Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sandra
Sandra is my life saver. She just turned 16 years old, yet already has so much to teach me. With my two sisters gone, I’ve found myself alone in the house quite often as my oldest sister is usually busy. There have been many days when I’m left to fend for myself food-wise with pretty much nothing in the refrigerator. Sandra has willingly come over all of those days and helped me put together something pretty decent for lunch. She’s taught me how to cook a whole variety of food, start a fire, dance to raggaeton, and how to enjoy the simple things in life. She’s always making sure I have everything I need and acts like my mother half the time. She’s helped me so much in my garden and took me on an adventure to visit a school in the neighboring community. I genuinely enjoy her company and I find myself at a loss whenever she’s not around. We joke around constantly and tell each other almost everything. Is it weird that my best friend is 16? Anyway, her mom left over a week ago to go to argentina in order to see a doctor because she’s been having a lot of problems with her legs. Who knows when she’ll be back. Her dad works in a neighboring town and is gone all day, every day. He’s also violent with the kids while drinking and rarely lets them leave the house when he is around. So, in the meantime, Sandra is responsible for keeping up the household… cooking, cleaning, washing her dad and brother’s clothes, and caring for the animals, yet somehow she still finds time for me. Granted, we can’t go work on my house anymore together because she needs to stay and watch her house, but she’s always over here (we live right across the street from each other) or inviting me to her house to have mate dulce. She is a doll, and I have so much respect for this little girl. I look back at my life when I was 16 and I never had any of the hardships she has, yet she is always happy with a great attitude. Not only does she not complain, but she does everything with a smile, laughing her way through the hard times. My peace corps goal is to be more like Sandra.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
some updates
29/6/2010
VIVA PARAGUAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got back from a very busy, and very EXCITING day!!!!!!! Today is the day of San Pablo, my community’s patron saint. I woke up at 5am to the sounds of bombs going off and church bells ringing. My sister told me that this was to “wake up san pablo”. Well, it worked. We had a mini parade at 7:30 which consisted of a beaten up pick-up truck with the statue of Saint Paul in the bed. There were about 30 community members following behind, praying. Then, we had mass in the chapel. The priest only comes to our town once a month, so this is a big deal. I would say there were a good 60 people there. The mass was said in guarani, but to my surprise, I understood mostly all of it. Congratulations, me! Then we brought our TV over to the church and we all sat outside and watched Paraguay kick some butt!!! We all painted our faces with the Paraguayan flag. It was absolutely amazing… I had goosebumps during the whole shootout. My community went wild screaming when we won. These people are crazy about football and the fact that we have one of the 8 best teams in the world seriously means a lot to this country. Afterwards, we all ate lunch together which was cooked by some very guapa (hard-working) women who spent the entire morning making delicious chicken and a rice salad. To top it all off, I started playing soccer with all the little kids, then we played a trillion games of “pato, pato, gallina”.
All day today, I couldn’t help but notice that I am fully accepted here. Everyone goes out of their ways to greet me, talk to me, ask me if I still enjoy my life here, offer me their fruit from the trees, and invite me to visit their houses whenever I want to. The kids run up to me and give me huge hugs, are constantly asking me questions about “alláaaaaaaa” (the united states), and are always so curious as to what I am doing here and why in the world I want to learn guarani. They are the most patient with my inability to speak or understand guarani very well which is very endearing. Even though I cannot communicate with a majority of the smaller kids, I can still play games with them, and they LOVE it. My sisters here have become like my real sisters. We spend so much time together and we laugh and joke about the silliest things. We have the same sense of humor which is always helpful. They go out of their way to help me and it means the world to me. They come lay in my bed with me at night and we just talk. I’m definitely going to miss living here. My favorite person here and best friend, 15 year old Sandra, is always over our house hanging out. She’s awesome and makes me feel right at home. She mostly will only talk to me in guarani because she says it’s the only way I’ll learn. At first, I hated her for it, but now I love learning her new phrases and it’s really helpful. I’ve learned really well how to insult someone in guarani because that’s usually the brunt of our conversation. She tells me I’m fat, and I tell her she smells bad. The other night we had a dance party at my old host family’s house. Before leaving, my host sister told me I looked like I was pregnant. These people are brutally honest, but they sincerely don’t intend to be mean. In their culture, it’s totally normal to tell someone “you look ugly today”. Instead of getting upset about it, I came right back at her with, “Shut up Auxi, you’re fat too.” I don’t really think I’m getting fat, I’m hoping it had to do with the shirt I was wearing, but whatever. What do they expect when they only feed me cow fat, spaghetti, and bread? Anyway, Paraguayan dances. They’re always interesting and a great source for gossip. If you dance with someone for more than one song, it means you want to be their girlfriend. If you dance with someone with a bad reputation, word gets around. No matter what you do, everyone is watching; hence my reasoning for staying low-key and not wanting to dance with anyone. I managed to have the fattest, ugliest, oldest man at the party hitting on me ALL night. And by all night, I mean he stood by my side and just stared at me, practically drooling. When I refused to dance with him, he bought me a soda in hopes that this would change my decision. No. An hour later, he asked again. Of course, I said no. Within 5 minutes, I had another soda in my hand. I couldn’t help but laugh at his ruthless insistence. Eventually I turned to the mean side and told him I would never dance with him in my life, so please leave me alone. I relocated myself and was then asked to dance by my 16 year old English student. No, no, no. We were joking around and he told me over and over again, “que mala que sos” which means you’re so mean. Blah, blah. Now every time he sees me, he greets me with, “hola, mala.” He came over to the house today to try and get my phone number, but thank god my sisters wouldn’t give it to him. All I can say is that it’s going to be a long two years.
