Here We Go Travelers!

Summer is hot.  And then some.  And I imagined it to be very tranquilo, considering there aren't any classes to be teaching in the school and the average day is too hot to move between 8 am and 8 pm.  But I've actually been pretty busy preparing for GLOW, thanks to all who donated it's super close! And also two of my g-mates, Bonna and Ambyr, came to my community for three days to do a camp for the younger kids in my site.  

It was around the world cultures themed, with every day "traveling" to 4 different countries, 12 in total.  With every country we gave a little presentation talking about where it is located, what the capital is, what language they speak, the money they use, fun tourist attractions, etc.  Then we played a little game or did an art project related to the country.  After every country, we gave them each a stamp in their recycled paper passports I made them that they could take home with them.  The kids loved it!  We had a lot of fun and I had between 15-25 kids each day which was a great turnout.  

Hopefully the success will continue!

Here's some pics!

The Olympics in Greece with three legged and wheelbarrow races!

Sharks and minnows in Australia!

Animal safari in Kenya!

Tulip handprints in the Netherlands!

Pin the tail on the elephant in India!

Dia de la Muerte masks in Mexico!

Origami in Japan!

Appreciation

Appreciation is something I've decided that is worth a million bucks to me. Mostly because I rarely get any of it. I didn't notice it at first, probably because I wasn't doing anything.   But lately,  I've been feeling pretty busy in site putting a dent on the tranquilo summer I had imagined. 

I just spent three mornings in the hot ass weather gathering 25 children together and entertaining them for three hours with games and art projects.  All the while trying to teach them about different cultures around the world. (Next blog post will be more detailed when I get pics).

Anyways, a lot of work goes into things like that, and half the time nobody even comes, and not only am I not getting paid but I'm spending money to buy materials.  And did I get even one thank you? Nope.

I'm not sure why, but it's just been frustrating me a lot lately. So i was kind of in a grumpy mood today coming back to site.  The bus was an hour late, it couldn't get hotter, the municipality was closed, and cell service was out so I couldn't text my students to cancel class. Blah blah blah.

But actually quicker than I thought possible things turned around for the better.  A little boy jumped on the bus with a huge smile helping his grandma hawl tons of things for their little home store and greeted me with a "Hola profesora".

Then I went to pick up my clothes from down the street where they had been hanging on the line for days and the señora had taken them off the line and folded them all!

Then...one of my English students invited me to his 15th birthday party 3 days in advance.  That is a huge deal!!!!

Also all of my kiddos said "Caio Arianna" at the end and that might not be gracias but it was enough.

So I'm feeling better.  And mimosa playing with her new toys (thanks mom!) Could make me smile for days.

Toes in the sand

Backtracking a few weeks...I went to Uruguay for Christmas and New Years 2014!  Woohoo!  It was spectacular.  I loved it.  It was a 25 hour bus ride from Asuncion to the capital, Montevideo.  It wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be which makes me happy because in planning my travel South America after peace corps trip there is going to be a lot more bussing involved.

The city of Montevideo is a beautiful mix of European architecture and a South American feel.  Uruguay is one of the most progressive countries with marijuana being legalized and gay marriage being permitted a long time ago.  The actual population is very small of Uruguay but it is expanding rapidly.  And you can add one more in April 2016 when I finish my Peace Corps service and move there.

We then traveled another 5 hours from Montevideo to a little beach town called Punta del Diablo which was spectacular.  It was like a South American San Diego.  The weather was perfect (high 70s), the water was beautiful, it was hot enough to not be cold but also not sweat while laying in the sun.  Couldn't have asked for more perfection.

I, along with 8 other girls from my group, rented a house for a little over a week and had an awesome time cooking good food, laying on the sand, drinking fresh fruit smoothies, going horseback riding and so much more.

It was an awesome vacation and I highly recommend going there if you have the chance!

Here's some pics!

Changing things up

To get a little break from Paraguay and to spend time with friends during my first Christmas outside the US I went on vacation in Uruguay!  Hanging on the beach all day every day, more to come as soon as my Internet is fast enough to get some pictures up.

I was away from my community for two weeks exactly which was the perfect amount of time for a break.  And when I came back after the two weeks I expected the "it's been so long" and "you brought me a gift, right?" Comments that I get even when I go to Asuncion on a day trip. But in reality I didn't actually expect anything to be different. 

But it was. The obvious physical things...Dead bugs had taken over my entire house, the grass needed to be cut...again,  my flowers had grown even taller, Mimosa seemed triple her size, it seemed like everyone and their mother had painted their house a new color which threw me for a whirl, my 5 year old neighbor had a new bicycle that he was proud to show off, Mimosa was more of a snuggler than ever before refusing to sleep anywhere but on my chest, the neighbors cheesy rice tasted different than I remembered,  the mangos are falling off the trees like crazy, the bus schedule had changed, my neighbor turned 6, my hot water connection broke, and so much more.

And all that happened in 2 weeks, I  can't help but wonder what will change in two years. I'm often comforted by people starting conversations off with "not much is new here" because it makes me feel like I'm not missing anything by being here in Paraguay. But with a bunch of my friends going to America for the holidays, I also am scared to admit how much is changing in the States and even more how much I'm changing. 

Part of me wants nothing to change at home.  I want to eat at the same burrito places, lay on the same beaches watching the sunset, have the same sassy conversations with my friends, talk on the phone instead of always on What's app, work with the same cool kids, and line dance my life away without skipping a beat.

But then the other part of me acknowledges that I'm very good at adapting to change, that I would even go as far to say that I like change.  I'm not a fan of routines and the flexible peace corps schedule has really confirmed that for me.  Change is good, more often than not. At least for me it is. And so while I like to pretend that the world has stopped and generously agreed to wait 27 months for me to return,  maybe I need to accept that things are going to be different.  That I am different,  way different. I have serious trouble having a conversation completely in English, I notice things I never used to like which trees have fruits and when, I enjoy staying in one spot....A lot, I walk slow. Very slow, I revolve my life around the weather,  I judge people on their appearance,  I like a freshly swept lawn and home, I see McDonald's as a very special occasion, I don't wince a bit at the killing of animals, I eat steak...a lot of it, I feel uncomfortable and like a rich white girl when I ride in a car, anything less than 4 hours is a quick trip, nothing gives me more joy than freshly washed laundry, I end every conversation  with I'll see you later and I rarely mean it, I prefer Spanish music over English,  I drink cheap light beer and I refuse to drink wine without being mixed with coke, I stare at people, I greet every person I see....and I mean everyone, I've lost all concept of time, i take very little personally, I feel relaxed and accomplished more than not and often at the same time, my feet have to be clean...always, I have the most patience I've ever had, enjoy napping, and wouldn't want a life anything less than tranquilo.

And that's what scares me. It hasn't even been a year and I feel like I've changed so much. And I'm sure you all have too. And it will be hard returning but I just have to remember that I like change. And more often than not, change is good.

So let the world keep on turning, the tides rising and falling,  the people smiling,  and the joy spreading and everything else can change poco a poco, little by little. 

Keep me updated on everything friends! I love hearing from you! Lots of love from Paraguay!