Too hot for jingle bells

Christmas Eve 2012. I am here in Guazu Cora, with my host family for this Christmas. It is already a better Christmas than last year. More family oriented, more “christmasy”. It is sad that I have to have Christmas lights, Christmas songs and decorations to feel like it is Christmas but its true. So being here for Christmas is so much better. It is always a plus to be with my host family from training. They are just so nice and remind me so much of my family when I was a kid. The parents are so involved in their kids lives and it makes so much of a difference. Doesn't hurt that my 7 year host sister loves me and looks up to me : ) 

I am currently sitting with my host family. We are about to open a bottle of cider. Its 8pm and dinner will be at 12am! Followed by dancing and fireworks until the early hours of Christmas morning. It is such a different Christmas than I was raised with but nonetheless I am happy to sure with another  culture.

It is currently about 90 degrees and the sun as officially gone down. All day I have been sweating and haven’t been able to have a nap because its been so hot. Now the mosquitoes are starting to bite and all I can think of is how in the USA in places it is snowing! Blows my mind… but  it is what it is…I cant say i like Xmas in the summer... but for now i will deal with the situation at hand. 

I miss my family back at home, and everywhere in the world. But tomorrow when everyone wakes up to opening gifts and sitting around in their PJ’s… it will be another day here in PY.. 

I am not sad I am not home for the holidays… but I am sad I cant experience it all! Soon ill be back in the USA and ill be missing my host families here in PY. 

So as we count down to midnight... I shall drink up, share stories of when i was a kid and christmas with my host family and enjoy the time i have been given here in Peace Corps Paraguay. 

There won't be any gifts this year, but I am truly blessed with the gift of  being able to help others.... It's unforgettable and truly amazing!  

Until next time 

Thanksgiving... Never meant More to me then now...

I was never one to like thanksgiving as a kid. I was always sick... And turkey and its fixing never was my favorite meal. I was always more of the Sunday Dinner with the Yorkshire pudding type of girl.

So not spending thanksgiving stuffing my face is not that big of a deal... Its being with family, watching the football, and enjoying the company that i miss the most...

But this thanksgiving I am spending it with my dad. Here in PY. I could not be more thankful!

Along with that, i have a project to be thankful for. I am trying to get water for 30 houses in my community. Then men and boys in my community have been digging the lines for the pipes... hard working men! 3,300 meters for the main line must be dug... here are some pics of the work so far!








If you can donate anything please do...

go to http://www.peacecorps.gov/donate

type in Murillo and you will find my project...

anything counts...

My dad and i are heading to the campo. and i will take videos and photos of our weekend in the Campo. So stay tuned.


Love to my family and friends...all over the world... Happy thanksgiving!

You decide!

Integrated or just plain dirty? 

Never a dull moment in my life here! 

So as many of you know I am always with my kids. Pretty much 24/7. Minus the hours I am asleep, bathing or in the bathroom of course. They are my shadows. My students. My neighbors. Even my alarm clocks. 

I am in the school at least twice a week. They come to my door at 6am and don't leave until dark. 

They are great company but also it is very tiring to have kids ALL the time. 

The biggest reason I came back to Paraguay after my medical evacuation was for the kids. I love them and I'd do anything for them. 

I hope they have learned from what I have taught and what they have seen in my model behavior( that I try hard to perfect a better way of living). 

So the day finally came... The day I became the most integrated in my community. But also the direst I have ever been in my life. 

I don't know how or when.. But I realized over the weekend that I had 

Wait for it...... 

LICE! 

I was horrified! 

So, I called my doctor! Asked for shampoo and directions to get rid of it fast! 

I was able to buy everything I needed in the local pueblo. I spent hours combing through my hair... I had my neighbor (12yr old) check.. My volunteer friend... My host mom.. And a local nurse... I want it GONE! 

I am currently on my way to my friends site. LICE FREE! To spend some time with other Nortes. 

I still feel dirty... So I'm going to have my hair washed in the closet thing to salon I will come across here in PY. 

So there you have it... Another story for the books.... Alejandra had lice! ( can't use that in the game never have I ever had lice..) 

Oh well.. Like I said.. I will do anything for my kids... Even if it means I had to get lice.. 

