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!

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.