Goodbye, 2013

December for me was all about family time. As the weeks pass, I am spending less and less time alone in my house and more time with the people in my community I love. With just over 3 months left, I am doing my best to force myself out the door on those scorching hot days to visit with families. The effort has resulted in a few things:

1. I have way more money all of sudden because of all the meals I am eating at other places. Helloooooo, post PC traveling!
2. I have never felt more a part of my community. I have friends, best friends, and best of all – family here. I have felt it for a while, but this month really drilled home just how much I love the people who have been so incredibly generous to me here.
3.  I consistently dream in Spanish – FINALLY!

Aside from the standard family visits, some other fun activities have been happening in site. In the first week of December, I went to my high school’s graduation, in which diplomas were given to those who passed 9^th and 12^th grade, as well as the top performer for each grade. That same day was also the graduation for the computer class in my community, in which the Mayor came to hand out the diplomas.

12th Graders post-graduation!

I have now been to my neighboring volunteers’ site twice to talk on her weekly radio show that she puts on with a Paraguayan/American that lives in San Juan. The first week I went we talked about Sexual Health with a focus on condom use, and the next time I talked about Christmas! The show is a lot of fun, and I am hoping to go at least once a month for the rest of my time here.

First time on the show

The unbearable heat is in full force, so my friends and I are always looking for ways to cool off. Last week, we headed to the local arroyo (stream) during the siesta! It was full of people looking for the same relief we were, and we spent the afternoon splashing and keeping cool.

When I went home to the states, I received a package full of toys from the previous volunteers in my site. I decided the best way to distribute was to simply put a sign at my local almacen (store) letting kids know they could pass by my house the morning of the 23^rd for a little Christmas present! Over 30 kids stopped by that morning for gifts! They were all amazed at the crazy toys we Americans have (things that made fart noises were definitely the favorite. And a surprise to me, play-doh was not so popular).

Feliz Navidad!

Christmas in Paraguay was spent with my two closest families in site. Christmas Eve is actually the more important night, and I spent that with Sixta and her family. I enjoyed an afternoon of tereré, dinner of chicken and pasta, and when the clock struck midnight we all hugged and kissed and wished each other a Merry Christmas. Then Christmas day I hung with my neighbors for more or less the same thing. For a moment I was a little disappointed, as Christmas here is spent the same as all the major holidays (hanging with family and eating meat). Then it dawned on me – OH! This is how holidays are without all the commercialism of the States and Hallmark! Paraguay has definitely helped me realize that it’s not the tangible things you have in your life that matter, but the irreplaceable. At the core of every special occasion in Paraguay, you can find the people appreciating all the family and friends they are surrounded by and are thankful that they are healthy and happy.

Sixta's beautiful family :)

FELIZ NAVIDADDDDDDDD!

prepping the tatakua for some Christmas day sopa Paraguaya

roadtrippin' with Fatima and my amazing Godson, Matias

So what’s coming up next month? I will be spending New Year’s Eve in site! I will eat dinner with a family I didn't visit for Christmas, then head to the local town party where we will welcome the New Year with a night of dancing until the sun rises. On the 2nd, I am off to visit one of my best friends in her site for a couple days. Mid-January I will be having my second week-long summer camp! Last year’s theme was health, so this year I decided to go with art & environment. Then at the end of January I will be attending my Close of Service conference with the rest of G38. It’s pretty crazy how quickly my end date in Paraguay is approaching!!

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year! See you in 2014 :)

Summer in Paraguay Rant

This blog post has been inspired by the insane heat that has officially taken over Paraguay. It is unbearable. I wake up at 6am sweating. I take a cold shower to cool off, but am sweating by the time my clothes are on. I visit a family. We drink tereré while complaining about how hot it is. Between the hours of 11-5 you can find me trying to stay cool. I shower again. Then maybe my feet are in a bucket of cold water. Maybe I have a cold and wet headband on my head. Maybe I am drinking more ice cold tereré. Maybe I am in my hammock, outside, with a fan plugged in via several extension cords to give me a breeze. Maybe I am doing all of the above at the same time and STILL sweating. It never stops. The sun sets around 8 these days, and I am lucky if by then there is a slight breeze. I shower again. I sleep with my windows open, the fan on high. Sometimes, on the really hot days, I can’t even lay still in my bed without sweating. I am lucky if I get a couple of intermittent hours of shut eye. Then, I wake up in the morning at 6, and do it all over again.

In case you were wondering, I hate summer in Paraguay.

Trip to the States!