I'm actually surprised that I hadn't had it before and I cross my fingers I won't get it again... I pray I won't! 

I've been advised to keep a hat on while around kids... Im currently taking all my sheets and towels to a laundry place in Paragua'i. Also burnt my hammock were my kids always lay. 

So am I truly integrated into my community since I too have had lice or am I just plain dirty!? 

*i say dirty****** 

Until next time....

Dead or not?

Oct 1, 2012 

Terbear dead? 

So.... My neighbor volunteer had a community party... I went with another volunteer.  I rode my bike to town to meet my friend.. And terry my dog followed me.. He truly loves me since I give him food. I met my friend, we eat and walked to my closet volunteers house. It then got dark, and terry would normally turn around and go home. 

Normally when terry follows me he gets in dog fights, gets scared and goes home. By the time I get home he is there. 

After the party, we all stayed at this volunteers house to sleep. Terry was waiting for me. So we went to bed. I thought maybe terry would find his way home in the night. When I woke up in the morning he was still outside. 

So all the volunteers woke up, we eat breakfast and then got on a bus to go to a waterfall. Terry tried to get on the bus, and I was sure he would go home in the daytime.  

We got back to the volunteers house after dark. But I wanted to get bck to my house to sleep. So the bus driver was going in the same direction. I got a ride, and expected to see terry waiting for me. 

He wasn't there.... 

So I went to bed, thinking he was at the neighbors house. 

I woke up, went to school to teach.. 

When I got home by next door neighbor(real owner of terry) told me terry had had gotten hit by a truck... 

I was in shock.. My poor pup was on his way home from being with me. 

My neighbor told me it had happened in the morning..  That they had seen him in the morning returning and after he had gone to Ruta and got hit. 

I couldn't cry.. But sent a massive text to 4 other volunteers that terry had got hit and died..

My neighbor volunteer responded to the text via phone... 

"Does terry have white marking on his paws?.. Because he is sitting right in front of me..." 

First thought...   OMG TERRY IS ALIVE! 

I told my neighbor... I asked if she had actually seen terry dead... 

She said no.. That her husband had seen a dog like terry on the side of the road... And thought it was him.. Assumed it was him... 

The neighbors daughter and I  got on our bikes to go see if the dead dog was terry...  

IT WASN'T... 

So in 95* weather I road 4km to my neighboring volunteers house to go get terry.. 

When I got to her house.. Terry was laying there like nothing was wrong.. I drank a bit of T-rey and went to grab my cellphone... 

I couldn't find it... It had fallen out on my bike ride to my fellow volunteers

site... 

I BLAME TERRY! 

So my fellow volunteer friend and I got on our bikes to go to the police station and file a report... TERRY followed us running... 

Filed report, called Peace Corps to tell them I lost my phone... 

Got back on my bike... Yelled for terry and we where on our way back home.. 

So right now...  Terry is laying outside my front door.. It's raining and I'm ready to sleep.. 

I am happy terry is alive.. I love this pup... Such a loyal dog! 

VIVA TERRY FOREVER! 

Its not easy..but worth it...

This Experience is everything except easy….  September 21, 2012

 

I left the Capital this morning to travel back to site. It is always a long day when I have to travel 3 plus hours on a bus alone. The people I have met since I have joined Peace Corps have changed my life for the better. Every person in my community means something to me. I just have connected with some more than others.

