Peace Corps Journals

The Chickens Ate My Worms!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

2012-02-10 02:49:00

Remember the worm compost pile I started with my host family? Well, the other day, I went to feed the ‘cevo’i’ (lombrices) some cow poop and happened to find one of our chickens chilling in the worms’ home!

Being two months fresh in site and the compost pile being my first project in the community, I really want this thing to work! Not wanting to immediately blame the worms disappearance on the chickens, I told Odi, ‘umm, Odi, ko’anga, hay menos cevo’i en el composto’.

‘Ah! Entonces, yo pienso es la gallina!’

This is why I absolutely adore Odi, my host mom and site contact: she calls over to Julio, her husband, and explains the problem, suggesting we get to work solving the issue. Mind you, it’s the middle of a hot summer day, 100 degrees outside in Paraguay, ciesta time—I think most peoples’ mentality would be, we’ll fix it later!

Julio and I got to work placing a cover over the compost pile. I’m hoping a few are still alive, we’ll see!

In a few weeks, I’m taking two girls to a 3-day national environmental camp for youth. Peace Corps and the NGO involved are covering all costs except for transportation to and from the camp. In total, each girl needs to raise 28.000 mil Guaraníes; which works out to about 7 dollars for bus fare.

I had a meeting with the girls and we brainstormed how we were going to raise the money. The girls came up with two ideas. 1) Bake a ‘torta’ and sell it to neighbors. 2) Sell ‘sorteos’ at the upcoming community club soccer game! A ‘sorteo’, I later found out, is a raffle.

Great! Ok, so what are we selling tickets to raffle off…...BEER!

The thought of two fourteen year old girls selling raffle tickets for beer stunned me. And after asking them if this was something normal to raffle off, getting the ‘ok’ from their moms, we went along with their ideas. The girls ended up raising just over 60.000 mil Guaraníes—enough for bus fare and a snack along the way!

I can add another food to the interesting ‘tembi’y kuera’ eaten in Paraguay. The other day, a neighbor killed their cow for a ‘rezo’ celebration. A ‘rezo’ in Paraguay is a nine-day prayer held for people who have passed away. I was invited over to the neighbor’s house for lunch to eat part of the butchered cow. Agustina, served me a plate of ‘ipokue’ (name for the food in Guarani). When I asked what part of the ‘vaca’ I was about to eat, she said, ‘la pata de la vaca’ (the cow’s foot).

I ate as much of that foot as I could without giving off the impression I didn’t care for the taste—the thought of eating dirt and poop came to my mind…. seeing some remaining cow hair didn’t help ease my thoughts either!

Looks Like We Made It.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay You've Got to Move by Yourself.

2012-02-10 00:13:00

G-38 is officially in Paraguay. After an overnight flight from Miami to Buenos Aires, a 4 hour layover, then a 1.5 hr flight to Asuncion we are here!

There are 28 of us all together, and we are all pretty awesome if I say so myself. Tomorrow 10 weeks of training begins and we meet our host families! AHH!

Bomb Falafel فلافل ‎

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay The Escobar's take on Seattle

2012-02-09 18:40:00

Last night Patrick came over for dinner and we enjoyed a delicious meal cooked by, me!

Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flat bread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze. Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. The copts of Egypt claim to have first made the dish as a replacement for meat during Lent. The fritters are now found around the world as a replacement for meat and as a form of street food. (wikipedia)

Falafel is DELICIOUS. In Barcelona there is a chain called Maoz Vegitarian, a little tiny whole in the wall shop on Las Ramblas that had yummy Falafel and Hummus. The selling point for me was there was a self service salad bar where you would stuff your pita full of veggies from broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes and many many more and then you had your choice of sauces. We would stand there and eat our Maoz when we would run out of veggies you could just fill it up again! It was the most amazing lunch spot ever! See the veggi bar below!

So last night I was craving falafel and decided to make my own. And I don't want to brag but...It was pretty darn good.

The Recipe

- 1 can garbanzo beans

- 1 whole onion

- 2 cloves of garlic

- Handful of chopped parsley

- 1 Tbs of olive oil

- 1/2 lemon squeezed

- cumin

- coriander

- cayenne pepper

- salt and pepper

- 1 cup of bread crumbs

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp of baking powder

I blended all the ingredients together in the blender but a food processor would have worked MUCH better. Then I made a yogurt sauce.

- 1 cup Greek yogurt

- dill weed

- lemon juice

- 1/2 cucumber (seeded and finely chopped)

-salt and peeper

Then we stuffed pita with the falafel, sauce, lettuce and tomato and paired it with a nice cold Red Chair Deschutes Brewery Beer!

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Site Presentation, Dog Attack, and New Home?

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Tom's Ramblings In Paraguay

2012-02-07 22:03:00

This past week was really eventful in the bustling Paraguayan metropolis of Juan E. O’Leary. I spent a lot of time handing out invitations to what Peace Corps calls my site presentation. Basically that entailed was a visit from my bosses, the environmental education and conservation sector, to my site from Asunción to have a meeting explaining what the random American who has been wondering around for the past 2 months is actually suppose to be doing. What that meant for me was a lot of time walking in the staggering heat inviting people to come to my presentation that was going to be held at the local elementary school. Where I hope to work in the coming school year Thankfully I had my 10-year-old host brother Mathias in the trenches with me during the days when I was handing out the invitations. All said and done I think we walked well over 10 km inviting people to come to the presentation. I boasted that there would be soda and cookies as an added incentive for people to attend, but I knew in the back of my mind the whole time I was talking to people in my broken Guarani that if it was raining or the weather was going to be too hot nobody would show up, so I was content to resign to the reality that if more than 5 people showed up I would be happy.

Mathias

Most people when I took the time to sit down and talk to them seemed really enthusiastic, but that was when they were sitting under a tree or in a hammock drinking ice cold terere. I had one woman who I would say was slightly overweight straight hand me back the invitation saying it was going to be too hot. My interactions with people are very unique here, and to date I havn’t figured out all the subtleties. When you want to announce your presence when you walk to a house you wait at the gate, or what you can surmise is the entrance to the house, and clap until you see someone stirring from within his or her domicile. More oft than not they will invite you to come sit and drink terere, but rarely do I get the questions what do you want or why are you here? In fact, I rarely even get asked my name so I have gotten into the habit of saying what my name is when I shake their hands, but even still I find that I walk away from many of the interactions with no idea of who exactly I met or what there name is unless I ask. It isn’t like anything I am used too. Back home common curtsey is to introduce your name in the first few seconds of your conversation. It could very well be the same here and the only reason people are not telling me their names is because they know that some random American named Tomás is living here and they have no reason to ask. Still though I find it frustrating when I meet someone and come away with very little about them except for few word answers like: “its very hot today” (which it is everyday), and “there is a lot of dust here.” My responses to their questions are usually: “no I don’t have a girlfriend, no I am not against having a Paraguayan girlfriend”, and “che avya Paraguaype” (“I like Paraguay “in Guarani). After a while conversations blur together and I have a hard time remembering some of the things we talked about until I realize that I am having the same conversations over and over again with very little to distinguish one interaction from another. However, the more I think about it the more I realize that it probably a good thing that I am having any level of conversation despite how void of substance it may appear just for the pure sake of becoming more of a familiar face in the community in the eyes of the person I am talking to.

Preschool Building

On this past Wednesday we actually had to clean the school for the presentation, and seeing that nobody had set foot indie the building since school concluded at the end of November it was a good thing we did. With the help from the whole family of five we spent about 2 hours mopping floors, sweeping steps, raking leaves, and carry water from the well to the places where water was needed. Earlier in the day my family had informed me of this impending task. To that point I had no idea that we would be cleaning the school, and the lack of notice caught me a bit off guard causing a sudden schedule change that prevented me from my original plan of lounging around the local lake. I have noticed that when my family has a meeting or something pressing it always seems like it comes up at the very last minute, or the planning for it occurs the day or the night before. There seems to be a general lack of written schedules, and a lot of communication is done through word of mouth, so I decided that I would not be upset if only 5 people showed up for my event considering the way news travels here. I did my part to the best of my ability and the rest is out of my hands.

Escuel Segrada Familia

When Thursday rolled around it was time for the big show. I was a bit nervous, but feeling confident that there was nothing more I could have done to prepare for the presentation. I had written a speech that was a good mix of Spanish and Guaraní, and had my family look over it before it was performed live. I arrived at the school around 2:30 with my bosses Alistair and Brian, but quickly realized that we wouldn’t be starting anytime soon despite the invitation saying we would be beginning at 3 sharp. Promptness is something that also seems to be missing here in Paraguay. When I set the time for 3 I honestly was expecting it to actually begin at 3:30, which it did so I was content. All and all I had 8 people come to the presentation excluding my bosses from Asunción and I. That number included my three year old host brother Damian and Kristin the one of the other volunteers in O’Leary. The presentation itself lasted about 45 minutes in a room that can only be described as a sweat lodge. The power to the school had gone out near the beginning of the presentation hence eliminating fan, which was naturally the only form of relief from the heat albeit a weak one. I was relieved that my speech was intelligible even though some of the pronunciations had to have sound brutal with my noticeable American accent. What followed my speech was essentially an explanation to all the people in attendance about what Peace Corps is, its history in Paraguay, and the specifics about what environmental volunteers are trained to do in their communities. Some of the topical stuff we spent a lot more time discussing if someone had an interest. For example, I started a worm compost bin in a cement bathtub that is underneath a mango tree next to the house I live in. That sparked a lot of interest because worm compost and the worms themselves can be sold for a decent profit especially if one uses the California red worms that volunteers have access to in the office in Asunción. We also talked a lot about the potential for a garden project and a library because of specific interest. When the presentation wrapped up we all shared some soda and cookies that I had bought, and some grape juice and cake with jam that a lovely woman named Augustina was nice enough to bring while we all mingled around for a bit. That was pretty much how it went down nothing too exciting, but a success in my book.

My Potential New House

One of the other priorities for the visit is to help me find options for housing. The family I live with is currently in the process of building a relatively large house right across the street form the elementary school where my presentation was and where host mom Iris is a professora. We have been in deliberation for a while about completing part of the house to make it livable by using the money all volunteers are given for site adjustment allowances. The tricky part to this point has been the inconsistencies about how much it would cost to complete, and the timeframe for finishing it. I have never built a house before let alone tried to negotiate a contract for building one in a second language, so I am sure it is going to be an adventure getting this thing off the ground, but the good news is that after talking with my bosses in Asunción they agreed that it is a good option and that the cost should be roughly 2-3 million guaranis (between $450-$650) not too bad when considering I am finishing up a house.

Damn Dog Alley

This past Saturday also marked what I would call my first near death experience in Paraguay. The house I live in was jammed to capacity this past weekend with the number of inhabitants rising to a lofty 10 people. That was enough of an excuse for me to get out the hell out of dodge and hang out with Kristin. I ended up spending most of the day there casually drinking beers while waiting for the sudden storm that hit to pass. By the time dusk rolled around I suddenly realized that it was almost dinnertime back home and I needed to haul ass to get back before it got dark. Thankfully I had my bike with me, but for anyone who has ever tried to ride a bike in the mud while in a hurry will know that the going was slow, and coupled with a stomach full of beer I wasn’t exactly progressing with significant speed. That was until I got to what I now fondly call damn dog alley, which is a small corridor of houses close to the school where no matter what hour of the day it is or your mode of transportation you will be chased and barked at incessantly by a pack of dogs of all shapes and sizes. It is always an unnerving experience making it through damn dog alley, but I figured on a bike that they would be less likely to attack or be annoying right? Well the correct answer to that question is wrong. As I made my through the corridor of terror arguably the biggest dog in the alley smelled my vulnerability and started running after my bike barking wildly and salivating. The faster I peddled the more he barked. It was by the graces of a higher power that the dog finally turned into his house and the momentum I gained from that petrifying experience was enough to propel me home. However, that extra energy exerted in my intrepid escape from the clutches of death was enough to make me quite nauseous when I arrived home haggard and perspiring like a polar bar on a tropical island. The first thing my host dad, Julio, said to me upon my arrival was naturally “come drink some beer!” It took every ounce of my being not to heave profusely on the spot in front of several onlookers, but thankfully I somehow managed to avoid that particular embarrassment. Instead I ran inside stripped off my cloths as fast as I could and laid down in front of my fan until I felt human again. I am going to have to think of some effective dog deterrents for the future, but for now I am just glad to be alive.

