6 months in Paraguay

I have now been living in Paraguay for six full months. In some ways, September seems so long ago, especially in terms of missing friends and family back home and making new relationships with Paraguayans and other Peace Corps Volunteers here. In other ways it seems like not long at all since I received that phone call from the Peace Corps in D.C. (while road tripping in South Dakota with Maria and Davis) offering me a chance to serve in South America starting in 5 weeks. Ahh!!

In honor of this mark, I would like to review how my life has or has not changed through a reflection of my “life skills” at this point.

New Skills:
-peeling mandioca
-baking homemade bread
-making yoghurt (favorite flavor – banana)
-hoeing a line of crops
-washing clothes by hand
-drinking scalding hot mate through a metal straw

Improved Skills
-flossing regularly
-writing letters
-spitting without getting drool all over myself
-snot rocketing without getting snot all over myself
-squatting to pee without getting pee all over myself.. getting the theme here?
-walking long distances in flip flops without getting blisters

Skills that Still Need Work
-using a machete (to cut my grass, cut bamboo, etc.)
-climbing through barbed wire fences in a skirt, or without puncturing my shirts
-cleaning pig skin with boiling water and a spoon
-text messaging in Guarani
-avoiding parasites and uncomfortable medical situations (if you really want to know…I’ll tell you.)

Overall, it really has been an incredible six months. I feel remarkably blessed.
Happy Easter, Semana Santa, and Passover from me to you. Enjoy the time with people you enjoy. Much love.

Happy Belated Birthday Uncle Chuck!

Also, my saludos to Mrs. Curran´s 8th grade class! Thanks for reading along.

The Pictures

Quinciñera Hape for RominaCooking with Soy during TrainingMe and some of my Girls in SiteCroppies (Op!) relaxing at Papu´s during Training

Me and the Family, on the day I left for the Peace Corps
My neighbor, Ña Rubia, and her pig during Semana Santa
My friend Carmen putting the finishing touches on my shower
Isa, Ña Rubia´s granddaughter, exploring the road in front of my house after a big rain
My patio with the homemade flower vases we made and the flowers the neighbors girls brought
My neighbor Blasito teaching me how to make ´rora´, which is delicious and very difficult to pronounce, and he doesn´t let me live it down...hahaha