Camp GLOW

Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) is a worldwide Peace Corps initiative for the empowerment of young girls.  In Paraguay, this summer camp will give girls a chance to meet other young women from around their nation, hear from strong female Paraguayan leaders, and participate in fun group projects; but most importantly, learn to love and believe in themselves.  In a developing country like Paraguay, motivated and educated youth are an invaluable resource.  By helping fund this camp, you are giving young girls a beautiful gift and a chance to realize their full potential.

I have the amazing opportunity of being camp director this year and am super excited to take two girls from my community to enjoy the experience! 

We need your monetary help to make this camp happen! Please consider donating to this awesome cause :-) dollars go a long way down here and make a huge difference!

Follow this link: 
https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=15-526-004

Thanks so much for your help and giving 50 Paraguayan girls an opportunity of a lifetime!

Evening bliss

Evenings are mine.  All mine. Most of the time. They are time to reflect on the joys of the day and the frustrations.  Time to plan lessons, dream about projects, imagine my next vacation, catch up with friends in the states, count the stars, read a book, snuggle with mimosa, lay in bed with not even one thought.  It's me time.

And as a person that loves being around people, the more the merrier, it was a big jump for me to live on my own.  I thought I would get lonely, that it would give me to much time to think and miss people back home.  But it's really quite the opposite.

I sit here writing this, it's 7:34 and the sun is setting. My house is covered in balloons from my English class completion party, I'm full of way too much cake and soda (I'll be a health  volunteer tomorrow), Mimosa is trying desperately to tug my towel off the clothesline, it's cool enough so that I'm no longer dripping sweat, the ox carts are strolling by, the crickets are chirping and the neighbors Spanish music has my feet tapping to the beat.

And it's awesome. My flowers remind me how beautiful life is, I'm already starting to notice which clementine trees will have fruit this year, the setting sun is just another representation of the close of this day, the perfect breeze which is strong enough to cool me down and light enough that my freshly washed clothes stay hung on the line, and the gorgeous sky is giving way to the beautiful stars. 

And así es la vida. This is the life.  I love my me time. I love the time to be positive, not for anybody else but myself.   I love letting my brain wander in whatever language it wants to. And I love feeling so very good and happy with where I'm at.

So living alone has been the perfect decision and thanks to the neighbors cat that sneaks through my windows, the chickens that poop on my porch, the cows that use my house as a scratching post and the frogs that sit under my porch lamp all night long, and you guys for staying in touch, I may be alone but I'm definitely not lonely. 

Plain Truth

It's been a looooooong time to say the least but to be totally honest I enjoyed the blogging break.  My everyday life in Paraguay is getting less and less exciting and it's hard to remember what would be fun and interesting for you guys to hear about.  I'm approaching one year in Paraguay which in some ways has flown by and in other ways not so much but more on that later.  These days it's hot as hell down here and motivation is lacking to do anything but snuggle in my hammock with mimosa all hours of the day.  But a lot has happened since I last wrote so I'm gonna summarize the last 5 weeks with bullet points.  In no order whatsoever, just whatever comes to mind. 

- I just stood in a rainbow.  In a rainbow.  A real rainbow.

- My beautiful family came to visit! They brought me tons of goodies from the states, and was a fabulous change to not feel so lonely for a few weeks :-) more on this in the next post.

- my first time out of Paraguay we went to Iguassu falls in Argentina and also Buenos Aires!  Traveling gave me a confidence boost with my Spanish and public transport in south America and also was a nice hotel filled, hot water shower, tiled floors, mosquito, spider,  and frog free sleep break!

- I bought myself a fan.  The best decision I've made yet.  That being said I'm sure my electric bill will triple because I refuse to turn it off.  Ever. Okay maybe in winter.

- I love watching mimosa chase butterflies.  I also love saying that and meaning it.  I've always been told that life is about the little things but I never really actually felt it.  I guess one year in Paraguay is all it takes.

- I'm reading a book.  You can all pick your jaws up off the ground now.  It's called "plain truth" and I'm actually really enjoying it.  Craziness. 