12/7/2010
I’m just laying in bed during another rainy day in Paraguay. We’ve lucked out so far because the weather has been awesome the past few weeks (like 70 degrees), but now it looks like the cold is rolling in with a whole bunch of rain storms. On rainy days, I don’t feel bad about sleeping in until 8am . I made myself some fried dough for breakfast (healthy, I know but at least I’m cooking), and then I ventured out to bring something to my old host family. I sat with them and had some mate while we watched the rain falling. After, I went to the health post to talk to the nurse, whose house I will be moving into in august. I took my bike there and got stuck in a whole bunch of mud puddles, lost my sandal in a puddle and had to fish it out, and arrived back home looking like a huge truck just splashed a whole bunch of mud all over me. I now understand why Paraguayans don’t leave the house in the rain. I’ve been buried in housework and worrying about the cost of putting in a modern bathroom. Turns out, the bathroom will cost 2.5 million guaranis which is equal to about 500 dollars. Doesn’t seem to bad when I put it that way, but I only have 3 million guaranis in my bank account right now and that needs to pay for my food, everything else I need to buy for my house (mattress, sheets, silverware, plates, pots, pans, chairs, a gas tank for my gas stove, and whatever else I discover that I’ll need… like cockroach spray because I’m pretty sure my kitchen is infested hahah). SO, looks like I’ll be waiting until we get paid again in august to buy any of these things. I’ll be living simply for the first few months, but after that, I won’t be paying monthly rent so I should have plenty of money. I’ve started my garden with my favorite 16 year old! I have two tablones set up which are just raised rows of dirt. I’m going to buy seeds this week and start planting! The backyard of my house is a disaster and the only play for me to put my garden is over an old trash pit. So hopefully I won’t be eating chunks of glass and rubber with my veggies. I have tons of fruit trees which is exciting!!! I have guyaba, bananas, grapefruit, grapes, cherry-ish things, and a fruit called mammon which I’m not really sure what that translates to. The worker dude is starting the bathroom when it stops raining, so I’m just hoping it’ll get done relatively fast. I’m more than ready to move in and live on my own!!!!!!!! EXCITING! I’ve been having a lot of family drama in the house that I’m at now between the three sisters. It’s a super long and complicated story, but I’m right in the middle of it all, and as much as I love these girls, I think it will be best for me to get out of here and stay somewhat detached.
As far as work goes, it’s pretty nonexistent right now. I’ve just been hanging out and getting really close with a few of my neighbors. I feel like I’m an actual resident here now instead of just a visitor. The schools have been on strike for 3 weeks, they are now in 2 weeks of winter vacation, and the news says that they’re planning for 45 more days of strike after break. I was planning to start my health lessons in the primary school on dental health and in the high school about nutrition, but it looks like that may be put off for quite awhile. In the meantime, I’m finishing up my census and planning to hold a meeting to start my committee for my brick oven project. We’ll see how all that goes!
I have to tell you all this story because it was one of my best days here in Paraguay so far. I went to my future house to start cleaning it up and to start work on my garden. I was NOT looking forward to all the work that needs to be done, but I figured I need to start somewhere. Auxi, Mari Ines, and Sandra came with me and brought all their tools and cleaning products. We put on some loud reggaeton and before I knew it, the majority of the neighborhood kids showed up to help. I stopped working for a second and took a look around. Every child, as well as my sisters and Sandra, all had some sort of tool in their hand doing a job on my house. One 10 year old was cutting down a tree in the middle of the garden with an ax, one was sweeping the patio, one was cutting back bushes, one was raking the leaves, one was getting all the cobwebs off the walls, one was scrubbing my bedroom floor, one was getting dirt off the roof tiles, and one was digging in my garden, getting all the trash out of the way. I was so overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude that I forgot about all the work and money I’d be putting into this house. It was so amazing to see these children genuinely caring for me. This is why I’m here in Paraguay: for the children.
VIVA PARAGUAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got back from a very busy, and very EXCITING day!!!!!!! Today is the day of San Pablo, my community’s patron saint. I woke up at 5am to the sounds of bombs going off and church bells ringing. My sister told me that this was to “wake up san pablo”. Well, it worked. We had a mini parade at 7:30 which consisted of a beaten up pick-up truck with the statue of Saint Paul in the bed. There were about 30 community members following behind, praying. Then, we had mass in the chapel. The priest only comes to our town once a month, so this is a big deal. I would say there were a good 60 people there. The mass was said in guarani, but to my surprise, I understood mostly all of it. Congratulations, me! Then we brought our TV over to the church and we all sat outside and watched Paraguay kick some butt!!! We all painted our faces with the Paraguayan flag. It was absolutely amazing… I had goosebumps during the whole shootout. My community went wild screaming when we won. These people are crazy about football and the fact that we have one of the 8 best teams in the world seriously means a lot to this country. Afterwards, we all ate lunch together which was cooked by some very guapa (hard-working) women who spent the entire morning making delicious chicken and a rice salad. To top it all off, I started playing soccer with all the little kids, then we played a trillion games of “pato, pato, gallina”.
All day today, I couldn’t help but notice that I am fully accepted here. Everyone goes out of their ways to greet me, talk to me, ask me if I still enjoy my life here, offer me their fruit from the trees, and invite me to visit their houses whenever I want to. The kids run up to me and give me huge hugs, are constantly asking me questions about “alláaaaaaaa” (the united states), and are always so curious as to what I am doing here and why in the world I want to learn guarani. They are the most patient with my inability to speak or understand guarani very well which is very endearing. Even though I cannot communicate with a majority of the smaller kids, I can still play games with them, and they LOVE it. My sisters here have become like my real sisters. We spend so much time together and we laugh and joke about the silliest things. We have the same sense of humor which is always helpful. They go out of their way to help me and it means the world to me. They come lay in my bed with me at night and we just talk. I’m definitely going to miss living here. My favorite person here and best friend, 15 year old Sandra, is always over our house hanging out. She’s awesome and makes me feel right at home. She mostly will only talk to me in guarani because she says it’s the only way I’ll learn. At first, I hated her for it, but now I love learning her new phrases and it’s really helpful. I’ve learned really well how to insult someone in guarani because that’s usually the brunt of our conversation. She tells me I’m fat, and I tell her she smells bad. The other night we had a dance party at my old host family’s house. Before leaving, my host sister told me I looked like I was pregnant. These people are brutally honest, but they sincerely don’t intend to be mean. In their culture, it’s totally normal to tell someone “you look ugly today”. Instead of getting upset about it, I came right back at her with, “Shut up Auxi, you’re fat too.” I don’t really think I’m getting fat, I’m hoping it had to do with the shirt I was wearing, but whatever. What do they expect when they only feed me cow fat, spaghetti, and bread? Anyway, Paraguayan dances. They’re always interesting and a great source for gossip. If you dance with someone for more than one song, it means you want to be their girlfriend. If you dance with someone with a bad reputation, word gets around. No matter what you do, everyone is watching; hence my reasoning for staying low-key and not wanting to dance with anyone. I managed to have the fattest, ugliest, oldest man at the party hitting on me ALL night. And by all night, I mean he stood by my side and just stared at me, practically drooling. When I refused to dance with him, he bought me a soda in hopes that this would change my decision. No. An hour later, he asked again. Of course, I said no. Within 5 minutes, I had another soda in my hand. I couldn’t help but laugh at his ruthless insistence. Eventually I turned to the mean side and told him I would never dance with him in my life, so please leave me alone. I relocated myself and was then asked to dance by my 16 year old English student. No, no, no. We were joking around and he told me over and over again, “que mala que sos” which means you’re so mean. Blah, blah. Now every time he sees me, he greets me with, “hola, mala.” He came over to the house today to try and get my phone number, but thank god my sisters wouldn’t give it to him. All I can say is that it’s going to be a long two years.