On the agenda for this week a lot of laundry, beating the heat and preparation for Carnival in the city of Encarnación located right on the boarder of Argentina in Southern Paraguay. It should be an interesting experience, so look for another update soon.

Got Milk?

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Two Keep Growing

2012-02-07 01:16:00

It is common for a family to have 1 to 7 milking cows on small family farm here in Paraguay. I purposely didn’t say dairy cows because they are all purpose- for meat or milk, a mixture of Brahama and ? It’s been interesting to observe the process, which goes like this:

At about 2:00pm all of the calves are brought in from the street, put into a pen and tied to a tree or fence. All calves have a rope tied around their necks, which drags behind them throughout the day. The calves spend the day munching on chopped sugar cane and grass, and drinking water to which salt is added.

At 8:00am the following morning, the cows are brought into the pen and tied near their calves.

One cow’s back legs are tied or hobbled, with rope. Her calf is then led over and guided by hand to suck on each teat, causing the milk to start flowing.

The calf is then quickly retied and the cow is milked by hand.

When the cow is finished being milked, the rope is removed from her back legs. The cow and calf are released together to graze/ nurse for about five hours before the calves are brought in, again.

The seven cows on this particular farm, give about five gallons of milk, total, each morning. With the exception of a little milk for the morning cocido, (mate, lots of sugar, and milk), all of the milk is made into cheese. The five gallons of milk is enough to make one large cube of cheese, (see a previous blog for this process), which is used for home consumption or sold. I was told that the cheese brings in more “plata” than the milk does, besides, I haven’t seen anyone drink a glass of milk since we’ve been in Paraguay.

Quite a different process than in the states- maybe a more appropriate title for this post would have been “Got Cheese?”

Passing Views

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Not Lost in Translation

2012-02-07 01:04:54

I had just managed to get a seat in one of the sweaty rolling greenhouses that are the buses of Paraguay when I heard tires screech, screams, and lots of glass shattering. Startled, I looked up from my book and found the windows of the bus were still intact. Looking through them I found the [...]

Tough Week

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Bryce in Transition

2012-02-06 22:14:00

Well friends, last week was a rough week in Paraguay. I wish that I could check in and be Mr. Sunshine all the time, but that's not real life at all. To start it off, I began the week with a severe case of PMS (Peace corps Moping and Sulking... creative, eh? I should win a prize). If I were in the States earlier last week, I'd have been eagerly be packing my things and flying to Washington for an annual ski trip at Mt. Baker, enjoying three days on the slopes with my sister, her husband, and some of their friends that I've come to know over the past few years. The only skiing in Paraguay is the slightly unbalanced slide after stepping into a fresh cow pie on a downward incline. I take it where I can get it people and trust me--it doesn't compare to the Daytona run down to chair 8. Not even close. I mean, what I would give to just feel cold... a chill in the air... ANYTHING.

My first "skiing" experience in Paraguay... I've had numerous sense then.

Following that I ended up spending two days in bed due to a skull-crushing headache and fever that didn't seem to respond to ibprophen or Tylenol. I confess I had a weak hypochondriac moment where I thought I might have Dengue Fever. All I could do was flash back to the two times I read John Grisham's The Testament, where the protagonist spends I don't know how many days passed out in a South American hospital somewhere near the Pantanal... Yikes. Of course it was just a headache probably amplified by the ridiculous Paraguayan summer heat. This place is insane.

And to complete the circle of complaining for this post (sorry guys), there seemed to be an exponentially multiplying number of chickens, ducks, guineas, and cows wandering around my house and all over my porch. Complain if you want to, PETA peeps, but I will preach death for all farm animals everywhere for the rest of my life.

So needless to say, I had a few mental breakdowns last week. Moments where I am two or three thoughts away from packing it all up and heading back to my nice normal life in Ann Arbor. Oh Ann Arbor, I've been thinking a lot about you. I want to order a Jets Pizza and watch old episodes of CSI: Miami on A&E. I want to go read Harry Potter at my table in the Main St. Starbucks. I want to meet up with my friends at Jolly Pumpkin or Side Tracks and spend the whole night quoting 30 Rock, even though Rachel has no idea what I'm talking about. I want to go for a run down along the Huron River in Gallup Park... This week was the first week that I realized how much I really missed not just winter or Michigan, but life in Ann Arbor specifically. Which is honestly is strange because I never realized I loved Ann Arbor as much as I do. Guess it's one of those cases where you do don't know what you have until it's gone. Those of you not from Ann Arbor are probably bored to death by all this, but if you haven't been--you should. It's a great place to be. [/commercialPUREMICHIGANTIMALLENBUYAMERICANCARSGREATLAKES]


Oh Jets... I'm going to eat nothing but this after I get home.

Glasses on or off? He can't decide. WHY IS EVERYTHING ORANGE?

I could totally go for a burger and fries after 11PM, right? Who wouldn't?

Gallup Park. When I'm here I'm usually in a very good mood or a very, very bad mood. Depends how the run is going. ;o)

My favorite hangout and reading spot. Venti black coffee please?

So anyways, how did this last end? Emotionally. Sometimes no matter how much I want to leave Paraguay, I know that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be for the next two years. If I chose to leave it all, I would regret it forever. Paraguay is teaching me so much about myself and what I want out of life. I'm learning things on so many levels--this experience covers it all: Emotional, Spiritual, Social, Professional, Physical... I'm growing (or shrinking) in all of these areas. I can't terminate this experience prematurely just because there are things here that get under my skin or because I miss home. Home will still be home when I get there in less than 2 years (of course unless something awful happens and the US ceases to exist... then I'm not sure if it matters if I'm here or not, haha).

God is working in my heart daily revealing things about Himself and myself. It's amazing how isolation can bring out our best and worst sides at the same time. Shoulder-Angels are real, people. I have a lot to learn, and I just have to keep at it. I'm trying to journal days/weeks like this so that I have it on record of how I dealt with it last time.

So, to those of you who I have been frantically texting, first I apologize for being clingy, and second I'M FINE. We're all going to have days like this. And for those of you reading this and finding out about this for the first time--settle down... it's all good (Mom, I'm fine). February is going to be a busy month. I'm going to visit my friend Mario at his site for his birthday on Wednesday up near Oviedo, and then the following week I'm going to visit John and Rosemary and ordering a hammock from their neighbor who custom-makes them, and then we have committee meetings in Asuncion that weekend. So I'm pretty much booked until the end of the month with work in site and travel out of it. Happy February, readers! It's a Leap Year!

The waiting is finally over!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Dream Big and Dream Fierce

2012-02-06 21:52:00

I applied to the Peace Corps in September of 2010. Had my interview and was nominated in November of '10. Medically and legally cleared to serve by April of '11. Was told in June that there wasn't a position for me that would come before the new year. Then I got a phone call that an invitation was in the mail in August of '11.

Fast forward 6 months, and here we are! I still remember getting that phone call in August like it was yesterday. I was at work and was silently freaking out. I think I went back and forth to the bathroom 10 times that hour just to make sure I was composed. I wanted to jump up and down, but I needed to keep it together. I can't believe it's finally happening! Tomorrow I am on a 7am flight out of O'Hare to Miami where I will meet the rest of G38. Then on the 8th, we have staging and I can officially call myself a Peace Corps Trainee. And on the 9th, I will land in Paraguay where I plan to spend the next 27 months of my life.

Right now I feel pretty similar to the way I did back in August - completely overwhelmed. Mostly overwhelmed with excitement, but there are of course the nerves and sadness that come with packing up your life, saying goodbyes, and not knowing what the future holds. I am so tired of answering all the questions and talking about it, I just want to be living it!

The past few weeks in Chicago have been amazing! Lots of lunches and dinners with old and new friends. A going away party with the Zaideman side and some friends. A weekend in Milwaukee. A weekend in St. Louis with the McWilliams side. And then my going away party with friends, an incredible trolley ride around downtown Chicago. Thanks to everyone who made a point to see me off or has sent me messages! They all mean the world to me and I am so thankful to have your support! Please keep in touch, and I will be sure to do the same.

I will leave you with some pics of the last few weeks! Hopefully I will be able to log on after I get to Paraguay, I am sure I will have lots of updates then!

Noonan's graduation party

Cousins at the Zaideman going away party

Weekend in MKE

Weekend in STL

Tessie and I at our favorite spot

Polo boys on the trolley!

And some of the ladies!

"You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you."
~Frederick Buechner

Art Camp

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Becoming Paraguaya

2012-02-06 19:40:00

If you have been trying to be a faithful follower of this blog, I am truly sorry. It has been months since I have posted. Hopefully I can post some more blogs to catch you up on what I have been doing since August (I know, its pitiful). But instead of trying to play catch up let me fill you in on what I have going on right now, this week. Its an initiative I have taken on my own, but one that I think is important. It is summer right now in Paraguay and the long hot summer days were starting to wear on me. Oh the boredome of trying to stay cool. And I watched as children mostly watched television and tried to keep themselves occupied as well. Something I have wanted to do since I arrived was art with kids. Well this idea started to take shape as I sat in my shade sipping Terere. A week long art camp for kids!
So after a few days of planning, asking the local libreria to donate art supplies, and inviting kids from two communities I was ready to go. This morning was the first day and I am off to a good role. The Peace Corps office had an art camp curriculum that I am following and it really gets at the goals that I am trying to accomplish. In the schools kids have art classes, but creativity is rarely emphasized, or it is creativity within a rigid set of requirements. What I want to do during art camp is help kids think outside of the box and use their creativity. The curriculum uses mediums of song and story to help lead into appropriate art activities. For example: today we sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" or La Arana Chiquitita and then the kids made masks of the different things included in the song: the spider, the tree(water spout), the rain, and the sun. Later I read a story about homes and then the kids drew pictures of their homes. Tomorrow we will spend time working on drawing self portraits and parts of the body by singing "Head, Shoulders, knees, and toes" and reading "Where the wild things are." I am having a lot of fun helping these kids tap into their creative sides!

Acción Juvenil: Youth Leadership Class

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Asunci'On the Move

2012-02-06 16:20:00

It is currently summer vacation from school here in Paraguay, so that means that not much is happening. Most government agencies and businesses close down for a few weeks of vacation, students are not in school, and most people pass the time trying to escape the heat (100 degree or more heat with high humidity). Wanting to take advantage of the free time so many have on their hands, I worked with

Do Not Fear Or Wish For Your Last Day

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay You've Got to Move by Yourself.

2012-02-06 16:43:00

The title quote for this blog is pretty much exactly how I've felt these last few days. Ready to leave and start this new adventure but nervous and sad because I'll miss my friends and family.

But the time for waiting is over because my bags are packed and I'm ready to go.

Too much? Hope not.

Tomorrow I will be on my way to Miami and don't know if I will be back to MD for 27 months.

Of course like most thing in my life (except surprisingly packing in this situation) I have waited until the last moment for this experience to actually hit me. I'm super nervous, excited and freaked out all at once. But I think that is ok :)

Clarity

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay SinJin in Paraguay

2012-02-06 13:00:00

Summer dropped into Paraguay two and a half months ago and brought the heat with it. But this lovely country brought us a special treat this year – atwo month drought coupled with clouds that pour seemingly everywhere but here.