A lot of the men in the community I do not talk to because they are men and I am a women and it is weird and out of nature to have a male-female friendship. So for me to be able to connect with a man on a non-romantic level was very important to me. (I do not want to mention names on this blog so I will name my friend “Purely amazing”, because he is purely an amazing person).” Purely amazing” became a friend of mine when I lived next door to him. His wife and I were also friends and I loved going to their house to drink terere. They were the sweetest couple and reminded me a lot of my mom and dad. Their love was pure and he was not just another man in my community but “my go to guy”. “Purely amazing” become more of a friend when we spent hours, days and weeks working on my house so that I could move in. He is the hardest working man I know in my community. He did not need to drink on his days off, but spend time with his family and friends. Lucky enough I was one of his friends. He was always willing to open up his house and invite me to eat with his family. When we worked together, we would laugh and talk for hours. He would sing a once popular song “te quiero tus ojos” over and over again. He has the best spirit I have met. I would see him working hard, but always around 1pm he would pass on his moto to go pick up his wife from town. Whenever I saw him he would wave, smile, yell my name and tell me to come later and drink terere. We would talk about my frustrations with the community and how we could get them motivated. “Purely amazing” helped me finish my garden, and showed me how he kept his so nicely. I spent the Thursday of Semana Santa with him and his family. “Purely amazing” loved meat (carne) and would always yell “Ale, vamos a comer carne, mucho carne… cancho.. que rico” ( alex, lets eat meat, a lot of meat.. pig. How delicious”) I would always laugh and say “no, lets eat vegetables, they are better”. Back and forth we would go until he got his meat and I got my salad. He always reminded me of a big kid, who just loved kids. He had so much patience. So much love for others.

 

I left my site four months ago. Apparently “purely amazing” got sick one day and was taken to the military hospital in the Capital. He spent 3 months there, fighting for his life against cancer. When he finally got some strength ( 4 days ago) he came back to my site. The disappointing part is that I had left site to go to the capital for a meeting. I was hoping to come back today and find him sitting in his house recovering. I was excited to catch up, joke around and spend time with my favorite senor. I arrived in my neighboring site to find out that “purely amazing” had passed away in the morning. I was speechless and hoped that this was just a miscommunication. So as I walked back to my host moms’ house, the reality was settling in, that my favorite senor had passed.

 

I walked up to his house to find most of my community in black and praying. I could see his wife, but did not have it in me to see the open casket. So I stood there in silence, and cried.  I had no words in English or Spanish to express my sadness, loss, confusion and disappointment.

 

Its days like this, which shake me up and allow me to reflect on the life I live. It does not matter what country I am in, how rich or how poor, how far or how close to home I am… I will always be faced with the sweetest and bitterest moments that life has to offer. I will see love and hate, I will see life and death, I will see it all no matter where I am in this world. It is reality and there is nothing I can do about it.

 

So I want to dedicate the remaining of my service to “purely amazing”. He inspired me to always stay calm, work hard and have a good time. I connected with him and his family on such a natural level. I am so happy I was able to meet him and share the time I did with him. God Bless him and his family.

 

September 22, 2012 ‘

Today I went to the funeral and burial for “purely amazing”. It was the hardest day of my Peace Corps service yet. My communities came together to say goodbye and it was not easy. It started at his house, and we had a possession to the chapel.  From there everyone got in their cars (15), motorcycle( 20) and two buses to follow the casket to the cemetery.

 

To stand there sad myself, watching my communities torn with sadness was the hardest thing I have experienced in a while. The people I was surrounded by are people I respect and love, and to see them upset makes me upset.

 

Today was hard… we have lost a great man in our community and all I can do now is support my community as the days go on. I have so many great memories with “purely amazing” and I am truly honored to have met him while being in Peace Corps Paraguay.

Funny stories and soo good to be back!

So I have been back for about a month. Time flies... I got back to site and basically hit the ground running with trying to get back into work. My community could tell I was happy to be back and finding work was not hard. In the USA we have jobs and are given work. Here in Peace Corps Paraguay it is the volunteer who goes out and finds work. It is the best job since I can turn an ordinary day into a "guapa dia" ( hardworking day).

I have been going to the school twice a day for three classes. While I was gone the school got 9 netbooks (laptops) and have no idea how to use them. When i went to go visit the school the teachers were so happy because finally the laptops could be taken out of their boxes. I set them all up and have started classes. I never thought of all the components needed to teach the basics. Just to turn on a computer to me is something i don't think of. But i have had to go back to the basics and the kids are loving it. First rule is to wash their hands. It is a new challenge to teach computer terms in Spanish. So everyday I have to plan for the next day and make sure I have the right vocabulary ready to teach. The kids seem to be learning, since now they know how to turn on and off the computer. How to open the version of Microsoft Word and type. We are now starting typing class. And I keep telling them "I am teaching you how to type now the right way so you do not end up my dad who types really slow and has to ask me to type things for him" ( Sorry dad but they laugh and really want to learn so they do not end up like that HAHA).

