Canada eh?

Last week I had the pleasure of translating for a group of 18 Canadian firefighters. They were coming to Paraguay for a week on a service trip with Habitat for Humanity. Usually Habitat provides them with a translator but since the group so was big they needed a second one. I was more then happy to do it, not knowing what to expect and not knowing a single person,  seemed like the perfect adventure. I was also interested to test my translating ability because I have really only been speaking and practicing spanish for 22 months. Although 22 months seems like a very short time to be learning a language  it proved to be just enough to be a successful translator.

I waited in a grocery store parking lot monday morning for their bus to come pick me up. Up until that point I hadn't giving the week much thought.. then it  crossed my mind that "hey i'm about to meet 18 complete strangers and spend the rest of the week with them, I hope we get along." What was I thinking? I had nothing to worry about! They were wonderful, each one of them, incredible people doing an incredible thing. Before this week I had never really known any Canadian's and now I feel like I've been missing out. Hands down, nicest people I know.

The week begun and I was in my element. I was back at the worksite which took me back to TEAMeffort summers of 2010 and '11, it was home. Just the materials, language, people and tools a little different but the same idea. I loved it. I translated and worked and didn't stop smiling. It was extra special because I got to double as a translator and a Paraguayan culture specialist. I shared all I could with them. By the end of day 1 they were sipping on terere and trying chipa. By day 2 they were hooked and buying their own yebra and thermos. By the end of the week they were asking for seconds at lunch and wanted to know the recipe. Every break we took they asked me new questions about Paraguayan culture, life and customs. It gave me so much joy to share with them and see their interest and appreciation for this little country I call home.

Together with the help of some very guapo ( hardworking) masons we dug the foundation of a 3 bedroom house, laid the stone in the foundation and filled it. We laid bricks and  watched as the walls rose to about the middle of the house. We moved brick piles, sand piles and debris. They were machines and worked so hard. Even with 1 day off because of rain they completed so much. The masons informed me that what they did in 5 days would have taken them 4 weeks.

There were many moments of that week that stood out to me. I could not possible list all of them. The few that stick out are the way these people opened their hearts to me. I was just their translator but by the end of the week I felt like I was a part of their group. It was a unique and very memorable experience. This group of people paid their way to come down and serve for a week and I had the pleasure of serving a long side of them. We had a good time and they are missed very much! I am not sure if it was a canadian thing or a firefighter thing but they were a wonderful bunch of people.

Now I am left with some photos from the week a few souvenirs including a firefighter hat with their district's crest, the largest box of power bars I've every laid eyes on( my breakfast, lunch and dinner lately)  a full heart, some dirty laundry and the memory of an incredible week. I am extremely grateful for the chance to have met these new friends and share such an adventure with them.

 Life is truly so beautiful and I was reminded that as my week with them came to a close. As my months in Paraguay are numbered and my decision on the next season in my life is still undecided, I am constantly reminded of all the uncertainty life is. I am scared and worried and don't know what to do. I am indecisive and have no clue whats next.  Of all the confusion and doubt I am continually reminded of one thing I am certain about and that is- I am alive and happier then ever before. Whatever is next for me I want it only to be better and more exciting then the last thing I did. I crave more and want more from this life. I want to be living in every moment and every second. I don't want to think, I want to do. I don't want to have what if's, I want to have stories. I don't want to wish and dream, I want to act and go.

Adventure is out there we just need to seek it and when its found, celebrate the hell out of it!

Look at those new thermos.. they are all set to terere in Canada! 

With the whole group after our last day.. check out the height of those walls! 

Leveling the floors with my new friend Vicki! 

Introducing the team leader to the beauty of Paraguayan street donuts 

Moving brick piles for days

The start of the foundation coming together 

Some of the group after day 2

Futbol

Last week I went to my first professional soccer match here in Paraguay. My towns team was the underdog. We were playing a worldly known team from Argentina called Boca Juniors. We ended up losing which I was happy about only because I was scared of riots because the fans from the other team can be crazy! It was a great game and an even better experience. I went with 3 other volunteers and got dinner before at a local spot, had a few beers and went in for the game. We cheered like the locals and jumped when they jumped! It had been a while since I had been to a live sports event and it felt good to be surrounded by that energy again!

A Visit from Washington, DC

About a month ago the assistant Country Director of Peace Corps called me asking if I would be willing to host a " high security visit " from DC. She explained how the U.S Embassy in Paraguay would be having a visitor and wanted to arrange a visit to a volunteers site. They were taking surveys and suggestions of all the volunteers that live closest to the capitol which was were he would be staying. I said yes but gave it little thought.. thinking that the chances of them coming to my site were slim. Well I was wrong...

I received a follow up phone call and was told to start planing, Alex Lee would be coming for a visit soon. Alex Lee works for the Security of State and is the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for South America and Cuba. What a mouthful of a title.,. and its even longer in spanish. I was excited, honored and quickly overwhelmed... but began planning! I was able to develop the whole visit, what he saw, what he did and who he talked too. I decided to have the visit at my health post. There is more space there and in my community there is no infrastructure, it was essentially the only option.

