Violeta´s Photos

So I gave my camera to my 8 year old neighbor Violeta, and here are some of her pictures. Dolly fashion show as you can see, baby ducks, and her baby brother´s memorial.

Bean Picking

The other morning, I got up early at 5:30am to drink maté and then pick beans with my neighbor Ña Venancia. We picked for about 2 hours and although this is the coolest part of the day, we were both still dripping with sweat. But we did pick a LOT of beans, as you can see.

Butterfly on Laundry Day

A Great Sunday Visit

This past Sunday I went to visit a family that lives out near their fields, about a 30 minute walk from the school and the church. It was a great mix of work and fun. Na Angela and I cut down the green manure crop we had planted in her field in November so that the nitrogen it fixed can now be incorporated back into the soil. Then we proceeded to make chipa guazu, or fresh corn cornbread, starting by harvesting the corn in the field and ending by eating it hot, right out of the brick oven!

This is Liliana, age 11. I showed her how to use my camera and she become the photographer of the day. She's a smart girl. This year, she'll live with a family in town, taking care of a 3 year old grandchild. In repayment, the family will give her a place to live and pay for her to go to middle school.

Here's one of Liliana's pictures of her brothers, Herminio, age 9 and Claudio, age 4, in front of their bamboo house and corn field.

This is Na Angela, a sharp-witted and very guapa lady, cutting down the crotalaria between rows of mandioca.

Time to eat! What a great way to spend a Sunday.

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.