Some funny realities to living in PY.....

I now understand the terminology....

Sunburns- literally the SUN does BURN! I will be riding my bike or walking and i can feel the sun on my skin even if I am wearing long sleeves and sunscreen.

Its been really hot, but two nights ago we had a huge storm. My neighbor (12yr old best friend of mine) came over to make sure I had candles and matches. Her dad had asked her to come check on me before it got dark. Really nice, but I thought it was a bit weird to be so dramatic. I was expecting a little rain and some wind. Not what happened. So it was about 105 degrees during the day. I had been sweating all day. The power in my site has been questionable and when it goes out it is really annoying since I can not cook or use my fan. Also my battery on my computer, ipod and phone only last sooo long... So around 7pm the power went out. My fan turned off, my computer battery said it would last 3 hours and I began to sweat even more. For the next hour i laid in my bed dripping sweat. Then i started to hear rain on my roof. Then wind... A LOT OF WIND.. then HAIL... then before i knew it i was getting pelted with pieces of tile, leaves, rain and hail. I grabbed my cellphone and hid under my table. The candles I had lit went out and I could hear my dog outside wanting to come in. So i opened the door, grabbed his potato sack and let him lay under the table with me. For only 10mins but what felt like a lifetime i watched my ceiling disapear. Only 4 tiles, but those 4 tiles are needed to keep animnals, water, leaves and random stuff from coming in my house. I moved my bed under the table just incase more wind and hail was going to start in the middle of night. So there I was laying with my dog and sleepin under the table. Still sweating. Around 2am there was more rain and wind, and I heard something hit the back of my house. But it had finally cooled down and i was able to move my bed back and fall asleep with a sheet on top of me.

In the morning, I went outside to see the damage. Still with no electricity, I ventured out to find that "that noise of something hitting the back of my house" was the roof to my latrine falling off... I also found a lot of branches, leaves, mud and tiles all over the place.

My neighbor came over and some other kids. We laughed about the storm the night before and how i slept under my table. But then after talking I found out it was a smart thing to do. One of the boys who was talking with us said his house fell down, and his brother was in the hospital. His brother would be fine but the storm was not a joke and did damage to my community. My other neighbors outside kitchen roof had fallen too. Also a tree by the school had fallen and taken all out cable lines aswell. So I had no power for the whole day... Peace Corps (my bosses) called the volunteers in my department since we had gotten the worse of the storm.

And then my friend who lives 2 hours away called and said she wanted to go to the capital a day early. Every three months we have meetings with our bosses. And my original meeting was for Friday. But since i had no electricity and was really hungry I decided to move it to today (thursday) and leave site. So i packed my backpack and left.

So there it is... my update on life in Peace Corps Paraguay. Loving it, even with the downs, I just consider them good stories... and my kids in my community.. the people make it work it! I came back and wouldnt change it... I love what I am doing and I am happy!

Back and never felt better..

So may 21st i left py and did not know when i would return. I always knew i wanted to return but i never knew when the day would come.

On Sunday 26th of Aug it finally did. I flew from LA to Dallas. I had my last plate of Hot wings and a couple of whiskey sours along with a miller light. I then boarded the 11hr flight from Dallas to Buenos Aires. I did not sleep much on the plane and the movies sucked but I was happy I was on my way back to South America. An hour lay over in BA and then i was on my way back to Paraguay.

Landing in Paraguay was unreal. When the pilot said "bienvendos a Asuncion" my heart skipped a beat. Walking into the airport and immigration was the best feeling. My bags arrived and nothing was stolen thanks to the " travel Gods".

A Peace Corps chofer picked me up and we were on our way to the office. I first went to the admin office to get my cellphone, ID, and money. The two ladies who work in there welcomed me with open arms. I went to the medical office to see my doctors and say hi. Another warm welcome. In the afternoon I was re-sworn in. I walked into the main part of the office and was greeted by all my bosses who were clapping and welcoming me back. The nicest welcome to Peace Corps ever!