The grass has withered thatch-brown but for small standsthat remain verdant. The roads, which stuck like glue after rain, have turnedto dried silt and sand. When it mixes with the sweat on my feet, it paints themslime brown. Fruit crops, especially guava (which should be in season rightnow), have plummeted, both in overall numbers of fruits and individual size.

My well, which was full to the brim a few months ago, hasdropped, week by week. A few days ago, I could see the clay bottom for thefirst time of my time here. And work around Potrero Pucu has all but stopped,except for the chores that are absolutely necessary.

Oh for my high-pressure shower and cool basement back home…

The heat usually drops off at night, but from 11am-6pm,there is nothing to do but stay in the shade and try to stay cool. This is notas easy as in the states, obviously. Sometimes relief comes in lying on thecool pavement of my house, other times, liters and liters of terere infusedwith mint and other refreshing herbs. So I walk through Potrero Pucu in myrolled up jeans, flip-flops, and t-shirt, seeking the shade, a guampa, and someminty terere.

Frustrating as it is, the experience can be sort of bracing.It cuts through the humdrum and the distractions and the silliness. Instead ofspending time focused on irrelevancies, all I can think is “It’s hot. How can Icool down? When will it rain? Please let it rain…” And it’s a lesson inpatience. How can I expect people to want to work on manual constructionprojects or more involved cooking practices if it means they are going to spendmore time baking in the sun, or working over a stifling fire?

So instead of working, we sit, pass the guampa, and sharestories. We’ll get back to work after it rains.

Packing for Peace Corps Paraguay

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay YouTube Videos matching query: "peace corps" "Paraguay"

2012-02-05 03:05:59

	Packing for Peace Corps Paraguay This is us packing two days before we leave for Paraguay.	From: Cherokeeanddanny Views: 1 0 ratings
	Time: 03:37	More in Comedy

Names, names, names...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay SinJin in Paraguay

2012-02-06 02:41:00

Back in the states, I constantly shuffled between two different names. At home, I was St. John, to distinguish from my father,who we call Sinjin (which is arguably the correct pronunciation of the name).

That continued all the way through my second year ofcollege, when I transferred to UPenn, and everyone there started calling meSinjin. It was less confusing than St. John, apparently.

The fun has continued in Paraguay. When I got here, I took the name “Santo.” This seemed like a perfectly logical choice –it honored my American name, but it didn’t weigh heavily, and it didn’t soundfunny to me like “San Juan” did.

But Santo, without a solidifying second name, lends itselfperfectly to Paraguayan improvisation. Over the last two years, I havedeveloped a whole list of “Santo____”isms.

Henrique is Potrero’s plumber and amateur electrician. He’sa shifty looking character with small eyes and his face is all angles but forthe mole that pops out of his left jaw. He often pauses at Taito’s house for afew moments, and he’ll spout out “Santo Virgen!” Then I’ll get a lengthy littlediscourse about my singleness in Potrero Pucu, and how I need to find agirlfriend.

Then, just as it’s winding down, Taito says something like, “Nahaniri,San-Toro!” (Basically, no, he’s St. Bull, or stud, I guess…) There are thejokes “There’s nothing saintly about this saint!,” or “Ugly Saint,” or otherexamples of Paraguayan ribbing.

Then there’s my host brother, Andres, who calls me SantoLuzardo, after star character in one of the country’s extra melodramatic soapoperas. Nestor calls me Santo Torre Alba (St. White Tower), after anothersoaps star. Hopefully they're good characters - I've never seen the show.

Some people dispense with the name entirely. A civil servantI often see on my bus just calls me “Mister.” (Disconcerting that, reading abook and having someone shout “Mister!” and wave at you… It rolls off thetongue like a bad joke, and doesn’t come close to the poetic ring of “Sir,” or “Señor.”

To my friend Diego, I am just “Gringo!”, shouteddeterminedly and enthusiastically. (This was probably the most annoying.) Andto the cowboys that pass me by on the road, I am just “Americano.”

The whole situation used to vex me to know end, until Irealized that Paraguayans do it amongst themselves too. And their nicknames foreach other are sometimes even more interesting, particularly when the names originatefrom Guarani, which causes so many of the names to be based on animals andnature. Some of the names are startling and perceptive, others just silly.

For example, my closest neighbor is a man named Ernesto. He’sa powerfully built block of a man, but he has large, lidded eyes with long,full lashes. He has become “Ña Curutú,” which is the Guarani name for a hawkwith eyes like his.

I’ve written about my friend Taito before, too. But manypeople don’t call him Taito, they call him Taito Teju – “Taito the Lizard.” I’venever understood how he picked that name up, because like Ernesto, he’s asolid, powerful man. Geckos are the last thing he reminds me of.

Ale Gallo “Alex the Rooster,” makes more sense. He’s short, witha small barrel of a belly, and a raspy tenor that carries whenever he explodeswith mirth and sound.

Most of these names are harmless, but I would hate to be “ChicoKure,” which means “Boy Pig,” or alternatively, “Small Pig.” That’s Francisco,a handsome, but short man who teaches English and PE in the high school. Andhis brother Ignacio is “Pajaro Loco,” or “Crazy Parrot.”

what I come back to

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay chalk drawings

2012-02-06 01:21:00

In certain moments, I allow myself to admit that I don't want to be living abroad. Sometimes before I get out of bed in the morning, or when I hear about the toasters my friends are buying for their new houses. Or when I think about the really thick dark coffee which you can come by so easily in other parts of the world. (What! I! would! give! for a french press and fair trade ground coffee!)

So. Here are some excerpts from letters and books which I come back to in those moments.

"I know you'll get through it. You're a lot stronger than you think"

-- Alice, my friend from England

"If I were young, I'd go to South America -- in my mind, S. America and Africa

are going to be very important for our history, culture, and spirituality the further

we get into the 21st century (not that they aren't already). The future in so many ways

is in the southern hemisphere and what happens there."

--Bill Apel, my religion professor and mentor from Linfield

"We gain something profound when we stand up for our beliefs, just as part of us dies

when we know that something is wrong, yet do nothing... we don't have to tackle every issue,

but if we avoid them all, if we stay silent in the face of cruelty, injustice, and oppression,

we sacrifice part of our soul."

-- Paul Roget Loeb, from the book "The Impossible Will Take a Little While"

"Since you are a breath in God's sphere and a leaf in God's forest,

you too should rest in reason and move in passion."

-- a poem written by my soul twin, Dayna

I am also inspired by this: the website for the grad program I want to do after the Peace Corps.

Terivyaite'ke / May you be at peace,

Becca

Socks Socks Socks

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Loco Mocos

2012-02-05 23:33:00

Korea has great socks! Since most places make you take your shoes off to enter (including my school) people can't get away with wearing holey socks! So there is a sock vendor on ever corner of the subway system. Most socks cost only about $1, so I am in sock heaven.
Here are a few I picked up yesterday
I really like monster socks...but they have so many! I'll keep you posted because summertime is some serious socktime!

Challenges and Identity

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Fiona's untitled thoughts on Paraguay.

2012-02-05 20:13:00

Im guessing most people who read my blog (if in fact anyone does *wink*), have already read this. For those who haven't, its an article I wrote about the challenges of being an lgbt volunteer in rural Paraguay. I was hesitant to put the link on my blog incase it became some sort of security issue, however I think that is incredibly unlikely. Plus, as I explain in my little essay, the stress of being closeted at site is enough. I dont want to censer and second guess my self in other facets of my life as well.

Ironically, having to be closeted in my day to day life has made my sexuality a more central part of my identity that it ever was before. The very need to hide who I am has made me relies how important that part of me is.

I have lots more to say on this, but for now Ill just leave you with the link to the article, and adorable photos from the pre-school graduation. The kids were dancing in boy-girl pairs, and then they were told to change partners... so most of them went to their best friends, resulting in same-sex pairs. Adorable.

Dear everyone

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Natalia's South American love affair

2012-02-05 02:09:00

Lately I've been trying to complete tasks on my to do list rather than procrastinate them. Part of my motivation is that my Mom and Rod are coming to Paraguay and I want all things to be in order for their arrival! I have a bad habit of hoarding things here. I have the best intentions and always think of how things could be used for some sort of craft...it's a sort of madness. Anyway, I found myself cleaning out my inbox tonight and found emails and comments from my blog during training.

I just wanted to cry. I am so thankful for the for the support I've had during this journey. You have no idea how much any positive comment has helped me. Letters, messages, and packages...people have been fantastic. I found heart warming comments from my fellow UNT Social Work ladies, from friends of all walks, family, and from unexpected people whom I'm not in contact with regularly.

Emails from my Dad are always special because he's not that computer savvy. He always had the date of my last blog memorized because he would check it so often to see if I had written anything new. My Mom has flooded my inbox with photos of any family event that has ever happened and has sent worried messages every time I've been sick. "Natalie, are you okay today? I haven't heard from you."

My Aunts have sent packages filled with food and spices, my friends from England have even spoiled me! People have gone out of their way to send wedding invitations and Christmas cards to me...such simple gestures, but they have always meant the world.

To those that have made the effort to call me, thank you so much. That has been very special. And visited me!! Thank you, Kamyon!

During training it was really hard because everything was new and I had little contact with my former world. The few phone calls I received were through a bad connection, and when I finally had the chance to use Skype, nobody was available! I felt so far away from everybody. My mom was trying to figure out how she could call me and I had no idea if I would have a regular internet connection.

And here I am, two years later. It's weird how adjusted I am. The things that annoy me sill annoy me(Having to ride a bike everywhere, feeling trapped in the heat, putting up with too many cat calls, bad roads, stares, lack of social life), but my home feels like home. I feel like I have to uproot again soon and that's hard. It's the strangest feeling and I don't know quite how to describe it.

I was just reading the responses from my early blogs and saw how excited everyone was for me and I wanted to thank you. When I was sick, when I missed home or felt lonely, you are what helped pull me through this journey. I may have already written something very similar to this before, but I mean it with all of my heart. Thank you everyone! Thank you for following me on this adventure.

Thank you for celebrating my successes with me, encouraging me when I've felt down, listening to my complaints with patience, and believing in me even when I could not.
I'm going to need you when I'm stunned from culture shock. Love to everybody! Muchisimas gracias.

Oh, and I'm going to be working on uploading all of my photos from the past year to get caught up so you guys can at least know what I've been doing. I want to try to connect my two worlds somehow! In case you don't have facebook, here is a video from my birthday!

Some of my world in Paraguay. It was a very shaky ride, but maybe you can still see how beautiful it is here! We were on our way to a river for my birthday!

Con mucho amor, Natalia

One Year in Paraguay by the Numbers

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Wilkins World Tour

2012-02-05 16:22:00

Jesus Cristo, has it been a year already? It sure doesn't feel like it. It seems like only yesterday we were nervously stepping off the plane into the sauna that is Paraguay. Now, we're seasoned volunteers fully immersed in a culture that once seemed so foreign. These past twelve months have been a blur. Though I can't help but wonder, if it's really been a year, shouldn't I be able to speak Spanish by now?