- having my family here made me realize how much I really have changed.   That's a complex bullet point that can be best understood by reading my friends' blog post.

- I started an English class for the 4th-6th graders.  They are lunatics but I love them all the same.  

- I got a kit with 6 cameras to start my photography class this Thursday.  Hoping to inspire kids to be creative and look outside the box with photos and learn a thing or two myself.

- my first flowers that I have ever planted in my life have bloomed.  They are so pretty! My passion for good landscaping has quadrupled with having my own lawn to take care of.

- my women's group is in the transition of me buying everything and them paying me back to them getting the things.  Sustainability!  Except we haven't met in over a month because they haven't gotten  the ingredients.   A work in progress.
- but last time we met we made soap!  Homemade bars of soap! Super cool and easy.  And fast. 

- mangos are in season and I'm loving it!

- I'm going to Uruguay with 8 other girls for Christmas and new years!  So excited for some beach time!

- the grant for my GLOW  (girls leading our world) camp in February should be ready for donations any day now.  More info to come.

- I'm also in the works of planning a camp for the 5-11 year olds in my community with two other girls and then we will travel to their sites and do it with their kids too in January!  It will be an around the world theme :-)

- regular towels are sooooo much more comfy than quick dry

- mimosa has gotten stuck in a tree twice now.  All suggestions on preventing this are welcome.

- my best friend in my community, Brigida is just about as awesome of a person as you can get. Love her.

- my garden is a disaster.  I haven't worked in it in a month and I have to weed and replant before Christmas vacation.

- terere is the most refreshing thing and I am very nervous about not having access to it in the states.   Natural herbs do wonders for the body.

- the frogs here are bigger than  my  cat and I don't like it.  Not one bit.

- I went to my first ever bridal shower for a 19 year old pregnant girl who was less than thrilled to be getting married.  It was an experience.

- I would really like to study guaraní but just never do it. Tranquilo I guess.

- I did a 13 mile pilgrimage to the nearest city that a million people on average do from all around the country to see the Virgin Mary.  It's hot. And I'm sore.  But there were people giving out free juice, water, snacks, even foot massages to the walkers.  Police officers and nurses take shifts at stations and it was quite the event.

- I offered one of my kids in my English class a ride in my taxi and it was his first time in a car. Ever. Weird to think about.

- I'm very happy here.  But I miss home too.  Stay in touch my friends! It gets lonely down here sometimes.

Ahendu

Ahendu means "I listen" in Guarani and is pronounced ah-hen-do.  It is also the name of a big event here in Peace Corps Paraguay.  Since Paraguay is such a long serving post, being that there have been volunteers posted here since the 70's it gives us a lot of opportunities and I think advantages that other countries might not have.  For instance we can develop a lot of cool programs and volunteer support ideas such as Ahendu to help us make the best of our two years.  

So every 4 months there is a huge get together of all volunteers in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay.  It is not mandatory but generally most of the 230 volunteers here in Paraguay attend.  On Friday morning there are committee meetings to get involved in Peace Corps on a national level.  Then on Saturday during the day there is an event with yoga and games, a basketball tournament and other fun American things.  I cant wait to play next time :-). And finally Saturday night is Ahendu.

Ahendu takes place at a bar in Asuncion and is basically a time where volunteers can perform dances, songs, play instruments, etc.  Paraguayan groups also participate and all night long there are a variety of talents.  Now as you know I can't sing.  Sierra tries to teach me to harmonize every time and i just cant do it.  She got all the singing genes.

But igual I performed the cups song....translated into Guarani.  And I also performed a parody of Blurred Lines with my friend Vania about terere, my favorite part about Paraguay.  And the crowd loved it!!! 

So it was a super fun night, Halloween themed of course, and I dressed up as the 7 deadly sins with my friends and had a blast!

Little Miss Mimosa

In honor of International Cat Day yesterday, I would like to introduce you to little Miss Mimosa, which means cuddly in Spanish and conveniently a delicious beverage I would love to enjoy in English.  The new love of my Paraguayan life.  Well, actually my whole life.  She is 8 weeks old today and only the cutest thing on the planet.  

