There will come a day when I upload pictures...but, sorry Mom, it is not this day.
Since my last post things have been moving along poco a poco. Still taking a census, still planning with the schools, and still working in the health center. Small wins include acquiring a list of all of the students at all 3 schools, having someone agree with me that potentially using a calendar to organize classes was a good idea, and finally getting some plants in the ground (yeah leafy greens). I also have made a giant map of my community, bought a stove, cleaned my future house, went to a party, and planned part of a trip to Argentina. I also finished three books recently: One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Time Machine and Shantaram, all highly recommended.
Looking over this list, it strikes me that I probably could have done most of these things (minus the reading) in a weekend in the states. Here, I needed more than a week. It just goes to show you how different that pace of life is. My free time gets filled up with books, walks, and spending time with my host family and friends. My Mom keeps asking me if I am going insane here and doesn't seem to believe me when I tell her I am doing just fine. It's different, it's an adjustment, but it's...as they say here, tranquilo. There really isn't a better way to describe it. And while I'm sure that the pace of life will be a challenge to some of my projects and test my patients at times, there is definitely something to be said for having an hour or so each day to sit in the sun, drink copious amounts of terere/mate weather depending, and watch your neighbors/cows walk by.
I'll leave you with another dialogue from my paseos:
stranger: Good morning!
me: Good morning Senora, how are you today?
*senora invites me in we go through normal introduction*
senora: so, we all know you are a spy.
me: pardon?
senora: we know you are a spy here looking for water.
me: why would I be looking for water? As I said I'm here with el Cuerpo de Paz...
senora: yeah yeah but the USA is running out of water and then you will need to steal it from us. You know Paraguay has a lot of "agua dulce"
me: Well I can promise you I'm only here to work in Health. Yesterday I was at the schools doing...
senora: Yeah, sure you were.
New friends! We actually moved on from there, as she didn't seem to be too bothered by my so-called espionage.
Another comical exchange while I was working in my garden:
landlady: Do you want azadita (little hoe)?
me*having heard asadito (meat on a stick, little BBQ)*: No thank you! I ate very recently!
landlady: *looks at me like I am an alien*
Así es la vida! Until next time.
Since my last post things have been moving along poco a poco. Still taking a census, still planning with the schools, and still working in the health center. Small wins include acquiring a list of all of the students at all 3 schools, having someone agree with me that potentially using a calendar to organize classes was a good idea, and finally getting some plants in the ground (yeah leafy greens). I also have made a giant map of my community, bought a stove, cleaned my future house, went to a party, and planned part of a trip to Argentina. I also finished three books recently: One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Time Machine and Shantaram, all highly recommended.
Looking over this list, it strikes me that I probably could have done most of these things (minus the reading) in a weekend in the states. Here, I needed more than a week. It just goes to show you how different that pace of life is. My free time gets filled up with books, walks, and spending time with my host family and friends. My Mom keeps asking me if I am going insane here and doesn't seem to believe me when I tell her I am doing just fine. It's different, it's an adjustment, but it's...as they say here, tranquilo. There really isn't a better way to describe it. And while I'm sure that the pace of life will be a challenge to some of my projects and test my patients at times, there is definitely something to be said for having an hour or so each day to sit in the sun, drink copious amounts of terere/mate weather depending, and watch your neighbors/cows walk by.
I'll leave you with another dialogue from my paseos:
stranger: Good morning!
me: Good morning Senora, how are you today?
*senora invites me in we go through normal introduction*
senora: so, we all know you are a spy.
me: pardon?
senora: we know you are a spy here looking for water.
me: why would I be looking for water? As I said I'm here with el Cuerpo de Paz...
senora: yeah yeah but the USA is running out of water and then you will need to steal it from us. You know Paraguay has a lot of "agua dulce"
me: Well I can promise you I'm only here to work in Health. Yesterday I was at the schools doing...
senora: Yeah, sure you were.
New friends! We actually moved on from there, as she didn't seem to be too bothered by my so-called espionage.
Another comical exchange while I was working in my garden:
landlady: Do you want azadita (little hoe)?
me*having heard asadito (meat on a stick, little BBQ)*: No thank you! I ate very recently!
landlady: *looks at me like I am an alien*
Así es la vida! Until next time.
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