After a day of running around the office to get my stuff together I stayed in a hotel with a couple volunteers to rest up and shower before going back to site. On Tuesday the 28th of Aug I packed another Peace Corps car with my bags and bike and had a chofer take me back to site.

The whole road back I starred out the window and smiled. It felt soo good to know where I was and where I was heading. The chofer (victor, my new best friend haha) invited me to eat lunch at his house( a half an hr car ride before my site). So we ate with his family and then were back on the road to my site.

Turning off the ruta and entering my site was another moment of accomplishment. The moment had arrived and i was about to see my house, my community, my PY friends and family. We pulled up to my house and I got out of the car. Took a deep breath and looked around. I HAD DONE IT. I HAD GONE TO THE USA FOR MEDICAL REASONS, GOTTEN BETTER AND RETURNED!

The kids and my dog all ran up to me. hugging and saying "your back"! Victor turned to me as we were unloading the car and said " I see why you wanted to come back, you community loves you."

I swept my house, put my bags inside and then went to go say hi to everyone. Everyone was supper welcoming and glad to see me. They all called me heavier and whiter. The people in my community are all very open about their opinions haha.

Since it gets dark early (5:45pm) I called it a night early. Took my first bucket bath, unpacked, talked to my volunteer friends and read a little before bed. It felt good to be back in my little house.

On wednesday 29th I went to my other community to visit and catch up. I also passed by my school and was again greeted warmly. The teachers and kids were on recess and as I walked through the school gates everyone clapped and cheered. I caught up with them all and drank some terere for the first time back.

I noticed my world map that i had worked so hard on was a bit messed up. So in the near future i will have to touch it up. Also my school got 9 laptops. So next week I will start to teach the teachers first and the start with 6th grade and move down from there.

I gifted the toothbrushes to every kid in the school. They were so excited and so grateful. So thank you everyone who gave me toothbrushes to bring back.

Besides that I have been visiting people, hanging out with some volunteers and getting back into the daily life of a peace corps volunteer.

Its good to be back. I wont have internet for a while. I just came into the main town to have a volunteer meeting and to get food. But I am heading back to site for the next couple weeks most likely.

My new number is 986258558

Med Evac

Medical Evac:

                So as many of you know I have been having medical problems for a lot of my service. Everything from the common cold to Dengue which has made my service a challenge at times. I love being in PY but at times when I am sick I have been frustrated and upset. A lot of bus rides to the capital for medical attention and hours away from site has been hard. I cant help others if I am not in my prime condition. For the last 6monthes I have been having an ear infection, throat infection and significant hearing loss in my right ear. After visiting several doctors in Asuncion and being on antibiotics the only solution given as been to be Med Evac to my home of record.

                So here I am… An hour and half away from landing in LA, nervous but ready to get better. I have traveled far in the last 24hours and my nerves are shot. My life has become a whirlwind in the last year and half. I can not believe that I live in Paraguay, South America but am now in the United States. I have a full life in Paraguay and feel more like that is my home then Santa Monica where I lived for 18 + years. I have set up a significant life in the Paraguay. I have made friends and feel like many of the people in my community are my family. I have a dog that I adore and a house that I find comfort in after a long day.

                So my plan is to go to the doctors’ appointments, to do what the doctor’s tell me and to recover so I can finish my Peace Corps service successfully. 

3 weeks in USA

So its been three weeks in the USA.... If i stop and think about it I freak out... so instead I enjoy the comfort of being at home and I do not think about it... I know I will soon be back in Paraguay and once again I will have trouble believing where time flies.

I was medically evacuated to my Home of Record. Santa Monica. Basically just watching tv and sleeping. If I do anything else I get tired. I was sent home for having cholesteatoma. It is a defect were skin grows in my middle ear and has been causing ear and throat infections. So it has been an ongoing battle for about 6 months now. Back and forth from the capital to site to get antibiotics.  Such a pain in my butt.

So tomorrow is surgery. They will remove this extra piece of skin and hopefully it will clear the problem. Ya im nervous but more nervous that this will not be the solution to my loss of hearing and infections. I hope that i can get back to Paraguay in the next couple weeks.

Ideally i would have surgery tomorrow. Recover in a week completely. then i would have just enough time to head down to SD and have a couple farewell dinners. Get what i want from the Good America and pack my bags to head back to PY.