12/7/2010
I’m just laying in bed during another rainy day in Paraguay. We’ve lucked out so far because the weather has been awesome the past few weeks (like 70 degrees), but now it looks like the cold is rolling in with a whole bunch of rain storms. On rainy days, I don’t feel bad about sleeping in until 8am . I made myself some fried dough for breakfast (healthy, I know but at least I’m cooking), and then I ventured out to bring something to my old host family. I sat with them and had some mate while we watched the rain falling. After, I went to the health post to talk to the nurse, whose house I will be moving into in august. I took my bike there and got stuck in a whole bunch of mud puddles, lost my sandal in a puddle and had to fish it out, and arrived back home looking like a huge truck just splashed a whole bunch of mud all over me. I now understand why Paraguayans don’t leave the house in the rain. I’ve been buried in housework and worrying about the cost of putting in a modern bathroom. Turns out, the bathroom will cost 2.5 million guaranis which is equal to about 500 dollars. Doesn’t seem to bad when I put it that way, but I only have 3 million guaranis in my bank account right now and that needs to pay for my food, everything else I need to buy for my house (mattress, sheets, silverware, plates, pots, pans, chairs, a gas tank for my gas stove, and whatever else I discover that I’ll need… like cockroach spray because I’m pretty sure my kitchen is infested hahah). SO, looks like I’ll be waiting until we get paid again in august to buy any of these things. I’ll be living simply for the first few months, but after that, I won’t be paying monthly rent so I should have plenty of money. I’ve started my garden with my favorite 16 year old! I have two tablones set up which are just raised rows of dirt. I’m going to buy seeds this week and start planting! The backyard of my house is a disaster and the only play for me to put my garden is over an old trash pit. So hopefully I won’t be eating chunks of glass and rubber with my veggies. I have tons of fruit trees which is exciting!!! I have guyaba, bananas, grapefruit, grapes, cherry-ish things, and a fruit called mammon which I’m not really sure what that translates to. The worker dude is starting the bathroom when it stops raining, so I’m just hoping it’ll get done relatively fast. I’m more than ready to move in and live on my own!!!!!!!! EXCITING! I’ve been having a lot of family drama in the house that I’m at now between the three sisters. It’s a super long and complicated story, but I’m right in the middle of it all, and as much as I love these girls, I think it will be best for me to get out of here and stay somewhat detached.
As far as work goes, it’s pretty nonexistent right now. I’ve just been hanging out and getting really close with a few of my neighbors. I feel like I’m an actual resident here now instead of just a visitor. The schools have been on strike for 3 weeks, they are now in 2 weeks of winter vacation, and the news says that they’re planning for 45 more days of strike after break. I was planning to start my health lessons in the primary school on dental health and in the high school about nutrition, but it looks like that may be put off for quite awhile. In the meantime, I’m finishing up my census and planning to hold a meeting to start my committee for my brick oven project. We’ll see how all that goes!
I have to tell you all this story because it was one of my best days here in Paraguay so far. I went to my future house to start cleaning it up and to start work on my garden. I was NOT looking forward to all the work that needs to be done, but I figured I need to start somewhere. Auxi, Mari Ines, and Sandra came with me and brought all their tools and cleaning products. We put on some loud reggaeton and before I knew it, the majority of the neighborhood kids showed up to help. I stopped working for a second and took a look around. Every child, as well as my sisters and Sandra, all had some sort of tool in their hand doing a job on my house. One 10 year old was cutting down a tree in the middle of the garden with an ax, one was sweeping the patio, one was cutting back bushes, one was raking the leaves, one was getting all the cobwebs off the walls, one was scrubbing my bedroom floor, one was getting dirt off the roof tiles, and one was digging in my garden, getting all the trash out of the way. I was so overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude that I forgot about all the work and money I’d be putting into this house. It was so amazing to see these children genuinely caring for me. This is why I’m here in Paraguay: for the children.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Life in the campo
Hey all- i don´t have too much time to write because my campo bus will be coming soon to take me from my nice little town that i´m in now (san ignacio) to my life back in the campo (san pablo). Campo live is so different from live back in the states. i was talking to brigette yesterday and after i told her how i had just watched my host sister rip the head off of a chicken, handpick all of the feathers out while it was bleeding from its pores, then proceed to cut it in peices while blood was splattering all over the kitchen table, she used the word barbarian to describe my people. i thought that was hilarious, because maybe that is what i also thought in the beginning, but now these people are my family and i consider it quite normal to be woken up to a scene like this. i´d personally rather eat the chicken you can conveniently buy at the store, but paraguayans largely prefer pollo casero (home-made chicken). hey, it keeps life interesting :)
so things have been wonderfully busy which i love. i´ve done my health census with 25 families and the requirement is 50. Im going to try and do it will all 100 families in my site, because hey, why not.. i have the time. Ive been finding out that they think the flu is by far their worst health problem, that no one seeks medical attention when necessary, and that there is no one that teaches about health in the community. Ive also been way overwhelmed with the number of people who say they REALLY want fogones (brick ovens)... we´ll see how hard theyre willing to work to make this a reality. As of now, it looks like my biggest project will be a brick oven project. i will be very busy, but i´m excited if everything will go according to plan.
i will also be attempting to start a youth group over our winter break which is July 12th to the 15th. i want to do things like cooking, english classes, arts and craftsy things, sports events, movies, anything that theyre interested in. with the things we make, i hope to sell them so that we can go on a big trip at the end! im starting lessons in the primary school about dental health after the break, and about nutrition in the high school. we´ll be selling friendship bracelets during friendhsip week which starts july 26th and buying paint to paint a world map on the wall of the high schooL! i´m not promising any of these things will definitely happen because paraguayn culture seems to be iffy on making any type of committment, but it´s what i have planned and i can only hope for the best!!!!