I got her about a week and a half ago from another volunteer whose cat had kittens.  We traveled about 3 hours on a bus, which did not love but we made it nonetheless.  Since the we went on a shorter bus trip to my nearest town and she did much better.  She is growing up so fast! 

She is an indoor outdoor kitten, mostly because nobody in Paraguay has indoor cats....ever.  She loves playing in the grass and the flowers, catches quite a few grasshoppers, the hammock is her favorite spot for a nap (and mine too) and she is the perfect amount of fun and tranquilo.

She is always ready to play, and has learned how to hiss at the neighbors dog and chickens pretty quickly.  She put up with her first bath yesterday and really didnt complain much (that does not mean she liked it) and usually sleeps the night through.  Although there's the occasional 2 am low blood sugar playtime date :-)

Anyways, as you can see I've become the crazy cat lady I always said I would be and I am so so happy that I have her.  Except for right now when she is clawing at my back wanting to play as I'm trying to write this.

Hope all is well in America! Keep in touch!

Just call me Profe

The school is an awesome place.  It provides so many opportunities for work and there is always a captive audience guaranteed... Well maybe not the captive part.  But having an audience guaranteed is fabulous, well unless it rains or is one of the seven thousand Paraguayan holidays or the teachers on strike. A lot of the work I do as a first time volunteer in my community is getting people acquainted with the weird blondie that dropped out of nowhere and understanding the type of work Peace Corps does.  So a lot of meetings and clubs and lessons I put tons of time and energy into and then nobody comes.  Which weighs on you.  So the school has been a pick me up in that way.

My life skills personal development class is going okay.  The way I'm teaching in the form of games and conversations definitely has the kids thrown off and they are still nervous to talk and engage but each week it gets better and better.  

The seventh graders making up a game with just a rock and a card to try and spark some creativity :-)

My English class is fun.  The one I started in August is in full swing now and there are 9 kids that come almost every class and really have a passion for learning.  We play fun games and have competitions and its a great way for me to look really guapa in my community because for some reason learning English is super super valuable.  I also just started a class for the 4th 5th and 6th graders which is absolutely nuts. Almost 30 kids attend and trying to get 30 10 year olds to learn a foreign language is quite the endeavor.  It's exhausting but luckily two of my older kids have been helping me which is awesome to see!

Practicing English in groups

Studying 

I also have been going to a school in my neighboring community which is about an hour walk for me to teach computers. At first I thought I would have to do a lot of research and preparation because I dont know too much about computers but then you realize that these kids dont understand how to move the mouse...and the class becomes instantly easier.  

Drawing her name in the program Paint

And lastly this week I started my dental health program in the school with preschoolers to 3rd graders.  And its a whole lot of fun.  I spend a good portion of the time telling them I love them too because they cant tell me "Arianna, te quiero" enough apparently. But my favorite memory thus far is their a answer to the question: for what do we use our teeth?  "For biting".  So I'm not sure what's going on at home but hopefully their will be less biting after my two years is over.  New goal. 

Showing off their smiles :-)

Birthday partays!!!

Hi!!! Tanto tiempo!!! So I've been a busy little bee lately and with the October rains the electricity and my internet signal haven't been the greatest so sorry it's been so long.  I've been working on my chicken cool project, gathering information and people to form our comission.  Also been planning a soccer tournament to raise money to fix the dentist chair in the health post to hopefully get a dentist working here at least once a week.  That and teaching in the school, beginning my dental health program with the younger kids next week.  As much as I love the sassy teenagers I am excited for a little munchkin love.  

I have also been going to lots of fiestas! Birthdays are awesome, there is always a ton of delicious food, often times the family pig or chickens are killed in celebration and its a fun chance to spend time together.  They're usually family events because the person whose birthday it is pays for everything so often they aren't too big and I'm usually the outcast. But they are so very fun and a nice break.  And did I mention delicious food?