Before getting started, I feel the need to emphatically emphasize this post is completely tongue-in-cheek. We honestly love our neighbors, Paraguay and the work we're doing here. Below you will find some of the observations we've made about life here over the past 365 days. We mean no disrespect. With that being said, here's a disrespectful breakdown of our first year in Paraguay by the numbers:

7: spoonfuls of mayonnaise in a single serving of salad
1,000,000: times in a row our neighbor listens to a song before getting tired of it
3: plastic bags given to carry one egg from our local dispensa
41: books read during service thus far (apiece)
2: sizes too small Paraguayan men buy their t-shirts
67: times I've been asked why I have a beard
102: degrees Fahrenheit on a typical summer day
24: severed cow legs discovered on the roadside one day near Salto Monday
4: toads accidentally killed every time I cut the grass
5: highest number of people seen riding on one moto (not counting the baby)
10: flies that will bathe/have sex on my sandwich if it's momentarily left unattended
3: guaranteed misspellings/grammar mistakes on any t-shirt printed in English
20: minutes a Paraguayan needs to take money out of the ATM
14: prostitutes hanging outside the Palace Hotel in Asuncion this very second
7: teacher strikes last year
71: average days between blog posts
3: sharts
9: hour at which we completely lose water every night in the summer
237: conversations in Guarani we pretended to understand
4.5: acceptable number of days between showers in the winter
19: minutes a local will stand breathing over a trash fire before walking away for a cigarette
2: liters of soda consumed daily by a typical infant
58: rhinestones on every pair of ladies jeans
8: zippers on every pair of mens jeans
15: months we have left in service
6: members of the Peace Corps Paraguay family that contracted Dengue (that we know of)
1: gallon of sweat Carly loses every night in her sleep
202: miles run
8: longest stretch of days without pooping
15: shortest stretch of seconds between poops
19: eggplants in the garden
404: tomatoes in the garden (who knew 20+ tomatoes plants would be overkill?)
17: European countries poorly free-handed on our giant world map
0: kids that noticed how poorly Europe was drawn
33: days of vacation left to travel throughout South America
250: empanadas consumed
578: combined hours on the bus
5.5: longest wait in hours from the start of a BBQ to when the food was actually served
2: feet it is considered appropriate to step away from someone before peeing
23: times I've been asked why Carly and I don't have kids
23: times I've been asked if I have kids with another woman
23: times I've been asked if I was sterile
48: headbutts taken to the crotch when my little neighbors go in for a hug (I'm tall here)
0: regrets

Just to reiterate, this was supposed to be funny. You know we're crazy about you, Paraguay. Don't get all sensitive on us now--not after all we've been through.

Also, for those interested in a blog post that is actually informative, Carly has agreed to write something this week. Stay tuned, amigos.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Loco Mocos

2012-02-05 06:06:00

Eating raw octopus with fresh wasabi:

Walking through a cemetery toward Kyomizu-dera:

At Kyomizu-dera:

After a quick bus ride, we went to Nanzen-ji:

Monk's living quarters and zen rock garden at Nanzen-ji:

Octopus on a stick at the Nishiki market:

Austin being sucked into a black hole at the Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine:

The shrine is famous for its' 10,000 red gates. They're dedicated to the god of rice and business, Inari.

At Kinkaku-ji, the world famous golden temple:

Prayer and wish cards:

Eating rail-road style sushi. About $1.30 a plate and free green tea.

Pour your own beer machine at the sushi restaurant.

Eel over odong noodles:

More photos are at the link in the next post if anyone is interested.

Seoul National Museum

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Loco Mocos

2012-02-05 06:55:00

We went to check out the National Museum of Seoul yesterday. It is a monster of a place, palatial in size and scope. They trace the history of Korea back to the stone ages.

We spend two and a half hours checking out one third of the place. Plan a full 6 hours to see everything. You can see everything more comfortably in two days.

The museum is at Ichon station (line 1 or 4) exit 2. Admission is free.

More information: http://www.museum.go.kr/main/index/index002.jsp

Quick! Call now - time is running out!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Shining Like an International Guitar

2012-02-04 17:07:00

It’s going to be summer next week. Really excited for that. Granted, I have been able to drive around the Northeast with the windows down for three of the past seven days. So I guess that makes it a little less exciting. Also slightly diminishing the fact is that, when translated literally, the Guaraní term for “summer” apparently comes out to “Louisiana in the dead of July without A/C but with the humidity plus five extra degrees at times for good measure.” Go ahead. Look it up. Prove me wrong. I dare you.

Let’s get down to some nuts and bolts. If my previous posts are any indication, you’ve probably realized that I’m not too keen on this sort of discussion. Today, though, I’ll go ahead and humor you with a brief stroll through the hardware store. I leave Albany on Tuesday afternoon and arrive in Miami later that evening for orientation. On Wednesday, some other future expats and I will orientate and icebreak our way through the day before boarding a late night flight south. Somewhere on Thursday’s schedule, and not to be overlooked, is an arrival in Paraguay. I’ll go ahead and highlight that as *urgent* on my itinerary. I’d hate to skip that one.

And then it all happens.

As for communication over the next several weeks, bear with me. I will surely post updates on here and respond to all emails as time and Internet access permits. A mailing address will be coming shortly, as well. Stay tuned for that. Beginning on Tuesday, my (518) cell phone number will no longer work. Go ahead and call it if you’d like but know that I reserve the right to not call you back indefinitely and to look confused and hurt when you accuse me of not returning your calls.

Also, since I won’t be able to answer your future texts, please feel free to pick your favorite responses from the list below and use them as needed. I think I’ve got most situations covered:

Definitely.
Leaving now… Be there in 10.
Ok sounds good.
Yeah, I saw that – it was awesome.
can t now im dr ivng
Burnett blew another 6-run lead? For real?
[the second half of that Shins lyric you just awkwardly sent me]
Yes, Mom, I made it to _______ safely. Sorry I didn't text you first thing when I got there.

I suppose this will be the last time I update this blog while I’m in NY. I travelled throughout the area a lot over the past three weeks. I’ve had an unreal amount of fun and said too many goodbyes. Some of the toughest are yet to come. I hesitate to use the word “emotional” because I really hate what its everyday connotation implies. It conjures images of weakness and instability. It evokes the scene where a giant, soaking Alice, cake in hand, helplessly cries herself a flood because she knows no other way of coping with a changing environment. I’ve yet to shed a goodbye tear and, truthfully, I probably won’t. That’s not typically my outward nature. But I still can’t think of a better word to describe the recent days and weeks other than “emotional.” That’s exactly what it’s been – a flurry of emotions and I’m thankful to have shared them with so many wonderful people.

Paraguay has some big shoes to fill. This is a statement I’ve thrown around somewhat facetiously over the past few months. Now, though, I say it genuinely and without pretense.

Have a happy, healthy and unbelievably awesome 2012, America!

Thinking Smaller

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Rate of Exchange || Notes from Paraguay

2012-02-03 20:12:00

Volleyball at dusk

I’ve spent a lot of my time as a Peace Corps volunteer struggling. I struggle with language. I struggle with finding my place in my community. I struggle with maintaining relationships back home. I struggle with finding projects and people to work with. Then I struggle with sustainability. I struggle with what comes next. Inherent to the Peace Corps experience, every volunteer I meet struggles with something--more often, many things.

Ready for another icebreaker?

A recent RPCV reflected in her blog that as an organization Peace Corps finds success in teaching us how to fail. When you grow up playing on soccer teams that don’t keep score, you don’t always learn how to deal with rejection gracefully. And Peace Corps volunteers face constant rejection and failure. We interview our neighbors about their needs and when we set up trainings to meet those needs nobody comes--even when the whole town promises that they’ll attend. We facilitate the foundation of a much anticipated community group and meeting attendance nose drives after the third gathering. The sit-down your community contact agreed to during your first few days in town gets pushed back weekly.

Over and over again we tell ourselves, “you only need to reach one.”

During training, our country director shared the story of a pair of volunteers serving together in the early 1960s who reached one: Alejandro Toledo. As in former Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo. Born into extreme poverty, he ended up with a PHD from Stanford. A potential reached, he frequently explains, through the support and guidance of Peace Corps volunteers.

When you reach one, they reach others. Alejandro Toledo reached millions.

I have no intention of holding myself to the standards set by Nancy Deeds and Joel Meister, arguably some of the most effective Peace Corps volunteers in the history of the program. I do, though, try to place my focus on reaching just one and celebrating small wins.

"Who will change the world?"

This past week, many members of our sector (Community Economic Development) got to reach just one as a group. Ñande Ha’e Tenonderã (We Are the Future) Leadership Camp gathered almost thirty volunteers with seventy Paraguayans between the ages of fourteen and twenty-four to share four days of leadership, development, and self-esteem training. Youth participated in seminars presented by various Paraguayan NGOs, engaged in many team-building exercises, and partook in countless icebreakers.

Opening night charlas

Teatro'i and creative problem solving

In our final activity, the youth formed two circles, one inside of the other. While the inner circle stood with their eyes closed, the outer circle walked around them and responded to a series of questions by touching members of the inner circle on the shoulder. “Who made you laugh this week?... Who changed your mind about something this week?... Who will change the world?”

By the end of the exercise, many of the youth could not contain their tears. Many of the volunteers could not contain their satisfied smiles. The camp meant something--something maybe even life changing--to these kids. They met, they exchanged ideas, and they realized that they really could change their worlds. The volunteers didn’t create any of it, we just supplied the tools these youth needed to get there on their own.

Early morning Taekwando

Only in Paraguay... do harps make the summer camp packing list

I had personal goals for each of our kids. I hoped our fourteen year old would gain a new perspective while seeing more of Paraguay, our fifteen year old would start to realize his own leadership potential and gain some organizational skills, and our sixteen year old would connect with like minded individuals and learn that others share his dream for his country. All of them grew more in four days than I knew possible.

Introducing s'mores to Paraguay

A train of excited jovenes pulls into the Caaguazú bus terminal

As we left camp, the kids sang and danced in the Caaguazú terminal and promised to keep in touch. They made plans for our re-connect camp in July and confirmed everyone’s name on Facebook. I started to question if we’d ever manage to herd them all on to buses. Eventually, the southern contingency made our way onto a packed double decker headed back towards the capital. Little did I know, on the way home from camp I would reach one of my personal goals too.

Standing in the aisle and pressed against strangers, our fourteen year old surrendered to motion sickness all over herself, me, and another man. Surprisingly, no one got up to offer her a seat. In fact, no one seemed all that put off by the incident. About twenty minutes later the seat next to where we stood opened up. As I ushered my youth toward it, a young man tried to sneak in.

Now, we’ve all heard the story about the mother, who upon seeing her toddler stuck under the wheel of a car, summons the strength to lift the vehicle and pull her kid to safety. My “(substitute) mom” adrenaline came in a different form: without thinking, I grabbed this teen by the waist, pulled him from the seat, and plainly explained to him why he’d have to stand for just a little longer. Evidently I have picked up a little Spanish along the way after all. (Of course my body language could have had a lot to do with my clarity, but this still counts as a victory.)

Later that night, around 9:30pm while our youngest slept off her nausea, I got to do some eavesdropping. Nearly nine hours into our journey and still an hour and a half from home, in a pitch dark bus surrounded by dozing strangers, our fifteen and sixteen year old started planning a project that would ultimately benefit our entire community. They even considered logistical issues regarding reaching our most isolated rural areas. To call myself proud wouldn’t even begin to cover it.

When we finally reached the entrance to our town, the boys excitedly bounced ideas off each other as we walked the two kilometers back from the main route. Our fourteen year old, still not quite yet awake held back, half listening. Worried that a rough bus ride sullied her camp experience, as we approached her house I asked her, “Did you miss our town?” “A little,” she replied. “But I miss camp more.”

Over the next few months, I can’t wait to see where this new-found enthusiasm takes them--even if it means struggling to get our camp’s theme song out of my head. Aaaaaaaauuuuuuuuttttoooo-estima....

"Auto-estima, no se puede comprar. Auto-estima, viene de adentro...."

"Self-esteem, you can't buy it. Self esteem, it comes from within...."

The Southern Contingency: On Wednesday, we left before sunrise. At 4:45am we collected the kids from each of their houses and exchanged goodbye kisses with their mothers. In the dark of early morning, we could barely make out their expressions. Excitement? Fear? Two thirds of our youth had never before traveled without parent and yet they headed halfway across the country with two Nortes who possess only limited Spanish. Around 11pm the following Saturday we returned everyone safe, sound, and ready to work.

Kevin, Vero, Damian, Joanna, and Luis

heyyyy

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay do you know danny?