unfortunately, i gotta run to get my bus, but before i go.. i really wanted to thank everytone who has sent me a package or a letter. im not kidding when i say these things are keeping my spirits up and giving so many things to work with! your inspiring words and words of encouragement keep me mentally into my work and your packages with arts and crafts thigns and personal items are giving me so much motivation to work and plan all my projects. i love you all so much and am so grateful to have my friends and family at home. the biggest thing i have learned since being here, is that i have a great life back in the states that i will never ever take for granted ever again! love, peace
dani
so things have been wonderfully busy which i love. i´ve done my health census with 25 families and the requirement is 50. Im going to try and do it will all 100 families in my site, because hey, why not.. i have the time. Ive been finding out that they think the flu is by far their worst health problem, that no one seeks medical attention when necessary, and that there is no one that teaches about health in the community. Ive also been way overwhelmed with the number of people who say they REALLY want fogones (brick ovens)... we´ll see how hard theyre willing to work to make this a reality. As of now, it looks like my biggest project will be a brick oven project. i will be very busy, but i´m excited if everything will go according to plan.
i will also be attempting to start a youth group over our winter break which is July 12th to the 15th. i want to do things like cooking, english classes, arts and craftsy things, sports events, movies, anything that theyre interested in. with the things we make, i hope to sell them so that we can go on a big trip at the end! im starting lessons in the primary school about dental health after the break, and about nutrition in the high school. we´ll be selling friendship bracelets during friendhsip week which starts july 26th and buying paint to paint a world map on the wall of the high schooL! i´m not promising any of these things will definitely happen because paraguayn culture seems to be iffy on making any type of committment, but it´s what i have planned and i can only hope for the best!!!!
unfortunately, i gotta run to get my bus, but before i go.. i really wanted to thank everytone who has sent me a package or a letter. im not kidding when i say these things are keeping my spirits up and giving so many things to work with! your inspiring words and words of encouragement keep me mentally into my work and your packages with arts and crafts thigns and personal items are giving me so much motivation to work and plan all my projects. i love you all so much and am so grateful to have my friends and family at home. the biggest thing i have learned since being here, is that i have a great life back in the states that i will never ever take for granted ever again! love, peace
dani
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
June 15, 2010
Time for a nice and long update! So we’re already halfway done June, which means I’ve been in site for 6 weeks now. Things are going really well so far. I am now living with my second family, a family of just 3 sisters. Their parents have passed away about three year ago. My oldest sister, Librada, is 29 and is a teacher in the highschool and preschool. My other sisters, Auxi and Mari Ines, are 17 and 14. I’m excited because Mari Ines turns 15 in August and will have her quinceanera (15th birthday party). It will be my first one and I’m interested to see what it’s like. Apparently it’s a really big deal. I’ve seen pictures and it looks like a wedding! My sisters are really awesome and help me out all the time. I love just hanging out with them because it reminds me of being with my sisters at home when we used to goof around night. They teach me little words in guarani and my oldest sister sits down with me about 2 nights a week for an hour to teach me and answer any questions I have about the language. Still, my Guarani is not very good, but after talking to other volunteers, they told me it could take up to a year to start speaking it. Trust me, it is a very hard language with some crazy sounds that I’m not capable of making. However, I am understanding more and more of it and I feel much more comfortable when I’m surrounded by a whole bunch of guarani-speaking paraguayas. Anyway, my supervisor came to visit me on the 10th. He brought my bike, my packages that my family had sent me (THANKS!!!!!!!), and some of my extra luggage that I couldn’t bring with me the first time. My bike is awesome and I love riding it everywhere!! We filled out some paperwork about how I’m adjusting to the community and completed my work plan for the next three months. Some of those things include doing a world map painting in the high school, starting a recycling system in the schools, continuing my detergent, soap, and shampoo projects (yes, we make these things and sell them around the community to raise money for class trips… we’re going on one on Thursday to visit Jesuit Ruin, super psyched!), start doing health lessons in the elementary school and high school in dental health, parasites, and nutrition, start a women’s commission with people interested in starting a Fogon (brick oven) project. I have to do a census with 50 families, and I started that yesterday! I did 7 houses and so far, every single one of them wants to work for a fogon. Looks like I’m coming back to the states with huge muscles because it’s gonna be a lot of hard labor! In order to make a fogon, I need to dig for red dirt (a pretty deep hole to get to the dirt), mix the red dirt with water and a little cement, buy a whole slew of bricks and lay them while including the oven and chimney. We need to have an organized commission to make this possible because we need to write a proposal to the government in order for them to give us the money to buy all the materials. They need to approve our project, and it takes a long time for the money to actually arrive. I’ll be lucky if I start actually building the fogons in the next year. Anyway, my supervisor and I went to the high school and filled the director in on our plan, then ate lunch at my old host family’s house (where they told him I was their “preferred daughter” hahaaa, and then visited the house that I thought I was going to live in for the next 2 years. However, he didn’t like that there weren’t any close neighbors nearby, so I have to look for another housing situation. I took a look at the nurse’s house because she’s moving and I liked the location much better, however, there’s no shower and it just has a latrine, which is fine, but I’d prefer to have a shower installed. We’ll see what happens. The house is just one room, with an attached outdoor kitchen area, with the latrine in the back yard. I wouldn’t have a sink, just a spigot out front. I liked the other house way better, but this still isn’t a bad option. I think I’ll be looking at 2 more houses this week, so I’ll keep you posted! Then, we had my meeting with my community members at the school. I went house to house handing out invitation and about 30 people showed up which I was more than satisfied with. They seemed really excited and all had nice things to say about me. One woman offered to do my census with me to help me translate Spanish to guarani, so that will be really helpful! I made apple cake and banana bread so I think my people left pretty happy All in all, it was a really productive and helpful day! Next week, I’m making more shampoo with a class, and we’ll start making our homemade bar soap with cow fat! I’m excited and interested to see how it all works out. Well, I’m about to go meet up with the senora to do more censuses with my neighbors. I know this update was a long one, but a lot has been going on! I still have my super bored moments, but I have a lot of work to look forward to and start working on. It’s in those bored moments when I start getting a little homesick, so my goal is to stay busy… and I do have plenty of things to get started.