My favorite of all the foods is by far sopa paraguaya.  Its delicious and I highly recommend you try it.  Here's a recipe!!

http://www.tembiuparaguay.com/2011/04/receta-de-sopa-paraguaya-economica.html?m=1

Good luck and hope it turns out perfectly! Miss you!

Youth Day

I remember always asking when I was younger why there wasn't a kids day in the US? There is Mother's Day, Father's Day, but what ever happened to the kids? And reason #4629472919 why Paraguay is the perfect match is because they have a day of youth!!!

That doesn't sound quite as good translated as it should.  Dia de la juventud.  On September 21st every year there is a day to celebrate the youth in the country.  There is also a day in august to celebrate the younger kiddos.  But the school puts on a little fiesta for both with music and food that the kids really enjoy.  

The principal dressed up as a famous singer here in Paraguay and obviously there was a guest dancer, The American. Not my favorite moment.  "Show us how you dance in America!!" With all my students watching.... 

Not my favorite moment, thats for sure.  The cultural differences really get me when it comes to stuff like that. But either way I survived and stayed long enough to get a delicious lunch :-)

Here's some photos! Yay youth! You're the best!!

  

Sunshine

It might seem crazy what I'm about to say. Sunshine she's here you can take a break.  If you're up on American music, you get where I'm going.  If you're not up on American music, like me, I highly recommend this song: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM.  And also, while I'm at it please send me names of American songs so when I come back I'm not a total loser (cut the sassy thoughts).  And yes, I've heard of Wiggle.  And loving it.  

So I'm happy.  Definitely the happiest I've been so far in country.  (Side note: this does not mean I won't be sobbing later today).  My emotions change rapidly as does everything in the grassroots development work.  But my work is starting, my relationships are being taken to a whole new level and I'm feeling more comfortable and useful than ever.  Things are falling into place.  

I'm teaching life skills to seventh eight and ninth graders every monday tuesday and wednesday morning.  I'm loving that I have the confidence to tell them to not be obnoxious, that they listen (for the most part) to my broken up guarani and Spanish and that they are doing things away from copying off the board for hours on end.  I love that they know that I I know when they're getting into trouble, I love that they think I understand Guarani, I love when they call me profe, I love everything about it. 

I also have a walking group that averages about 8 people that I love.  It's a beautiful way to end the day, watch the sunset, and get in some good exercise with some of my favorite Señoras.  

I'm starting a dental health program in the school or at least I want to in October.  I'm planning four weeks of fun and games and competitions and little lessons on why we should brush our teeth, writing out letters to get tooth brush donations, working with my health post to try and get a dentist to come to my community once a month and raising funds to cover the possible costs.  

I am teaching English to 7th-9th graders and it started as a random jumble of kids that would change every class and now it's the same 8-10 kids who have stolen my heart.  I love that I feel I can be myself around them and that they fully understand how hard it is to speak another language.  I love that they giggle when I talk on the phone in English.  And I love when they defend me when I say things wrong in Spanish or guarani and people laugh.  They had their first quiz and are just killing it!  Now all you visitors will have someone to talk to :-) hint, hint.

I am also having little meetings with neighbors because my community wide meetings weren't working because people were intimidated.  We make some kind of dessert and talk about community problems, possible solutions, and gather people that might be interested in participating.  It's a huge start for sure.  

Also, I am officially the coordinator for the all girls GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) here in Paraguay in February 2015 and I'm super excited.  I'm in the process of writing the grant for funds so I'll keep you posted on that and the planning is starting to take place.  And I can't think of anything I love more than camp.

So that and learning to cook for myself and do all of my housewife duties like dishes, sweeping my dirt lawn, laundry, and cooking for myself have been keeping me pretty busy.  

And there's just a whole bunch of happy here in my life.  And I can only hope it's the same for you.  And if it's not, well you know your only choice is to visit me.  

Sunshines, rainbows, hammocks, love, and smiles all around.  Life is gorgeous.  

Cordillerita misses you!!

Death is scary.  It's always been a fear of mine.  Life is so beautiful, so full of surprises, adventures, relationships, and love.  And then just like that it's gone.  It's crazy to think about and most of the time I try not to, but then it hit me right in the face on Saturday night.  

