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!!)

Wait, so this isn’t just a vacation?

So. Tuesday marked 3 full months in site, and also led to a minor freak out on my part. Throughout all of training, they encourage you to take the first 3 months in site as a ‘transition’ period. You are supposed to integrate, visit with families, and not really get into your work. In Paraguay, you need to build relationships with people before working with them, not just jump into it. When I heard this, I took it to heart! I have been working at the library twice a week (given it doesn’t rain), but otherwise, I have just been trying to get comfortable here in site. I read, visit with families, and visit my neighboring volunteers. Essentially, I have been on a 3-month vacation with a little work thrown in there. I’m pretty sure even last week I used the “3 month” card when talking with a friend about potential projects.

Well... THREE MONTHS IS HERE! Aka, ITS TIME TO DO MY JOB! Man, rough. Looks like less time spent in my hammock reading, and more time putting in the effort. I mean, that’s what I came to do here, and I have the full intention of following through with it, but it just happened so fast! I do have some things lined up to start after reconnect (a week long training I have next week), so that will definitely help. English classes, charlas (lessons) with the preschool class, and continuing my work with the library are on the schedule. My weeks will get busier, but it also means time to figure out bigger projects I can get going with.

So, while I will continue to live la vida tranquilopa, I will also become a little more guapa (hardworking) here in site.

And I will leave you all with my favorite photo from July. Jessica (4) and Auxi (10) came over to color, eat popcorn, drink terere, and swing on my hammock. It was a great afternoon :)

Birthday Shenanigans

For the past month, there have been lots of birthdays in my group of volunteers. The first weekend was at the end of May, when we marked our one-month mark in site. We were celebrating Kelley and David’s birthday. A bunch of us headed to Asuncion for some much needed R&R and celebrations! It was great to see everyone again, and live the city life for a bit!

The second was at the beginning of June, when I went to my friend Alex’s site to celebrate Karen’s 25th birthday. It was 10 hours of travel each way, but well worth it. We broke in her new house with lots of amazing cooking (homemade pizza, pita bread, hummus, huevos rancheros… yeah, it was incredible). Even though it was freezing and we jammed 4 people (and a puppy) in a 2-person bed, we had a blast!

And the last one happened to be my birthday ☺ It fell on the same day as the US Embassy 4th of July celebration, so I got to be surrounded by friends for the day (and party at the embassy, major plus)! We were also celebrating Bridget and Ian’s (people from my G) birthday, that occurred earlier that week. We ate bbq, drank coronas with lime, played games, laughed, sang, and danced. Then I went out to dinner at a Spanish restaurant and hit up the Paraguayan nightlife! It was the first time in 4+ years I didn’t celebrate at Wrigley, but was a pretty incredible way to bring in the big 2-3.

I would like to make a special shout out to all of you who sent cards/packages/emails/texts/facebook messages/any other form of birthday salutation. It really does make the whole day brighter here when you hear from people back home :) And to those of you here in Paraguay – thanks peeps! This year was definitely one of the best!

To end – just wanted to say congrats to all the exciting things happening back state-side! I have friends who just got married (or are going to very soon!), a new cousin on the Zaideman side, people getting awesome full time jobs, friends moving into their first ‘big kid’ apartment, home renovations, Rizzo playing like a champ for the cubs… the list goes on! Wish I could be there to celebrate and congratulate you all ☺

Pelota Tata, or, Flaming ball, for you English speaking folk

June 29th is the festival of the Patron Saint in my town. I was in Asuncion and missed the big festivities, but thankfully they do the best part the night before! So that night, I went to the church around 7, once it was dark out. I had heard of this “flaming ball” thing before, but it’s hard to really understand what someone means unless you see if first hand. (Apologies on the photography. I suck at taking night pictures, and when you add fast moving balls of fire…. Well, you will see how that goes).

Basically, they take these rags, or some sort of material, and soak it in alcohol. Then comes the fun part – you light it on fire! They have about 10 of these balls that they light, and all the guys are running around kicking it at each other. Everyone else is standing on the sides, running away anytime a ball gets near. It’s pretty hilarious!

Then, there is this ‘bull’ structure thing, where they attach 2 flaming balls to the horns. Then a guy picks it up and puts it on, running around and chasing after his friends with it. Possibly one of the funniest things I have ever seen (especially when the guy running with it full on wiped out).

The last thing they did with them was attach the balls to rope and a stick, and swing them around (while chasing after their friends, of course). This was also hilarious, until one of the balls got loose and flew into a tree. Thankfully, it fell out without much damage.

One of the funniest, scariest, and most dangerous things I have ever seen. So glad I didn’t miss it!!

Mi Casa!

I have had many requests for pictures of my home, so here they are ☺ Not gonna lie, when I signed up for the Peace Corps I never expected that this is what I would be living in, but I ain’t complaining! Most of the furniture I bought at a good price from the volunteer before me. The only big things I had to purchase were the fridge and my dining table. I also painted the doors and windows green, because before they were blood red (which I didn’t love). There are a few small problems with it, but nothing that is a deal breaker. So far I absolutely love it!

From the front:

My living room/dining room/bedroom:

Bathroom:

Kitchen:

Backyard (in the pictures there are orange and banana trees, and pineapple plants. If someone would like to come weed for me, I will be very grateful ☺)