Happy birthday gabe! Hope your bbq was fab. Also, happy father’s day pops! Love you!! Anddd happy anniversarys to all my fave people. Hope you spent your days well and enjoyed every second. Love you all
Time for a nice and long update! So we’re already halfway done June, which means I’ve been in site for 6 weeks now. Things are going really well so far. I am now living with my second family, a family of just 3 sisters. Their parents have passed away about three year ago. My oldest sister, Librada, is 29 and is a teacher in the highschool and preschool. My other sisters, Auxi and Mari Ines, are 17 and 14. I’m excited because Mari Ines turns 15 in August and will have her quinceanera (15th birthday party). It will be my first one and I’m interested to see what it’s like. Apparently it’s a really big deal. I’ve seen pictures and it looks like a wedding! My sisters are really awesome and help me out all the time. I love just hanging out with them because it reminds me of being with my sisters at home when we used to goof around night. They teach me little words in guarani and my oldest sister sits down with me about 2 nights a week for an hour to teach me and answer any questions I have about the language. Still, my Guarani is not very good, but after talking to other volunteers, they told me it could take up to a year to start speaking it. Trust me, it is a very hard language with some crazy sounds that I’m not capable of making. However, I am understanding more and more of it and I feel much more comfortable when I’m surrounded by a whole bunch of guarani-speaking paraguayas. Anyway, my supervisor came to visit me on the 10th. He brought my bike, my packages that my family had sent me (THANKS!!!!!!!), and some of my extra luggage that I couldn’t bring with me the first time. My bike is awesome and I love riding it everywhere!! We filled out some paperwork about how I’m adjusting to the community and completed my work plan for the next three months. Some of those things include doing a world map painting in the high school, starting a recycling system in the schools, continuing my detergent, soap, and shampoo projects (yes, we make these things and sell them around the community to raise money for class trips… we’re going on one on Thursday to visit Jesuit Ruin, super psyched!), start doing health lessons in the elementary school and high school in dental health, parasites, and nutrition, start a women’s commission with people interested in starting a Fogon (brick oven) project. I have to do a census with 50 families, and I started that yesterday! I did 7 houses and so far, every single one of them wants to work for a fogon. Looks like I’m coming back to the states with huge muscles because it’s gonna be a lot of hard labor! In order to make a fogon, I need to dig for red dirt (a pretty deep hole to get to the dirt), mix the red dirt with water and a little cement, buy a whole slew of bricks and lay them while including the oven and chimney. We need to have an organized commission to make this possible because we need to write a proposal to the government in order for them to give us the money to buy all the materials. They need to approve our project, and it takes a long time for the money to actually arrive. I’ll be lucky if I start actually building the fogons in the next year. Anyway, my supervisor and I went to the high school and filled the director in on our plan, then ate lunch at my old host family’s house (where they told him I was their “preferred daughter” hahaaa, and then visited the house that I thought I was going to live in for the next 2 years. However, he didn’t like that there weren’t any close neighbors nearby, so I have to look for another housing situation. I took a look at the nurse’s house because she’s moving and I liked the location much better, however, there’s no shower and it just has a latrine, which is fine, but I’d prefer to have a shower installed. We’ll see what happens. The house is just one room, with an attached outdoor kitchen area, with the latrine in the back yard. I wouldn’t have a sink, just a spigot out front. I liked the other house way better, but this still isn’t a bad option. I think I’ll be looking at 2 more houses this week, so I’ll keep you posted! Then, we had my meeting with my community members at the school. I went house to house handing out invitation and about 30 people showed up which I was more than satisfied with. They seemed really excited and all had nice things to say about me. One woman offered to do my census with me to help me translate Spanish to guarani, so that will be really helpful! I made apple cake and banana bread so I think my people left pretty happy All in all, it was a really productive and helpful day! Next week, I’m making more shampoo with a class, and we’ll start making our homemade bar soap with cow fat! I’m excited and interested to see how it all works out. Well, I’m about to go meet up with the senora to do more censuses with my neighbors. I know this update was a long one, but a lot has been going on! I still have my super bored moments, but I have a lot of work to look forward to and start working on. It’s in those bored moments when I start getting a little homesick, so my goal is to stay busy… and I do have plenty of things to get started.
Happy birthday gabe! Hope your bbq was fab. Also, happy father’s day pops! Love you!! Anddd happy anniversarys to all my fave people. Hope you spent your days well and enjoyed every second. Love you all
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Terere
terere and mate
I gotta tell you all about terere and mate since i spend the majority of my day drinking it! Terere and mate is yerba which you drink out of a cup (called a guampa) with a straw with a mini strainer attached to the bottom (called a bombilla). Terere is served cold and mate is served with boiled water. It is a paraguayan staple and something that each and every Paraguayan drinks multiple times a day… whether it be on a bus, while driving, sitting around the house with family, or just something you do when you’re bored. You can add an assortment of herbs to your terere or mate like mint, eucalyptus, and many more and all of these are home grown and can be found in your very own backyard! There’s always one person who serves the yerba and each person in the terere or mate circle takes turns drinking from the same straw. For all you germaphobes out there, it would probably be your worst nightmare, but hey… this culture is all about sharing. So someone pours water from a thermos or pitcher and passes the cup. It’s not as easy as it sounds because there is a strict terere and mate etiquette. You must never touch the straw while drinking, you should never say “gracias” unless you don’t want anymore, you must never eat while drinking the tea, you can’t shower right after drinking mate or you’ll become really sick due to the extreme temperature change, and never eat watermelon before, during, or after terere consumption. Terere-ing has become one of my favorite hobbies because it enables me to meet the Paraguayans, chat with neighbors, and become really hydrated in the process! You can sit for hours drinking terere and that is completely and totally acceptable here. It’s a great social experience and something that opens up a lot opportunity for conversation. I highly recommend you Americans start buying some terere gear and start the trend over there, because it’s an awesome tradition and it’s actually quite tasty!