I was lying in bed in my house having just finished dinner at my neighbors when my neighbor Lorena came to my door and told me that our neighbor on the other side had died and asked if I wanted to accompany her.  Obviously I said yes but I was so nervous, so full of emotions, I had just been talking with him yesterday, what could have possibly happened?

And so off we went into the darkness towards his house where we turned on the outside lamp and saw him, peacefully laying in his hammock.  And my neighbors began to cry and wail and gather the neighborhood to help.  I'd never seen a dead body before, nevermind touched one, but in all the shock and emotions running through me I kept my composure.  

And little by little people from all around the community came.  We bathed him, changed the sheets on the table we laid him on, put him in his favorite clothes and laid the most beautiful flowers all around his body.

And it is very rare for Paraguayans to show emotions, just isn't part of their culture which is why the few times I've cried have made it all around as neighborhood news.   But nobody was afraid to share in the moment.  Screaming, sobbing, falling down in anger and sadness it was so hard to watch.  And I wasn't sure of my role, whether this American girl who showed up a few months ago had any right to cry in comparison to people who have been neighbors their entire lives.  

Thats the thing about my campo community, nobody leaves.  So there's a lot of gossip, a lot of little cliques, but there's also a shit ton of love and support.  And at 11 o'clock at night almost a hundred people came from all over, not one of them part of his family, to  be with him and provide love and support to those who needed it most.  

People were cooking meals for those who would stay awake all night with the body, heating up water to bathe him in, lighting candles, leading prayers, and doing something that I haven't seen my community do yet....work together.   

And it was amazing.  I never felt awkward, never out of place, always felt like I belonged.  My hugs were received with open arms (Paraguayans don't hug like some other people I know), and they didn't seem to care one bit that I didn't understand most of anything they were telling me through their gasps and tears.  

And the burial was sunday and every night for the next nine days is a time to come to his house and pray.  I made the community favorite banana bread for tonight and am so happy to see people come together.  

So to my dear Alejandro, Thank you.  Thanks for calling us the guapos sin familias or the cool kids without families.  Thanks for always welcoming me into your home and offering me beer.  Now I wish I had taken you up on it.  Thanks for helping me put up my hammock because I'm far too incompetent to tie ropes to a tree on my own.  I'll think of you every time I'm lying in it.  Which as we both know, will be a lot.  Thanks for going house to house passing the time with me with our friends because neither of us have families to tend to.  Thanks for bringing this community together and for reminding us of just how precious and beautiful life is.   Cordillerita misses you lots! I hope you know that.  Lots of love!!

My not so shiny job title

Have you gotten your job yet?  Have you found out your project yet?  I've been asked this by all of my family and friends back home pretty regularly over the last few weeks. And for good reason.  You're probably wondering my purpose in Paraguay, what I'm going to do, how I'm going to save the world.  And it's been a long time, just passed the 6 month mark here in country and I'm sure you all have accomplished the world back in the states in the past 6 months.  People are getting married, having babies, going to college, getting jobs, going on fun vacations, and the works.  But I'm here to tell you that here in Paraguay it's different.

I will never receive my "job title". I will never be gifted a 2 year project to work on.  And that's why Peace Corps is different than a lot of other volunteering organizations.  In other organizations you build a house, bring running water, run an orphanage or soup kitchen, build modern bathrooms, etc.  And those are fabulous projects, meeting the basic needs of many people around the globe.  But Peace Corps is different.  We aren't equipped with supplies to donate, we aren't here with a specific project to do in the community, we don't have money to support the community.  We are here with the biggest resources we have, ourselves.  Our knowledge, patience, persistence, motivation, skills, and love.   

So I was placed in my cute little campo community, Cordillerita, about 4 months ago with the goal of helping the people.  That's it.  That's why we join the Peace Corps.  We want to help improve the lives of people around the world, but what we dont know is just how much we will be helped in return.  

We come in wanting to save the world, but we actually don't.  We help the world save themselves. We work with their own local governments, elect community leaders, motivate people to better their own lives.  We can't save people that don't need to be saved.  

