Spanish accent.

Since then I’ve just been hanging out and trying to study a little. Tomorrow we have our language proficiency test. Hopefully I will do well so I can move up to the Guarani class. My Spanish has gotten a lot better since I’ve been here, and I really would like to continue to study it, but Guarani is really important to learn since so many people speak it here.

For dinner, I ate a hamburger with a fried egg on top, and a couple of empanadas. Not the healthiest…but really good. Tomorrow is Monday which means another week has passed, but still there are more weeks to go. I’ve been in country for about a month now. My grasp on time has shifted. Actually, it is still shifting. Either way, I miss you all the same. Think about yall everyday.

Love,

Lauren