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.

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.