Spoke too soon...

Hey guys. I’m about to give you my first (and hopefully only) super depressing blog post from Paraguay.

Manza died yesterday morning. Even though I only had her for a week and a half, I loved her very much and am very sad about it. So what happened?

Most dogs are born with worms in their stomachs. In the States they come to you all clean and worm free, but here it doesn’t work that way. Last Saturday I noticed that Manza was pretty lethargic, and by Sunday it seemed like she was in pain. A vet came and gave her the medicine to kill the worms, and so I was relieved. As the night went on, she passed 2 or 3 worms like normal. But starting at 3 in the morning, it got way worse. She puked one, and then passed 6-7 at once. After that, she could hardly move, it pained her to breathe, and she couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t sleep all night because I was literally watching her breathe. Then Monday morning I took her to the vet. Of course getting there was a complete disaster, and it was the first time in Paraguay I a) broke down crying and b) wished I wasn’t in the country. Eventually though we made it and I got her to the vet. The vet let me know that when the worms die, they release toxins in the body. Because Manza had SO many worms (the vet was shocked when I showed him a picture of the big group that came out), the toxins were what were making her so sick. She survived the night, but Tuesday morning passed away.

One thing I learned from this is that I am very lucky to have my Peace Corps friends and Paraguayans. Between Sunday-Tuesday they went out of their way to do what they could to help, and I am so grateful for that – so THANK YOU.

Still up in the air as to whether I want to get a new dog or not. I’m leaning towards yes if I can find one in the next month or so, but we will see.

I will leave you with the best photo I have of her! I posted it on the last blog, but such a fabulous picture deserves to be posted twice. Here’s to you, Manza. "A brilliant little pup" (as Andrea said) that I loved very much!

My new furry friend!

Exciting news, folks! I finally got my puppy!

Since before even coming to Paraguay, I was thinking about getting a dog during my service. Then in the beginning of June I went to visit a friend of mine who just got her puppy, and I knew that there was nothing more to debate. Once I got home, I only had to ask one family if there were any pregnant dogs hanging around, and BOOM! I found one! The only bummer was that the pup was just in its first month of pregnancy, so I had to wait a bit. It’s a little tough now that I have a fuller schedule and a needy pup, but thankfully all of the neighbors loooooove taking care of her when I’m busy.

So without further ado, I would like you all to meet my new best friend, Manza! Her name (pronounced mahn-zah) comes from the Spanish word manzanilla, meaning chamomile in English. Chamomile is a very common addition (and my favorite) to maté, the hot tea that is served here. I wanted her to be named something Paraguayan, while at the same time something that Americans can pronounce.

Here are some pictures so you all can fall in love with her like I have :)

P.S. Special shout out to Dana and Eric! Congrats on getting married! Wish I could have been there and love you both!

P.P.S. I wrote this a week ago, and since then Manza has gotten very sick and is currently in the vet. He thinks she will be okay, but please keep her in your thoughts!

Paraguay Appreciation List

Thursday marked 6 months here in Paraguay! I don’t know how it happened, but time here has passed faster than I ever imagined possible. This is officially the longest I have ever been away from home (Denver in second with 5.5 months), and so I figured I would write an appreciation list! The top 6 things I love about Paraguay (in no particular order):

1. Tereré and Maté. What’s not to like about an iced or hot tea break everyday?!

2. Saying ‘Buen Día’ or ‘Adios’ as you walk past your neighbors. A moment that passes as quickly as it comes and never fails to make you feel good.

3. The people. The men, women, and children who I have met here are some of the most giving and kind people I know. Before even knowing my name they welcomed me into their homes and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. It is a type of generosity that I will never forget.

4. Sitting outside. Why is it in the States we feel this obligation to have gatherings inside if the temperature isn’t exactly how you like it out? Grab an iced cold drink, or some gloves, and get out in the elements!

5. Guarani. To have a language that is unique to a country and its people is pretty darn awesome. Now if only I could speak it…

6. The kids. Even if I am just walking to the local store to pick up some tomatoes, the kids always shout my name to say hello or run to catch up with me while I’m walking. They always put a smile on my face :)

I will leave you will a couple of photos of my 6th grade friends! On Wednesday they came over and we baked oatmeal raisin cookies!

Here’s to 21 more fabulous months! (And a big shout out to G39! Congrats on Swearing In yesterday!!)