Nov 30, 2011
Thanksgiving was amazing. I ended up going to my friend's site on actual thanksgiving. We ate pasta and garlic bread. Then on Friday we waited for the campo bus (30 ish volunteers) to pass. We jumped on and went 4-5hrs down to Encarn. Started to drink a little on the bus. And I jumped into the pool upon arrival.
We spent Friday afternoon in the pool. Friday night we had a full thanksgiving buffet which was delicious. On Saturday we spent the whole day at the pool, drinking and tanning. A lot of games and hanging out with volunteers was great. On Sunday we got back into the pool, hungout and ate lunch before heading back on the 7hour bus ride to Asuncion. Overall a great weekend.
But with everything good there can be a bad. During the end of lunchtime on Sunday. We found out that another fellow peace corps volunteer got into a car accident and died. I'm not sure if it has been a part of the news in the USA. But Emily Balog was a volunteer in a group that arrived 9mths before me. When another volunteer announced this at thanksgiving weekend I was sad that another volunteer passed away. She was on her way back from a volunteer thanksgiving get together. It wasn't until Monday morning that I realized Emily was my neighbor site.
I was walking down the street last month in Emily's site. It's about 9km from my site. I went there to get my haircut and saw a blonde girl speeding by on her bike. I said to my py friend, that has to be the peace corps volunteer here. If she passes again I must say hi I told my py friend. So well Emily passed by I waved her down, and introduced myself. We chatted for a few mins and exchanged numbers. Said we would hangout in the new year. So when I found out she passed away I am not at a loss of words. I'm disappointed and confused on how this could happen.
Peace Corps Paraguay had a memorial service tonight and it was great. A lot of volunteers traveled in and a lot of Peace Corps employees showed up. We are a family here in Peace Corps Paraguay. We will continue to support each other and help each other through our great loss of a great volunteer, friend and coworker. my prayers go out to the Balog family and friend back in the USA.
But to end on a happier note. I love my friends and family back in the USA. I am sweating my ass offf down here. It's between 90-112 degrees daily. I drip sweat, but got a termo for my terere. so now I travel everywhere with my terere and it saves me on buses and walking. It has my name, the peace corps symbol and 2011-2013 printed on it. Can't believe its Dec soon! Xmas? Crazy...
Until next time...
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Updates!
Nov 6, 2011
Imagine every little move you make or don't is talked about. Imagine how little or how hard you work people talk about it. Imagine no matter how much you actually integrate you will always be the stranger. welcome to my life!
It's great when people are calling me guapa. But when they aren't saying anything to me they are saying things to my neighbors. If any of my family or close friends are reading this in the USA, you know I like to fly under the radar. I like to be friends with EVERYONE and I like to work hard. Problem I am currently facing is that because I have two communities when I am in one the other is jealous and vice versa. My community that I live in has recently called me lazy for not sweeping my dirt. Here in Paraguay it is normal to sweep the leaves and dirt so it's neat. But if I was to do that I'd not only go crazy with my OCD but I'd be in my house ALL day! I understand the senoras but my job here is not to be in my house ALL day but visit people, school and do work outside of my house.
Imagine everything breaking. From my beloved iPod to fridge. My iPod is a lost cause since I've had in for 4yrs and it's had a great run with me. So RIP LIL pinky. Haha Anyways.... When something breaks out here it is very interesting how to go about fixing it. Never in my life have I had a pair of shoes break. After thinking about this it's probably because I own 10+ pairs and never wear the same pair twice in a row. Therefore they never have the chance to wear down. Unlike here were I only brought one pair of casual shoes that I wear EVERYDAY!.... So today I went into my ghost town of a pueblo. I asked two people where the Shoe fixing store was. They both said "two blocks behind the school, on the corner, the house with the "nice" garden". By now living in this country I know that those directions are amazing! When I first got to this country and someone would give me directions like that I would stare at them like I needed an actual address a number or something. Now those are the types of directions I give. When someone asks where I live or how to get to my house from the ruta my directions go something like this.. " after the futbol field when the hill on your left slopes all the way down... There will be a casita on your right then on your left. Get off and walk until the dirt road ends then on your left will be my house it's white" (so are the others) HAHA! So the total to fix my original $70 pair of pumas is a womping $1.15 dollars. tomorrow the guy who is going to fix my fridge is coming by. I will take my bike to the moto store for a new tire. Whatever happened to going to "Helen's bike store??" or calling sears to fix my fridge! I thought it was crazy to have a local plumber come out in Flagstaff, like a family owned business. Now what's a plumber? I use a latrine and I pay my electrician in banana bread that his children love! So lessons learned... When something breaks either I must fix it or pay someone almost nothing to fix it but after i find their lindo garden and direct them to my not so lindo garden.
