SIX months to go!

With six months of Peace Corps service left to go, I find myself more and more often thinking about how I’ve changed, what I’ve learned, what habits I’ve acquired, and how I will adjust back to life in the United States. And also being amazed at how fast the time flies! The different habits part hit me the other morning when I woke up to an upset stomach. Here’s a few things that I do now, that I never much thought about when I first came to Paraguay.

1. “Don’t Ignore the Symptoms”

My “work-through-it” attitude has pretty much faded away. Whatever inkling of sickness I have, I usually start treating it right away, to try to prevent it from getting any worse (which can happen really fast, here especially). If I get an upset stomach, I stop my normal eating. I make myself ginger tea, eat toast or crackers, and make a broth with rice. I also drink a liter of electrolyte mixture to ward off dehydration. Basically, I pump the liquids. If I feel a cold coming on, I do the same, but minus the electrolytes and plus more maté and tereré. They keep you peeing like crazy, which is good for flushing out your system.

2. “What Do the Clouds Say”

I swear, more of my conversations here are about weather than anything else. But it’s not just small talk - The weather affects meeting plans, travel plans, planting plans, etc etc. I was supposed to travel to another Volunteer’s site yesterday to help with a green manures charla but it was lightning in two directions and threatening rain in three when I went to leave at 6am. So I cancelled the travel plans, not wanting to travel 6 hours (walking, bus, more walking) for nothing and especially not wanting to get stuck out at this Volunteer’s site, with such a busy week coming up (He lives 2 hours walking from the highway, which is also dirt, and the buses don’t run when it rains.) But then, OF COURSE, it cleared up and was beautifully warm and sunny all day. It can be very frustrating, but what’s a person to do.

3. “How Can I Use That?”

Just as a product of my lifestyle here, I create less waste than I ever have before. My food scraps go to the compost pile or to feed the animals, 2 liter pop bottles store water, old jelly jars store rice and popcorn, my “organizational spacing system” consists of old fruit crates and cardboard boxes, my wash basin is made from an old tire, and I plant in milk and fruit juice boxes. Even my crap is composting, and requires no flushing. I’m not tooting my own horn, of course this depends on where you are and what resources you have. But through campo living, I have realized that it is possible to live with less.


Once again, I’m not comparing this to our lifestyles in the U.S., just realizing for myself how my habits have changed due to my living situation and life here in Paraguay. Also, as my sister puts it, “Manda… you have a lot of time to brood.”

So true! So forgive my inner ramblings that I’ve outwardly expressed here, but just thought I’d share a little bit more into my daily Peace Corps life (and the results of having a lot of time to think and reflect…or brood. Haha).
See you in December!