Well, I returned to Paraguay last Monday morning and it wasn’t until Thursday or Friday that I finally felt recovered. My first day back I slept for 14 hours at night, woke up for lunch, then went back to bed for 3 more hours. I was wiped out! And while my trip back to the states was short, jam packed, and a blur; it was also so much fun, filled with laughter, and completely refreshing.

To sum it up:

·        - I saw over 25 friends and 30+ family members (Two of which were new baby cousins who I had never met before! And are both adorable!)

·         - I hung out in Wilmette, Chicago, Denver, and Breckenridge

·         - I ate chipotle (twice), as much Starbucks as I could handle, Chinese food,  Portillo’s, Chicago style pizza, Thanksgiving dinner, delicious salads, and apple pie (yes, I am still full.)

·         - I went to target. Twice. (I had to go back because the first time I was too overwhelmed and couldn’t get everything on my list)

·         - I went sledding with family, danced and drank beers with friends and saw Catching Fire in theaters with my parents!

Everyone kept asking me if it was weird being back. And while yes, it was, I honestly was too busy to notice. The thing that caught me the most off guard was the taste of bananas. They taste sterile in the states, Paraguayan bananas are way better! Haha but in all seriousness – I did notice things here and there that stuck out to me, but since I was home for so little it didn’t bother me much. I have a feeling when I go back for good it will be a much bigger cultural adjustment.

Also, I felt like when people asked me what my life is like, they were expecting some incredible answer like I am delivering babies or finding the cure for some big disease down here. But the reality of my life is that I am simply living in Paraguay. 2 of the 3 Peace Corps goals are to share culture and interact and live in your community. And while I understand this, I felt like people expected concrete answers as to how I have changed the lives of the people in my community, and so the response in reality may have been a disappointment to some.

And in the theme of Thanksgiving (and since we never did go around the table and share what we are thankful for this year), I will share mine with you all! Going back to the states made me so incredibly thankful for all of you who have been there for me throughout the Peace Corps process. It was great to go home and realize that even after such a long time apart, I still have so many people who I love back in the states. Also, I am thankful for another 4 months in Paraguay! (can you believe that’s all that’s left?!) While the upcoming months are the sweatiest ones, summer in Paraguay gives me ample time to hang with my family and friends here before tackling whatever comes next in my life.

Night out with some Illini friends in the city!

Hanukkah party with the whole Zaideman fam! (we missed you Seth!)

Thanksgiving day sledding with some of the McWilliams crew!

My cousin and I made an awesome turkey veggie display! Tasted as good as it looks :)

First full family pic in 2+ years! 

Sleeping on Tiles

With every group of volunteers that come and go, the volunteer community in Paraguay publishes the Kuat (short for Kuatiañe’e, meaning 'paper that speaks'). I look forward to the Kuat every issue because its usually filled with great stories and advice from my fellow volunteers. In the most recent edition, I decided to submit a story myself. The theme this time around was 'Travel in Paraguay', and I figured my post may help those who sometimes get stuck in places they don't really want to be... 