I gotta tell you all about terere and mate since i spend the majority of my day drinking it! Terere and mate is yerba which you drink out of a cup (called a guampa) with a straw with a mini strainer attached to the bottom (called a bombilla). Terere is served cold and mate is served with boiled water. It is a paraguayan staple and something that each and every Paraguayan drinks multiple times a day… whether it be on a bus, while driving, sitting around the house with family, or just something you do when you’re bored. You can add an assortment of herbs to your terere or mate like mint, eucalyptus, and many more and all of these are home grown and can be found in your very own backyard! There’s always one person who serves the yerba and each person in the terere or mate circle takes turns drinking from the same straw. For all you germaphobes out there, it would probably be your worst nightmare, but hey… this culture is all about sharing. So someone pours water from a thermos or pitcher and passes the cup. It’s not as easy as it sounds because there is a strict terere and mate etiquette. You must never touch the straw while drinking, you should never say “gracias” unless you don’t want anymore, you must never eat while drinking the tea, you can’t shower right after drinking mate or you’ll become really sick due to the extreme temperature change, and never eat watermelon before, during, or after terere consumption. Terere-ing has become one of my favorite hobbies because it enables me to meet the Paraguayans, chat with neighbors, and become really hydrated in the process! You can sit for hours drinking terere and that is completely and totally acceptable here. It’s a great social experience and something that opens up a lot opportunity for conversation. I highly recommend you Americans start buying some terere gear and start the trend over there, because it’s an awesome tradition and it’s actually quite tasty!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
28/4
Well, a lot has happened since the last time I wrote. First off, I visited my future site for a few days. It’s called San Pablo and it’s located in the south of Paraguay in the department called Misiones. It’s about a 4.5 hour bus ride from the bus terminal in asuncion, and my site is conveniently located right off the main ruta. I stayed with a beautiful family who I slowly fell in love with and I am so relieved to know that I will have 3 girls there with whom I can hang out and relax. My main contact is a 20 year old boy named Alexis. He’s studying to become a lawyer and is interested in helping me promote health because he had leukemia when he was a kid. He’s hardworking and has tons of energy which will be extremely helpful. In short, we visited the Health Post, the schools, the police station, and the main city 16 km from my site. I loved it! One of my favorite things was that there are a ton of horses, and also that there’s about 100 houses in my community, a perfect size.
This past week has been extremely busy because training is wrapping up. We had a party at Eliza’s house to hang out with all of our families, a family party at our escuelita which was hosted by peace corps, and finally, we’re having another party tomorrow night at Nicole’s house! Guasucora has been my home for the past 3 months and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have picked a better community. The people here are just amazing and it’s been such a precious experience. My mom and dad gave me a red, sleeveless aopoi. Aopoi is a type of Paraguayan clothing that is hand stitched. They’re really light weight and perfect to wear for a dressy occasion. I was so excited to get it, because I had been planning on buying one anyway. My neighbor hand-made it which makes it even more special. I also went shopping with my mom in Villeta, just the two of us. It was such a nice day. We went food shopping, and then she picked out the shoes that I will wear for swearing in… which is FRIDAY! AH! I cooked dinner for my mom and dad the other night. I made chicken with potatoes, carrots, and onions, and macaroni and cheese. They loved it and I was so excited that my first real experience cooking went smoothly. I’m so pro. Today, we went to a place called Carapegua which is where there is market with hand-made hammocks, blankets, bags, and tablecloths. I bought a hammock for my house when I move to San Pablo, and a table cloth with some lace in it for my parents. I gave it to them tonight after dinner with a letter that I had written for them. I know they greatly appreciated it, and I just wish I could better explain how appreciative I am for their hospitality in the past 11 weeks. Not only did they open up their home to me, but they included me as part of the family and made my training experience the best that it could have been. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to live with Maria and Eligo. I have noticed the little things they do every day that make them extra special and really hard working. They may not have the most money in the world or very many possessions, but they are so happy with each other and they know how to make their life the best that it can be. These people have taught me so much about what needs to be prioritized in life. Truly, I can’t say it enough, but Maria and Eligo have been fabulous parents and I can’t wait to visit them every time I make a trip to ascuncion!
The fact that we swear in as official volunteers in 2 days is absolutely crazy. Time has passed way too quickly. As busy as we were throughout training, it has also been a kind of vacation or retreat in many ways. It’s been really relaxing and eye opening to spend time and hang out in guasucora while meeting so many new people. Not only have I become great friends with my fellow guasucora trainees and the rest of G32, but my neighbors and families of the other trainees have also become my family. Slowly opening up and really getting to know these people has been such a unique pleasure that I do not take for granted. Yes, there were some ups and downs of training and having such a strict predetermined schedule laid out for us was a bit trying, yet learning so many new things and absorbing the culture has been quite enjoyable. I will miss this place.
17/5/2010
Since the last time I wrote, I have sworn in as an official volunteer, partied in asuncion with my fellow G32 trainees, and moved to site on May 4th. Moving here has been an emotional rollercoaster. At first, I was so excited to finally arrive, to follow out what has been my dream for so many years. I was met at the bus stop by my “contact” and since then, I haven’t seen or heard from him except for a couple of inappropriate text messages (yes, I do have a cell phone these days!!!!!) Without a contact, I feel kind of lost as to what I should and can be doing. I moved in with a family of 4, parents and 2 seventeen year old girls. Luckily, my family is wonderful and has made me feel more than comfortable in their home. I use one of my sister’s bedrooms to sleep in which is more than I could have asked for. It’s a privilege to have a space to call my own because many other new volunteers do not. I hang out with my sisters every day and follow them to high school where I have taught a class of English and made detergent with an economy class. We sold the detergent to neighbors and made a little money to contribute to a class trip to a museum! My sisters have taken me to meet many neighbors; however, it has been unbelievably frustrating because they will not willingly speak in Spanish. Guarani is the preferred language and pretty much the only people who will speak to me in Spanish are teenagers or small children. This goes without saying that I have spent many hours sitting in terere circles of Paraguayans pretending to listen to their indigenous language, when really I’m usually thinking about home and what I would be doing if I were there. Congrats to everyone who just graduated!! I’m so proud of you all and so wish that I could have been there to share in the festivities. I thought about you guys a lot… probably too much because I’ve started to become a teensy bit homesick. I think this has to do with the fact that there is not one other English-speaking person in the near vicinity which leaves me with a lot of self-time and entirely way too much time to think about things. I needed a hobby, and so I have taken up crocheting! It’s actually really fun and it really fits well with my grandma reputation. Haaa. I’ve also been studying guarani in my free time… which I’ve had a TON of due to the past 3 days of solid rain. I’ll have you know that life in Paraguay literally stops when it starts drizzling. School is cancelled, and everyone sits under their porches drinking mate. It’s actually nice and relaxing and a bit relieving because I don’t feel pressured to be doing something proactive, but 3 days is way more than enough. I’ve gone a bit stir crazy, so I’ve decided to venture into San Ignacio today (the nearest large town near me) so that I can use the internet, buy some groceries, stop by the post office, and take money out of my ATM. I’m super excited.