2012-02-03 17:23:00

hey guys, been a while jaja

almost forgot that i had this thing....well i saw most of you last month so theres not tooo much to comment on seeing as i probably told all of you most of my stories...

but there are a couple new projects to update you all on....

so for the last month i have been a volunteer with a program that is called escuelas abiertas ooooor open schools. it is a youth activity based program designed to get kids out of their houses during the summer. we met in the highscool everyday for a month, 3 hours a day to do activities with the younger kids.....sports, dance, theatre, and art projects. then finally a couple days ago it all culminated with a nice show that they all did for the parents to show them what we had been working on.........
but what made the whole thing worth it, the last night, a young little girl, maybe 6 years old, came up to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. i almost started crying. definitely teared up. its for those moments that we do what we do :)

hey guys, been a while jaja

also my friend and i have been organizing a workshop for street and traffic education. a couple reps from various organizations from the capital are coming in to town today to give a charla to a group of 20 people to capacitate them on the subject. it will take place tonight and all day tomorow. then these people will go around to the highschools giving charlas and hopefully doing similar workshops with the kids. moto accidents are the number one cause of death in this country and it is a huge issue which its seems people are just starting to take notice of.
we are also pulling to get street signs put in our town which has been a very long term project that i have already told you all about. these are all connected and hopefully will all come to realization very soon. we are hoping to install a drivers ed class as well because as of right now there is no prerequisite to get a drivers license.

ok so here is a list of terms which i realize i have been using and you all probably have no idea what they mean...

also recently we did another leadership camp for the jovenes. it was 4 day camp where 20 volunteers brought kids from all over the country to share and learn about leadership in their community and to become a part of the international red of jovenes that we are forming in paraguay. it was very fun and well organized. the last day everyone cried before parting ways jeje

municipalidad (muni) = mayors office (municipal??)
intendente = mayor
joven(es)= youth(s)
charla = speach or presentation or talk

that should cover it for now if there are other vocab words in question please let me know....

I would like to buy a hamburger...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Bryce in Transition

2012-02-03 17:03:00

Ugh, no kidding. One that preferably came from Grizzly Peak. I gotta stop doing this to myself...

I consider myself a big fan of Steve Martin. He is, after all, responsible for classics like The Three Amigos, Father of the Bride, and The Jerk, and also gave us the great "I miscounted the men!" line from 30 Rock. However, not every movie made by a funny guy can be great. Hence The Pink Panther. How they ever made a sequel to this horrendous remake of the Peter Sellers versions from the 60s, I will never understand. This movie is awful. Made even more awful by the presence of Beyonce, who should stick to singing and pretending to have babies (what is happening in the United States?! Seriously.).

Why am I writing all of this. Obviously I´m a little out of it. Here´s a clip of this awful movie... the ONLY good part of this movie.

This is an incredibly accurate picture of how life has been for me in the last few weeks with my landlord´s family. Sometimes I´m playing the role of the teacher, trying to get correct pronunciations for words like "Milk" or "Horse" (I´m sure you can imagine where that one usually ends up, haha). Sometimes I´m playing the part of the student, trying desperately to correctly say words like "Ypycarai" or "Sapu`apu`a," which I´m positive that I´m even spelling wrong.

Either way, I guess it´s always good for a laugh, and finding ways to laugh is key to survival out here in the campo.

Happy 2012!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Just One of the Guays

2012-02-02 21:43:00

Who?

Oh yes, them.

The Carter Langes are still alive in Paraguay! We are attempting to resuscitate the blog for 2012. Here it goes:

Backing up to 2011, in December we convened a group of women community members who were interested in making homemade soap. We held the first meeting to plan who would bring what ingredients, when and where it would take place, etc. The next week 10 women got together and made soap! It was great to some community members that otherwise may not cross paths working, laughing, and learning together.

Also in December, we spent two weeks seemingly doing nothing but celebrating birthdays and holidays in our community. Almost every day we were invited to a family's home for a big gathering, lots of wine, and of course, more food than we could possibly eat. However, we missed the Paraguayan celebration of Christmas and New Year's (watermelon and fireworks; sounds like the 4^th of July) to return to good old Oregon!

Over three weeks we were ecstatic to see and catch up with family members and friends. We got to tell some of our favorite stories face-to-face and even taught a little Guarani to the people of North America. We were interviewed for the local paper and got a full-page writeup complete with color photos. We also enjoyed numerous delicious, comforting meals, Pacific Northwest wine and beer, and went three entire weeks without eating manioc. It was a lovely vacation.

In January, we returned to South America in the middle of Summer. While we were gone, Paraguay had suffered the hottest day in its recorded history, and was in the middle of what would be 19 days without rain (it usually rains about once a week in Paraguay). Needless to say, it was hot. We also learned that when your house is made of brick and concrete, although the sun has gone down, it does not stop the aforementioned bricks from radiating heat through the night. It was so hot that the supposed “cold” water in our shower came out hot, as the ground was hot enough to heat the pipes underneath.

While we were re-acclimating ourselves to heat, Guarani, and manioc, we learned good news: our group of women soap makers had met every week while were gone and had become a regular soap-making factory! This is a sustainable developer's dream scenario: a grassroots project that is carried on by the people of the community and is sustainable economically (the ingredients' costs are low and split between the group members), politically (it is not dependent on a certain politician or party in power), and environmentally (nearly all of the ingredients are available locally). Most importantly, it is self-perpetuating; meaning they are not dependent on Tegan and I to organize, resolve conflicts, etc. We are also proud that the group includes a cross-section of families and mini-communities in the area without being dominated by any one of them.

This week, we have enjoyed a refreshing change in the weather (temperature in the high 80s instead of high 90s) and finally have energy to do more than just sit in the shade, sweat, and complain about the heat. We have taken advantage of the weather to run around with our kid-friends, cook, do laundry, and finally buy chairs that weren't outlawed by the Nuremberg trials. We look forward to the start or a new school year this February, not only as that will signal a downturn in the daily temperature, but that we will be able to involve ourselves once again in the group of parents, teachers, and students that make up an active school community. Until then, we hope the best for you and yours, and thanks for being patient with our infrequent blog posts!

Paraguayan Food

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay The Escobar's take on Seattle

2012-02-02 21:04:00

www.tembiuparaguay.com

Without almidon making chipa may be difficult.

Or if you are lazy and live in Seattle and want an empanada

http://www.marialuisaempanadas.com/menu.html

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Green Card Interview

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay The Escobar's take on Seattle

2012-02-02 18:59:00

5 Months!

It's been 5 months since David and I made our journey to the United States. 5 months of new experiences, good times and changes.

About 30 days after we were married David and I filed the applications for the I-485 (application for permanent residence (green card)) and the I-765 (application for work authorization). The I-765 is filed because the green card usually takes awhile so if you file for the I-765 you can legally work in the meantime.

A month after filing we received an appointment notice for the biometrics interview. So we went to the Department of Homeland Security office in Seattle and David had his picture and finger prints taken and then we were sent home. Not really knowing what was going to happen next. I assumed that the EAD (employment authorization document) would arrive shortly and David could start looking for work...

We then received our notice ( a month after the biometrics interview) for David's permanent residence (green card) interview that would be on February 1, 2012. At this point we still hadn't received the EAD card. Then a week before the interview David received his EAD card!!! Yay! I was excited that he was officially allowed to work but at the same time a little bitter. The application for this work authorization card cost about $100. And it came a week before the interview for permanent residence. I was thinking "what a waste of $100". I was thinking the EAD card was useless because we'd go to the interview, in a week, and the green card would be approved then he'd be a permanent resident and allowed to work and wouldn't need the EAD card.

Well we went to the interview yesterday, February 1st 2012. We took a translator with us because it would have been a conflict of interest if I, the wife, translated for David. The interview was SOO weird.

I had researched about these interviews and we were totally ready for tons of personal questions about each others families and about our marriage. My cousin and her husband also just did the green card interview and they told us to be ready to answer biographical questions about each other and other personal questions. Well the interviewer asked David how we met. He answered in English. She asked me where I worked. She asked us how the wedding was. We then showed her pictures. She asked ME to identify my family members. She asked how many people attended. She asked if we had a ceremony in Paraguay, we showed pictures of our going away party with his family and she asked DAVID to identify his family members. She then asked for proof of shared finances and that we live in the same place and that I've changed my name. I gave her all of our bank statements, lease agreement, health insurance etc. Then she asked the generic questions like if David's been involved in terrorist actives, if he's been involved in prostitution etc.

Then it was over. She asked NO personal questions. She said she didn't think they'd be needing any more documents from us. And that we'd be getting a letter in the mail with the answer. I asked how long and she said "as soon as possible".

Why didn't she ask any personal questions? I guess we should be happy that it went so quickly and was super easy. But its nerve racking that your future is in someone elses hands. What if they are having a bad day and say "no"? Was it so obvious that we are happily married that she didn't need to ask any questions? I had my dad call my aunt to see if my cousin and her husband got an answer the same day as their interview. They didn't. Their interviewer told them it could be 2 weeks to 3 months to get the letter in the mail!!!

So now I don't think the EAD card was a waste of money. Because if it takes 3 months to get the green card David wouldn't be able to start looking for work until then. He's English is improving rapidly and he is anxious to get out of the house. We've started working on his resume and hopefully within the next few days he can start applying for jobs!

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Can I ask you a favor?

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay I left on a jet plane

2012-02-02 18:48:03

My name is Manuel Colón, I’m 23 years old, and I’m currently serving in Paraguay as an Environmental Education volunteer with Peace Corps and I want to ask a favor of you. Every year the National Peace Corps Association celebrates March 1^st as their National Day of Action where they advocate for Peace Corps (its existence, its expansion, and its continued success) and I would like for you to participate too. No, I’m not asking you to fly all the way to Washington, DC and join them in their formal meetings on Capitol Hill (but if you can, more power to you). What I would like you to do however is to take five or ten minutes to make a phone call, write a letter, send an email, and/or send a fax to your congressman and express your support of the Peace Corps. Attached you will find a document with the name, contact information, and track record of Illinois’ congressmen to help facilitate your contact with them.

Why should you support the Peace Corps? Well, since 1961 the Peace Corps has been working towards John F. Kennedy’s visions of providing interested nations a corps of trained American men and women who not only engage in technical assistance projects, but engage in cultural exchange with the end goal of having citizens of the world truly, honestly having an accurate understanding of one another in an effort to establish global peace through cooperation. While the world has definitely evolved since Peace Corps’ commencement shortly over 50 years ago amidst the Cold War, it still fills a pretty important role in American diplomacy and aide development. And surprisingly, the agency doesn’t generally ask, or need much to do amazing projects all around the world. As the Secretario de Juventud recently said to my bosses and I in a meeting, “I’m always impressed with how much all you Peace Corps volunteers accomplish, often with such little resources”.

In fact, according to a recent article by, fellow returned Peace Corps volunteer and news anchor, Chris Mathews, the entire annual budget of the Peace Corps is less than the United States Army…marching band. More money is spent by the United States Government in Iraq in five hours than is spent on supporting over 8,000 volunteers in 68 countries worldwide in one year. Additionally, five days in Iraq is equivalent to the entire operation budget of Peace Corps over the last 50 years! And I ask you, which do you think is bringing more peace to the world? However, Peace Corps often finds itself under attack and defending its existence by some very vocal, disgruntled congressmen who demand less funding and sometimes complete shutdown.

We have definitely felt the economic squeezes from Congress here in Paraguay over the last year since I’ve arrived. We’ve had to let go some of our language trainers (though cultural integration is key to our mission), the closing of a Regional Office (that supported volunteers in the southern region), and even had to phase our Education sector (while roughly 60% of Paraguay is considered “youth”). It’s been speculated that budget concerns, in addition to safety concerns, have also fueled some of the recent shut down of posts around the world including Kyrgyzstan, Honduras, and the phasing out of El Salvador and Guatemala.