Here is my article that was posted in the most recent Kuat -- hope you enjoy!

~~~~~

When evaluating my Peace Corps service thus far, there are a few areas that I feel I excel at. I plan a mean summer camp, work great with jovenes, can drink tereré for hours on end, and can sleep on just about any tile floor you place in front of me. It may come from my years of sleeping on shady motel floors during college travelling for water polo, or maybe it’s because I have a knack for missing busses, but either way I have found that practice makes perfect – and throughout my time in Paraguay, I have gotten plenty of practice.

I have decided to evaluate for you all a few of the floors I have slept on based on several different indicators. This way, if you find yourself in a similar situation while travelling around Paraguay, you will be well prepared!

Disclaimer: All ratings are based on experiences between the hours of 6pm and 6am.

Ciudad del Este Bus Terminal

Story: I was heading to Iguazu to meet up with my brother. I ended up leaving Asuncion a little later than planned, and got to the CDE terminal at 6:02pm. The last bus for Puerto Iguazu left at 6:00. After chasing it out of the parking lot and realizing my fate, I called Gustavo to get the OK and settled in for the night.

Cleanliness: Not bad! The NSA bus company has an air temperature controlled area with comfy chairs to lounge on.

Food: Plenty of options all night long. They even sell Ramen noodles in there!

Security: Surprisingly excellent! When you get kicked out of the NSA lounge at 2am, you move into the main terminal area. There is a police officer stationed in an office, so I slept just outside his door.

Chance of getting peed on by a homeless man: Más o menos…. There are some characters that are lurking, but the police officer helped steer clear any possible offenders.

Miscellaneous: Not gonna lie, I thought I was going to get shanked since I was in Ciudad del Este. But the night passed sin problemas!

Overall Rating: 4/5 Pillows!

Encarnacion Bus Terminal

Story: This happened to be on the same Iguazu trip; only coming back to site (I was on a roll). It was Paraguayan Labor Day, so fewer buses were running than usual. My bro and I got out of CDE fine, but then in Encarn we had some problems. The bus we planned on taking was broken and all the other busses weren’t running because of the holiday, so we didn’t get out of there until 6 hours after we arrived.

Cleanliness: Disgusting. I napped on a bench that very likely carried diseases.

Food: Not many options, just your average gum man. Thankfully, though, you are in the middle of Encarn!

Security: Nada.

Chance of getting peed on by a homeless man: Extremely high. And if you aren’t going to get peed on, you are likely sitting where someone previously peed.

Miscellaneous: Yeaaaaaa that terminal was gross. There are volunteers in Encarn – use them!

Overall Rating: 1/5 Pillows

Asuncion Airport Terminal

Story: I had a flight leaving for Santiago, Chile at 2am. Unfortunately, due to extreme fog in Buenos Aires, I was stuck in the airport until about 6am.

Cleanliness: Not bad. If you get there early enough, you may be able to snag the row of chairs without arm rests in the middle to keep yourself off the floor.

Food: Café is open all night long with plenty of options to munch on.

Security: Plenty, I felt pretty safe.

Chance of getting peed on by a homeless man: Very low as long as you are sleeping inside!

Miscellaneous: Wifi at the café! Really not a bad place to crash. I would likely even do it again to avoid paying for a hostel. Che sogue (I'm broke)… 

Overall Rating: 5/5 Pillows

I (fortunately) have not had the opportunity to sleep on the floor of the Asuncion bus terminal. I will be sure to update you all if that changes, however! (I also have slept on several international tiles, and am happy to answer any inquiries regarding the Buenos Aires airport, Santiago airport, and London Stansted Airport)

Happy napping!

~~~~~~~~~

A post about my insane trip home is coming soon! Just waiting on a couple pictures from my lovely mother (and I'm hoping calling her out in public will help speed up the process). 

A Night of Cultura Paraguaya

Hello everyone!

Last Saturday night was one of my best nights in site. I realize that is quite the statement to make, but seriously, it was just a truly wonderful night.

Not sure if you guys remember, but back in March, guitar classes began in my site with the help of my amazing contact and a pedido we submitted to the government. I took the class for a whopping 3 weeks, realized I sucked at it, and quit. Those who didn’t, however, had their closing ceremony on Saturday night after 7 months of hard work and practice. It was amazing. With class only once a week, these kids and teenagers learned more than I ever imagined! The concert lasted about an hour and a half, starting with a classic Paraguayan dance from some girls in my site, followed by the guitar pieces. It was great seeing the kids come in to their own while playing, feeling totally comfortable in front of 50+ people in the audience. I watched as mothers and sisters and even a father or two wiped a tear from their eye as their son or daughter played a song on the guitar they have been listening to since birth. Truly, wonderful.

Here are some photos and videos of the night:

Ready for a night of music!

The mayor came!

Guitar Teacher talking to the audience

Girls from my site performing a typical Paraguayan dance

Fun Videos:

Auxi (12) rocking it on the guitar! - I also love how the teacher gets really into it at one point because she is totally nailing it

Adorable 7 year old singing!

Members of the class at the end of the show

In other news… San Pedro (my community) played their first game of the year Sunday, and won 1-0! Woooo hoooooo!

Enjoying the game from a shady spot

Also, I will be back in the good old USA TOMORROW for about 8 days of jam packed awesome-ness! Hope to see you all there! So looking forward to fall weather and some quality time with family and friends I haven’t seen in 22 months!

I'm Confused.

For those of you wondering why I haven’t mastered Guaraní yet…

• The word for ‘delicious’? He
• The word for ‘yes’? Héẽ
• The word for ‘salty’? He’ẽ

Héẽ, it’s perfectly He’ẽ. Oh wait, you just asked if it’s He? Héẽ, it’s Heterei (very He).

Are you guys thinking the same thing I am?

Heh?

Paraguayan Myths

As the subject came up again recently, I found it hard to believe I have never shared Paraguayan myths with you all! Just as we have Big Foot and the Boogeyman, Paraguay has its own set of strange man/myths that they talk about. I have found, however, that Paraguayans take these myths much more seriously than I think we in the states take ours. I remember learning about them in training and cracking up as Aurelio, my language teacher, told me about their characteristics. Then when I got my first puppy and wanted to name her Pombero and all my neighbors freaked out, I decided to delve a little deeper into these myths. And after Friday night, when I think I may have had an encounter with sir Pombero himself, it became apparent that these myths are too good to simply not share with you all! So – Here are some breif summaries of the 5 most common myth creatures in Paraguay. (All the summaries are based on what my language teacher taught me. Guarani is primarily a spoken language, so the tales vary.)

