Blog, Blog, Blog has been running through my mind recently. Although nothing of great significance has occurred I still want to try and continue blogging about the everyday things, the events of my life and the happenings of a Peace Corps volunteer. So to give you some brief highlights of what I've been up too-
Semana Santa
This is Holy Week and is bigger then Christmas down here. We celebrate all week and it is one of the biggest traditional things in the Paraguayan culture. This was my second time celebrating
Semana Santa here and it was as expected- very fulfilling and filling. literally. The week begins wednesday by making
chipa and my host family never does anything small. We made about 15 kilos of
chipa. We ate it when it was hot out of the oven and then for snacks the next couple of days. Then on Thursday is the big feast. We had 3 different kinds of meat, lots of typical paraguayan dishes, salads, beer, wine and of course coke. I was stuffed. I remember last year this thursday was the same way. I thought it was just the family I was living with at the time...but now I know it's just a Paraguayan thing. Then friday is spent inside resting or in my case recovering from a giant food coma and eating only
chipa. Saturday is a normal day. This year it rained a lot and I spent it indoors trying to keep my house from flooding. Then on Sunday is the actual Easter celebration I went to my original host families house for lunch. It was so nice to see them. I only stayed 1 night and it was too short. All in all it was a good
Semana Santa filled with all the Paraguayan traditions possible and
chipa, chipa, chipa!
 |
| CHIPA |
 |
| Making chipa with my host mom and bestie! |
 |
| Thursday lunch, notice to addition of deviled eggs?!? |
Mid- Service
April 18 marked my one year since swear in, one year since I moved into my house and one year since I became a volunteer! It was spent at home making a homemade BBQ chicken pizza with a fellow volunteer and drinking cheap wine that was all delicious. I cannot believe it has been a year, a whole stinking year! I celebrated my mid service while a group of volunteers swore out and were welcomed by a new adventure and another group of volunteers swore in as volunteers and are now in the beginning weeks of their service. Before one of my good friends left Paraguay we went out for our last time together in Paraguay as volunteers. It was strange but so fun! I am excited to know that the next time we see each other will be stateside ( I think). Then just last week we had our official Mid Service training with Peace Corps. It was a chance to reflect on this past year and look positively into the upcoming one. I walked across a red line with fellow volunteers marking the crossing into our second year. It was so nice to be with everyone and reflect and get motivated for this last year as a PCV. I have way more reflections on my mid service that will have to come at a different time but for now Congratulations G41 for your Mid Service, Congratulations G38 on your Closing of Service and Congratulations G44 on your Swear in! Lots of good people doing good things!
 |
| With those that remain of the group I came to Paraguay with at Mid Service training |
 |
| One last dinner with Spencer before she left the guayy |
 |
| My celebratory BBQ chicken pizza! |
 |
| With the one who helps me hold up cups of water! |
The Paraguayan Chaco
Recently I went on a little trip to the north part of Paraguay. This part of the country is known as the Chaco. It is very dry, hot and desolate. There are some small cities that were founded my a group of Canadian Mennonites that immigrated there in 1926. They have developed the land and have established work there as well. There was also a big war known as the Chaco war that was fought with Bolivia and because of Paraguay winning that war we have a Paraguay! All very fascinating and yet so much more to learn. Most of our tours were done in spanish and I tried to understand as much as I could but that is easier said then done. All in all we had a great time and it was the longest weekend trip I've ever taken. It was about 7 hours by bus from the capitol of Paraguay and its a highway with literally NOTHING for miles and miles and kilometers and kilometers. I was able to sleep for most of it. We also got to visit an indigenous community there and play with some of the kids. These communities developed after the war and these Paraguayans have stayed there ever since their victory.
 |
| Visiting a milk factory in the Chaco |
 |
| All the PCV's on a bus! |
 |
| Playing with the kids in the Chaco |
Mothers Day
Today was Paraguay's mothers day. Yes a thursday, and yesterday and today were independence day as well. The holidays here can be oddly placed but they still are celebrated. Last mothers day I was new in site and didn't have any families or "mothers" to celebrate with. But this year was different. I got invited to 4 different houses for lunch. Lunch is a loose term because it was more like a kings feast. I ended up visiting all the families that invited me for lunch in the morning and made cinnamon buns for all the "mothers"of paraguay that I have. It was a success and they all loved them! Then I went to lunch which consisted of the slaughter of a baby pig plus 15 kilos of beef and sausage. We also made some more
chipa and ate way to much food. I had a stomach ache most of the time but I was so happy to be celebrating with my host mom and she was too. She told me all about this day all week and how I couldn't miss it. We went to her mothers to do all the cooking and she kept telling everyone I was her daughter and I could just see the joy in her face as she told everyone about me although she is a mother of 5 an grandmother of 3 I really did feel like one of her own. She sometimes is my reason for waking up, getting out of my house and doing life here in Paraguay. It can be hard but she cares for me, loves me, feds me and entertains me almost all days. For not being able to have my real mother around she is a nice substitute! Happy Mothers day to all you Mothers in the states and especially mine!!!
 |
| My host mama and I and Pauli |
Coming up
Lots of things coming up. Its like I had a few weeks of lulling and resting and now I feel busier then ever!!! I recently joined a planning community to develop a summer camp for youth with the theme of gender and development. We have lots of planning and fundraising we will be doing in the next few months and the camp will be in december or january. I am also inviting the nurse from my health post to be a part of an HIV/ AIDS workshop on prevention and education. Also at the health post we are working on giving vaccines to all children under 6 years ( i think) and this is a huge task! Then in june I will be having my first U.S.A visitor my friend Maca from college is coming down to Paraguay for a few days and I cannot wait! It will be so special to share some time with here in my new home!!!!! Then I will actually go home for a few weeks for Rachel and Scotts Wedding!! Only 44 more days till I am Annapolis bond! And once I return I will be taken 2 teenage girls to a girl empowering camp and I can't wait for them to have this experience.
So lots of stuff and there is always more I can share. Once I get myself to sit down and type so many more things come to mind, looks like I will need to do another one of these soon! Sending all my love and
chipa your way!!