In a few short weeks, after an entire year of planning, I will execute a sector-wide, three-day camp called “Paraguay Verde” that I’ve been co-organizing meant to provide training for environmental youth groups. 56 youth from different parts the country will participate with the volunteers in their communities with about 80 participants in total. To me, it’s the embodiment of the Peace Corps mission at large, and my work here in the country: to provide technical training and assistance to host country nationals to give them the skills they need to advance. In a nutshell, helping people help themselves. Our main partner is A Todo Pulmon, Paraguay Respira that helped PCVs in Paraguay plant over 90,000 native trees in a variety of reforestation, beautification, greenhouse, and crop rotation projects. Other institutional participants will be the World Wildlife Fund, SEAM (The Environmental Minstry), Guyra Paraguay (member of Birdlife International), SENATUR (the Tourism Ministry), Fundación Moises Bertoni, and others.

So, if you think that all I’ve just shared with you is enough reason for Peace Corps to continue, I ask you to please participate this year and contact your congressmen and express your support for our agency.

Thanks in advance,

Manuel

Happy Anniversary!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay A Peaceful Traveler

2012-02-02 17:06:00

Today marks my one-year anniversary in Paraguay. It’s a happy day, and also a reflective one.

Has the time flown by? Yes and no. There were times in San Pedro where I’d literally watch the minutes on wristwatch tick away. There were also entire months that passed so quickly that I could barely catch my breath. Now I’m here in Caacupé, learning how to navigate my new community, my new role, my new contacts. I have so much more in my toolbox this time around and for that I’m grateful.

Now is the time that Peace Corps volunteers do some serious self-inventory. What have you accomplished in your service so far? What types of relationships have you built? Where do you see yourself at this time next year? Are you still happy you joined up?

In terms of accomplishment, I feel that I’ve grown a lot during my time in Paraguay. That response is stereotypical, and with good reason. I’ve learned how to manage awkward encounters and handle gossip and walk with my head held high while men hiss at me. I’ve learned to wash my own clothes without a machine and cut weeds with a machete and kill tarantulas with a squeegee. I’ve learned how to cook well with limited ingredients. I’ve learned how to drink tereré in the shade and talk about nothing for hours. I’ve learned that I can live well and happily without a lot of material things. I’ve learned that popcorn and whiskey are sometimes an appropriate dinner option. But I think the most important thing I’ve learned so far is how to advocate for myself. I never realized how important it was to develop that skill, especially as a woman. I’d still be in San Pedro, unhappy and unfulfilled, if I hadn’t stood up for myself. I only wish I would have done it sooner.

Workwise, I honestly don’t have much to show for myself. The reason for this is partly situational and partly personal. I hope 2012 proves to be much more fruitful in that respect, because I really do believe that education, with an emphasis on literacy and creativity, is this country’s ticket out of extreme poverty. It’s an uphill battle, especially when many involved in this country’s educational system have been so beaten down that they use apathy as a shield against years of disappointment and broken promises. Development work, by its nature, is slow and oftentimes frustrating. However, I feel that Caacupé will be much more receptive to some of the ideas I’ve been sent to promote.

I feel very lucky with the number of friends and contacts I’ve developed over the last year. I’m starting the process over again in Caacupé, but as I mentioned earlier, this time around I have much more cultural literacy. Plus, I’m not nearly as scared. Bad stuff happened and I’m still standing. I’ve already weathered a storm and I’m more confident in my ability to do so again, if necessary. But I really hope I don’t have to.

Next year, I hope to look back at my time in Caacupé with pride. I hope I’ll leave this place a little better off than when I came. I hope I’ll have some semblance of a plan for what my life will look like when I go back home. I hope I’ll continue to be happy.

And as for the last question, yes, I’m still glad I joined. Definitely yes.

skills learned in the Peace Corps (so far)

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay chalk drawings

2012-02-02 01:23:00

1. how to cut bamboo with a hacksaw
2. how to split bamboo with a machete
3. how to draw water from a well
4. how to bathe with half a bucket of water
5. how to milk a cow
6. how to make cheese from the milk
7. how to say "I'm sorry, I don't understand, can you please explain?" in Guarani
8. how to wash my clothes by hand
9. how to write a really great love letter

early morning walk

pending skills to learn:
1. how to care for chickens
2. how to get rid of my cat's fleas
3. how to graft mango trees
4. how to make soap
5. how to garden
6. how to tie a knot for every occasion
7. how to build a wooden table, shelf, or chair
8. how to say, "I'm sorry, I think it was a cultural misunderstanding" in Guarani
9. how to build a solar dryer

Thermos Assumptions

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Fiona's untitled thoughts on Paraguay.

2012-02-01 20:34:00

A few weeks ago, my family left Paraguay after a three week visit. Being able to spend the holidays together was wonderful. I am happy that in the future, when I talk about Paraguay and my experience here, they will truly have an understanding of what I am saying.

Now. On to Tereré.

Thanks to my friend Teresa loaning us her tereré thermos (my Dad is holding it in the photo above), I was able to get my family quite devoted to the fantastically refreshing drink of the Paraguayan Summer. Also, thanks to the thermos, I felt super Paraguayan. This point was driven home, when a group of four American tourists spotted us with the thermos on a bus to Iguazu Falls (technically in Argentina, but right on the boarder of Paraguay and Brail), and started talking in English about it. They assumed we couldn’t understand them!

One of the women not so subtly pointed to the thermos and said “look! That’s for drinking mate.”

My mother over heard this and decided she was thirst for some tereré so we started serving ourselves. The tourists watched us serve and pass the guampa back and forth and started discussing mate.

“Do you think its tastes any good?” one girl said.

“It has drugs in it you know” another says.

“Really? Wow. What kind of drugs? I wonder how ad

dictive it is” says the first girl.

“You got to watch out for things like that” says a friend.

“I bet they are real addicted” says another.

All four turn and watch us drink away.

At this point, tired of suppressing my laughter and tired of pretending I didn’t notice them staring at us, I start talking to my mother in English while watching the tourists out of the corner of my eye.

There eyes go wide as it dawns on them that we have understood anything they have said. They look abashed and say nothing for the rest of the ride.

What was interesting about all of this, is that it was the first time (that I’m aware of) that I have been mistaken for a South American… and it was all due to the tereré thermos. To be at ease using something so iconic of the region was enough to trump my other extranjero features (skin color, Chaco sandals, hair cut). In fact they must have mistaken my whole L.L.Bean clad family for South Americans.

Granted, like any slightly caffeinated drink, it can be addictive… but honestly. They were a little quick to judge something they clearly have no knowledge of. Also, I can understand the assumption that no one will understand English in campo Paraguay; I make that assumption everyday. Infrequently a Paraguayan English teachers or a Mormon convert will prove me wrong, and will strike up a conversation. But making the assumption that no one understands English while visiting one of the biggest tourists attraction in South America is just naive.

I plan on buying my very own thermos next week.

Ñande Haé Tenonderã

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay d & e

2012-02-02 00:42:30

En primer lugar, quiero agradecer a todos los voluntarios y la red nacional de jóvenes que ponen a este campamento de la juventud (Ñande Hae Tenonderã) juntos! Este campamento incluye cerca de 70 jóvenes de todo el Paraguay. Compartieron ideas sobre cómo … Continue reading →

Railroad Ties

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Shining Like an International Guitar

2012-02-02 00:52:00

There’s a pretty notable nature preserve located in and around my hometown in New York. It’s hardly the most interesting place to explore, but it’s considered something of a local treasure among 7^th grade science teachers and butterfly enthusiasts alike. At the end of the day, though, wandering through the Pine Bush Preserve is simply a more desirable way to pass an afternoon than strolling through the mall.

Several weeks ago I was doing exactly this – following the yellow-marked trail a couple miles through soggy terrain when, around one bend, the trail happened upon a new, unmarked path to the left. After walking a short distance in this direction I noticed a clearing a couple hundred feet through the woods. Weaving through trees and brush I reached the open space and discovered a healthy stretch of railroad laying several miles in either direction. Even though the tracks could hardly count as secluded - you could easily see an overpass with decent traffic flow a mile or two down the straightaway - I thought my little discovery was pretty cool. But what I thought would be really cool, however, would be to watch a train ride by up close from where the woods met the clearing.

I crouched for 20 or 30 minutes but nothing came. Turning back, I decided to return in a few days and stake out a spot where I could patiently wait for a train to chug by me in the woods. In my mind, I figured this would be a neat - though admittedly romanticized - little event. It was hard not to imagine the simple amusement of hearing a low whistle in the distance as it crescendos to a blaring locomotive exploding through the quiet woods. Who wouldn’t be mesmerized by a powerful freight train speeding by just fast enough to make counting the sixty or seventy boxcars impossible? Or by the rainbow blur of graffiti screeching alongside the rusty, battered cars? With no one around, wouldn’t it be cool to imagine that, if the train was going slow enough, you could hop on up and insert yourself into a sort of Mark Twain adventure?

I thought so, at least, and a week later I set out over scattered patches of snow to arrive at the same spot looking out on the tracks. The scene was set – heightened by the sense that I was off the marked trail and possibly in violation of some vague trespassing ordinance - and I was ready to patiently wait all day for my train to pass if necessary. Heck, the longer the wait the more rewarding the payoff, right? Well, not even ten minutes passed before I heard a whistle and saw a white light off in the distance moving east-to-west. Then, not 30 seconds later, the train was barreling by. And then, just five seconds later, it was past me and gone. So much for trying to count hundreds of cars or read the graffiti or imagine all the places it might be headed or what cargo it’s taking there.

For the record, I was able to do all that but the result was pretty underwhelming: There was a whopping total of four cars, the graffiti was a neatly stenciled Amtrak logo, the cargo was probably a few dozen business suits passing through Albany and it was gone quicker than it got here. Talk about a letdown. I didn’t even get the chance to stake it out all afternoon! Plus, I was reminded how much I hate that terrible whooshing feeling you get while waiting at the subway station as the train zooms in. And I’m damn sure that Huck Finn never hopped an Amtrak. Where’s the poetry in all that?

And so, fast-forward a month and a half. I guess my biggest concern as I get ready to embark on the next two years is what if it can’t live up to the scene I’ve set in my mind? What if my imagination is so revved up that reality has no choice but to be underwhelming? If over the course of one week I can overhype an ordinary railroad track in the middle of nowhere then it’s scary what sorts of damage my mind can do leading up to a foreign experience complete with a new country, job, people, and opportunities.

I have made it a point to temper my expectations as best I can about where I will be going and what projects I will be working on and everyone that I will be meeting. To be honest, that hasn’t been as horribly difficult as you might believe. What I’ve been unable to do, however, is avoid imagining how incredible the experience as a whole might be. It’s been close to six months since I’ve known that my destination is Paraguay and that boils down to a lot of time inside my own head. I cannot wait for the moment next week when I get to erase my notion of what this experience ought to be like and replace it with what it actually is.

Crossing the Border: La Quiaca, Argentina to Villazon, Bolivia

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Nick and Lora's Infinite Adventure: South America bottom to top

2012-02-02 00:29:00

I was particularly nervous of this border crossing because I had heard many horror stories about crossing into Bolivia. I heard from other Peace Corps volunteers that crossing from Paraguay to Bolivia was particularly tricky, and that I needed to show them 9 different documents from my yellow fever vaccine to a paper saying I have no criminal record in Paraguay. That was actually a big reason why we didn't go right into Bolivia from Paraguay! This border crossing at Quiaca, I heard, could take 6 hours to get through. Was not looking forward to that.
We had a short (for us) 7 hour ride from Salta to Quiaca that left at 12:30am and arrived at 7:30am. Since it was an overnight ride we thought everything would be ok but it was not. The cellphone of the guy across from us kept ringing and no one was waking up but us! Then the people behind me (after kicking my seat many times) woke up at 6 and decided that since they were up, it was ok to talk at high conversation volume. Also, cell phone guy kept his curtain open and the streetlights kept blinding me so I had to wrap my hoodie around my face. I keep thinking about those little eye covers you get on a plane that I left in my dresser in Paraguay.