Kurupi – Kurupi is short, ugly, and hairy. He lives in the forest and is considered to be the protector of fertilization. Unwanted pregnancies are often blamed on him. He is most recognizable by his incredibly long penis, which he wraps around his waist several times like a belt. 

Kurupi

Pombero – The most famous of the myths. Don’t you dare mention his name at night, because it’s an invitation for him to come. He is great at imitating a birdsong, and lures people to him with it. If you leave out tobacco and caña (sugar cane liquor), you will be friends with him. You have to remember to put it out every night, though!

Pombero

Jasy Jatere – Famous and recognizable for its gold snake. If kids are playing too close to his forest after lunch (during the siesta hour), he will capture them and they will never return.

Jasy Jatere

Luisón – Eats the dead on Tuesday and Friday nights. He also captures people to take them to the cementary, and then eats them.

Luisón

Ao Ao – Protector of the hills. When the men go to hunt animals in the hills, he is there to protect the animals.

Ao Ao 

And as for what happened Friday night… Around 10pm I start to hear whistling outside of my house. Assuming it was the town drunk, I rolled over and tried to fall back to sleep. Then, my dog starts barking like a mad man. She was the only dog barking. I ended up bringing her inside to quiet her down, but the whistling went on for around 45 minutes. The next day, I talked to my neighbors on both side, and neither heard a thing. Then I talked with a family I was visiting, and I end up leaving their place with holy water, a rosary, and with clear instructions to leave tobacco and caña outside my house. That evening, I mentioned the story to Silvia, and she goes “Pombero! He was at my house Tuesday!” Soooooooo. I have a short creepy creature lurking around my community. Do I believe in him? Sort of. Enough to definitely think the circumstances we’re weird, but not enough to use the holy water, rosary, tobacco, or caña.

Happy Monday! On a happy note – meet my newest neighbor, Matias Duarte Vallejos! He is 5 days old today and unbelievably precious. 

Matias and Fatima

Karen's Visit and PATAGONIA!!!

BUEN DIAAAAAAAAAA! A little less work and a lot more play been happening here down south… whoops! But hey, they give us those vacation days to spend, right?! Here is an update on my last couple of weeks.

On Sept 21^st, I picked up one of my besties from U of I, Karen, from the airport!!!! She was the last one out of the customs, so naturally I thought she got deported, but no – SHE MADE IT! It was so bizarre on the bus on the way to site. It felt just like we had grabbed lunch a week ago, but in reality I hadn’t seen her in a year and a half and we were in PARAGUAY. Very surreal. Anywho, she only had a quick stint in Paraguay, so I jammed in as much craziness as I could for her. We went to a (fake) Nene Malo concert with some of my PCV friends, hung in the campo where she killed a chicken that we ate for lunch, made chipa and drank terere with a family, attended a little kid’s birthday party… She even washed some clothes by hand! So while her time in the campo was short, we definitely made the most of it!

Sixta showing Karen the proper chicken killing technique

On Sept 24^th, we went on our next adventure – PATAGONIA!!! AKA – the most beautiful place I think I have ever seen. Both the Chilean and Argentine sides lived up to all the hype, and I am still pinching myself as I look at my pictures from the trip and realizing that it all actually happened. Rather than bore you with stories, I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Perrito Moreno Glacier, El Calafate, Argentina

PCVs in Patagonia

Hitting up the local ice bar in El Calafate

Sunset walk in Puerto Natales, Chile

Cueva de Milodon, Chile

Picnic spot in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Karen and I at Lago Grey, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Relaxing at Lago Grey

Incredible views in Torres del Paine

The gang in Torres del Paine

Richard, David, Spencer and Brice after finishing the race!!

Casey, myself, and Yihana as the awesome cheerleaders

Our souvenir from the marathon

Maritime Museum, Ushuaia, Argentina

Celebrating our first night out in Tierra del Fuego!

Dog sledding at the end of the world

Sea Lion Island, Boat Cruise, Ushuaia

Spencer, Yihana and I enjoying the boat cruise

Lighthouse at the End of the World

Our last night as a big group in our Ushuaia house

Layover lunch in Buenos Aires on our last day of vacation

Overall – a crazy couple of weeks! Now it’s another month and a half in Paraguay until my next and last vacation hits – USA! I do have one new activity keeping me busy, thankfully. The nurse at my health post started a walking club, and I join them as often as possible (about 5 times per week usually). Oh - and my neighbor had her baby yesterday, so I am officially a Godmother to a healthly baby boy, Matias! Should be meeting the little guy this afternoon :)

Until next time!

