Peace Corps, Paraguay and a Purpose. : An update on Mary

A few weeks ago one of my friends/ co-workers/ and nurse in my Health post was injured. She was on a bus and had her cell phone out and was attacked. When they tried to rob here she hesitated and was shot in the neck. Here is a blog post about it if you would like to read more. Since then she was been laying in a hospital bed unable to move any part of her body in fear of the bullet traveling, it is lugged in the back of her neck very close to her spin. In fear of causing more damage they are unable to remove the bullet.

I went to go visit Mary in the hospital and it was shocking. I wish I had a better word for that but I am at a loss. Although this has been very tragic it has been a miracle watching her recover. Each day she is able to move a little more and starting to learn how to walk about in physical therapy. Mary was a big part of my community and since the accident we have all talked about how we want to do something for her to help support and raise money.

This past weekend my health post held a Pollada which is a chicken fundraiser. We sold chicken, rice and bread to the community. Sounds simple but to prepare for it there was a lot of work involved. I spent most of the day Saturday preparing the chicken which included cutting the fat off and the butt off. It was a lengthy process especially for 250 chicken thighs. Then we prepared a marinade for the chicken including; Mustard, vinegar, oregano, soy sauce, salt, onions, green peppers and garlic. Then we returned on Sunday to cook the rice. It was a lot of work but turned out so well! The chicken was 10 mil guaranis ( about 2$USD) and we sold almost all of it and it was delicious!

I had a great sunday afternoon with all the nurses and doctors from my health post. We had music playing and about 5 pitches of terere ( ice cold tea ) being passed around. It was a community event and it made my soul so happy to see everyone come together for Mary! October was a hard month but I am overjoyed to welcome in November and see whats in store for these final months of 2013... here are a few pictures from the even yesterday!