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!!