Besos, besos, dale, chau, chau, besos, dale, chau-

Emily

The Night I Went to the Q’mbia Juan Concert…

AKA – one of the weirdest nights of my life. Enjoy :)

Over the past year and a half in Paraguay, I have grown to love their music. The style is Cumbia, and I totally dig it. So when I found out a Cumbia group was coming to a pueblo near me and the tickets were cheap, I got super excited! I got my 16 year old bestie and her boyfriend to go with me, and was totally stoked. Aaaaaand that was the end of the excitement for the night. Here is the lovely story.

Part 1: Uncomfortable

Showing up in Santa Maria, I didn’t know what to expect. But when I arrived to see hundreds of sex crazed Paraguayan teens, I knew the night would be greeeeaaaaaat. Then, to top off the already ‘ugh’ feeling that came over me, I experienced something every PC volunteer dreads: I have to poop RIGHT NOW and there is no bathroom anywhere. I sat there with my friends thinking about how low I was about to stoop. Crouch behind a tree and nature poop is NOT something I had on my bucket list, so I tried my best to keep my cool. Thankfully not too long later, my volunteer friend who lives in the town saved the day when we showed up and was willing to walk back to her house with me. PHEW!  (although the feeling did manage to sneak back up on me later and I just had to hold out the whole night…)

Also, after feeling slightly better, I went to go buy a water bottle. But this is Paraguay, so of course they don’t have any. So I am offered a plastic bottle with the top cut off filled with tap water. Hope they weren’t using that for paint thinner before I used it!

Forgive my hideous-ness. but um.... wtf?

Part 2: 3^rd Wheel

Usually, Silvia and her boyfriend are great party friends. This time though, not so much. I mean, I can’t really blame her. She was at a concert with her boyfriend. But they were superrrrr lovey dovey. And then there I was, just dancing by myself – good times! Plus, I still wasn’t feeling all that great. I decided to let them do their thing, and I would just head to the bleachers and sit (and stay for the next 4 hours). I didn’t mind, but it was kind of a bummer.

The happy couple

Part 4: Paraguayans don’t understand concert rules

For example, when the singer screams “How is everyone tonight!”, you are supposed to respond with some screaming and excitement. These kids? Crickets. This happened several times throughout the night, and gave me a good chuckle every time

Part 5: Please don’t repeat the same songs over and over and over again.

There were four parts to the show: The opener, a DJ, Q’mbia Juan (the main act), and then more DJ music. The opener was a cover band, so obviously they played all the popular cumbia music that is out right now. Then the DJ came on, where he remixed all the popular cumbia music out right now. Then Q’mbia Juan came on, and even they played some of the popular songs by other artists! And to end the night, more of the same popular cumbia music played by the DJ. Don’t get me wrong, I can belt “Lejos de Ti” at the top of my lungs with the best of them, but after the 3^rd time I wanted to crawl into a hole and die and never listen to cumbia again.

Q'mbia Juan

Part 6: The highlight of the night!

I have zero idea as to why, but towards the end of Q’mbia Juan’s set, they started playing the instrumentals to one of the CSI shows – Miami maybe? I don’t know. But it took me away for a minute. I started imagining this as one of the episodes. The plot? ‘American at a Paraguayan concert found sitting alone on the bleachers. Just when she is thinking about walking out and jumping in front of a moto to maintain her sanity, BOOM! The drummer gets up suddenly and boomerangs his drumstick directly in to my brain killing me. But nobody saw it happen… DUN DUN DUN’. Thrilling, right?!

Part 7: The End

The concert ended around 3, and I was READY TO GO! But… Silvia and her BF were nowhere in sight. I knew they were dancing, but couldn’t find them. So I text “hey I’ll be buy the coke stand come meet me here”. To which she responds “Come here and let’s dance more! Or do you want to leave”. Me being the cool person I am, said “I prefer to go, but if you guys want to dance a little I can wait a few minutes”. Welllllll, apparently a few minutes means an hour. And after sending them texts every 15 minutes to no response, I finally found them and we left. I didn’t end up getting back to my house until 5am. Lesson learned? Never go to a concert with your 16 your old friend and her boyfriend.

So – Moral of the story? I wish it would have rained like the forecast said so we wouldn’t have been able to go.

Hope you all had a fabulous Tuesday! I went to a pig asado – my neighbor volunteer Stacy killed the pig she had been raising! yummyyyyyyyyyy!

RIP Piggy (P.S. She's winking at you)

Asado Happiness :)