I must get back to PY! I determined... I will go back... I will serve my Country and help my extended family and new friends in Paraguay.

Vamos a ver and I hope all goes well tomorrow.

until next time..

One Year done

ONE YEAR TODAY!

                I cant even begin to explain how good it feels to finish a year in site. A year ago today I left all my new volunteer friends in Asuncion and made my way to Horquetta. I had no idea what would be in store for me. I remember being scared and not wanting to leave the good training days behind. I knew it would be hard to live alone, but I knew I had to do it and that I would do it well.

                A year has flown by. But at the same time I have wanted to quit and go home. A year of medical craziness, obstacles and confusion has made me a stronger person. I can officially look back and say that now. A 17 months have been completed and I now only have a year. A year can be a lot of time, especially if I have another year like this last one. I know I can complete my service and I will end on a high note.

                Just to give everyone at home an idea of my recent situations, I will sum up since my last blog.  I can not remember exactly what my last blog was about.

But Semana Santa passed well. I made “Chipa” with my neighbors. “Chipa” is a traditional Paraguayan bread made out of corn flour and cheese basically. It is a lot of work for a bread that is not my favorite let’s just say. On Thursday of the Holy Week it is traditional to kill a pig and eat it. I dislike pork so I went to a ladies house that promised me she would have Cow meat. I thought I would be safe there and not have to see any pig killings like last year, but I was wrong. I might not have seen anything actually die. But this year I sat at the head of the table and during my whole meal I was forced to look at a plate with the Jaw of the pig. So appetizing.  Besides that I was able to end Easter Sunday with a couple fellow volunteers for a Sunday Brunch.

My closet Volunteer friend is about 10km away. His name is “St.John” (Santo in PY). I have been to his site a couple times to work on Fogons ( Brick ovens). The beginning of April was his last two weeks in Paraguay. He is from the Health group that arrived a year before me. So the first two weeks of April I took advantage of having Santo around. I asked him to come to my site to build a Fogon with me. We also started my World Map. For the Fogon we walked from his house to my community at 7am which took about an hour and half. Then we started working all day Sunday to complete the Fogon. A lot of work but successful since the family loves it! For the world map we had to make a grid on the floor so I could draw the world. Santo had his going away party and I met the new volunteer Amy. Santo left a week ago and I will sure miss him. He was like a big brother to me. Best of luck to him in the USA.

I have been working on my World Map a lot. Hopefully next week I will start to paint it all with the help of the kids. Last weekend I attended a HIV/AIDS workshop. I was meant to take a youth from my community. It is easier said than done to get someone to attend a workshop. Peace Corps pays for the travel expensises and once we are at the workshop everything is paid for (food, hotel etc.) It was a good learning experience and I was able to brush up on my knowledge of the topic.

So all in all I have been busy. I had a boyfriend (Rob) but it was a short lived relationship since it was getting harder and harder to see him. As well as I was unsure if he was lying or cheating. So I thought it would be better to call it quits before I got any more involved.

Lastly a weird story to end this blog with. A couple nights ago my friend Anna came to spend the night so that we could wake up early and work. At around 8pm it was already dark and we were getting ready for bed (brushing teeth, faces etc.) Anna told me a car pulled up in front of my house and than my dog started to bark. We ran inside, and seconds later my landlord was calling out my name outside my door. I was relived and opened my door. He shook our hands and told us that he would be “working” tonight in my yard. I looked at him like he was crazy since he said he would be digging in my yard at night. I thought he was joking but when he said he was looking for treasure I laughed. I then said “ok” thinking what the heck is he doing. We went back inside and for the next 3 hours we heard digging. Everything from “omg they have killed someone and are burying them” to “maybe they are looking for treasure”, went through our heads. We finally fell asleep. In the morning we were preparing ourselves for holes allover my yard. Instead we found a 2 meter deep hole about 15 meters away from my front door. When we asked my landlord/host family what lastnight was all about we got a “shady” response.  Bottom line is I do not know what is going on. I guess a treasure hunt! My boss of security is aware of this situation and finds it weird as well. So tonight my landlord will be “working” again. Vamos a ver.