We get off the bus, hit the bathroom then take a taxi for 7 pesos to the border. It was chilly compared to when we left salta and I felt the difference in altitude right away.
We got in line to stamp out of Argentina thinking we may be at this for awhile but the crossing went really well! We actually had the most wait time getting out of Argentina. There was only one person at the window and she had decided to close the window and disappear for 40 mins out of the hour we were waiting. Got stamped out without a prob, walked across a little bridge and we were in Bolivia! Only took half an hour to get in as well and that was with me buying a visa! I told this guard on the bridge that I was from the States and he took me right into the office and gave me this big white paper to fill out. I'm sure they were happy for me to show up since I was about to give them $135 USD but they were quite nice. I just had to hand over the money and a copy of my passport and that's that. They explained that I had the visa for 5 years and I can only be in Bolivia for 90 days out of each year and only enter 3x per year. When Nick and I were walking out another guard came over to me and explained again that I could only enter 3x per year and had 90 days in country. They reaally wanted to get that point across to me.
We exchanged some money, there are lots of places to, and headed for the terminal and right away jumped on a mini bus to Tupiza for 15 Bolivianos which is like, $2.20 for an hour and 15 min ride.

So far I like Bolivia! I was a little nervous going in because of the border crossing and just thinking about what the border crossing was like going from Argentina to Paraguay but Villazon wasn't bad and Tupiza has it's charm. I love that you can see Bolivian women wearing traditional garb still, something Paraguay doesn't have. They have swishy skirts and high socks, colorful blankets, a bowler cap and usually two braids, it's very quaint. And of course it's great to be back to these prices, still have a budget you know!

The bridge between Argentina and Bolivia

View of mountains surrounding Tupiza

Me walking across the bridge from our hostel into the center of Tupiza with all my stupid, big, heavy bags

Out of the blahhhh

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Adventures in Paraguay

2012-02-01 20:14:00

I've been a real grump lately and rather than depress everyone with my "debbie downer" attitude I decided to take a small break from blog writing. But I'm back to normal now (it help that I've had heaps of good news lately), or as normal as a person can be in Peace Corps, and ready for some updates.

As I mentioned, lack of work is driving me nuts. This was an unexpected side effect of getting married. When I've gone to visit people, they've actually said to me, "why aren't you at home taking care of your house and your husband?" Well I don't think my house will explode in the hour that I'm gone and my husband is a grown man and doesn't need me to babysit him. I thought I would be this great example of a hard-working super wife/volunteer but that's not what my community wants. It's frustrating but since it's summer and I only have 3 months left I'm trying to be tranquilo and embrace it.

In case you don't stalk me on Facebook, the good news that I was referring to was that I got accepted to Emory University, my top choice grad school for the Master's program in Global Epidemiology. Also, Elvio's visa petition got approved in record time. We still have several more things to do and he'll have to have an interview, which will hopefully be scheduled in April or May but the process is going a lot quicker than I expected, which makes me happy.

I went to my Close of Service conference last week. It was the first time I had seen some of my fellow G-32 volunteers in almost 2 years, which was weird. At first it was awkward for me being in such a large group of Americans (yeah, 41 Americans together is a large group for me) but it was nice to see everyone and talk about readjusting to left in the US. I realized to need to be a lot better about taking pictures to document these last 3 months.

Speaking of pictures:

Our house!

G-32 at our Close of Service Conference, aka best group of volunteers ever :)

Our dog, Modelo. Elvio gave her a haircut so she doesn't look so much like a gremlin anymore.

Rainbow! This made me happy :)

Build Me Up

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Not Lost in Translation

2012-02-01 17:28:28

Just when you’ve decided in the privacy of your own head (of course it is not to be repeated out loud, as that might make it true) that it may be next to impossible to inspire Paraguayans to action, you go to a four day youth leadership camp in Caaguazu, Paraguay. Skeptical, you help open [...]

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay "Peaces" of Paraguay

2012-02-01 14:27:00

“Super Chicas” a group of young ladies had our first meeting of the year! We discussed our purpose for the group: to learn something new, help with community needs, play soccer, cook—ultimately, just to have some fun!
We brainstormed ideas for how we’d like to spend our time when we meet up then played a game of “Two Truths and a Lie” (thank you InterVarsity small group ideas book!)
This past week, Maddie Smith, a volunteer who’s been in her site for over a year, invited me over to kill her chicken!! Maddie is working on a chicken coop project with her women’s committee. This chicken was ginormous, weighing in at over 7.5 pounds. After boiling, plucking the feathers, taking out the innards, cutting it into pieces, and cooking it in a marinade, we sat down to a delicious lunch!
The picture with the three ladies is of my host sister, Daiana, her mom, Odi, and Odi’s mom preparing dinner in our kitchen. Three generational photo, couldn’t let it pass without snapping a photo!
This past week, I also had the opportunity to milk a neighbor’s cow for the first time in my life!

“The Best Experience of My Life”

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Change Yourself...Change The World.

2012-01-31 20:45:38

Campamento Ñande Ha’e Tenonderä 2012 So last week our sector, Community Economic Development, held a 4 day leadership camp. Volunteers brought 1 or 2 youth from each of their communities to Caaguazu, a city in Paraguay where the camp was held. For four days we played games, danced, sung, and taught leadership activities to youth [...]

“The Best Experience of My Life”

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Change Yourself...Change The World.

2012-01-31 20:45:38

"On A Long Journey Even A Straw Weighs Heavy"

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay You've Got to Move by Yourself.

2012-01-31 05:54:00

The serious packing stage has begun. We are down to a week til I leave for Miami. I have completely taken over our living room with all of my stuff.

Tomorrow I'm going to do a test run and see how/if every thing will fit into all my these (below) bags and if they are under the 50 lb. weight limit. So if for some reason there is a serious problem I'll have a few days to try and figure it out.

Ahhh! I don't know how I'm going to do it.

In other news I've made a list of things I want to (try) to do before next Tuesday. I don't know how possible it will be but, its worth a try!

My New Day-To-Day

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Tom's Ramblings In Paraguay

2012-01-30 19:16:00

A lot of people have asked me about what kind of house I live in and what have I been doing over the past few weeks? This will be my modest attempt to catch everyone up on all the events that have occurred since my last update. Life for me is pretty much the same with a few minor changes. A week ago I planted my garden, and am currently in the process of trying to grow tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, beats, lettuce, and cucumber. My biggest problem is the chickens. Despite spending what seemed like days trying to fix up this rickety old fence that surrounds the garden using exclusively recycled wood, rusty nails, and random lengths of wire. My efforts yielded some success initially, but it wasn’t until I took the time to chase the chickens around the garden for what seemed like hours that I was able to accurately determine the weak parts of the fence. In spite of those efforts I am never truly surprised when I walk into my garden to see this one particular chicken rummaging through the area that I planted. Luckily to this point I have not noticed any significant damage to my seedbeds, so I have not had to machete any chickens…yet.

My other activities include being dirty, sunburned, and sweaty. I never in a million years thought the sentence “man I cannot wait for that bucket bath tonight” would ever come out of my mouth, but amazingly it did and I am grateful to have it. I still feel pretty stuck in terms of finding things to do on a day-to-day. Recently I have been making a lot of pizzas with Mike, the volunteer who lives in the center of town, to raise money to send some teenage kids to a series of camps sponsored by Peace Corps. We entitled the endeavor Yankee Pizza, and to date we have made and sold about 17 pizzas with the proceeds going directly to funding the transportation for the upcoming camps. My sectors, Environmental Education and Conservation, camp is intended to connect youth from all over Paraguay to discuss environmental issues facing individual communities and Paraguay as a whole. It is the first time Peace Corps has done a specifically environmentally themed camp, so I don’t know how it’s going to go but I am sure it will be interesting. Needless to say cooking pizzas in 100° heat is brutal, but it is a great money making operation.

As for my living situation I currently share a house with a family of 6 people, 1 dog, 40 chickens, a couple of cows, and close to a dozen pigs. My room is small and sweltering hot because of the tin roof and the lack of drop ceiling. My biggest and easily best purchase was a fan that I bought the first day I was here. It is pretty much on nonstop when I am in my room and has probably saved my life to this point. Keeping clean is definitely a challenge though. I have noticed that no matter what I do I always seem to have a thin layer of dirt on all my cloths and the rest of my body that never quite seems to go away even with copious amounts of scrubbing. At least in the case of my family they appear be very clean. The house is swept and mopped every other day, bucket bathing are nightly occurrences, and the dishes are done immediately after meals. The one thing I have noticed though is a general lack of teeth brushing. For as clean as my family seems to be I have not once seen any of them brush their teeth. I find that weird especially because they all have their tooth brushes lined up in rows in the medicine cabinet, and could easily do it but don’t. As a kid I remember not liking brushing my teeth, but I find it amazing that Paraguayans take so much time cleaning their houses and yards yet fail to clean their teeth on a regular basis.

The rest of my house is pretty small for what you would expect a family of 6 to be living in. I feel a bit greedy being the only member of the family who has his own room, but also pretty fortunate. Most of the house has nice tile flooring including the bathroom. The exception being the kitchen, which has brick flooring making it easier to clean up after the chickens raid the kitchen leaving a mess on the floor. There are several sections of the house that were added on after the construction of the original house. One of the walls in my room was formally on he outside of the house before the family built the extra room. I think the nicest part of the housing situation though is the amount of space in the yard throughout the day my family will move around to different spots of the house to sit and drink terere. This probably happens at three different junctures once after the morning house cleaning, once immediately after lunch, and from about 4:30 until dinner. Easily done for about 4-7 hours in a give day. I usually take time to study Spanish or Guaraní during this down time. I find that by sitting and hearing them talk in Guaraní helps me better understand the words and sounds, but it is still hot or miss with comprehending everything. Some days are better then others with regards to language, but an elderly Paraguayan woman paid me a complement concerning my improvement in the language, so I guess I am getting better little by little recently paid me a complement.

This upcoming Thursday is my site presentation at the school in my barrio. What that means is that the heads of my sector will come to O’Leary and bring me the remainder of my luggage, give a brief presentation about the Peace Corps and what my roll as a volunteer will be in the community. My job is to give a brief introduction in Guaraní about myself and what types of projects I am interested in pursuing. The hard part will be getting people in the community to come to the school at 3 pm on Monday. I printed out a series of invitations, and have been handing them out, but I guess we will wait and see about the turnout. I have met a fair amount of people, but am not sure how many of them that I know well enough get them to come. Hopefully the incentive of soda and cookies will tip the balance.

Moving In!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Bryce in Transition

2012-01-30 15:50:00

Hello again! My site presentation was last Friday, and it went GREAT! Gloria and Kevin (the Ag Volunteer Coordinator) came to my site in the morning and we had tererè at my new house. I was not all the way moved in at that point, but it was still good to get the OK that everything there was good. The Site Presentation is basically a Peace Corps summary of our work, history, rules, and general information for the community. Gloria talked about my college degree and my work with the USDA a bit, and then launched into the rest of the info. Over 30 people showed up from San Jose! It was nice to have that support from the community.

I have spent the last few days fixing up the house and moving all of my things into it. I packed way too much. If you`re thinking of joining Peace Corps, UNDERPACK. It is easy to find things in Asuncion, and I brought way too much. Here is a quick tour of my house-

And some photos-

Inside the house. I am probably eventually going to get a new fridge and use this one as a pantry.

The porch is actually bigger than the inside of the house. Provides some much needed sombra!

Yay for a bike! No more six mile walks for a while!

I am super-happy in my new digs. There is still some work to be done, but over all I think it is going to work out great! It`s close enough that I can still hang out with Rodrigo and Rolando (my landlord`s nephews), and I get to use their shower and toilet, as well as their running water. So yay for that! Eventually I want to run a pipe down so I can have a spicket closer to the house. It is kind of a pain to make the trip down that hill with a bucket.