I'm completely use to my life here now. Yes I miss my life in the UsA which includes my family and friends.I promise If you were to live a day out here and see how amazing the people and life is you would agree with me that it's manageable. I am never clean though... so thank goodness none of you have to witness me here!
Until next time...
Nov 13, 2011
Happy Birthday Dad! Since I can't be in the USA celebrating my dads big 60th, I thought the 2nd best was to celebrate with a clone of my dad. Just happens that I've found my dads clone in Paraguay. His name happens to be Jorge as well. It's my Host Dad from the first three months I lived here in PY. He kind of looks like my dad in the USA, loves joking around, drinking and his fav food is fish. Not to mention both Jorges are hard working and family men. I Can't wait till the two of them will will meet. A Sunday with both Jorges' is no doubt going to be a great time.
So as it pours rain here in my training community. It's my dads 60th and I'm celebrating drinking wine and had a great lunch of Fish, rice and mandioca.
I love my family in the USA! Mexico and England! But to be lucky enough to have host families in Paraguay that remind me of my family back at home is the BEST! Sundays here in Guazu Cora are amazing weather its raining or sunny the Garcia family makes it enjoyable. To be away from my real family is always hard but has been made easier by having my host family.
Imagine every little move you make or don't is talked about. Imagine how little or how hard you work people talk about it. Imagine no matter how much you actually integrate you will always be the stranger. welcome to my life!
It's great when people are calling me guapa. But when they aren't saying anything to me they are saying things to my neighbors. If any of my family or close friends are reading this in the USA, you know I like to fly under the radar. I like to be friends with EVERYONE and I like to work hard. Problem I am currently facing is that because I have two communities when I am in one the other is jealous and vice versa. My community that I live in has recently called me lazy for not sweeping my dirt. Here in Paraguay it is normal to sweep the leaves and dirt so it's neat. But if I was to do that I'd not only go crazy with my OCD but I'd be in my house ALL day! I understand the senoras but my job here is not to be in my house ALL day but visit people, school and do work outside of my house.
Imagine everything breaking. From my beloved iPod to fridge. My iPod is a lost cause since I've had in for 4yrs and it's had a great run with me. So RIP LIL pinky. Haha Anyways.... When something breaks out here it is very interesting how to go about fixing it. Never in my life have I had a pair of shoes break. After thinking about this it's probably because I own 10+ pairs and never wear the same pair twice in a row. Therefore they never have the chance to wear down. Unlike here were I only brought one pair of casual shoes that I wear EVERYDAY!.... So today I went into my ghost town of a pueblo. I asked two people where the Shoe fixing store was. They both said "two blocks behind the school, on the corner, the house with the "nice" garden". By now living in this country I know that those directions are amazing! When I first got to this country and someone would give me directions like that I would stare at them like I needed an actual address a number or something. Now those are the types of directions I give. When someone asks where I live or how to get to my house from the ruta my directions go something like this.. " after the futbol field when the hill on your left slopes all the way down... There will be a casita on your right then on your left. Get off and walk until the dirt road ends then on your left will be my house it's white" (so are the others) HAHA! So the total to fix my original $70 pair of pumas is a womping $1.15 dollars. tomorrow the guy who is going to fix my fridge is coming by. I will take my bike to the moto store for a new tire. Whatever happened to going to "Helen's bike store??" or calling sears to fix my fridge! I thought it was crazy to have a local plumber come out in Flagstaff, like a family owned business. Now what's a plumber? I use a latrine and I pay my electrician in banana bread that his children love! So lessons learned... When something breaks either I must fix it or pay someone almost nothing to fix it but after i find their lindo garden and direct them to my not so lindo garden.
I'm completely use to my life here now. Yes I miss my life in the UsA which includes my family and friends.I promise If you were to live a day out here and see how amazing the people and life is you would agree with me that it's manageable. I am never clean though... so thank goodness none of you have to witness me here!
Until next time...
Nov 13, 2011
Happy Birthday Dad! Since I can't be in the USA celebrating my dads big 60th, I thought the 2nd best was to celebrate with a clone of my dad. Just happens that I've found my dads clone in Paraguay. His name happens to be Jorge as well. It's my Host Dad from the first three months I lived here in PY. He kind of looks like my dad in the USA, loves joking around, drinking and his fav food is fish. Not to mention both Jorges are hard working and family men. I Can't wait till the two of them will will meet. A Sunday with both Jorges' is no doubt going to be a great time.
So as it pours rain here in my training community. It's my dads 60th and I'm celebrating drinking wine and had a great lunch of Fish, rice and mandioca.
I love my family in the USA! Mexico and England! But to be lucky enough to have host families in Paraguay that remind me of my family back at home is the BEST! Sundays here in Guazu Cora are amazing weather its raining or sunny the Garcia family makes it enjoyable. To be away from my real family is always hard but has been made easier by having my host family.
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