So I’ve had a lot of funny moments since I’ve been here. They weren’t funny at the time, but now I can laugh at them. So the other night I was sick and needed to go to the bathroom. The toilet is outside, so of course I unlocked my door, brought my flashlight with me, and did my thing. I came back and got yelled at in the morning for leaving my room in the dark. My ma told me I had to use the bowl that has curiously been sitting on my bedroom floor to relieve myself in the middle of the night because she doesn’t want me outside. Another issue has been my laundry. My dirty clothes have been piling up, and I’ve wanted to wash the past few days, but one of my sisters was using the bucket ALL day one day, and then it’s been raining which means you do not do laundry. It stopped raining this morning, so I hurried outside, hand washed all my clothes (broke my ring cuz I scrubbed too hard ) and hung the clothes on the line. Immediately after, it started monsooning and so now, my clothes are still hanging outside dripping in rain water. Oops. On another note, I’ve been eating a lot of crocodile and carpincho (which looks to me like an enormous beaver). They have an interesting taste, but surprisingly, I’m kind of a fan! Other than that, just the normal things… a lot of awkward stares, silly language mistakes, blank stares from me when people ask me things in guarani, and a lot of people asking me why in the world I’m here, if I miss my family, if I have a boyfriend, and how old I am. Seems like those are the pretty standard questions around here and I gladly answer them over and over again because I actually understand this vocabulary in guarani! It’s a start! I’m ready to begin my health census which has to be done with 50 families in my community. After that, I can start my projects which I think will consist of a lot of fogon building, working with commissions, teaching health topics in the school and high school, and hooooopefully I can find the special ed school or rehab center in san Ignacio and get my foot in the door there. We’ll see where things go, but I have a lot to forward to… I just don’t know where to start!
Thank you to everyone who has been making an effort to keep in touch. It really means so much to me. If I don’t get back to you right away, it’s only because I don’t have internet very often and am usually super rushed if I do have it, and I can’t call anyone from my cell because it’s way too expensive. However, I can text for cheap and I’m pretty sure it’s not that expensive to text me from the states… so I’m always open to some texting!! You can also call me from skype and its 22 cents a minute. My number 011 595 984 610 017. You can also send me letters and small packages to my new address!!!
Danielle Burns (voluntaria cuerpo de paz)
San Roque Gonzalez 1164
Telef: 0782 232335
San Ignacio, Misiones Paraguay
C.P. 4750
Gracias! Love you all! Chao chao
ps. i also have 2 cell numbers. call from skype and its only 22 cents a minute! you can also text me and i can text you for 20 cents a minute! try this number first and if it doesnt work, try the second one!!
011 595 984 610 017 OR 011 595 975 101 248
Well, a lot has happened since the last time I wrote. First off, I visited my future site for a few days. It’s called San Pablo and it’s located in the south of Paraguay in the department called Misiones. It’s about a 4.5 hour bus ride from the bus terminal in asuncion, and my site is conveniently located right off the main ruta. I stayed with a beautiful family who I slowly fell in love with and I am so relieved to know that I will have 3 girls there with whom I can hang out and relax. My main contact is a 20 year old boy named Alexis. He’s studying to become a lawyer and is interested in helping me promote health because he had leukemia when he was a kid. He’s hardworking and has tons of energy which will be extremely helpful. In short, we visited the Health Post, the schools, the police station, and the main city 16 km from my site. I loved it! One of my favorite things was that there are a ton of horses, and also that there’s about 100 houses in my community, a perfect size.
This past week has been extremely busy because training is wrapping up. We had a party at Eliza’s house to hang out with all of our families, a family party at our escuelita which was hosted by peace corps, and finally, we’re having another party tomorrow night at Nicole’s house! Guasucora has been my home for the past 3 months and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have picked a better community. The people here are just amazing and it’s been such a precious experience. My mom and dad gave me a red, sleeveless aopoi. Aopoi is a type of Paraguayan clothing that is hand stitched. They’re really light weight and perfect to wear for a dressy occasion. I was so excited to get it, because I had been planning on buying one anyway. My neighbor hand-made it which makes it even more special. I also went shopping with my mom in Villeta, just the two of us. It was such a nice day. We went food shopping, and then she picked out the shoes that I will wear for swearing in… which is FRIDAY! AH! I cooked dinner for my mom and dad the other night. I made chicken with potatoes, carrots, and onions, and macaroni and cheese. They loved it and I was so excited that my first real experience cooking went smoothly. I’m so pro. Today, we went to a place called Carapegua which is where there is market with hand-made hammocks, blankets, bags, and tablecloths. I bought a hammock for my house when I move to San Pablo, and a table cloth with some lace in it for my parents. I gave it to them tonight after dinner with a letter that I had written for them. I know they greatly appreciated it, and I just wish I could better explain how appreciative I am for their hospitality in the past 11 weeks. Not only did they open up their home to me, but they included me as part of the family and made my training experience the best that it could have been. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to live with Maria and Eligo. I have noticed the little things they do every day that make them extra special and really hard working. They may not have the most money in the world or very many possessions, but they are so happy with each other and they know how to make their life the best that it can be. These people have taught me so much about what needs to be prioritized in life. Truly, I can’t say it enough, but Maria and Eligo have been fabulous parents and I can’t wait to visit them every time I make a trip to ascuncion!
The fact that we swear in as official volunteers in 2 days is absolutely crazy. Time has passed way too quickly. As busy as we were throughout training, it has also been a kind of vacation or retreat in many ways. It’s been really relaxing and eye opening to spend time and hang out in guasucora while meeting so many new people. Not only have I become great friends with my fellow guasucora trainees and the rest of G32, but my neighbors and families of the other trainees have also become my family. Slowly opening up and really getting to know these people has been such a unique pleasure that I do not take for granted. Yes, there were some ups and downs of training and having such a strict predetermined schedule laid out for us was a bit trying, yet learning so many new things and absorbing the culture has been quite enjoyable. I will miss this place.
