Life in the Plaza

One of the main plazas in downtown Asuncion is occupied by a group of indigenous people from the department of Caazapa who are continuously protesting (with their presence) how the Paraguayan government took away their land. Hence they have no where else to live at this point. As you can see, large families live in tents made up of black plastic. Where they get their water from or use the restroom, I have no idea... but they are one of the constants in the city, that is for sure.

CAMP

Ok, so this is a relatively awful picture, but my summer camp was so full of activities and fun that there was little time for photography! Even with one day rained out, we had 35 kids altogether come over the course of 2 days. With the help of three other Volunteers, we learned about animal kingdoms, habitats, the water cycle, and photosynthesis. We sang, we danced, we made water cycle bracelets and popsicle sticks photo frames, plus ate CUPCAKES. Thanks Aunt Patti!

I am not a farmer...

...but that doesn't mean I can't try and do "farm-y" things! Above is the baby pig that I just bought. The plan is eat him in 6-8 months, so I'm trying not to get too attached. We are getting along famously so far, however. Pigs are hilarious, very curious. The other pictures are from my demonstration plot. I am growing some green manure crops - sunflower, sun hemp, velvet bean, hyacinth bean- along with some corn, squash, soy, and melon. I have yet to eat anything but hopefully soon.

A Special Note

I got this very special note from Ashleigh today. It's a shrinky-dink. What that is...I don't know exactly, but I get the idea that she wrote me a normal sized note on a large piece of plastic, then shrunk it in the oven until it was this itty-bitty. Good thing too - it's envelope got somewhat destroyed on the way here. I don't know if a regular letter would have made it! Haha, I love it.

Tortillas Mexicanas

In my limited travels within the Spanish-speaking world, I have found 3 different types of "tortillas". In Paraguay, a tortilla is a deep-fried fritter - flour, salt, milk or whey, cheese, and maybe some green onions if you're lucky, mixed to a soupy batter and dropped in a saucepan of oil until it's crispy. I find them delicious... in small quantities. In Spain, a tortilla is an inch-tall thick egg omelet with potatoes and sometimes meat, cooked in olive oil. Also - delicious! And then there's our good ol' Mexican American flour tortillas. To spice up my rice and bean dinner last night, I had the neighbor girls help me make some. They liked getting to make their own designs with the dough and upon tasting, also declared them..."Heterei!" or...Delicious!

A Sea of Onions

One of the major "projects" in my community right now is an onion growing project that we began back in May. All the onions are harvested now, but lo and behold, the market is saturated. That means that as no one is buying onions right now, the onions are chilling out in whatever place each family can find to try and keep them clean and dry. In a stroke of luck, my next door neighbors got a small order for 20 bags to go to town tomorrow. Here they are, sorting and packing. This open air part of their house usually serves as a dining/living room. Talk about multi-purpose! Also, don't worry... I have helped to fill my share of bags as well.

Swimming Lessons

I made it back safely to Paraguay, with some new perspective, new comforts, and new countdown. 11 months! As another new idea, I'm going to start A Picture A Day series, although I don't know if it'll really be quite that often, due to power outages and other technical difficulties. The idea comes from a few years back, when I remember my friend Rachael's dad doing a photo blog like this as a way to stay in touch as she left for college. Thanks Mr. Button.

It was difficult coming back to Paraguay, but this afternoon marked a real high for the past few days. It's been about 100 degrees and 100% humidity here for the past couple of days, so my neighbor girls Vio, Silvia, and I hit up the nearby creek for some chill time. Let me tell you though - it took almost an hour of trudging up the rocky, holey creek bed and crawling through/over/under overhanging vines, tree branches, and bamboo to find a good spot. But it was worth it. Almost no one knows how to swim here, and Silvia really wants to learn, so we did some basic swim lesson practice for over an hour. I had the girls practice holding their breath and sticking their faces under water (pretty scary for them). There are two different words in Guarani for "swim" - one to swim on top of the water and one to dive under. Kids always ask me if I know how to do the former, and then the latter, which is even more impressive. We also practiced kicking, some basic arm strokes, and trying to float. They ate it up and are anxious to go back! (As am I, especially if this weather keeps up.)