I spent a few weeks preparing everything. I organized to have a tour of the health post and a brief presentation of the work we do there, then a presentation of my environmental work with my community. We planned to invite kids to help and have other members of the community present. Everyone was really excited and helped get everything ready. A week before some people came to my site from the embassy to survey the land and plan everything out.  The day before my health post cleaned the whole place from top to bottom and bought food for refreshments. My community helped me get eco bricks together to show everyone. Peace Corps brought chairs, tables, a Peace Corps banner and both U.S.A and Paraguayan flags. A lady in my community let me borrow some of her nice dishes and table clothes for the food table. The night before I made banana bread and a slideshow of pictures from previous projects and future projects to show DAS Lee. Everything was as ready as it would ever be.

When the big day arrived I woke up at 4am to thunder and lighting and pouring rain. I thought " you have got to be kidding." It had barely rained all month and then the one day, THE ONE DAY it has to rain. But as I have learned you can only control what you can control and that isn't always a lot. The rain did stop by the time they arrived and the visit happened! At first not a lot of people showed up. I wasn't surprised because it was kind of cold, kind of rainy and early. Although I had prepared all I could and invited all the people... I can't make them come. So I tried to not get upset and just carry on with the visit and enjoy myself and not worry about the others.

I think that my community may have not believed someone so important was coming. I have learned you can tell Paraguayans things a 100 times but they want to see it to believe you. So once DAS Lee showed up with 7 other SUV's, police and other important people...my community showed up. A little late, but better then never right?

Everything went great. I was so proud of my community and everyone that helped. It was a success and such an honor to have such an honored guest visit out little health post. I have included some pictures from the visit. There is also a news article in spanish if you are interested that was in the local newspaper. If you want a challenge try translating it!

Me goofing off after everyone left! 

DAS Lee with the Health Post staff and myself 

With the kids from my community stuffing eco bricks 

DAS Lee and myself 

With my commission 

Recently with some Olympians

There are a lot of little things that happen daily here that can tend to annoy me and put me on edge. I have been tested a lot recently it seems and I just keep reminding myself that they are LITTLE things and really don’t even matter. One little thing in particular is the internet. I have never had a problem with internet in my house but recently it just has not been working. This is ok for a week or so, I can do the whole no social media fast, read a book or two...but then when I can’t reply to work e-mails or communicate with people at home or do research on future projects I start to get annoyed. So recently  I’ve been a bit more annoyed or if you will frustrated. I know it is silly and out of my control. It is a tiny thing a small luxury that I was used to using and took for granted. I am learning to control my frustrations about the lack of internet and find some silver lining...

That is why recently I have not be blogging because it has been impossible. As I write this draft blog on word, I am not even sure when I will be able to post it but I wanted to sit down and write especially since it is raining for the third day in a row and I don’t plan on leaving my house. When the red dirt of Paraguay mixes with a flash flood all hell break loose and the road in front of my house kind of collapsed yesterday. So with the sparring battery life on my computer I’m writing. I say sparring because it is possible that my power will go out any minute. The winds are picking up! 

Now to inhale a breath of fresh air and positivity, recently I have had a lot of visitors in my house. A fellow volunteer and good friend has been working with the special olympics and 3 of her youth were recently invited to come to the capitol for 2 weeks to train for the world special olympics. The Paraguay National special olympics already took place and they did really well.. I think her regional team won a total of 11 metals. Then after a few were selected to train and essential “try out” for the National team that will be heading to L.A in July for the World special olympics. And guess what 2 of them qualified!!!! WooHoo ! If you find your self in L.A in July you better goo cheer them on! 

So since they were up near the capitol for 2 weeks and I live near the capitol they were over my house a few days. I made them lunch one day and then we went and got ice cream in town. Another night I had them over for dinner and we made pizza and taught them some yoga. I also got to tag along on some of their errands just to hang out. It was especially great because their coach who is my good friend lives far away and I normally don’t get to see her very much but these past 2 weeks we saw a lot of each other! They have lots more training left and will be coming up here once a month until July so I will get to see more of them and I am looking forward to it. 

Two of the youth are bother and sister and then one is just a friend. All three of them are deaf and I spent the 2 weeks trying to pick up as much sign language as I could. Did you know that english sign language is different then spanish sign language? No, I didn’t either. It was a bit confusing at times but they are patient and have a great sense of humor, I thoroughly enjoyed all the time spent with them. I hope they can come back to visit real soon! 

So to wrap up this post, the Peace Corps life can be proved frustrating but completely rewarding and totally worth it. My recent struggles are always outweighed or passed by with my little victories and time spent with people and investing our relationships.

Also Happy November, Happy my favorite month because my sister Rachel and friend Jessica will be arriving in Paraguay in just 20 days!!!!!!!!!!!! So So SO SO SO excited!