And it's frustrating when people wait for you to swoop them up and save them.  And it's also heartbreaking when you can't give an instant solution like water, houses, or food.  And sometimes you feel useless and worthless with just you and your own thoughts and actions trying to help a community of 1,700 people waiting to be helped.  

But I'm here to show them little by little how to stand up for themselves, believe in themselves, work hard together, seek out their own resources, inspire them, and pass on whatever knowledge and skills I have to those who want to listen.  And there are many different ways of doing that and every volunteers service is drastically different because it is dependent entirely on the volunteer and their community.  

So my little Cordillerita will hopefully soak up all the knowledge I have to give them and motivate themselves, form their own comissions, instill passion in their youth, educate their families and friends, and feel a sense of power and belonging in the world.  

So to answer your question, no I'll never be given a shiny project to do.  But through using me myself and I as a resource I've started a few things in my community that I hope to encourage more and more people to jump on.  

1) an English class for the youth.  Although I never wanted to teach English and honestly am not really sure how, I started my classes last week because the youth really want to learn and having a knowledge of basic English gives them tons of job opportunities. 

2) next week I will begin a life skills course from making good decisions to sexual education with the older kids in my school

3) I held my first community meeting where we decided on chicken coops and family gardens that the women wanted so we will be working to get materials and fundraise to make these projects happen.

4) i am starting a nutrition/type 2 diabetes/high blood pressure group to get the doctor and nurse more involved in health outreach in my community

 

5) I'm on the planning committee for a girls empowerment camp this Paraguayan summer which should be spectacular!

And thats it for now.  So a lot of it is small talk, experiencing the culture, making relationships, passing the days away in hammocks, and using the little teachable moments as the most successful.  And I am loving it.  

How much do you weigh?

You're probably uncomfortable already from just reading the title of this post.  But get comfortable because there is no such thing as personal information in Paraguay.  At all.  Upon meeting someone common questions in the states would be whats your name? What do you work in? Where do you live? But here in Paraguay I can count on one hand the number of times I've been asked my name.  I'm thinking its because as I've written about before Paraguayans in the campo generally don't leave their communities and probably dont go anywhere except their neighbors houses for weeks at a time.  So everybody knows everyone all too well which makes for a lot of gossip but also very close relationships.  They know who cooks what on what days, which sopa they use for laundry, how much money they make, what color their underwear....everything.  So because they know everybody they don't have experience meeting new people, until me.  This crazy American walks into their lives completely helpless, barely speaking the language, and expecting to "help them". And so naturally they aren't used to the normal get to know you questions and instead dive in deeper right off the bat.

Common questions to be asked are: 

1) how much do you weigh?

2) do you have a boyfriend?

3) are you happy?

4) why don't you have a baby?

5) how much money do you make?

6) how much money do your parents make?

7) why don't you want a Paraguayan boyfriend? My nephew is available. 

8) you've gained weight, haven't you?

And so many more.  And i kid you not, these are within minutes of meeting someone.  But more often than not they actually talk amongst each other about you instead of asking you directly which now that I understand has been very interesting to listen to.  

This is a situation that happened yesterday in between a Señora I call cigarette lady who I will tell you more about later, cigarette lady's mom, and a señora #3 who I had never met, and me.  

Señora #3: who is that?

Cigarette lady: an American. 

Señora #3: what is she doing?

Cigarette lady: she just watered her garden.  She is super hard working.

Señora #3: very hard working. Does she speak guarani?

Cigarette lady's mom: she speaks great guarani.

Cigarette lady: super great guarani.  She is so hardworking.

Señora #3: she speaks guarani! Wow! Awesome! (Pause...) she is large.

Cigarette lady: very large for a young lady. 

Cigarette lady's mom: super large. Just very very large.

Señora #3: she is fat.  

Cigarette lady: very fat.  

Cigarette lady's mom: very fat for a young lady.

Señora #3: she waters her garden every day?

Cigarette lady: every day.

Señora #3: she is so hard working.  And gorgeous hair! Is it natural?