So what a life I live right?  I never know what a day has in store for me. Tonight I am going to make bagels for my victory dinner of completing one year three months here in Peace Corps Paraguay.

 Rob and I the now X 

 Myself, Carly (standing next to me) Taylor (in the strips) and Jenny 

 The 2nd Fogon I built in my Community 

 The "treasure hole"

My World Map that i have drawn by hand

Until next time…. 

Its not ALL fun...

I noticed that a lot of my recent posts were about my recent vacations... So i wanted to fill you ALL in on some of my projects i plan on doing...

Within the school i plan on doing the world map. Hopefully i can have some of my friends who live close by come out and help. It will cover the ground pretty nicely so in the near future i can teach games that involve learning more about the world.

I also plan on working with one of the teachers at the school. I want to teach him how to build the brick oven so i can then have him teach others. With this same teacher i plan on workin in his garden and the school´s garden for the near future.

I hope to have some kids work in my garden soon to get a better understanding of what it takes to build and maintain one.

English classes will continue. Along with cooking classes for kids. i think we are going to do banana bread next week.

This is all in the next week or so i plan on doing.. i cant think much more ahead of that since times change and people never really say what they are going to do. Id like to see more movement with the water company in my community build there well and tank but nothing soo far. Also tree planting and more brick oven building would be great.

Let us see... Until next time!

whirlwind

I am currently in Airport Prison. Well that is what it feels like at least. I started my journey back to Paraguay last night at 5pm. (London time) and took a flight to Madrid then to Uruguay. Now i have been waiting 6hrs and still have 2 hours.

I had a great time seeing my family for my cousin's wedding. It was a bit overwhelming and i wanted to buy everything in sight. I am happy to be heading home. To face reality.

Which is crazy because i am confused on what is my reality. One minute i am in Arizona, LA, Mexico, London, Paraguay, Chile then back to London for a "quick" trip. Now i am calling Paraguay my HOME.

Soon i will be somewhere else... Who knows. I am extremely lucky and that is why i am in the PEACE CORPS. Not everyone is able to live the life i do. To be given the support i have. To travel and to learn.

I am ready to go back to site. SORRY for the sort blog. I just do now know how to explain what has been going on. What i have been doing or what i am going to do. Like i said my life is a whirlwind and i am ok with that.

I am happy and healthy.

till next time...

Been a while!

Soooo.. after my Chile trip.... i ended up spending a week in the capital of Py. Trying to recovery some money, cell phone and passports. As well as phyically recovery from the phyical stress of the situation.

I headed back to site.. and everyone was happy to see me. Its been sooo hot here! i am currently sitting in a internet cafe feeling the sweat drip off my face and chest. soo nasty!

Anyways i headed to "hotel tay tay". Its my friends site who has running water and a very nice Peace Corps house. About an hr and half away from my site. Also her mom from the USA just visited and a lot of American food and products are avalible! its the small things now adays! We ended up doing a Childrens Summer Camp for three days. It completly beat my butt! playing soccer twice a day and running around with kids and yelling is hard!

We then headed to my site this last week! had two and a half days of summer camp for my kids. Again it beat my butt! I am currently on my way back from the Capital ( Peace Corps Office). I had to go in for the day. Had a meeting with my boss. To talk about what i have been doing the last three months and what i plan on doing in the next three months. Went well... and my bosses seem happy with my work!

To explain my work to someone who knows very little about a Peace Corps experience would be impossible. To talk to another PCV even from anywhere but Py is hard enough.

So i will head back to site for the weekend. I have to make another quick trip into Asuncion on Monday (6th) to pick up passports and get visas so i can travel to LONDON at the end of the month! But first i have a couple English Classes this weekend. Tuesday afternoon ill be heading to my friend Annas site to do a summer camp there!

Its all go here in the mid summer heat of PY!

Love to you all!

until next time....

Heading Back to Site:

So after a lovely vacation, a lot of stress figuring out what i need to do to recover my losses and doctor appointments i think i am ready to go back to site.

Chile was very nice and i am happy i went, but i NEED to go back and see the south of the country. I felt like i just got a small taste for the country and would love to go back and see more! The people are so nice and i had a great time on the beach, eating and hanging out.