In the coming weeks I am going to be building a fence for my garden. I started my compost pile yesterday, and the soil is in desperate need of rejuvenation. It`s like a concrete parking lot out there.

Well, gotta go do some grocery shopping! I get to cook for myself now!

Salta: stopover

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Nick and Lora's Infinite Adventure: South America bottom to top

2012-01-30 01:51:00

Tim decided to tag along with us up to Bolivia, we decided to break up our trip north with a stop in Salta. We had to take two buses up with a midnight to 2:30 am stopover in Tucuman. The first bus we were on was ok but every movie they put on played 2x!!! That was not so good. The scenery on the way up though was pretty nice with the mountains and desserty-ish land.
Salta is considered a base for touring around this area. Apparently there are amazing things to see like canyons and great horseback riding trips but we just hung in the city. We got into the terminal with no where to go and tried to find a place online before noticing a guy peddling his hostel, 7 Duendes (dwarfs), he told us it was 50 ($12) pesos a night and offered us a free ride so we took it. Since it was still only 8am when we arrived we had to wait to get into a room, when we got in I passed out till 2pm. Once I awoke I took a much needed shower and Nick and I went into the center to look for a place to change money. We failed then went to the terminal to figure out our next move (to the boarder of Bolivia) then went to the anthropology museum where I thought displayed Incan mummy kids but after looking through it and just seeing alot of pots I realized we were wrong and they are in the museum of high altitude. Then we walked back and viewed the big cathedral, very ornately elaborate is what I can say describes it. I was done with walking after that and we came home and made a nice stir fry dinner which was much needed after eating so much white bread for the past 24 hours. We even drank our organic wine we bought in Mendoza so good.
The next day we tried to buy our bus ticket online because we would get a discount. Of course it wasn't working so back down to the terminal we go to buy it full price, off to Quaica to cross the boarder. After, Tim, Nick, me and this Aussi Spencer went on a cable car up to this hilltop to get a view of Salta. We got kinda lost walking back, found a supermarket and bought the makings for a nice Sunday roast dinner prepared by Tim. Twas lovely!

Church

funky tree

main plaza statue

another church

inside the elaborate church

first dinner

the organic wine and olives so good

view from the cable car

Sunday roast

Mendoza: Let the Wine Floweth

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Nick and Lora's Infinite Adventure: South America bottom to top

2012-01-30 00:56:00

We decided to skip Bariloche and head straight to Mendoza for some winery fun. We convinced Tim, a guy we met in Puerto Natales, to meet us in Mendoza and tour some wineries on bikes with us. He agreed and we booked a hostel. The bus to Mendoza was uneventful, I didn't sleep but we had the front top seats so at least we could stretch our legs. It was another long bus journey, about 17 hours, but this time we got into town at 9am not 12 am! We walked to our hostel, Hostel Lagares, and found Tim who had gotten there the previous night. It was a nice hostel, clean and new looking but unfortunately we had roommate trouble. We were a room of six, Nick and I, a couple from London a Russian and some other guy who we never talked to. The Russian smelled and he lost favor with us when he unplugged the aircon at night and it got SO HOT! I was tossing and turning and sweaty all night! Then the next morning the other guy in our room set his alarm to go off at 6 am and then proceeded to keep pressing snooze FOR OVER AN HOUR!!!! No point trying to sleep so we got up early that day.
We didn't have much time in Mendoza, only three nights since our main goal at the moment is to get out of Argentina because of budget reasons, but we had a good time. The first day we got here we went to the plaza which had a really nice fountain going on and we got some lunch. We also booked our winery tour on bikes for the next day. The wine tour was terrific! We went to three wineries and an olive oil factory, lunch was included plus snacks afterwords at this place with a pool where we hung out for an hour and a half.
The first winery used to be the biggest one in the region and they say the world at one point (not sure about that one) but is now a museum. We got to see all the huge barrels where they kept the wine, and we got to climb up on top of them and walk across them! They all have little doors on them which the people would somehow climb through to clean the barrels, a tight squeeze for sure. Then we saw the huge aging barrels in the basement and a huuuge tank where the white wine was kept, we climbed through this claustrophobia inducing doorway and saw the inside of this 'tank' which held 250,000 liters of white wine. It smelled very musty but it had great acoustics. The climb out of the doorway was like a second birth, but being pulled out by a bald Argentinian named ..baldy. After we tasted some wine and snobbily tried our best to figure out what we were tasting. It mostly consisted of cherries, leather, a roast dinner and bike chains. The next winery was a really chuchi (posh) one with all stainless steel barrels and conveyor belts and whatnot. First we saw where the grapes were mashed and all the tanks and tubes, then the aging barrels made from french oak (the best oak for aging wine apparently) and then the room where they bottle, cork, label and box all the bottles. We were taken into a tasting room for our tastes and then given extra in the buying room. At this point I was feeling a little tipsy. Oh and did I mention this was all on bikes? I had a fun beach cruiser bike that braked by going backwards with the pedal, something I haven't done since I was a kid! Nick wanted that bike but the other one was broken and he had to have a mountain bike and was grumpy about it. After the second winery my sitbones were hurtin since it's been probably 2 years since I was last on a bike!
We went back to our base for a wonderful lunch of empanandas and ate our fill and of course drank more wine. I was ready for a siesta but no time for that, it was on to the olive oil factory. It was a small factory that only goes during may-aug and the rest of the year they do tours and dry fruit. I learned that the color of the olive coincides with the ripeness of the olive with black being the latest and sweetest. It was a quick tour but at the end we got to taste a bunch of olive oils (with garlic, with basil, with oregano) on bread and eat raisins which gave us a little pick up to get to the next tour which was an organic winery. We entered and rode through the grapevines before getting to a barn to start the tour. This vineyard doesnt' use pesticides but instead uses permaculture to keep the pests at bay. They also borrow a mule named Rosita every year to plow the fields. Unlike the other winery they bottle, label and pack all the bottles by hand. Nick and I bought a bottle from here and it was SO GOOD! Tim bought some olives which were also terrific!
The next day in the evening we heard about a free folkloric band that was playing in town so we tagged along with a group going. We didn't realize how chuchi it was going to be though so I was waaay underdressed with a tshirt. We ended up on top of a building with a free glass of merlot listening to the band with a great view of the sunset and the city, it was a great, unexpected event. We got back to the hostel in time for the asado they were cookin on the grill, very good. Next morning we were off to the terminal for our next bus.

Mascot of the first winery/museum. People rub his huevos for good luck.

barrels

Walking ontop

Old corking machine

Special cask

Inside the white wine cask

Industrial winery, stainless steel casks

conveyor belt

old wines

Chuchi

olive press

Olive oil filtering

Olive oil eating

riding through the grape vines to the organic winery

snacks at the end


sunset from the rooftop

Me with my free wine, tshirt and band

Embracing My Weird Self

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Change Yourself...Change The World.

2012-01-29 23:31:47

When I was merely a mild-mannered student, traveling the world and only dreaming about being a Peace Corps Volunteer, I never imagined the challenges I am going through right now. When my Peace Corps recruiter told me I would be serving under hardship, I imagined the challenges would be living in a mud hut, perhaps [...]

Embracing My Weird Self

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Change Yourself...Change The World.

2012-01-29 23:31:47

El Bolson: Workaway at Rosie's

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Paraguay Nick and Lora's Infinite Adventure: South America bottom to top

2012-01-29 22:38:00

We finally boarded the bus for El Bolson at 12:30am. After a long day of climbing up a hill and hiking and eating all you can eat pizza I figured we'd be able to pass out right away, except that I was very wrong...
The bus was very cramped so we squeezed ourselves into our seats and the bus pulled out heading north for ruta 40. I just started dozing when suddenly we pulled onto a dirt road which made the bus very, very bumpy and sleep only for the drugged. Ruta 40 was having roadwork done for a many miles so that was fun, and the bus driver kept smoking which was really annoying for those who wanted to breath. He probably had one once every hour, which I'm sure was not within accordance with company policy. Yet 22 hours later we made it to El Bolson, on the way in it was dark and we saw fires on the hillside of El Hoyo (ignition source unknown, probably a camper).
We were in El Bolson because we had a workaway planned for two weeks. Workaway is working in exchange for food and lodging, we would be working six hours a day at Rosie's house. So we got in after midnight and decided to call Rosie, our host, and hope she was up. We got a taxi out to Mallin Ahogado, the house was about 20 mins away from the town and not even minutes into the ride our taxi broke down! We waited another 20 mins for another taxi to show up but we werent' exactly sure where the house was. The taxi driver went to a house that Nick and I were sure wasn't the house and clapped at the door. We were so embarrassed, hiding behind the seat, that he was waking these people up! Like we thought it wasn't Rosie's house so we kept going. Finally we found it and Rosie was waiting outside for us, we arrived about 40 mins after we had called her so we felt pretty bad since it was now after 1am, but she was very nice about it. We paid the taxi driver 40 pesos and brought our stuff inside. Rosie is an English woman who had moved to Argentina when she was in her 20s and has been here ever since. Her and her husband at the time built the house she had, a really cute log cabin on 10 acres of land. Half the land was a pine forest with a river running next to it and the other half had her house, garden, fruit trees, wood shed, more trees and the little camper (caravan) that we would be living in for the next two weeks. Even though the bed was small it was very welcome that night, and I finally got to sleep!

Workaway life:
Eating and working. Rosie fed us very well, we had home made bread and jam every day for breakfast and lunch and dinner was veggies and pasta, or trout or empanadas. Very good food.
Work we did:
Nick- chopping wood, building the woodshed walls, cutting the chopped wood
Lora- whitewashing the walls, staining the woodshed walls, picking raspberries, pitting cherries
Together- picking cherries, picking up horse poo, building a compost, pulling up baby pine trees, cleaning this one spot in the woods where a little house used to be

on our free time we swam in the river, rosie took us for a picnic at a waterfall (catarata escondida) for lunch, one time, we walked to another waterfall after work one day and during the weekend we would go into town and hang out in the plaza (all sorts going on there) and go food shopping. There's a great open air market in the plaza which was great to walk through but we couldn't afford anything (except the food). One day we went to Lago Puelo which is a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. We had to take a bus there from El Bolson for 6 pesos but what we didn't know was that it was in a national park which we had to pay (the foreigners price..50% more) to get in. Also we didn't know that you could go camping there which would have been nice to do because there were hiking trails and whatnot. We hung out all day and went swimming and watched the people in the water, it was a beautiful day. We hitchhiked back into town with a lovely couple from Buenos Aires who liked to listen to Iron Maiden. When we got back we hung out in the plaza and watched some acrobatic vagabond travellers do a show and then a kumbia band play for a bit. We had to get a taxi back, when we got in the driver wasn't too friendly and we had a feeling we would have a problem with the price, which we should have negotiated before we got in. We were travelling on the exact same day and time as we had the week earlier going to Rosie's house for the first time so we knew it should be 40 pesos but when we got to the house he said 55 pesos. I said, no we came here exactly a week ago on the same day same time and it was $40 pesos and he was like well you were charged wrong and I was like no that is what the dispatcher said when he looked in his book! He ended up giving us 5 pesos back so we paid 50, the next morning Rosie confirmed that that was way to much. Next time I was in town I actually went back to the dispatcher and told him. He didn't know what to say.

Workaway was deff a great experience, two weeks was a good amount of time although. I got used the routine and when it was time to start traveling again I had to get back into it!

cherry pickin'

wood cutting

forest clearing clean up, this used to have a cabin on it

taa daa. finished

our horse poo collection

our house

cherry pitting

Rosie's house, breakfast outside

Nessie made out of bottles

Lago Puelo

acrobatics in the park

Band in the park

Nick's conquered wood pile

La Cascada Escondida

Building woodshed walls

my cherry pie!

inside our house

staining walls

chainsaw fun

Rosie and her new woodshed walls