Cigarette lady: natural.  So beautiful! 

Cigarette lady's mom: (stroking my hair) just drop dead gorgeous.

So i bet through reading that you probably felt my pain and awkwardness from afar.  Now picture yourself sitting down to tea with this conversation. I sit there and smile as they talk about the very large, hardworking, beautifully blonde American.  

Camp! Paraguayan style...

Life has been busy.  In a good way.  But to catch you all up, last week I went to camp!!!! And you all know that I love camp.  love camp.  So much.  And to have my first camp experience Paraguayan style was fabulous! There are a variety of camps that Peace Corps Paraguay runs throughout the summer and winter breaks for youth throughout the country and I just want to go to all of them!!

The first one I went to was HIV/AIDS which sounds oddly similar to my experience with camps before....one time, at chronic illness camp.  But this time it wasn't kids with HIV/AIDS, there was no emotional support, no you can do this needed from the counselors. But it was kids who came because they wanted to learn how to prevent HIV, they wanted to learn how to support people with HIV, they wanted to educate people in their communities about HIV/AIDS.  And that says a lot about Paraguayan future.  How giving and supportive they are, how eager to learn.

I went to camp because I have type 1 diabetes. Because I wanted to feel normal, because I wanted to better myself, because I wanted to be empowered, to have people listen to me about how hard life is, to feel understood.  And camp did all that for me and more.  But that's just it...i did it for me.  And granted, the camper to counselor switch was definitely a totally different mindset and I liked being a counselor far more than a camper but to see youth at this HIV/AIDS camp excited and motivated to learn was incredible.  Can you imagine if a 12 year old went to a camp to learn about diabetes when they or nobody they knew had it themselves in the states?  Thats just what these kids did.

And we had a lot of great speakers, did a lot of self and group development sessions, did a few activities from grassroots soccer (really cool program you should google) and most of all, just like any camp...had fun, built amazing relationships, and were empowered. 

We stayed in cabins, ate in the dining hall, had scheduled activities, dance parties, campfires, cleaning schedules, counselors and all that camp jazz.  It was only 3 days, but for Paraguayans who generally don't leave their neighborhood, nevermind travel across the country thats a huge deal! 

So I learned a lot, and got my camp dose in for a while and am looking forward to planning and attending other camps in the future!

And a shout out to all my CBC loves.  Keep finding all those smiles :-)

6 months!!

How do you measure a year in the life? Or half a year? I just passed the 6 months in Paraguay mark and as always it has me thinking! Life is so slow in Paraguay yet 6 months has flown by.  I went from a little helpless girl who couldn't wash her clothes or boil water nevermind communicate in the least to a strong independent young lady with her own dirt lawn to sweep and teaching in a second and third language.  I can't usually see my day to day progress but looking back to the beginning to where I am now, it's crazy to see how far I've come.  So I've decided to summarize with one word each of the months I've been in Paraguay thus far.

February: Friends.  Everything was new and exciting in the peace corps life and although I missed my friends and family back home a lot of my time was spent getting to know and making friends with my gmates.

March: Travel.  This month we did a couple of volunteer visits and trips to asuncion so I became acquainted with traveling on buses with massive bags and no street signs anywhere.  

April: Shock. This was definitely my toughest month. I felt so alone and isolated after being sent to my community and had no idea what I was getting into. 

May:  Brave.  I did a lot of uncomfortable things this month like meeting new people all the time, putting myself out there with my language and trying to become a part of my community.  

June:  Explore.  I went to a lot of different places in my community and surrounding communities.  I explored my options for work and also went for "long" runs to the fields just to get away from it all and explore.

July:  Comfort.  I felt wanted in my community, moved into my own house, got to know more people and got past the awkward stage with a lot of relationships.  I feel confident in who I am here in Paraguay. 

And that's a short but sweet summary of my first 6 months in Paraguay.  I've definitely had my ups and downs but I am so unbelievably excited for whats to come!  Thank you all for your constant love and support!  As the song says, you measure your life in love :-).  I couldn't do it without you!!! Lots of love headed your way!