I made it out of Chile without a problem. After getting an emergency passport, and tourist visa to just make it back to Paraguay i did. I think i have lined up two new passports, talked to my insurance company about the stolen ipad and camera.

Now the FUN part.....

I get to go back to site. I really do miss my little house, my neighbors dog, my community and everything it has to offer me. So it will be nice to get back into the swing of things. I really hope my community accepts me back and doesn't ask too many questions about my vacation. It sounds a bit weird to say that but how does one explain a beach vacation to someone who has never seen a beach? or better yet really understand what a vacation is. Vacations are for rich people, to be able to take time off work and enjoy relaxing. No one in my site can TAKE TIME OFF and JUST spend money. I feel bad saying i even went on vacation since many would say Peace Corps alone is a vacation. Which i have found out NOT to be TRUE at ALL!

Peace Corps here in Paraguay has turned out to be the hardest but most enjoyable experience of my life. With every Up there is a DOWN and with every Down there is an UP! I am positive but still have a negative streak in me... I am trying to learn how to BREATH and take a MIN to just CHILL but it does not always work when i have to also battle with the language.

So as i head back into site without Internet and try and work for the next 2 months i can only cross my fingers that the heat wont get to me too much.

2012 is turning out to already be a year of change for me! and what we are only 12 days into the year! i look forward to what else i can learn this year!

Until next time!

From Chile

So as some of you know, for every month i serve here in Paraguay we are given two days vacation. Which means over the 27 mths we are given 48days of vacation paid. Not too bad i must say!

So when asked by two of my close friends asked if i wanted to join them on a vacation in CHILE of course i said YES! We left Paraguay on Dec 27th and are here in Chile until Sunday Jan 8th. Not a bad amount of vacation.

The night of the 27th we stayed in Santiago and on the 28th we left for the beach. A small beach town called (CON CON). So a week relaxing on the beach, meeting people and hanging out with volunteers has been a nice change from the volunteer life in the Campo!

Ran into a slight stressful situation... The day we were leaving for the beach we went to the bus terminal to catch our bus. I asked my friends to watch my bags while i went to the ATM. When i returned my bag had been stolen... everything from my journal (i had been keeping first 10mths), ipad, camera, $$$$, chargers, mediction and the worse of it all both my passports!!!! When things are stolen its never the amount of that they cost (even though the thought of how much they cost stings a bit) its the principle. The person who stole that bag has no idea that when stealing it he or she was messing up my vacation. That they caused me to stay an extra night in Santiago, and made me come back to Santiago a day earlier to figure out passports and visas JUST to get back to Paraguay. Or that this person has actually made me phyically sick with worrying about getting paper work and everything sorted out. Sooo i ask why steal? the Ipad has a lock on it, so it is useless... the camera is complicated, so i am sure it was just sold... what is one going to do with my journal? and my passports??? I honestly hope that whoever stole it is truly enjoying all of my stuff... and is healthy! Karma will come around i am sure...

Looks like ill be making it back to Paraguay though, thanks to the kind hearts of the USA embassy and Paraguayan. I was able to meet two wonderful ladies at the USA embassy one who use to be a PC volunteer.  At the Py embassy i was able to meet a paraguayn who was renewing her passport and down to earth. (Thanked me for helping her country) and another gentlemen who now lives in Chile and i was able to terere with him and talk about his culture and mine. i am guapa!

So with every downside in life there are always ups. ya i lost my "crap" and maybe for the best... who honestly needs an IPAD in the Peace Corps...haha and ive been grounded once again... ive met some amazing people and i am thankful that i have been able to see some sort of light with this whole situation..

Overall this vacation has been what i should have expected... always a silver lining for me now adays.. never what i expect and my life continues to be better then many even with everything that is thrown at me!

Peace Corps is changing my life everyday.... The day i landed in Miami until the Day i land in the USA again i consider my PC experience and i am thankful for being able to have this oppertunity.. its a ONCE in a LIFETIME and i wouldnt change one SINGLE part of it... beacuse i need to understand the BAD so i can truly appericiate the GOOD! and i DO!

So until next time...