17/5/2010
Since the last time I wrote, I have sworn in as an official volunteer, partied in asuncion with my fellow G32 trainees, and moved to site on May 4th. Moving here has been an emotional rollercoaster. At first, I was so excited to finally arrive, to follow out what has been my dream for so many years. I was met at the bus stop by my “contact” and since then, I haven’t seen or heard from him except for a couple of inappropriate text messages (yes, I do have a cell phone these days!!!!!) Without a contact, I feel kind of lost as to what I should and can be doing. I moved in with a family of 4, parents and 2 seventeen year old girls. Luckily, my family is wonderful and has made me feel more than comfortable in their home. I use one of my sister’s bedrooms to sleep in which is more than I could have asked for. It’s a privilege to have a space to call my own because many other new volunteers do not. I hang out with my sisters every day and follow them to high school where I have taught a class of English and made detergent with an economy class. We sold the detergent to neighbors and made a little money to contribute to a class trip to a museum! My sisters have taken me to meet many neighbors; however, it has been unbelievably frustrating because they will not willingly speak in Spanish. Guarani is the preferred language and pretty much the only people who will speak to me in Spanish are teenagers or small children. This goes without saying that I have spent many hours sitting in terere circles of Paraguayans pretending to listen to their indigenous language, when really I’m usually thinking about home and what I would be doing if I were there. Congrats to everyone who just graduated!! I’m so proud of you all and so wish that I could have been there to share in the festivities. I thought about you guys a lot… probably too much because I’ve started to become a teensy bit homesick. I think this has to do with the fact that there is not one other English-speaking person in the near vicinity which leaves me with a lot of self-time and entirely way too much time to think about things. I needed a hobby, and so I have taken up crocheting! It’s actually really fun and it really fits well with my grandma reputation. Haaa. I’ve also been studying guarani in my free time… which I’ve had a TON of due to the past 3 days of solid rain. I’ll have you know that life in Paraguay literally stops when it starts drizzling. School is cancelled, and everyone sits under their porches drinking mate. It’s actually nice and relaxing and a bit relieving because I don’t feel pressured to be doing something proactive, but 3 days is way more than enough. I’ve gone a bit stir crazy, so I’ve decided to venture into San Ignacio today (the nearest large town near me) so that I can use the internet, buy some groceries, stop by the post office, and take money out of my ATM. I’m super excited.
So I’ve had a lot of funny moments since I’ve been here. They weren’t funny at the time, but now I can laugh at them. So the other night I was sick and needed to go to the bathroom. The toilet is outside, so of course I unlocked my door, brought my flashlight with me, and did my thing. I came back and got yelled at in the morning for leaving my room in the dark. My ma told me I had to use the bowl that has curiously been sitting on my bedroom floor to relieve myself in the middle of the night because she doesn’t want me outside. Another issue has been my laundry. My dirty clothes have been piling up, and I’ve wanted to wash the past few days, but one of my sisters was using the bucket ALL day one day, and then it’s been raining which means you do not do laundry. It stopped raining this morning, so I hurried outside, hand washed all my clothes (broke my ring cuz I scrubbed too hard ) and hung the clothes on the line. Immediately after, it started monsooning and so now, my clothes are still hanging outside dripping in rain water. Oops. On another note, I’ve been eating a lot of crocodile and carpincho (which looks to me like an enormous beaver). They have an interesting taste, but surprisingly, I’m kind of a fan! Other than that, just the normal things… a lot of awkward stares, silly language mistakes, blank stares from me when people ask me things in guarani, and a lot of people asking me why in the world I’m here, if I miss my family, if I have a boyfriend, and how old I am. Seems like those are the pretty standard questions around here and I gladly answer them over and over again because I actually understand this vocabulary in guarani! It’s a start! I’m ready to begin my health census which has to be done with 50 families in my community. After that, I can start my projects which I think will consist of a lot of fogon building, working with commissions, teaching health topics in the school and high school, and hooooopefully I can find the special ed school or rehab center in san Ignacio and get my foot in the door there. We’ll see where things go, but I have a lot to forward to… I just don’t know where to start!
Thank you to everyone who has been making an effort to keep in touch. It really means so much to me. If I don’t get back to you right away, it’s only because I don’t have internet very often and am usually super rushed if I do have it, and I can’t call anyone from my cell because it’s way too expensive. However, I can text for cheap and I’m pretty sure it’s not that expensive to text me from the states… so I’m always open to some texting!! You can also call me from skype and its 22 cents a minute. My number 011 595 984 610 017. You can also send me letters and small packages to my new address!!!
Danielle Burns (voluntaria cuerpo de paz)
San Roque Gonzalez 1164
Telef: 0782 232335
San Ignacio, Misiones Paraguay
C.P. 4750
Gracias! Love you all! Chao chao
ps. i also have 2 cell numbers. call from skype and its only 22 cents a minute! you can also text me and i can text you for 20 cents a minute! try this number first and if it doesnt work, try the second one!!
011 595 984 610 017 OR 011 595 975 101 248
Monday, May 10, 2010
por fin, soy misonera :)
hey everyone! i know it´s been quite a while, so i stopped by an internet cafe while i wait for my bus to get back to my site. i just visited another volunteer in southern misiones for a VAC meeting. i met 9 other volunteers who are all in my department of paraguay, which is reassuring to know i have some english speaking companions somewhat near by (the closest being about a 30 minute bus ride and a few mile walk). We ended up making mexican food and watching a marathon of jersey shore. it´s a little hilarious that i´m in peace corps paraguay watching probably one of the trashiest american tv shows out there, but it was a nice adversion to keep my thoughts away from thinking about my new site. i´ve only been there for a bout 5 days, and i dont really know what im supposed to be doing exactly. i´ve visited the school, met a bunch of guarani speaking families who told me that if i dont learn guarani fluently, we may have some problems, ill be making soap with the 8th grade class on wednesday, and ive just been doing things around the house like washing my clothes, and helping my ma cook some paraguayan food. it´s all gone really smoothly so far,and i couldnt be happier with the family im currently living with. i live with a married couple, and 2 seventeen year old girls who bring me around with them everywhere. i love where i´´m at, but im super nervous about what is expected of me. i think my community wants a lot of brick ovens, a reforestation project, and lessons regarding health in the schools. i have a lot of good things going for me, but it will be quite a long process to begin to have any type of sucessful project. first, i need to study guarani, and then ill worry about putting my muscles to work. ill keep you all posted. i have to go catch the bus, but hopefully i will be able to write more detail later. so much has been happening, and i havent had enough time on internet to really explain it to you all, but know that i am very happy, and i am doing very well. i miss you all greatly and i would huuuuuuuugely appreciate any texts, or skype calls to my new cell phone (its super cheap!)!!!! 011 595 984 610 017
much love, and congrats to the class of 2010. so proud of you all :)
much love, and congrats to the class of 2010. so proud of you all :)
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